TestLink is open-source test management you run on your own server. QA Sphere is hosted test management with AI test writing built in: free for up to 3 users, $12 per user per month after that, with free read-only seats on paid plans and a 30-day trial — no PHP server, database upgrades or security patching on your side.
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TestLink data last verified October 2026
TestLink is free, mature and still used by many teams. The reasons teams move are almost never licence cost: they are the server, the pace of development, and what it takes to keep the 1.9.20 line, first released in 2020, secure and usable in 2026.
TestLink needs a PHP host and a database you maintain: MySQL 5.7, MariaDB 10.1 or PostgreSQL 9 according to its README, with log_bin_trust_function_creators enabled on MySQL and MariaDB. Backups, upgrades and security patches are your job. QA Sphere is hosted, with an EU region in AWS Ireland and an APAC region in Singapore, and there is nothing for you to patch.
The TestLink README says 1.9.20 “will be the last version of the 1.9.x family”. Version 2.x was announced with a new interface, and as of December 2025 the maintainer writes that he is “still working on it”. Fixes are committed to a git branch, most recently a December 2025 PHP 8 compatibility update, rather than shipped as new numbered releases. QA Sphere ships new features and publishes release notes every few weeks.
In TestLink, test cases move in and out as XML files, issue tracker integrations are set up by editing XML in the settings, and attachments default to 1 MB per file. QA Sphere has a modern web interface, a flexible folder and tag system, and 200 GB of attachment space on Standard.
TestLink has no AI features and no MCP server. QA Sphere includes AI test writing, bulk generation, screenshot-to-test-case and AI-drafted bug reports on every plan, metered as AI credits (limited on Free), plus a hosted MCP server that connects your AI assistant to your test library.
The TestLink project says it is not supported by a company or a foundation and is maintained in free time, with paid help available. Someone on your team still has to install, upgrade and back up the server. That time usually costs more than QA Sphere Free for up to 3 users, or $12 per user per month on Standard.
In Test Specification, export a test suite or the whole project as XML, which is TestLink’s only test case export format. Keep the file; send us a sample and we’ll check its structure with you on a short call.
QA Sphere has no TestLink XML importer today. Convert the XML to CSV or TSV (one test case or one step per row), then choose Other (AI assisted import) in QA Sphere, which maps your columns, keeps your wording and validates every row (up to 1 MB, 5,000 rows and 256 columns per file). For larger libraries or several projects, contact support: we can often handle the migration for you.
You verify everything in QA Sphere, your team runs a smoke suite, and you’re live — with onboarding support at every step.
Yalantis migrated over 100,000 test cases to QA Sphere — onboarding support is included at every step.
“Migrating over 100,000 test cases sounded daunting, but with QA Sphere, it was surprisingly smooth. … Since switching, we’ve seen a real impact: costs are down, team efficiency is up, and test coverage velocity has improved by 10–12%.”
See what people from different companies say about QA Sphere
Migrating over 100,000 test cases sounded daunting, but with QA Sphere, it was surprisingly smooth. Their onboarding support was solid, and the platform itself is intuitive - our team was up and running in no time. Since switching, we've seen a real impact: costs are down, team efficiency is up, and test coverage velocity has improved by 10–12%. AI test case creation and bug reporting help us move faster without sacrificing quality.
Artur Shevchenko
Director of Engineering @Yalantis
QA Sphere helped us bring structure to our test library and streamline daily QA routines. What stood out was how receptive the team was - some of our feature suggestions are already live and saving us hours of manual work. It's rare to see that kind of collaboration translate so quickly into real improvements.
Dr. Iryna Strubytska
QA Lead @ScanTrust
Using QA Sphere has been a smooth and productive experience. It keeps our test cases organized and makes running tests a lot easier. I appreciate how simple it is to set up and track progress.
Maria C.
QA Teamlead @Fluix
From my experience with QA Sphere, I've found it to be a real booster in test management. Loved the sleek design and efficient feature set. The organized test libraries and scheduling capabilities have helped us maintain a seamless workflow without unnecessary clutter. Definitely a valuable addition to our toolkit!
Dima Panchuk
Co-Founder @Opsenic
Great solution for process that is often overlooked! Nice and intuitive design is what differentiate QA Sphere from other tools on the market.
Oleksandr Buratynskyi
Founder @tTravel and Certified QA Manager
I like clean, minimalistic UI, even being Software Engineer I can see the state of the software clean. Most tools I've user has just unpleasant 90s interface so I avoid them – thus gap between QA and Dev departments. This is high quality product for quality assurance – I wish more such tools for the QA and Dev Engineers!
Dmytro Khainas
CTO @Customsrates
Simple, fast and exactly what we needed for QA. Helps us keep test cases structured and easy to find, reducing time spent on organizing them.
Ivan K.
Co-Founder @GNGR
A good tool for keeping our test runs structured. QA Sphere eliminates the chaos of managing test cases in spreadsheets, improving team collaboration
Lisa B.
Marketing Manager @SimpliDepo
QA Sphere is user-friendly and quite usable at a competitive price.
Maik Nogens
Test Management Expert @Diconium
Organize, tag, prioritize—and filter across projects in seconds.
Generate tests and draft bugs automatically. Bulk-create cases from requirements or specs.
Choose live updates, fixed folder structure, or locked versions—and run parameterized tests to cover diverse scenarios.
Dashboards show coverage, execution status, team performance, and full traceability.
Link test results to Jira issues, GitHub PRs, or tasks in Asana, Trello, Azure DevOps, Monday.com, ClickUp… you name it.
Bulk import via CSV, ideal for migrating from spreadsheets or other tools.
Export your test suites or project from TestLink as XML, which is the only test case export format TestLink offers. QA Sphere does not import TestLink XML directly today, so convert the XML to CSV or TSV with one test case or one step per row, then choose Other (AI assisted import) in QA Sphere. It maps your columns to QA Sphere fields, keeps your wording unchanged and validates each row before import (up to 1 MB, 5,000 data rows and 256 columns per file). For large libraries, several projects or anything non-standard, contact our support team: we can often handle the migration for you.
Partly. As of October 2026, the last stable release is TestLink 1.9.20, published in January 2020, and the project README says it will be the last version of the 1.9.x family. A 2.x version with a new interface was planned, and in December 2025 the maintainer noted that he is still working on it. Fixes and a December 2025 PHP 8 compatibility update are committed to the testlink_1_9_20_fixed branch on GitHub (snapshot tag 1.9.20-20251208), but no new numbered release has been published since 1.9.20. The README also says the project is not backed by a company or a foundation and is maintained in free time.
QA Sphere has a Free plan for up to 3 users with limited AI credits, 1 GB of attachment space, the API and integrations. Paid plans are Standard at $12 per user per month and Business at $24 per user per month, and read-only users are free on paid plans. TestLink’s licence is free, but you pay for the server, the database, backups and the time someone spends upgrading and securing it.
QA Sphere is a hosted service, with an EU region in AWS Ireland and an APAC region in Singapore; we run the servers, backups and upgrades. A self-hosted (on-premises) edition is being explored, and a waiting list is open on our website.
Yes. QA Sphere has a REST API on every plan, allowing 20 requests per second per user, plus a hosted MCP server for AI assistants and a CLI for uploading automated test results from CI. TestLink offers an XML-RPC API and a REST API whose throughput depends on the server you run it on.
Yes. QA Sphere integrates natively with Jira Cloud, GitHub and Linear, and connects other trackers through a custom issue-tracker integration that links issues by ID and URL pattern. TestLink supports a long list of trackers, including Jira, Mantis, Bugzilla, Redmine and YouTrack, but each one is configured by editing XML in its settings.
Both are long-established test management tools. TestLink is free, open source and self-hosted only; TestRail is a paid product available as a cloud service or a server edition. QA Sphere is hosted, free for up to 3 users and $12 per user per month on Standard. Our QA Sphere vs TestRail comparison page covers TestRail’s plans and prices in detail.
Free
$0 mo
What's included?
Core features, up to 3 users, limited AI credits, zero risk.
No credit card required
Standard
$12 user/mo
What's included?
AI credits, unlimited viewers, 200 GB of attachments.
No credit card required
Enterprise
Custom
What's included?
Custom storage, compliance needs, dedicated support.
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