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Comparison

Hawzu vs Zephyr the open Zephyr alternative — no Jira required

Zephyr Scale lives inside Jira and bills every Jira user. Hawzu is a standalone test management platform with native defects, analytics, and AI — and it's free while we're in early access.

Hawzu vs Zephyr, at a glance

Feature
Hawzu
Zephyr
Works without Jira Zephyr Scale requires Jira
Pricing basis Billed for all Jira users, not just testers
Per Hawzu user (free in early access)
Per Jira user
Test cases, suites & manual runs
Native defect tracking
Via Jira
Requirements & traceability
yes (in Jira)
Release management
Analytics & dashboards
Built-in (Observatory)
Within Jira
AI assist + semantic search
Limited
Test export / data portability On Hawzu's roadmap
Pricing
Free during early access
From ~$4.55/Jira-user/mo

Comparison reflects publicly available information and is kept as fair as we can make it. Zephyr details may change — check their site for the latest.

Why teams pick Hawzu

Standalone — no Jira required. Run Hawzu on its own, or connect any tracker (Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Linear) when you want.

Pay for testers, not your whole company — Zephyr Scale bills every Jira user, even non-testers.

Native defects, requirements, releases, and Observatory analytics in one place — not scattered across Jira add-ons.

AI test-case assist, plus semantic search over your defects and documentation.

Free while in early access.

Common questions

Do I need Jira to use Hawzu?

No. Hawzu is fully standalone. You can connect Jira (or GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Linear) if you want, but it's entirely optional.

How is Hawzu's pricing different from Zephyr's?

Zephyr Scale is billed per Jira user — including people who never touch testing. Hawzu is billed per Hawzu user, and it's free while we're in early access.

Can I migrate from Zephyr?

Import/migration tooling is on our roadmap. Email contact@snoowl.com in the meantime and we'll help you move your test cases across.

Try Hawzu free

Every feature is free while we're in early access — no credit card.

Talk to Us

Tell us about your QA setup. We'll get back to you within 24 hours.