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Testing · head to head

Percy vs Xray Test Management

Percy logo

Percy

Testing

Visual regression testing owned by BrowserStack, with a permanent free tier for low screenshot volume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Xray Test Management logo

Xray Test Management

Testing

Native test management for Jira, licensed per Jira user rather than per tester

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Percy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Percy pixel-based diffing generates more false positives from font rendering and anti-aliasing noise than Applitools' AI-based comparison, which trains some teams to start ignoring diff alerts over time.; Xray Test Management pricing follows total Jira user count, not Xray user count, so a large company with a small QA team pays for hundreds of seats it does not use for testing.
  • They diverge on capability: Percy covers Screenshot diffing, Xray Test Management covers Native Jira issue types.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Percy and Xray Test Management actually diverge.

Attributes where Percy and Xray Test Management differ
AttributePercyXray Test Management
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, paid tiers by screenshot volumePer Jira user per month, tiered to total instance size
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Testing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Percy

  • Screenshot diffing
  • Framework integrations
  • Responsive and cross-browser snapshots
  • Review workflow
  • Build history
  • BrowserStack platform integration

Only in Xray Test Management

  • Native Jira issue types
  • Requirement traceability
  • BDD support
  • CI integration
  • Test repository and reuse
  • Data Center edition

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Percy

  • A team already on BrowserStack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationshipnot Xray Test Management
  • A low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anythingnot Xray Test Management
  • A team wanting a lower cost per screenshot than Applitools and willing to tolerate more manual false-positive triagenot Xray Test Management
  • A Cypress or Playwright test suite adding visual checks without changing its existing test runnernot Xray Test Management

Xray Test Management

  • A QA team already standardised on Jira that wants traceability from requirement to test to defect without a second toolnot Percy
  • An organisation running Jira Data Center for compliance reasons that needs test management to matchnot Percy
  • A team doing BDD that wants Gherkin scenarios linked to Jira issues rather than kept in a separate repositorynot Percy
  • A company importing automated CI results into the same tracker developers already use for triagenot Percy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Percy

  • Pixel-based diffing generates more false positives from font rendering and anti-aliasing noise than Applitools' AI-based comparison, which trains some teams to start ignoring diff alerts over time.
  • It is billed separately from core BrowserStack device testing, and stacking Percy with other BrowserStack modules such as Accessibility Testing materially increases total contract value beyond the headline device testing price.
  • Paid tier pricing above the free tier is not transparently published as a fixed number, requiring a quote to know actual cost at scale.
  • The free tier's 5,000-screenshot cap is easy to exceed for any team running visual tests across multiple browsers and viewports on every commit, pushing many active projects into a paid tier faster than the free number suggests.
  • As part of a larger acquired portfolio, Percy's roadmap priority within BrowserStack's broader product strategy is less certain than it would be as a standalone company's sole focus.

Xray Test Management

  • Pricing follows total Jira user count, not Xray user count, so a large company with a small QA team pays for hundreds of seats it does not use for testing.
  • Since October 2025 billing is based on peak users within the period, so a temporary contractor surge or acquisition-driven headcount bump can push the account into a costlier tier retroactively.
  • It only exists as a Jira add-on, so a team that is not already on Jira gains nothing by evaluating it; there is no standalone product.
  • Cloud and Data Center are separately licensed and diverge in feature timing, so a company migrating from self-hosted Jira to Cloud has to re-evaluate the Xray purchase, not just move data.
  • Heavy customisation of test workflows inside Jira increases the risk that a Jira version upgrade or a Xray version upgrade breaks configured automation rules.

Pricing, plan by plan

Percy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5,000 screenshots a month
    • Unlimited users and projects
    • 30-day build history
  • Percy$undefined/month
    • Priced by screenshot volume above the free tier
    • Sold separately from core BrowserStack device testing plans
    • Get a current quote before assuming bundled pricing with other BrowserStack products

Xray Test Management

On request
  • Xray Cloud Standard$10/month
    • Up to 10 Jira users
    • Manual and automated test management
    • Requirement traceability
  • Xray Cloud$undefined/month
    • Priced per Jira user, tier follows total instance headcount
    • Billed on peak user count within the billing period since October 2025
    • Rate per user declines at higher tiers but total spend still rises with headcount
  • Xray Data Center$undefined/year
    • Licensed against Jira Data Center tier
    • Separate purchase and upgrade cycle from Cloud

Which should you pick?

Choose Percy if

  • You need screenshot diffing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want framework integrations.
Percy review

Choose Xray Test Management if

  • You need native jira issue types.
  • You also want requirement traceability.
Xray Test Management review

Questions people ask

Is Percy or Xray Test Management better?
Neither clearly leads. Percy starts at Free and Xray Test Management at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Percy or Xray Test Management?
Percy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Percy and On request for Xray Test Management.
Does Percy or Xray Test Management run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Percy for free?
Yes. Percy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Xray Test Management starts at On request.
What is Percy best used for?
Percy is most often used for a team already on browserstack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationship, a low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anything, a team wanting a lower cost per screenshot than applitools and willing to tolerate more manual false-positive triage, a cypress or playwright test suite adding visual checks without changing its existing test runner. Of those, a team already on browserstack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationship and a low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anything are not what Xray Test Management is typically brought in for.
What can Percy do that Xray Test Management cannot?
Percy covers Screenshot diffing, Framework integrations, Responsive and cross-browser snapshots, Review workflow. Xray Test Management covers Native Jira issue types, Requirement traceability, BDD support, CI integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Percy: Is Percy free?

Yes for up to 5,000 screenshots a month with unlimited users and projects; beyond that it is a paid, quote-priced module.

Xray Test Management: Is Xray priced per tester?

No. It is priced per user on the Jira instance it is installed into, regardless of how many of those users actually work in Xray.

Percy: Is Percy included if I already pay for BrowserStack device testing?

No, it is billed separately by screenshot volume, not bundled into core device testing plans.

Xray Test Management: Who owns Xray?

Xblend, the company that grew out of the original XpandIT project, which Idera, Inc. acquired in 2021 along with the Xporter reporting tool.

Percy: How does it compare to Applitools?

Percy uses pixel-based diffing, which is generally cheaper per screenshot but produces more false positives than Applitools' AI-based perceptual comparison.

Xray Test Management: Is there a free tier?

No published free tier exists for either Cloud or Data Center editions.

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