Make your development lifecycle more efficient by exploring Azure DevOps test plans. One question that often arises is about the licensing. Understanding the Azure DevOps test plans license helps you determine which features and services you can utilize within your team and organization.
The Azure DevOps test plans feature is included in the Visual Studio subscriptions. If you have a Visual Studio Enterprise subscription, you can use Azure DevOps test plans without any additional costs. However, if you're using Azure DevOps with a different license or don't have a Visual Studio subscription, the test plans feature is no longer free as of August 2020.
Azure DevOps Test Plans Pricing
Now that we've covered the free aspects, let's delve into the pricing model for Azure DevOps test plans. As mentioned earlier, for subscriptions other than Visual Studio Enterprise, Azure DevOps test plans follow the Azure DevOps prices.
The Azure DevOps pricing model operates on a tenant-level billing. This means you'll be billed for the highest number of test points consumed across all your projects in a given month. For instance, if Project A uses 10,000 test points and Project B uses 50,000, you'll be charged for 50,000 test points.
Understanding Test Points
Test points are a measure of the number of test runs that you can execute in the Azure DevOps test plans feature. Each type of test run uses a different number of test points, defined as follows:
- Exploratory testing: 1 test point per 15 minutes
- Load testing: 1 test point per 30 seconds
- Progression testing: 1 test point per test case
Azure DevOps Pricing Tiers
The Azure DevOps pricing has two tiers: Free and Paid. In the Free tier, you get 1,000 test points per month, which should allow small teams or projects to explore Azure DevOps testing. Paid tier pricing is as follows:
The Paid tier pricing varies based on the number of test points consumed. For instance, up to 100,000 test points cost $15 per 1,000 test points consumed, and then it decreases on a sliding scale for larger quantities.
Comparing Azure DevOps Test Plans with Other Tools
When considering Azure DevOps test plans, it might be helpful to compare it with other testing tools in the market. While Azure DevOps offers extensive integration with other Azure services and a rich feature set, it's crucial to weigh its costs against other tools like Selenium, Appium, or TestRail.
Remember, however, that these tools might require additional infrastructure and maintenance costs that come with running them on-premises or managing them independently. Azure DevOps, on the other hand, is a managed service, which includes the costs of infrastructure and maintenance.
Selenium and Appium
Selenium and Appium are open-source tools that allow for automated testing. While they are free to use, they don't come with a managed environment. You'll need to set up and manage the Selenium Grid or Appium servers yourself, which can add to the overall cost and complexity.
Moreover, integrating Selenium and Appium with your CI/CD pipelines can be more complex than using Azure DevOps, where the integration is built-in.
TestRail
TestRail is a commercial testing platform that offers a broad range of functionalities. While its pricing model is straightforward, with plans starting at $15 per user per month, you may need to factor in additional costs for test automation tools and integration with your CI/CD pipelines.
TestRail might be a good fit if you're prioritizing a dedicated testing management tool, but if you're already using Azure services for your development lifecycle, Azure DevOps might be a more integrated and cost-effective solution.
Azure DevOps test plans offer a robust suite of testing tools that can streamline your software testing lifecycle. With a well-understood licensing and pricing model, you can make informed decisions about the best fit for your development team and organization. Happy testing!