Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Zephyr Scale (SmartBear)

ZenTao is an open source project management platform originally developed in China that supports end-to-end software delivery workflows. It combines product and project planning with quality management, documentation, and reporting in one system, with built-in support for Scrum, Kanban, and Waterfall.

Key Features

• Product management for requirements/stories, releases, roadmaps, and traceability
• Project and execution tracking with Scrum sprints, Kanban boards, and task management
• QA tools including bug tracking, test case management, and test reporting
• Built-in dashboards and reporting for project visibility and metrics
• Extensible platform with additional modules and integrations depending on edition

Use Cases

• Replace separate tools for backlog, sprint planning, bugs, and test cases in one workspace
• Track delivery across mixed methodologies (Scrum/Kanban/Waterfall) for different teams
• Provide stakeholders with status dashboards, reports, and release tracking

Limitations and Considerations

• Some advanced capabilities are offered in paid editions (Biz/Max/IPD) rather than the community edition

ZenTao is well-suited for teams that want a single system to manage requirements, delivery execution, and QA activities. It can scale from small agile teams to larger organizations needing structured processes and reporting.

Bugzilla is an open source, web-based bug and issue tracking system used to plan, organize, and release software across teams. It provides structured tracking for products and components and supports large, long-lived projects.

Key Features

• Issue/bug tracking with configurable fields and workflows
• Products and components to categorize issues across multiple projects
• Milestones and release tracking to plan and monitor delivery
• Advanced search for filtering and finding issues quickly
• Web-based UI designed for scalability and long-term project use

Use Cases

• Tracking software defects, feature requests, and tasks across teams
• Managing release planning with milestones and product/component ownership
• Running a central issue tracker for open source or enterprise projects

Bugzilla is a mature, widely used tracker that emphasizes structured issue management and powerful search. It fits teams that want a proven, self-managed system for coordinating development and releases.