Azure Test Plans vs Semaphore

Azure Test Plans gives teams tools to plan, run, and track manual and exploratory testing for apps. For scripted tests, teams can track actionable defects and connect test cases and suites to user stories, features, or requirements. Exploratory sessions let testers design and run tests at the same time. During manual tests, Test Runner can capture screenshots, image action logs, and screen recordings. Reports, dashboard widgets, and customizable Power BI reports show plan progress and trends. The service integrates with Azure Pipelines for CI/CD testing and offers REST APIs and an extension contribution model. Manual testing is available in the web portal through supported browsers on major platforms; a free Test & Feedback extension supports exploratory testing in Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The free Stakeholders plan does not allow users to create or manage Test Plans. Basic is free for the first five users, then $6 per user per month; Basic + Test Plans costs $52 a month, billed at $52 per user per month. A 30-day trial is listed. Azure DevOps cloud-based load testing is deprecated; Microsoft points users to Azure Load Testing for managed load testing.

Semaphore is an AI-native CI/CD platform for building, testing, releasing, and deploying code. Teams organize automated development tasks into workflows containing one or more pipelines. Its visual Workflow Builder represents pipelines, creates YAML configuration, and displays performance feedback. Repositories can connect from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. Teams can use hosted jobs or run self-hosted agents on Linux, macOS, or Windows; those agents can autoscale with Kubernetes or AWS. Semaphore is open source under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted. The default concurrency is 20 jobs, with higher limits available on request. Artifact use is free up to 20 GB monthly egress and 100 GB monthly storage; additional usage is charged separately. A free plan includes account, project, and Git integration assistance, while advanced CI troubleshooting is offered through paid support. Listed paid support begins with Basic Support at $50 a month. Semaphore says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and that it holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications. Pricing includes free usage credits and per-minute compute charges.