17 Best Bug Tracking Tools for Software Testing in 2024

Bug testing is the backbone of software quality assurance. No matter how many checkpoints are being employed in the software development cycle, software products are bound to have bugs or anomalies. Developers deal with them using bug tracking software. Bugs can be in the source code, integrations, framework, implementation, database connections, and whatnot!

Therefore, to assure the complete stability of a product, efficient and optimum bug testing is required. To combat recurrent bugs in the software, programmers and developers leverage various bug tracking systems or defect trackers. There are several of them in the QA market. Before discussing the best bug tracking software, let's understand the basic principles of bug testing.

What is Bug testing?

Software testing deals with hundreds of thousands of flaws that exist in the source code, integrations, database connections, and elsewhere in the software products. These flaws are called bugs, and the process of successfully identifying them and detecting them in the software product is known as bug testing.

To ensure the proper functionality of the software, bugs need to be resolved, and the process of bug resolution is known as debugging . For debugging, each bug or anomaly must be reviewed, monitored, prioritized and resolved. But, the debugging process solely stands on efficient bug tracking tools. Therefore, bug testing is a critical process with significant importance.

Best Bug Tracking Software

Now that you know what bug testing is, let’s discuss some of the best bug tracking tools that can automate the process of bug testing and aid programmers and developers to identify and resolving anomalies beforehand. Here we go:

1. Backlog

Backlog is an all-in-one bug tracking platform. One can easily submit issues and view a complete history of issue updates and status changes through Backlog.

Features:

It is built specifically for development teams.
The complete history of issue updates and status changes can be accessed anytime.
One can apply search filters to access specific reports and tests.
Problems with subtasks and the project can be detected easily.
It has built-in support for Git and SVN .
It has burndown and Gantt charts.
Backlog can be used to test apps for native mobile devices.
Equipped with visual workflow with Kanban-style boards.

Development teams often use the defect tracker software to collaborate with other teams to create high-quality, bug-free projects.

2. SpiraTeam

SpiraTeam is a holistic Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution for bug testing that includes integrated software bug tracking. It facilitates the management of the whole bug testing process, from requirements through tests, problems, and issues with built-in end-to-end traceability.

Features:

During the execution of the test script, new incidents can be automatically created.
Statuses, priorities, defect kinds, and severity levels are all fully customizable event fields.
Through SpiraTeam, linking incidents (bugs) to other artefacts and incidents is possible.
Robust reporting, searching and sorting features.
A powerful audit trail that tracks modifications.

Changes in the customized workflow status trigger email notifications in SpiraTeam.

3. BugHerd

It is one of the simplest bug testing tools that can efficiently track problems and manage website feedback for beer functional websites. To leverage BugHerd, bugs and feedback should be pinned to elements on a website, and technical information can be captured to help fix issues.

Features:

Allows bug and feedback capture with a simple point-and-click interface.
It provides technical information such as operating system and screen resolution.
The kanban-style Task Board allows easy tracking and handling of all feedback and bugs from a single place.
QA and UAT of websites and applications can be done in a fraction of the time using the bug tracker system. Hence, it speeds up the process of bug testing.

The Kanban-style task board can assist in tracking feedback tasks to completion.

4. Monday

Monday is a bug tracking platform that allows easy monitoring of bugs. It assists in managing varied sized teams.

Features:

It can automate daily tasks.
Monday can integrate with Mailchimp, Google Calendar, Gmail, and more services seamlessly.
Provides a track of testing progress.
Allows work or collaboration from remote locations.

The defect tracker software flaunts a configurable dashboard that makes data visualization simple and interactive.

5. Bug Tracker by Zoho

Bug Tracker by Zoho is a robust bug tracker system that filters software anomalies on the basis of priority and severity. It boosts productivity by highlighting bugs.

Features:

Displays bugs and integration with a simple UI.
It can provide workflow flexibility through issue trackers.
Issues are divided into numerous groups to elevate ease in resolution.
The web-based software bug tracking platform lets you manage multiple projects, issues, milestones, reports, and documentation from one place.

It can also automate the process of reminding and contacting team members.

6. Bugzilla

Bugzilla is a well-known bug tracker. It is open-source software with several valuable and fantastic benefits. It makes bug tracking an easy and simple process. It is built with a comprehensive permissions system to elevate stability and ease of usage.

Features:

It can send email notifications of code modifications.
Provides results in the form of illustrative charts and reports.
Bug lists can be created in a variety of formats.
Through Bugzilla, reports can be scheduled on a daily, monthly, and weekly basis.
The bug tracking software automatically detects duplicate bugs.

Bugzilla allows users to set priorities for determining bugs. Also, the platform can successfully estimate when a bug will be fixed.

7. JIRA

Because of its simple operation and high stability, thousands of software professionals deem JIRA as the best bug tracking software. Its amenities and premium utility points make it the go-to bug testing tool for many organizations.

Features:

JIRA is a commercial solution that aids in the recording and organization of team issues.
It provides prioritization and updating problems with the project.
The tool can seamlessly integrate with code development environments, making it ideal for developers.
It is not limited to the software business as it has the capacity to track any issue, anomaly, and basic system flaw.
It works well with agile projects as well.

JIRA is equipped with a galore of add-ons that make it more powerful and extensible than many popular bug tracking systems.

8. Mantis

A simple, performance-oriented tool, Mantis is available as an online application as well as a mobile application. It can be integrated with wiki, RSS feeds, etc. The platform can work with multiple databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL , and MS SQL.

Features:

It is an open-source application.
It can send email notifications about bugs, tests progress and more.
Reporting is provided through easy-to-understand graphs.
Supports integration of source control.
Custom fields are supported in Mantis.
Supports the management of time tracking.

Mantis allows viewing modification history and roadmap of issues throughout testing. Also, there is no limit to the number of users or projects that can be supported and tested using bug tracking software.

9. Trac

Trac is a Python-based open-source bug tracking platform that runs on the web. It is an improved version of the wiki that can track issues in software development projects.

Features:

It works on various platforms, including Linux, Unix, macOS, and Windows.
A timeline displays all current and previous project events in chronological order.
A roadmap highlights upcoming milestones.

It can be combined with SCM to browse through the code, history, modifications, and so on.

10. Axosoft

It is a bug tracking tool that can be used on-premises or in a hosted environment. Axosoft is a Scrum project management tool.

Features:

It is one of the most effective bug control tools available.
It offers a board for Scrum planning.
Burndown charts for Scrum are also available in Axosoft.
The platform allows easy management of user stories, bugs, and support tickets.
It provides a real-time picture of the progress.
Axosoft provides reporting on SCM integration.

Through the Scrum planning board, project managers and developers can access each task, its requirements, defects, and incidents in the system that too on individual tabs.

11. eTraxis

eTraxis is another efficient open-source bug tracking software. It can work in a variety of languages. The tool is written in PHP and works flexibly with various databases, including Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MS Server.

Features:

In eTraxis, files can be easily exchanged.
Supports a range of attachments.
Can send notifications through email.
Supports on-the-fly issue filtering.
Allows the viewing history of all events with a custom process.

eTraxis works as a versatile platform for managing multiple projects by offering a central location for all project activities. It allows easy and interactive team collaborations.

12. Bugnet

It's an open-source defect tracker software created in the Asp.net framework that uses MySQL as a database. Bugnet includes everything essential to complete projects and manage issues effectively.

Features:

It can send notifications through email to facilitate team collaborations.
All issues can be managed easily through a single platform.
Supports multiple projects and databases.
It is imbibed with features to manage tasks and milestones conveniently.
Administration and navigation are simple.

Although the basic version is free, the pro version requires purchasing a license.

13. The Bug Genie

The Bug Genie is a simple and fast tool to record defects in software products. It allows extensive customization throughout the testing process and enhances personalization in testing.

Features:

There is a built-in quick search feature that allows easy detection of software anomalies.
All searches and project timelines can be exported as RSS feeds.
Issue-related actions can be made available with a single click in issue views and search listings.
It can be used with the wiki to search articles, users, teams, and other resources.

A platform is a user-friendly tool allowing users to rectify the functionality of a product by eliminating bugs beforehand.

14. Lighthouse

Lighthouse is the ideal bug management tool for software products. It's simple to use, well-organized, and a mobile-friendly solution for bug testing.

Features:

It is equipped with configurable states.
Has an effective tagging system.
It is imbibed with features such as advanced search and store searches.
It can connect with various helpful services, including Airbrake, Github, Exceptional, and Beanstalk.
Handles tickets with commit messages.

The platform has some automated organized tasks to facilitate the process of bug tracking. If used, it can level up the task of recognizing and eliminating bugs from websites.

15. BugHost

Although it is for commercial purposes, BugHost is a reasonably-priced tool for bug testing. It is often said to be an appropriate solution for corporations that require high-volume licensing at a low cost.

Features:

It keeps track of all software bugs.
Emails and file attachments can be integrated.
Allows linking a bug to the source.
A secure and safe platform for extensive bug testing.

Bughost is a cloud-based service that supports updating several bugs at once.

16. Collabtive

A web-based project management software, Collabtive is open-source and specifically aimed at small and medium-sized organizations.

Features:

It's cloud-based and often used as a good alternative to Basecamp, another popular tool for bug testing.
It enables project management and milestone tracking.

It has a simple GUI with an intuitive design. Collabtive proposes no limitations while using dynamic elements as well.

17. Team Foundation Server (TFS)

Team Foundation Server is a bug tracking technology. TFS can send notifications to team members and keeps a detailed track of who the bug was assigned to, thereby allowing pragmatic bug tracking management.

Features:

Collaboration and agile planning become easy.
Allows easy management, reporting and assigning issues all from a single platform.

Team Foundation Server offers management of multiple test cases.

Conclusion

An efficient bug tracking system can improve the software quality assurance process by offering a single workflow for monitoring and reporting software products. As important as it is to identify and track system anomalies, it is equally important and critical to solve them beforehand. An ideal bug tracking software can aid professional software developers and testers to resolve all the bugs and system flaws efficiently.

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