diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index cee1b5d8..8d4205bb 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -3,14 +3,19 @@ sudo: required
 dist: trusty
 
 env:
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4   PYTHON=python2.7
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4v2 PYTHON=python2.7
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyside  PYTHON=python2.7
+  global:
+      # used by ci-helpers
+      - CONDA_CHANNELS=conda-forge SETUP_XVFB=true  DEPS="pytest tox coveralls"
 
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4   PYTHON=python3.4
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4v2 PYTHON=python3.4
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyside  PYTHON=python3.4
- - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt5   PYTHON=python3.4
+  matrix:
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4   PYQT_PACKAGE="pyqt=4.*" PYTHON_VERSION=2.7
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4v2 PYQT_PACKAGE="pyqt=4.*" PYTHON_VERSION=2.7
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyside  PYQT_PACKAGE="pyside=1.*" PYTHON_VERSION=2.7
+
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4   PYQT_PACKAGE="pyqt=4.*" PYTHON_VERSION=3.4
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt4v2 PYQT_PACKAGE="pyqt=4.*" PYTHON_VERSION=3.4
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyside  PYQT_PACKAGE="pyside=1.*" PYTHON_VERSION=3.4
+      - PYTEST_QT_API=pyqt5   PYQT_PACKAGE="pyqt=5.*" PYTHON_VERSION=3.4
 
 install:
  - sudo apt-get update
@@ -18,30 +23,22 @@ install:
  # Xvfb / window manager
  - sudo apt-get install -y xvfb herbstluftwm
 
- # Qt
- - $PYTHON scripts/install-qt.py
-
- # Pip (3.4 does not have it by default)
- - wget https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py
- - sudo $PYTHON get-pip.py
-
- # Dependencies
- - sudo $PYTHON -m pip install -U pytest tox coveralls
+ # Setup miniconda 
+ - git clone --depth 1 git://github.com/astropy/ci-helpers.git
+ - CONDA_DEPENDENCIES="${DEPS} ${PYQT_PACKAGE}" source ci-helpers/travis/setup_conda.sh
+ - source activate test && pip install -e .
 
- # pytest-qt
- - sudo $PYTHON setup.py develop
 
 before_script:
- - "export DISPLAY=:99.0"
- - start-stop-daemon --start --background --exec /usr/bin/Xvfb -- $DISPLAY -screen 0 1024x768x24
- - sleep 3 # give xvfb some time to start
  - "herbstluftwm &"
  - sleep 1
 
 script:
- - catchsegv coverage run --source=pytestqt -m pytest tests
- - sudo tox -e lint
- - sudo chmod -R a+rw .
+ - source activate test && catchsegv coverage run --source=pytestqt -m pytest tests
+ # for some reason tox doesn't get installed with a u+x flag
+ - | 
+     chmod u+x /home/travis/miniconda/envs/test/bin/tox 
+     /home/travis/miniconda/envs/test/bin/tox -e lint
 
 after_success:
  - coveralls
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 1185a523..39d12698 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ Many thanks to:
 - Florian Bruhin (`@The-Compiler <https://github.com/The-Compiler>`_);
 - Guilherme Quentel Melo (`@gqmelo <https://github.com/gqmelo>`_);
 - Francesco Montesano (`@montefra <https://github.com/montefra>`_);
+- Roman Yurchak (`@rth <https://github.com/rth>`_)
 
 **Powered by**
 
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 400ae94c..44a69469 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -1,27 +1,60 @@
-environment:
-  matrix:
-    - INSTALL_QT: "py34-pyqt5"
-      TESTENVS: "py34-pyqt5"
-
-    - INSTALL_QT: "py35-pyqt5"
-      TESTENVS: "py35-pyqt5"
-
-    - INSTALL_QT: "py34-pyqt4"
-      TESTENVS: "py34-pyqt4"
+# Adapted from the qtpy Appveyor setup
 
-    - INSTALL_QT: "py27-pyqt4"
-      TESTENVS: "py27-pyqt4"
+environment:
+  global:
+      PYTHON: "C:\\conda"
+      CMD_IN_ENV: "cmd /E:ON /V:ON /C .\\ci-helpers\\appveyor\\windows_sdk.cmd"
+      PYTHON_ARCH: "64" # needs to be set for CMD_IN_ENV to succeed. If a mix
+                        # of 32 bit and 64 bit builds are needed, move this
+                        # to the matrix section.
+      # Used by atropy ci-helpers
+      CONDA_CHANNELS: "conda-forge"
 
-    - TESTENVS: "py27-pyside,py34-pyside,lint"
+  matrix:
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "2.7"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyqt4"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyqt=4.*"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "2.7"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyqt4v2"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyqt=4.*"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "2.7"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyside"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyside=1.*"
+      
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyqt4"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyqt=4.*"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyqt4v2"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyqt=4.*"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyside"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyside=1.*"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
+      PYTEST_QT_API: "pyqt5"
+      CONDA_DEPENDENCIES: "pytest pyqt=5.*"
+
+platform:
+    -x64
 
 install:
-  - C:\Python27\python -u scripts\install-qt.py
-  - C:\Python27\python -m pip install tox
-
-cache:
-  - C:\Installers -> appveyor.yml, scripts\install-qt.py
-
-build: false  # Not a C# project
+    # If there is a newer build queued for the same PR, cancel this one.
+    # The AppVeyor 'rollout builds' option is supposed to serve the same
+    # purpose but it is problematic because it tends to cancel builds pushed
+    # directly to master instead of just PR builds (or the converse).
+    # credits: JuliaLang developers.
+    - ps: if ($env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER -and $env:APPVEYOR_BUILD_NUMBER -ne ((Invoke-RestMethod `
+        https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/$env:APPVEYOR_ACCOUNT_NAME/$env:APPVEYOR_PROJECT_SLUG/history?recordsNumber=50).builds | `
+        Where-Object pullRequestId -eq $env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER)[0].buildNumber) { `
+          throw "There are newer queued builds for this pull request, failing early." }
+    - "git clone --depth 1 git://github.com/astropy/ci-helpers.git"
+    - "powershell ci-helpers/appveyor/install-miniconda.ps1"
+    - "SET PATH=%PYTHON%;%PYTHON%\\Scripts;%PATH%"
+    - "activate test"
+    - "pip install -e ."
+
+# Not a .NET project, we build in the install step instead
+build: false
 
 test_script:
-  - C:\Python27\scripts\tox -e %TESTENVS%
+  - "%CMD_IN_ENV% python -m pytest tests/"
diff --git a/scripts/install-qt.py b/scripts/install-qt.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 2ad4f686..00000000
--- a/scripts/install-qt.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,88 +0,0 @@
-"""
-Simple script to install PyQt or PySide in CI (Travis and AppVeyor).
-"""
-from __future__ import print_function
-import os
-import sys
-import subprocess
-import urllib
-
-
-if 'APPVEYOR' in os.environ:
-    def fix_registry(python_ver):
-        """Update install path on windows registry so PyQt installation installs at the correct
-        location.
-        python_ver must be "34", "27", etc.
-        """
-        import _winreg as winreg
-        python_dir = r'C:\Python%s' % python_ver
-        print("Fixing registry %s..." % python_ver)
-        assert os.path.isdir(python_dir)
-        registry_key = r'Software\Python\PythonCore\%s.%s' % (python_ver[0], python_ver[1])
-        with winreg.OpenKey(winreg.HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
-                            registry_key, 0,
-                            winreg.KEY_WRITE) as key:
-            winreg.SetValue(key, 'InstallPath', winreg.REG_SZ, python_dir)
-
-    base_url = 'http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/pyqt/'
-    downloads = {
-        'py34-pyqt5': 'PyQt5/PyQt-5.5/PyQt5-5.5-gpl-Py3.4-Qt5.5.0-x32.exe',
-        'py35-pyqt5': 'PyQt5/PyQt-5.6/PyQt5-5.6-gpl-Py3.5-Qt5.6.0-x32-2.exe',
-        'py34-pyqt4': 'PyQt4/PyQt-4.11.4/PyQt4-4.11.4-gpl-Py3.4-Qt4.8.7-x32.exe',
-        'py27-pyqt4': 'PyQt4/PyQt-4.11.4/PyQt4-4.11.4-gpl-Py2.7-Qt4.8.7-x32.exe',
-    }
-    if 'INSTALL_QT' in os.environ:
-        fix_registry('35')
-        caption = os.environ['INSTALL_QT']
-        installers_dir = r'C:\Installers'
-        if not os.path.isdir(installers_dir):
-            os.makedirs(installers_dir)
-        installer = os.path.join(installers_dir, 'install-%s.exe' % caption)
-        if not os.path.isfile(installer):
-            # download all files because the cache is for all builds
-            for cap, url in sorted(downloads.items()):
-                print("Downloading %s..." % cap)
-                filename = os.path.join(installers_dir, 'install-%s.exe' % cap)
-                urllib.urlretrieve(base_url + url, filename)
-        else:
-            print('Using cached installers')
-        print('Installing %s...' % caption)
-        subprocess.check_call([installer, '/S'])
-        python = caption.split('-')[0]
-        assert python[:2] == 'py'
-        executable = r'C:\Python%s\python.exe' % python[2:]
-        url = downloads[caption]
-        module = url.split('/')[0]
-        cmdline = [executable, '-c', 'import %s;print(%s)' % (module, module)]
-        print('Checking: %r' % cmdline)
-        subprocess.check_call(cmdline)
-        print('OK')
-    else:
-        print('Skip install for this build')
-
-elif 'TRAVIS' in os.environ:
-    def apt_get_install(packages):
-        print('Installing %s...' % ', '.join(packages))
-        subprocess.check_call(['sudo', 'apt-get', 'install', '-y', '-qq'] + packages)
-
-    py3k = sys.version_info[0] == 3
-    pyqt_version = {'pyqt4': 4,
-                    'pyqt4v2': 4,
-                    'pyqt5': 5,
-                    }
-    if os.environ['PYTEST_QT_API'] in pyqt_version:
-        pyqt_ver = pyqt_version[os.environ['PYTEST_QT_API']]
-        if py3k:
-            pkg = 'python3-pyqt%s' % pyqt_ver
-        else:
-            pkg = 'python-qt%s' % pyqt_ver
-        apt_get_install([pkg])
-    else:
-        if py3k:
-            pkg = 'python3-pyside'
-        else:
-            pkg = 'python-pyside'
-        apt_get_install([pkg])
-
-else:
-    print('Nothing to do (not in Travis or AppVeyor)')