A Comprehensive Guide to Software Testing Costs

So, you want to invest in software development and allocate a budget for it. What about the budget for testing the software that ensures it runs smoothly?

You need to allocate 15% to 25% of the total software development project budget for testing software to identify and fix its errors or issues.

Ultimately, the software is for end-users, so it is imperative that you maintain the quality of the software’s usability for them. If you want your users to rate your software high, ensure it is compatible. However, making your software compatible comes with a price — that’s why setting a software testing budget beforehand is essential.

So, how much does software testing cost, and what factors affect this total estimation? This guide on software testing costs will answer all your queries.

Factors Affecting Software Testing Cost

1. Software Testing Review

Software testing review is the process of identifying and mitigating errors by systematically examining the software. Reviewing process helps identify software issues and remove them early in the development life cycle. Hence, it makes the testing process cost-effective and reduces testing time.

2. Program Testing

In program testing, the testing team or individual tester executes the software or tests them as separate units to find errors and issues. A program testing is successful if it is highly probable to find defects. Software complexity and the required number of test cases influence the cost of program testing.

3. System Testing

Systems testing involves testing the software in complete and fully integrated software. This testing requires testing the software in a real-world environment. Testing the compatibility of the software manually can increase the overall testing software cost. Therefore, a qualified software testing company prefers automation tools to carry out tasks effectively.

4. Acceptance Testing

Acceptance testing is done to test whether the software meets the end user’s requirements. This type of testing ensures your software is functional, effective, and completed. Since it requires a large number of resources, Acceptance testing influences the software testing cost.

5. Test Planning and Design

Testers need to plan and design the test cases and strategies as per software complexity. The more complex the software, the more expensive it is to plan and run tests.

6. Test Environment Setup Cost

The tools and technologies used in software testing significantly influence the cost of software testing. Our software testing services guide will provide comprehensive information on software testing tools and frameworks.

You can hire a reliable software testing company with skilled software testers of the required tools and technology to help you with cost reduction in frameworks.

7. Debugging

Debugging is the process of finding errors and issues in the software during the software testing process, which influences the total estimation of software testing. It can be a time-consuming and costly process if the root cause of the problem is challenging to identify.

8. Testing Team Cost

The company you choose to hire for software testing services also affects the cost of testing. Many factors contribute to this cost, such as testing team location, engagement model, service charges, software complexity, etc.

Factors That Can Increase the Cost of Testing

1. Rewriting Programs

On detecting errors and bugs in the software, the particular code unit containing the issues needs to be rewritten. Hence, it can increase the time and cost of software testing.

2. Recovery

A system failure may result in a high recovery cost, both in terms of time and resources.

3. Corrective Action Costs

Identifying the methodologies to diagnose the detected errors, issues, or defects for bug-fixing can be costly.

4. Re-Keying Data

In case of data needs to be re-entered due to errors or other issues, it can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

5. Failures

The system can affect productivity and downtime, increasing the costs associated with troubleshooting and repair.

6. Analysis Meetings

Analysis meetings require the time and resources of the team, acting as the cost-influencing factor of software testing.

7. Debugging

If the root cause of the errors/defects is difficult to identify, it can increase the software testing cost and time.

8. Re-Testing

Re-testing is necessary to ensure that no new errors arise after bug-fixing. If it does, then the affected areas need to be re-tested, which can increase the overall cost of testing.

Best Practices to Reduce Software Testing Costs

1. Clear Testing Requirements

You need specific testing requirements, including software details, test cases, and more. It would be best to define testing priority, deliverables, and communication flow to make software testing more efficient. It will help you set clear expectations from the software testing company on how the testing process should be carried out.

2. Testing Early and Rigorously

The cost of mobile app testing services can increase in the maintenance phase. Therefore, the software review phase is essential to identify errors early in the development cycle. It will help you to mitigate issues in your software pre-release and cost less than the bug-fixed post-release.

3. Focus on Automation Testing

Automation of specific tasks can help you seamlessly carry out manual, tedious, and repetitive work. You can significantly lower operational costs and improve the bug-fixing rate with automation. Moreover, you can free up your staff for other tasks and identify errors missed during manual automation.

4. Manual Testing Optimization

Manual testing takes up the time of your staff and is prone to human errors. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize its usage. Optimizing manual testing will help you manage your workload and QA testing roadmap effectively. Hence, focus on making data-driven informed decisions to optimize manual testing and reduce overall software testing costs.

5. Risk-Based Testing Approach

Risk-based testing works on a priority basis, where performance testing services are arranged based on the risk of failure and the importance of function. When you take the risk-based testing approach, you can simplify the test planning and preparation as per the probability of risks, making it more productive and cost-effective.

6. Outsource Software Testing Services

The next approach that can significantly help you in cost reduction is outsourcing software testing services. You can assign a budget for software testing and hire a company within it, making the testing process cost-effective. Moreover, you can choose the company based on an hourly rate, location, expertise, etc.

Read our software testing services guide to know how to select a reliable company to manage your software testing services effectively

Manual Vs. Automation Testing– Which One is Cost-Effective?

To know which one will be more cost-effective from manual and automation testing, you must understand the difference between them.

Both manual and automation testing require a specific type of investment. For manual human resources, the investment is placed into human resources. In contrast, automation tools and frameworks require investment to automate.

In manual testing, features are explored step-by-step, which can be time-consuming and expensive. On the other hand, automation testing is faster and less costly.

However, both manual and automation testing have a significant role in software testing. Therefore, they are equally needed to offer high-quality software to your users.

Our software testing services guide will give you an in-depth idea of the difference between automation and manual testing.

Total Cost of Software Testing

Investing in software quality assurance can minimize the expensive reworks, ultimately saving money in the long run. Moreover, high-quality software can help you provide a seamless user experience to your target audience, helping you gain positive feedback and high revenue.

Here’s the average cost of hiring a QA engineer from a certified software testing company. You can design your QA testing roadmap based on the prices given below:

Testing Type	QA Tester’s Cost (Per Hour)
Functional Testing	$15-$30 per hour
Compatibility Testing	$15-$30 per hour
Automation Testing	$20-$35 per hour
Performance Testing	$20-$35 per hour
Security Testing	$25-$45 per hour

SparxIT For All Your Testing Needs at an Affordable Cost

The overall software testing costs depend on the project’s complexity and optimized testing. Therefore, hiring a reliable software testing company is essential to bring positive outcomes.

At SparxIT, we perform a wide range of testing, including performance, usability, acceptance, and security testing services. Our testing models are designed as per your industry, which immensely improves the software quality.

For more information on software testing and its cost, contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is software testing costly?

Many factors influence the cost of software testing, such as software complexity, testing tools, resources used, testing team size, and the number of defects detected. Software testing is essential to test the quality & reliability of the software by removing costly errors and bugs. These bugs and flaws can negatively impact your business in the long run. Hence software testing is a cost-effective process.

• How can you make software testing cost-effective for us?

We can make software testing cost-effective by optimizing the testing process for your business using various methodologies, such as:

Defining the testing requirements properly.
Choosing the right testing methodology as per the project.
Customized engagement model to fit your needs and budget.
Finding bugs early in the development cycle to avoid unnecessary testing.
Automating testing processes to save time and reduce human error.

• Is performing software testing critical?

Yes, definitely! Software testing services are critical to identifying and removing costly errors from your software that can negatively impact the performance and user experience. Also, security testing services identify vulnerabilities and mitigate them to prevent dissatisfied customers, loss of business, and damage to the brand’s reputation. Hence, it would be wise to invest in software testing to ensure it continues to work smoothly.