QA rate is a complex question. It depends on the multiple factors: qualification of a QA expert, the tasks required to be completed, the market this QA is on, and the project’s deadline.
Of course, you need to make sure you release a quality product, so you need a QA that can ensure it works perfectly well. The safest way to get QA is to hire them in-house. You can hire in-house QA with the skillset you need, train them according to your goals and tasks, and get a fully functional QA team.
But you will have to select candidates for every position (one QA might not be enough), provide them with all the in-house benefits (salaries, bonuses, and such.), train and retain them. The hiring process usually takes up to 60 days. You need to be able to select the right candidate, recruit them and onboard your new employees. And then, organizing a QA department could be costly:
- QA team lead will cost you $57k per year on average
- QA engineer: from $66k to $100k
- QA tester: from $60k to $80k, and so on.
Today, qualified specialists are in high demand and they are valued greatly, so hiring them within a short period of time is a challenge. What if your project needs 20-40 specialists? What if 50 or 100? Scaling such an in-house team may become a tremendously difficult task. QA outsourcing companies already have the teams you need. UTOR as an experienced QA vendor can help you resolve any QA problem you have.
So the question is: In-house or outsource? Let’s discuss it first to make sure we’re on the same page.
Learn more what affects the cost of QA
In-house Testing vs QA Outsourcing
Choosing between these two options is always a compromise. Of course, you would want to hire QA tester team that fit your requirements and business capabilities like budget expectations. You should carefully consider all the pros and cons before making a decision:
Advantages of In-house Testing
- Full control
Control over the QA testing is in your hands. You have physical access to your QA team along the whole workday. You can set up an effective process, build verification testing runs without delays, and you can resolve occurring problems faster. You can always get in touch with your QA team personally and get instant answers. Do mind, though, that professional QA companies will grant you the same opportunities.
- Corporate culture
The QA team you hire for in-house testing integrates into the corporate environment, sharing the company’s values and mission.
Disadvantages of In-house Testing
- High cost
In-house QA experts require salary, bonuses, training, and other expenditures. Total cost of an in-house QA department ranges from about $200.000 to $500.000 per year or even more. A QA company can offer you less expensive services.
- Long hiring process
Experienced and qualified QA engineers are hard to find. If you do not have a QA expert in your team whose expertise would help to hire QA engineers and the rest of the staff according to your needs, time-to-hire will increase significantly. The hiring process may take up to 3-4 months. On the other hand, a QA company provides ready-to-go teams.
- Management challenges
An in-house QA department can’t be scaled instantly if the project requires it. Creating a QA team from scratch is time and resource-consuming. You need to set up new processes and tune them up accordingly. Your budget and resources for the QA team are always limited. You can combine in-house and QA outsourcing teams effectively, in this case, or hire a QA company.
Advantages of QA Outsourcing
- Fast team scaling
Top QA companies can provide experts in any area of quality assurance and testing. This option allows you to hire as many specialists as your project requires for as long as it is necessary. Your in-house QA department has only 5 experts, but now you need a team of 10 QA engineers. By outsourcing QA you can scale your team without any problem.
- Flexibility
A QA company will deliver the exact services you need to get the required results. The QA experts will determine what tests your project needs according to your specific requirements, budget, and schedule.
- Tuned-up processes
QA companies already have well-trained teams of QA experts. They can provide you with QA engineers and other specialists for performance, accessibility, security, and other tests right when your project needs them. An experienced QA team will provide you with information about the tests and procedures your project may require before you think of them.
Disadvantages of QA Outsourcing
- Lack of control
Outsourcing companies are out of your direct control. You need extra time to discuss problems, and develop and implement QA solutions. It may have an adverse effect on the QA process. Top QA companies will provide you with direct access to the QA team working on your project, so you’ll have the same level of control an in-house team can give.
- Time zone difference
The company and its outsourcing partner may and, usually, have time zone differences depending on the location that, in turn, may complicate the communication and cooperation process. You can negotiate a time suitable for your company and the QA team to avoid this issue. Experienced QA companies can always help set up an effective work process.
- Hard to choose a reliable vendor
Choosing an unreliable quality assurance partner can put your project at risk. Failed deadlines, poor quality of the results, laggish communication due to time zone differences – these are only a few examples of problems you will have if you choose to cooperate with a non-reliable vendor. The only way to avoid these issues is to choose a QA company with reputation, experience and professional portfolio. Do not hesitate to check UTOR’s case studies to see what kind of portfolio you should look for.
QA outsourcing is a more effective approach to QA testing. If you need a quick solution that would assure the high quality of your product – an experienced QA company is your choice.
QA Rates Across the Globe
QA tester salary varies across the globe. You can hire QA in the USA, Western Europe, India, Ukraine, or other Eastern European countries, and get similar results, but for a very different price. QA hourly rates in different countries will depend on the QA market development, competition, and the presence of experienced QA companies.
USA
In the US, the QA tester’s hourly rate is about $42.95 in 2024. The market size is $6.3 billion making it one of the key markets in the software testing industry. The market is mature and can satisfy any needs, yet, the average QA tester hourly rate is quite high.
Data source: ZipRecruiter
Western Europe
In Western Europe, QA tester hourly rate greatly depends on the country. In Germany, for example, a QA specialist’s salary per hour is about $73/hour, in the United Kingdom – $64/hour, in Italy – $54/hour. The market is highly mature and competitive, which results in a relatively high average hourly rate. These numbers are given without quite high taxes in Western Europe that vary from country to country but still can add cost if you choose a QA outsourcing vendor in this market.
Data Source: Salary Expert
India
In India, the industry leader, QA tester’s hourly rate is about $10/hour in 2024. The average hourly rate is significantly lower than other markets can offer.
Why Indian QA engineers’ price per hour is lower than in some other regions? While there are highly experienced testers in India, the overall market might have a higher concentration of mid-level or entry-level professionals compared to some regions. This can affect the average service cost
Data source: Salary Expert
Ukraine
You can find a balanced solution in Ukraine. QA specialist salary can vary from $5 to $25/hour depending on the company, but top players in this market will cost you up to $100 per hour. There are many experienced companies in Ukraine’s QA market. UTOR is one of top rated companies that can assure the highest quality of your end product. If you want to get a free quote for your project, contact us.
Data source: SalaryExpert
How the QA Skillset Affects QA Rate
It can be as low as $5/hour in Ukraine or as high as $48/hour in Germany, but you should not focus on the price solely. The skillset of a QA expert determines the QA hourly rate.
For example, QA experts with more than 5 years of experience and 40+ completed projects will cost you much more than the market average, but you’ll see why.
- A junior QA engineer with little experience in QA testing who performs manual testing only has a limited skill set that will determine the hourly rate.
- A senior QA expert with knowledge in test automation, mobile, web, and server testing, years of practical experience, and participation in numerous complex projects will get a significantly higher hourly rate.
If you want to learn more about the profession of QA engineer, you can check our other article about QA roles and responsibilities.
How to Reduce Risks When Hiring QA Abroad
- Explore the foreign market
Before you choose the company to work with, you should explore the environment it operates in. The market should be mature, highly competitive, and include companies that earned a reputation of reliable partners, providing quality services. Ukraine fits all the requirements as it has a pool of experienced QA companies with great portfolios. UTOR is one of the top companies in this list.
- Choose the right outsourcing vendor
Choose top 5 companies in the market and compare their services, expertise, and portfolios. Companies that have a flexible approach to every client are the right choice. They know that every customer has specific requirements and tasks that QA experts with appropriate skillset only will be capable to fulfil.
The reputation, experience and portfolio of the company you consider hiring as the QA outsourcing partner should determine your choice. UTOR’s experts will charge from $30 to $100 per hour depending on the platform (web or mobile), required approach to testing (automated or manual), the spectrum of tests (functional, penetration, performance, regression, usability, and load) the project requires, the documentation of the QA processes, and other specific requirements. The company, though, will guide you through the entire process of choosing QA options your project requires to guarantee the highest quality of the end product.
Quality Assurance team choice is always up to you. You can test your product internally or hire a highly-qualified and experienced QA company for reasonable money, or combine both approaches. Just always keep in mind that quality assurance, in most cases, cannot be cheap. The quality of the end product will directly depend on resources and time you’ll invest in QA. UTOR can be the choice you are looking for so do not hesitate to contact us.
