Our testing services and rates
| Service | Rate | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Manual testing | $20 / hour | Functional, usability, regression and exploratory testing across devices; bug reports with steps and screenshots |
| Automation testing | $30 / hour | Scripted regression and smoke tests (web, mobile, API), CI integration, maintenance |
| Performance testing | $50 / hour | Load, stress, spike and scalability simulations; bottleneck report |
| Security / penetration testing | $100 / hour (specialists up to $500/h) | OWASP-aligned testing, auth and API checks, prioritised fix list, retest |
Rates depend on application complexity and region and are the starting point for a scoped quote. Estimate your budget with the QA testing cost estimator.
When each type is needed
- Before every release: manual regression and smoke tests.
- When releases become frequent: automate stable flows to protect speed.
- Before launch or marketing pushes: performance testing so campaigns do not crash the app.
- Before handling payments or personal data: security testing.
- After using AI coding tools: a review plus tests, because generated code often lacks authorisation checks and edge-case handling: see the production checklist.
How an engagement works
- Scope call. Product, platforms, risks, release plan.
- Test plan. Features, test types, devices, environments, hours and price.
- Execution. Daily bug reports in your tracker (Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues or a shared sheet).
- Triage. Severity ratings and fix recommendations.
- Retest and sign-off. Fixed issues verified; summary report.
- Ongoing. Per-release testing or a monthly retainer.
Working with our development team
Testing can be bundled with engineering: full-stack engineering starts at $100 per hour and native core development is $300 per hour. See engineering rates and engagement models. Independent testing, where a different person tests than builds, is usually the safest model.
What good QA reports contain
- Clear reproduction steps, expected vs actual results
- Screenshots or screen recordings
- Device, OS and build version
- Severity and business impact
- Suggested fix or area of code
Sample deliverables
| Deliverable | Contents |
|---|---|
| Test plan | Scope, test types, devices, schedule, hours |
| Test cases | Step-by-step checks for each feature, reusable each release |
| Bug reports | Reproduction steps, evidence, severity, suggested fix |
| Automation suite | Scripts, CI configuration, run instructions |
| Security report | Findings with CVSS-style ratings and fix guidance |
| Performance report | Load profile, p95/p99, bottlenecks, recommendations |
Testing checklist before you launch
- Sign-up, login, password reset and logout
- Payment success, failure and refund paths
- Forms with invalid and very long input
- Mobile screen sizes and slow networks
- Permissions between roles
- Emails and WhatsApp messages sent and received
- Backup and restore
- Analytics and consent banners working
Need your app tested? From $20/h
Tell us your app, platforms and release date. We scope hours and quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does software testing cost?
Manual testing is about $20/hour, automation $30/hour, performance testing $50/hour and security testing from $100/hour. A small app can often be tested for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on scope.
Is manual or automation testing better?
Both. Manual testing finds usability issues and new-feature bugs; automation protects stable flows over many releases. See our comparison article.
Do you test mobile apps on real devices?
Yes, across Android versions and screen sizes, plus iOS where required.
Can you test an app built by Claude, Cursor or Lovable?
Yes. We add security checks and regression tests specific to AI-generated code.
Do you provide a penetration test report?
Yes: findings, risk ratings, reproduction steps and fix guidance; retesting of fixes is agreed in the scope.
Get a free quote in 24 hours
Tell us what you need. We reply with scope, timeline and a fixed price.
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