Outsourced Testing vs. Crowdsourced Testing: When and How to Use Either

What Is Outsourced QA Testing?

Briefly, outsourced testing services presuppose hiring an external specialist to do a job. For example, you can partner with an independent vendor, like a QA company, or experts, like testing freelancers.

When you hire QA engineers via the outsourcing model, you set the terms and conditions together:

• Project timeline, scope, and cost.
• How the personnel will operate and communicate.
• What the job contract will look like, etc.

For instance, at QA Madness, we approve all the details with our clients before the work starts. This way, we can ensure that our specialists fit your needs and can deliver the results you want (or better). We also take responsibility for the hires’ management, communication, and productivity.

Overall, outsourced QA testing services are a proven method of reliably delivering quality. And as per Deloitte, nearly 80% of executives depend on this practice. Now, let’s talk about why it’s so popular.

Benefits of Outsourced Testing Services

The outsourced software testing market is valued at over $30 billion as of 2022. And for good reasons. Normally, companies prefer to use this model to save costs without compromising quality and results. But there are many more advantages. For instance, Alibaba and PayPal used outsourcing to find skills scarce in their location. And the perks don’t end there.

Access to Diverse Expertise

Outsourcing gives you access to a pool of professionals with skills across various domains. Whether you need outsourced mobile testing, automated software testing services, or pros in highly complicated software like ERPs, you can find anything. You’re not limited to your in-house team. Or your location, for that matter. You can tap into the global expertise to locate exceptional candidates.

Scalability

You can also easily adjust the size of your team by hiring people on demand. For example, if you work with top software testing companies, you can scale up quickly during peak development phases or shrink the crew during slower periods. And you don’t have to worry about the overhead costs of hiring and training permanent staff. You can request as many or as few experts as you like for as long as you like.

Cost-Effectiveness

Outsourced QA helps you save money, too. For instance, the average yearly salary of a QA engineer in the USA is around $90,000. While, say, in Italy, it’s approximately €30,000. But it’s not only wage-related cost reduction.

You can also cut back on recruiting, training, and maintaining an in-house team. When you work with an outsourced software testing company, you eliminate expenses associated with salaries, benefits, infrastructure, and tools. Your QA partner takes care of all of that.

Faster Time-to-Market

External expertise can speed up your SDLC. Off-shore outsourced teams often work during your off-work hours due to different time zones, enabling continuous testing and faster issue resolution.

For example, when your nine-to-five has finished, the morning has just begun somewhere else. And by the time you get to work the next day, you have an already tested build and can move on. That’s why you shouldn’t dismiss outsourced QA testing from foreign providers.

Access to Tools & Technologies

Another pro of working with an outsourced testing vendor is their readiness. They stay updated with industry trends and innovations to deliver productive services for you. That means that they have access to a wide range of advanced tools, technologies, and frameworks. Even the good old manual testing services will be on another level.

Improved Focus on Core Activities

When some of your team’s tasks are covered by other agents, you can focus your crew on highly valuable duties. For example, they can dedicate their time fully to product development, innovation, and strategic planning. And you don’t miss out on anything as testing is handled by other experts.

Independent Validation

Something not everyone realizes is that outsourced specialists can transform your project in unexpected ways. They offer an unbiased, objective point of view on your product. This fresh perspective can help identify issues the in-house team may overlook due to being too engrossed in your app.

Accelerated Adoption of New Practices & Technologies

Outsourced testing can accelerate innovation as well. It can help you adopt new practices, methodologies, and technologies without spending time and money on training and onboarding. You can simply hire the exact expert you need.

Drawbacks of Outsourced Testing Services

There’s no good without the bad. And outsourced QA isn’t an exception. To be prepared, you should also consider the risks of working with external personnel and companies.

• Sometimes, you may have less direct oversight of the testing process. So, it may be challenging to ensure adherence to quality standards, testing methodologies, or timelines.
• Different time zones, cultural differences, and language barriers can cause misunderstandings and communication delays.
• Quality might be compromised if the outsourced provider relies on less experienced QA engineers or uses outdated practices.
• Outsourcing can increase the risk of data breaches or unauthorized access if the provider doesn’t have adequate security measures.
• Hidden costs may stack up from factors such as contract management, vendor transitions, training the external team, etc.
• Relying heavily on an outsourced team can make you too dependent on them. If the provider experiences issues such as staffing shortages, changes in management, or financial instability, you’ll have these problems, too.

Such troubles primarily arise from working with a subpar QA company. That’s why it’s beyond important to choose your provider diligently. QA Madness has created a guide on selecting and working with outsourced testing services. If you want to secure productive collaboration with your external expertise partner, give it a read.

When Outsourced QA Testing Works Best

When it comes to deciding whether you need outsourced testing services, there are some things to consider.

If you’re satisfied with your in-house team’s work – great, no need for a QA provider. If you feel like you could do better – request an audit from experts. They’ll offer an independent evaluation of your testing process and help you understand its state. But do be aware of vendors who push extra services onto you just because.

And if you’re confident your project needs an upgrade – plenty of top-notch QA companies are happy to help. There are no definitive traits your project has to have to “qualify” for outsourced expertise. But from our practice, we’ve noticed some cases where a collaboration with a testing vendor will certainly be of value.

• Projects involving complex apps, such as ERPs, multi-platform mobile apps, or systems with multiple integrations. Experienced vendors bring diverse domain expertise to handle intricate testing requirements efficiently.
• Apps that need to work across multiple devices, OSs, and browsers. Outsourced teams can provide extensive device libraries and environments.
• Products requiring broad performance and load testing, especially under high user traffic or complex use cases. Vendors often have the necessary tools, expertise, and infrastructure to simulate various conditions and identify bottlenecks.
• Software targeting multiple markets or user bases. Outsourced testing can provide localization and globalization testing services from a “foreigner’s perspective”.
• Short-term or one-off projects. Outsourcing lets you access skilled QA engineers quickly without the time and cost associated with hiring in-house.
• Continuous or long-term projects. Dedicated teams that can support ongoing testing services, adapt to changing requirements, and ensure consistency in quality over time.
• Businesses that need to scale. Outsourcing allows companies to quickly alter their testing efforts up or down depending on project needs.
• Smaller projects with curbed resources. Outsourced QA’s flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and access to specialized expertise can help deliver needed quality at reduced costs.

Outsourced testing is not limited to particular types of testing or industry. It can support a wide range of needs for any sector. That’s the beauty of outsourcing – you will always find just what you need.

What Is Crowdsourced Testing?

Crowdsourced app testing means presenting a task to a group of QA engineers. These specialists can be freelancers and come from specialized companies or crowdsourced testing platforms. So, you’re not exactly hiring people. You offer them a task with a reward for completion.

Crowdsourced QA testing is typically challenge-based. If a person solves this challenge, they get either money or recognition. Here’s a brief overview of how this might work:

1. You define the testing scope, target platforms, areas to focus on, and the desired outcomes. You can also include special instructions, timelines, and deliverables.
2. You post your task on a crowdsourced platform. It picks QA engineers based on experience, available infrastructure, location, etc.
3. After you’ve prepared the test cases, scenarios, and guidelines, you give relevant access to the specialists.
4. They execute necessary tasks and return to you with found defects and reports.
5. Then, your team reviews the provided documentation for relevance and accuracy. When this is done, you can use the reports to amend your app.
6. Lastly, you’ll need to reward the work done by supplying payment, positive reviews, etc.

Overall, crowdsourced testing services are very much like bug hunting. They allow you to rely on the diversity of the community and the many perspectives that come from it.

Benefits of Crowdsourced Software Testing

Crowdsourced application testing is a relatively young practice. It established itself in the early 2000s and has been gaining popularity ever since. In 2023, the crowdsourced testing market size was valued at around $3 billion. So, the sector is definitely going strong. And even giants like Meta, Netflix, and Microsoft rely on it.

Now, let’s take a look at how the crowdsourced testing industry is useful.

Diverse Perspectives

Anyone can be a part of crowdsourced testing companies and platforms. For you, this means being able to get insights from people from all walks of life. Such QA engineers have different backgrounds, locations, and demographics. You can use this diversity to uncover unique issues that might be missed by a homogenous in-house team.

Cost-Effectiveness

Crowdsourced QA testing involves freelancers or specialists paid on a per-bug or hourly basis. Thus, it can be more affordable than maintaining a full-time QA crew. Plus, crowdsourced testing reviews can also serve as payment for services in some cases. You might not even need to spend money.

Rapid Feedback

With crowdsourced testing, a large number of people can work simultaneously on your task. For example, when Avast, one of the largest internet security companies, used the crowdsourcing model, about 230 million people participated in the initiative. So many QA engineers centered on your app translate to quick, continuous feedback.

Real-World Testing

Crowdsourced experts use their own devices, networks, and environments. This means that the results you get from them are authentic, representing actual user conditions. Crowdsourced usability testing might be especially helpful for getting a real-life evaluation of your product. You can identify issues that may only appear in specific settings.

Scalability & Flexibility

Crowdsourced testing offers flexibility in scaling the testing effort. For example, when you’re at the starting stages of your SDLC, you might need lots of hands on deck. And as you move on to minor tweaks instead of big updates, a few specialists on your side will be enough. This transition can work well with crowdsourced UX testing.

The Surprise Factor

Finally, what we see as the most impressive advantage of crowdsourcing is the surprise factor. You can never know what QA engineers might find. A person from thousands of miles away may be testing on their microwave oven and find something that’ll make your product ten times better.

Crowdsourced application security testing, for instance, takes advantage of this phenomenon. People can use whatever possible to evaluate your app. And the possibilities of what they may uncover are endless as well.

Drawbacks of Crowdsourced Testing

The unique nature of crowdsourcing comes with unique cons. So, before you jump on this marvelous practice, consider what might go wrong.

• The quality of testing can vary significantly. Crowdsourced testers have diverse skill levels, experience, and attention to detail.
• Crowdsourced testing involves sharing your software with external testers. You might risk data breaches, unauthorized access, or leaks.
• You will have less control over the testing process and environment. This lack of oversight can lead to deviations from the intended results.
• Handling feedback from a large number of testers can be challenging. You’ll have to sort, validate, and prioritize the reported issues, as well as eliminate duplicates and irrelevant cases.
• Testers might focus on finding quick, easy-to-report issues rather than thoroughly testing the software.
• Crowdsourced testing may not be ideal for complex tasks that require deep domain knowledge, specific tools, or close collaboration with the development team.

Also, you should remember that crowdsourcing is usually a short-term venture. You can’t rely on people to test your entire app on a bug bounty basis.

When Crowdsourced Testing Services Work Best

Unlike outsourcing, crowdsourced QA is most useful in particular scenarios. For example, crowdsourced application security testing will work perfectly if you want to find ethical hackers. On the other hand, if your project is highly confidential, giving access to a bunch of people isn’t the best idea.

Let’s take a look at cases where you can reliably use crowdsourcing.

• Products intended for a wide audience. Testers can provide insights into usability, functionality, and overall user satisfaction across different demographics.
• Device compatibility testing. Crowdsourced testing is ideal for verifying that applications work correctly across a wide range of environments.
• Apps that need to be adapted for different regions. QA engineers from various areas can provide insights into cultural relevance, language accuracy, and compliance.
• UX testing. Crowdsourced testing can identify usability issues that might not be apparent in a controlled testing setting.
• Projects in the final stages of development. Crowdsourcing can work as beta testing to gather feedback from a broad range of real users before the official launch.
• Playtesting. Crowdsourced testing is effective for playtesting video games, where diverse player feedback is crucial.
• Applications involving video or music streaming. Crowdsourced testing helps evaluate performance across versatile network conditions, devices, and regions.
• User acceptance testing (UAT). Crowdsourcing can involve real end-users to verify that the software meets their needs and expectations.

Generally, crowdsourcing involves more risks. So, you might want to look into companies that specialize in this practice. In other words, you can outsource crowdsourced testing services (now that’s a tongue twister).

Choosing Between Outsourced vs Crowdsourced Testing

Interestingly enough, the success of both outsourcing and crowdsourcing depends on your choice of a provider. Hence, you shouldn’t bank on either of these methods. You should trust your team to find the right vendor.

Now that we’re on the same page about what this QA duo is, let’s bring them in closer. We’ll compare outsourcing and crowdsourcing based on factors that’ll help you better understand which approach is better for you.

If you’re not quite sure whether you need crowdsourced or outsourced testing, you can use this brief questionnaire to get a general direction.

Consider outsourced testing services if you answer “yes” to all or most of these questions:

• Is your product or service highly specialized or complex?
• Do you need detailed and in-depth testing from experts in specific domains?
• Is high control and structured management over the testing process important for your project?
• Do you have strict security and confidentiality requirements?
• Do you require consistent testing quality and thorough documentation?
• Is your project long-term with a stable scope and predictable needs?

Consider crowdsourced testing services if you answer “yes” to all or most of these questions.

• Is your product or service consumer-facing, such as a mobile app or website?
• Do you need diverse real-world feedback from a wide range of users?
• Is flexibility and scalability in testing coverage important for your project?
• Can you manage with variable feedback quality and less control over the testing process?
• Is rapid iteration and quick feedback crucial for your testing process?
• Do you need to test across a wide range of devices, locations, and user demographics?

If you’re torn between the benefits of outsourcing and crowdsourcing, no worries. You can use both.

Combining Outsourced & Crowdsourced Testing

Sometimes, blending crowdsourcing and outsourcing can be the ideal solution. Granted, you’ll have to manage not one but two processes now. But no one’s gonna stop you. Just make sure you can handle it.

How to Mix Both Methods

Start with outsourced testing to cover detailed and specialized testing needs. This could include complex scenarios like security assessments, compliance checks, and performance testing. Once the core features and functionalities are solid, shift to crowdsourced testing for diverse user feedback. Bug bounties can also be great for handling simpler tasks.

Briefly, use outsourced QA testing for important and intricate tasks and crowdsourcing for easier, dynamic stuff.

Examples of When to Use Both Methods

To demonstrate how you can balance between the two, consider this example.

Use outsourced testing for:

• Thorough pre-launch validation.
• Checking big updates to ensure the new features integrate well.
• Deep localization and compliance with regional standards.

And switch to crowdsourcing for:

• Gathering feedback from a broader audience, focusing on UX and real-world usage.
• Verifying that the updates work well across various user environments and devices.
• Checking the app from different geographical locations.

Basically, you can either use crowdsourcing and outsourcing for the same stuff, just at different levels. Or you can dedicate specific duties to either option.

What Do You Need to Balance the Two Methods

To productively use both practices, you’ll need to do some work as well (likely a lot of work). We can’t, with a clear conscience, tell you what to do, as we don’t know your project or needs. It might lead you astray or introduce confusion. But these general tips from our QA engineers should help.

• Set specific goals for each testing phase. For example, use outsourced testing for complex functionality and security and crowdsourced testing for checking usability and UX.
• Ensure smooth collaboration between the outsourced testing team and the crowdsourced testers. This might involve regular communication and sharing insights to align testing goals and expectations.
• Combine feedback from both sources to get a holistic view of your product. Use outsourced testing results for detailed improvements and crowdsourced feedback for real-world adjustments.
• Continuously monitor the effectiveness of both approaches. Be prepared to adjust strategies based on findings and evolving needs. For instance, if crowdsourced feedback highlights recurring issues, you might need to revisit outsourced testing to address these concerns.

Overall, if you decide to mix outsourcing and crowdsourcing, your team will assume orchestrating roles. And it might be a bit distracting. So, before using this hybrid approach, consult with your crew on whether they are comfortable with handling these management duties.

To Sum Up

Outsourced and crowdsourced testing are remarkably different. But they’re united by a common goal – helping you achieve better results. And in the end, whether you need proven expertise or diverse skills and perspectives doesn’t matter too much.

What matters is that you’ve decided to take a step toward refined quality. If you know what you want, you’ll definitely find a way to achieve that. And we’ll be here to help you do it.