Beta testing and QA FAQs

Beta testing is the stage where a near finished version of your software is released to a limited group of real users before general availability. The goal is to find bugs, usability problems and performance issues that only show up on real devices, real networks and real workflows.

Alpha testing happens internally, usually by your developers, product team and QA staff, on builds that may still be missing features. Beta testing happens externally with users who resemble your customers, on a build that is feature complete. Charlie Testing supports both, and we often run a short alpha pass before recruiting beta testers.

QA testing is structured verification by trained testers against requirements and known risks. Beta testing measures how real users experience the product. QA tells you whether it works as designed. A beta tells you whether the design works for people.

We draw from our panel of more than 1,200 vetted testers and, when needed, recruit from your own customer list. Every tester is screened by device, operating system, location, industry and experience level against a profile you approve before the beta starts.

A focused manual QA cycle usually runs one to two weeks. A managed beta usually runs two to four weeks, including recruiting. Automation projects vary, but most teams see their first suite running in CI within three to four weeks.

Our lab holds 38 real devices, including current and two year old iPhones, a range of Samsung, Pixel and budget Android phones, iPads, Android tablets and Windows and macOS machines. We test the latest two versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge by default and can add older versions on request.

Yes. Every employee and panel tester signs a confidentiality agreement, and we are happy to sign yours. We can test builds distributed through TestFlight, Google Play internal testing, staging URLs behind a VPN or password protected environments.

We file bugs directly into Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues, Azure DevOps, Asana or ClickUp. If you do not use a tracker yet, we will set up a simple shared board for the engagement.

Pricing depends on scope, devices and duration. A two week manual QA cycle typically starts around $4,500. A managed beta with 50 recruited testers typically starts around $9,000. Accessibility audits start around $3,500 per product area. You receive a fixed quote before any work begins.

Yes. Many clients move to a monthly retainer after their first project. A retainer reserves a set number of testing hours each month, keeps the same test lead on your account and includes regression testing for every release.

You get every bug filed in your tracker with steps to reproduce, plus a release readiness report that summarizes coverage, open issues by severity and a clear recommendation to ship, ship with known issues or hold.

Yes. Our accessibility testing service audits your product against WCAG 2.2 AA using screen readers, keyboard only navigation, zoom and color contrast tools. We explain every issue in plain language and suggest the code level fix.