As soon as people discover why quality assurance is important, they start wondering about its cost. The latter depends on several factors such as the QA expert’s qualification, the project complexity, the market, and the deadline.
Thus, the longer the project and the earlier you start quality assurance, the costlier it will be. Usually, the cost of quality assurance is 20%–30% of the development cost. On the other hand, early QA mitigates the risk of recalling your product because of poor quality. Both are things to weigh thoughtfully.
The larger your QA team, the more you have to spend on salaries. According to Salary.com, a QA team lead’s hourly rate in the United States typically falls between $40–$55. A QA engineer charges $29–$36 per hour. And a QA tester’s rate ranges between $15–$20 per hour.
Depending on your project, you may need a bigger proportion of senior engineers as testers, increasing the project cost. However, if you outsource QA, you can hire your team in Europe and cut the QA costs by at least half.