How to choose a company that provides software testing services

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Software quality is what makes or breaks a business. High street banks rapidly lost ground to fintechs when better apps arose, and only now have banks pivoted in treating software as seriously as it should be.

Whether you’re launching a new application or just updating an existing system, the success of the project may depend on whether you chose the right testing partner – one that is relevant to the industry and has a good track record.

Poor software quality is what leads to user frustration. And, in 2025, when security threats are increasingly complex, security vulnerabilities are also important to be proactive in treating.

Understanding your testing requirements

Before evaluating the potential partners, it’s important to clearly outline your testing needs. This means assessing the type of software you’re developing, such as an iPhone application or web app, or perhaps an enterprise system. The testing types that will be required is important to establish, be it functional testing, performance testing, security testing…

Like any outsourcing or collaboration project, a project timeline and budget constraints will need to be clearly communicated.

Finally, it’s important to consider your internal capabilities. In some instances of comprehensive testing outsourcing, it can be a large project that is almost handed over, while others require specialized expertise to complement their existing QA teams.

Key evaluation criteria

Expertise and experience

Look for companies with proven experience in your industry and technology stack – these are the two utmost priorities. Having a competent outsourcing company test your fintech app, for example, with no prior experience in financial apps, could be a disaster. Review their portfolio of past projects and pay attention to similar applications or systems they’ve tested.

Testing methodologies 

Evaluate the company’s approach to testing. Do they follow established methodologies like Agile, DevOps, or perhaps traditional waterfall approaches? Assess their familiarity with modern testing tools, automation capabilities, and ability to integrate with your pipeline. Clear documentation and reporting mechanisms are musts, regardless of methodology.

Team qualifications 

Examine the qualifications of the testing team and look for relevant certifications, like ISTQB, CSTE, or CSQA. Consider the team’s experience level and their ability to scale resources based on project demands. The best providers will invest in continuous training and stay updated with emerging testing trends.

Communication 

Effective communication is necessary, but it can be hard to evaluate beforehand. Evaluate how the company handles project communication and reporting frequency, along with escalation procedures. Time zone compatibility is a huge consideration, as is language proficiency.

Service delivery models and options

Software testing companies generally have various service models that accommodate different business needs. Understanding these options helps you select the most suitable approach for your organization.

Dedicated testing teams

Some companies provide dedicated teams that work exclusively on your projects. This model offers better integration with your development processes and a deeper understanding of your applications over time. Qalified takes this approach, as they provide specialized consulting in software quality assurance processes with knowledge transfer to set you up for sustained and independent continuation.

Project-based testing services

For organizations with specific testing needs or limited timeframes, project-based services offer flexibility. TestingXperts represents this category well, positioning itself as a pure-play quality engineering company with AI-driven testing capabilities.

Crowdtesting 

Global App Testing is an example of the crowdtesting approach – they leverage distributed teams worldwide to test applications across diverse environments and user scenarios. This model excels at identifying real-world usability issues.

Assessing quality and reliability

There is no shortcut to simply manually reviewing client testimonials and case studies. Though, general industry recognition and social media presence can also be a useful gauge, as well as how people interact with them on such social media. Look for companies with relevant certifications and assess their quality metrics and defect detection rates.

It’s important to ask whether they follow documented procedures? How do they handle knowledge management? A reliable provider shouldn’t just be able to demonstrate strong internal quality practices, but be happy and ready to answer these questions.

Cost considerations and value assessment

While cost is certainly important as we can be priced out of some providers, value is far more important than just price. Evaluate the total cost of ownership, and this includes things like potential savings from early defect detection and reduced maintenance costs. Will user satisfaction improve measurably? Consider the provider’s pricing model when assessing value, because it can change depending on the scale of the project (e.g., whether it’s fixed-price or outcome-based).

Don’t forget the hidden costs either. These are things like knowledge transfer, tool licensing and additional support requirements (it can often be more than expected for technical projects, and it depends on existing in-house quality).

Making the final decision

The process of making a final decision comes from doing interviews with shortlisted providers. Request detailed proposals that outline their testing approach, timeline, resource allocation and deliverables. You can even consider running a pilot project to evaluate their capabilities firsthand before committing.