12 Best Beta Test Management Software Tools
Here's my pick of the 12 best software from the 12 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
There are countless beta test management software to choose from, so making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to improve your beta testing process by efficiently managing test cases, tracking bugs, and gathering actionable feedback - and need the right tool for your team. I’ve got you covered! In this post, I draw from my personal experience in analyzing various software solutions to share this list of beta test management tools that can support your team’s testing efforts and help you launch a better product with confidence!
What Is Beta Test Management Software?
Beta test management software is a tool that helps you identify bugs and issues in the beta version of your software product before it’s launched to real users. The software performs tasks like bug tracking, crash reporting, issue tracking, and feedback management. It can run test cases and provide reports on the usability of different product features and functionality. Usually, you can also conduct software testing performed by dedicated beta testers or a testing team of real users.
The purpose is to ensure that a product, whether a software application or a mobile app, meets the quality and usability standards expected by end users before its official launch. As a result, product management, quality assurance (QA) and product development teams can understand the needs of end users in real-world scenarios and create a better overall user experience.
Overviews Of The Best Beta Test Management Software
Below is a brief description of each of the 12 best beta management software tools, along with screenshots to illustrate key features.
You want to test your software or mobile apps because you want to have an idea of what the user intends to do.
This is the solution that the developers of UXCam promise when they say that their solution captures every micro-interaction on your app, allowing you to replay, analyze and optimize the User Experience.
The tool’s click heatmaps show the parts of your product where users are getting frustrated. UXCam offers a free plan, and pricing for paid plans is available upon request.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Free trial and free version
- Heatmaps allow development teams to see where the main frustrations are occurring
- Great customer service
Cons:
- Sometimes it’s impossible to access videos that have been uploaded
- Detailed event analytics need to be improved
Best beta testing platform for real-time customer feedback
Beta testing is all about getting feedback from real people. This is what the developers of UserTesting promise when they say, “See, hear, and talk to your customers, remotely, as they engage with your products, apps, and messaging.”
This beta testing solution allows you to target the right testers, engage them, create themes based on the testers’ actions, and share the insights with teams that need them. Pricing for UserTesting is available upon request.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Setting up the tool is easy
- Customer support responds relatively fast
- Provides many templates for quick test deployments
Cons:
- The quality of user video and audio can be low
- Difficult to integrate with other tools
- Becomes more expensive as you add participants
Instabug focuses on delivering a solution that creates crash and bug reports. The software helps teams monitor the beta testing performance in real time so that development teams can access feedback and act on it as soon as possible.
Pricing for Instabug starts at $124 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent user interface and easy implementation
- Feedback and bug reports are easy to analyze
- Great pricing for small teams
Cons:
- Only allows four members per team on its Pro plan
- Problem with exporting existing workflows
- Not easy for the average beta tester that is not technically inclined to report a bug
TestFairy is the tool for a streamlined distribution of mobile apps to real users. This usability test software comes packed with almost all the features you can think of. Specific features include crash reporting, video recording of beta testers’ actions while interacting with your product and live support, among other useful features that enhance your beta tests.
TestFairy offers a free plan for a limited number of apps. Pricing for the enterprise plan is available upon request.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Allows for easy tracking of bugs and complaints from real users
- The support team is available 24/7 to answer queries
- Allows development teams to help beta testers solve problems in real-time
Cons:
- Slightly expensive when compared to other tools
- Steep learning curve
- Needs to improve monitoring of mobile app users
App Center is a Microsoft-developed beta test tool that helps development teams test mobile apps in the cloud. The tool integrates with GitHub, Azure DevOps, GitLab, and Bitbucket.
Once the team is done with the in-house processes and ready for the beta test phase, App Center automatically runs tests and distributes the product to beta testers. App Center pricing starts at $40 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Different pricing plans to meet the needs of different usability test needs
- One month free trial
- No contracts
Cons:
- Limited notifications, which poses a challenge for a team with many users
- Slightly expensive when compared to other usability test software
- It uses a lot of memory
With over 10 million unique tests created, 15,000 unique websites tested, and 3.4 million hours of testing, it’s clear why this beta testing platform has made it onto our list. The tool permits development teams to create and run tests on the cloud.
It promises that anyone can build a test using the platform because there is no need for a code editor or installation. Rainforest pricing starts at $200 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Provides the ability to beta test using a host of devices
- Great client support team
- Easy to write up and run tests
Cons:
- Sometimes produces false positives and false negatives
- The user interface needs to be improved
- Report features could also be improved
For beta testing to deliver the results that will improve the quality of the product you release into the market, you will need to ensure that the people who help you test the product do a great job.
This is where Centercode comes in. It promises to enhance the beta test process by engaging the testers who provide an idea of what needs to be fixed and improved.
Pricing for Centercode is available upon request.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Wide selection of features to meet all the beta testing needs of a development team
- Great for managing a large number of beta testers
- Excellent report generation capability
Cons:
- Navigating this beta testing platform is not intuitive
- Complicated initial setup
The team at Zephyr makes a bold promise: Zephyr is the only test management solution your organization will ever need—or ever want. They support this promise by saying, We were the first test management tool to work natively inside JIRA and, along with Atlassian tools, offer a seamless user experience and extensive breadth of functionality.
Zephyr Pricing starts at $10 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great customization to match the beta testing needs of specific teams
- The user interface makes it easy to navigate
- Offers a trial version
Cons:
- It can be expensive for smaller teams
- teamsMajor releases often come with bugs
- Test executions sometimes load slowly
We live in a time where remote working has become more common. Therefore, a solution like DeployGate, which focuses on fast distribution of beta apps to teams in different locations, seems to be what every beta testing team needs. The tool provides real-time crash reporting, ensuring that you can attend to problems as they occur.
DeployGate offers a free personal plan, as well as a paid personal plan that starts at $15 per month. Plans for organizations start at $99 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great for sharing mobile apps with teams and tester
- Comes with an easy-to-follow guide
- Tester account creation is automatic
Cons:
- Third-party integrations are limited
- Does not have in-app bug reporting or feedback
One of the biggest challenges met by teams that want to test mobile apps or software is that beta testers can sometimes be inexperienced. This is the challenge that Ubertesters attempts to solve by assembling professional beta testers from different parts of the world.
Ubertesters promises to enhance your beta tests by testing anywhere in the world on a variety of devices and operating systems and with many carriers, thus, giving you the confidence of launching a well-tested, quality product which will be highly rated by your customers.
Pricing for Ubertesters starts at $29 per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent customer support
- An intuitive design that makes beta tests easier to conduct
- Great customization to enable teams to decide which parts of their mobile apps to focus on
Cons:
- Does not have a web app integration
- Adding the libraries you need can require more effort
TestFlight is an Apple-owned beta testing solution that lives up to the Apple quality that many users expect. This is the tool you need to invite testers for your mobile apps that you want to release on the App Store.
Using a public link or user emails, you can invite up to 10,000 testers to help you determine the parts of your mobile app that need to be improved before a public launch.
TestFlight is free to use.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simple setup
- Feedback can be effectively sent through the application
- Delivers notifications the moment a new test build is available
Cons:
- The process of inviting mobile app testers can be cumbersome
- It doesn’t support Android
TestRail
Best beta test management tool for teams looking for an all-around solution
TestRail beta test management software comes with a host of features that make it possible for quality assurance teams to do all their tasks within a single solution. The developers of this beta test management tool promise a complete web-based test case management solution to efficiently manage, track, and organize your software testing efforts.
Pricing for TestRail starts at $34 per user per month.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great integration with other beta testing tools
- Captures beta test data in real time
- Great user interface
Cons:
- The billing system is complicated
- Lack of tutorials for different usability test cases
- Poor integration with specific tools like Jira
The Best Beta Test Management Software Tools Summary Table
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| UXCam | Pricing upon request | Website |
| UserTesting | Pricing available upon request | Website |
| Instabug | From $124/month | Website |
| TestFairy | Customized price upon request | Website |
| App Center | From $40/month | Website |
| Rainforest | Pricing upon request | Website |
| Centercode | Pricing Upon Request | Website |
| Zephyr | From $10/10 users/month | Website |
| DeployGate | From $15 per month. Plans for organizations start at $99 per month | Website |
| Ubertesters | From $990/month (crowd testing); $19/month (QA management) | Website |
| TestFlight | No price details | Website |
| TestRail | From $37/user/month | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareSelection Criteria for the Best Beta Test Management Software
If you're wondering how I selected the best beta testing software, here's where I'll break it all down for you. First of all, I started with any beta platform that have high user review and satisfaction ratings. Then, using my experience in QA, I discerned what key criteria were most important for beta test management and compared how each of them stacked up against the rest. Here’s an overview of the evaluation criteria I used in my research:
Key Features
Here are some of the key features and functionality I looked for in the testing solutions that made it onto my list:
- Automation: This could be automated testing, workflow automation, real-time notifications, or any other features that speed up the process while reducing manual work.
- Segmentation: The ability to run and analyze software testing across different operating systems, such as iOS/Apple, Android, Microsoft, Windows, and other devices.
- Data Management and Analytics: Graphs or dashboards to help you measure key metrics, the ability to organize and analyze user feedback, detailed bug reports, etc.
- Templates: Some platforms have ready-made templates for various test cases or to help you craft a test plan, speeding up your process so you can start in-app testing more quickly.
Usability
Usability is crucial when selecting beta test management software because the success of a beta test heavily relies on the engagement and feedback of beta testers. If beta testers have a hard time navigating the system, it can lead to low engagement and participation. You want a tool that has a friendly user interface both for your DevOps team and your testing team.
Integrations
Integrations are critical when selecting beta test management software because they allow the software to seamlessly connect and communicate with other tools and systems used in the software development process. I looked for software that connects with popular agile project management software such as Jira and Asana, as well as with issue trackers and version control systems, like GitHub.
Pricing
Pricing is a crucial factor to consider when selecting beta test management software because it directly affects the budget and resources allocated for beta testing. Beta testing is typically a time-limited activity, and the cost of the software can impact the number of testers and the duration of the test.
People Also Ask: Common Questions About Beta Test Management
Let’s answer some common questions quality assurance teams ask about beta test management software.
What Is Beta Testing?
To better understand what beta testing means, let’s start by saying that the beta testing phase is one of the three main stages of testing software or mobile apps before they can be launched into the market for use by real users. Beta testing is the stage that happens between the alpha phase and the release candidate phase.
The alpha phase of product testing happens internally. The stage is characterized by testing conducted by the in-house quality assurance teams. It constitutes the final internal testing before the software development stage moves to the beta test management leg.
Once the beta test management team is satisfied with the alpha phase, the testing process moves over to the beta testing phase. Beta testing is the stage when the software is released to the general public, in the real world. The team responsible for beta test management decides whether the software, mobile app, or product being tested will be released to everyone or a select group.
If the beta program involves everyone, the process is known as an open beta. It’s called a closed beta if the usability test is confined to a controlled group of beta users or early adopters. This is the stage when the product development process requires beta testing software.
After the beta testing phase, the stage that occurs is the release candidate phase, also known as “going silver.” This is where the development team feels confident that the beta testing has gone well and the product is likely to be stable in the market.
Why Is Beta Test Management Software Useful For Quality Assurance Teams?
We are living in a time when things change faster than ever before. To understand what I mean, think about some of the big brands that were market leaders only a few years ago but are no longer in the market today.
Beta testing allows you to continuously test your product to ensure that the product remains the best in the market and that real users continue to download and use it. It’s one of the best ways to collect customer feedback that can influence your product, go-to-market, and customer success strategies.
Quality assurance teams need beta testing management software to facilitate continuous improvement. Beta test management software ensures that such teams and other stakeholders have the best tools to collect the data they need to make decisions and manage feedback.
Tools of that kind ensure that real users’ feedback covers all distinct environments where the product is likely to be used. For instance, developers of mobile apps would want tools that tell them the beta testers’ demographics and what their specific feedback is regarding the product.
What Should QA Teams Look For In A Beta Testing Tool?
The most important feature you should look for in a beta testing tool is whether it can help you save time and get the information you need. For example, you could send emails that include a link to the software you want to beta test and ask people to provide feedback.
Once you have received the beta testers’ feedback, you could enter it all into a spreadsheet and then analyze it. As you may already be thinking, that task will take a long time to accomplish. So, you need a tool that will automate the process more efficiently.
The best beta test tools will not only automate the system but will also segment users into groups and keep the beta testers engaged. You would also want to ensure that the tool you choose can customize the testing to your specific needs.
A useful usability testing tool will also have a feature that scores your users. It’s crucial to score beta testers and identify participants who are not adding value to the development process.
That’s a Wrap on Beta Test Management Software
From purchasing your product in the app store through the entire customer lifecycle, beta testing can inform each and every element of your customer experience. So it’s essential that you find a beta testing software that suits the needs of your unique team, product, and business model. Hopefully you found a match in my overviews, or at least you have the information you need to make a decision with confidence!
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