How quickly can you hire with Toptal?

Typically, you can hire a QA tester with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery , timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network. Once you select your QA tester, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.

How do I hire a QA tester?

To hire the right QA tester, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect QA testers for your project.

How are Toptal QA testers different?

At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our QA testers to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut. In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship. When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched QA testers ready to help you achieve your goals.

Can you hire QA testers on an hourly basis or for project-based tasks?

You can hire QA testers on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our QA testers can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.

What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal QA testers?

We make sure that each engagement between you and your QA tester begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

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Hire the Top 3% of Freelance QA Testers

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Hire Freelance QA Testers in the UTC-08:00 America/Los Angeles time zone

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Ryan Ramsey

Freelance QA Tester

UTC-08:00

United States

Toptal Member Since December 17, 2021

Ryan is a veteran quality assurance manual tester with extensive experience testing websites, games, apps, and content management systems. He has a strong familiarity with a wide range of mobile devices, as well as PC and Mac. An expert at test planning, test execution, and bug tracking, Ryan has the experience to ensure your project receives the test coverage it deserves.

QA Testing Jira Agile Development Video Game Testing

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Sebastian Ostrowski

Freelance QA Tester

UTC-08:00

Canada

Toptal Member Since November 13, 2018

Since 2006, Sebastian has been working in software quality assurance, specializing in tests (automation and strategy definition). He's developed appropriate processes, prepared documentation, selected automation approaches, and implemented test automation frameworks, tests, and CI/CD integrations. In addition, Sebastian's built various automation solutions—from complicated event-driven distributed systems with microservices to web apps.

QA Testing Test Automation Selenium Quality Assurance Engineering API

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Javier Picon

Freelance QA Tester

UTC-05:00

United States

Toptal Member Since June 5, 2024

Javier is a QA lead with over 20 years of experience in Agile methodologies, test automation strategy, and quality assurance management. He has successfully spearheaded QA operations, established efficient workflows, and led cross-platform testing initiatives for digital products. With a proven track record of enhancing product quality, reliability, and team productivity, Javier is adept at integrating teams and optimizing test automation frameworks to meet evolving industry standards.

QA Testing Windows Development MacOS UI Development Front-end Web Development

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Stephen Jones

Freelance QA Tester

UTC-05:00

United States

Toptal Member Since March 31, 2022

Stephen is a software quality assurance engineer with 10 years of experience working for clients in the health and wellness, commercial storage, education, biotech, sports, cryptocurrency, and real estate spaces. He focuses on web-based and native mobile applications in iOS and Android, including Bluetooth and NFC technologies. Stephen enjoys helping projects run efficiently, improving their success, and standardizing quality assurance and project practices across the business.

QA Testing Test Engineering UI Development

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Jakub Obstarczyk

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+01:00

Poland

Toptal Member Since June 25, 2021

Jakub is a senior QA automation engineer with many years of experience in telecommunications and digital identity. His expertise includes Agile methodologies, test automation, quality assurance, behavior-driven development, and test planning, and he has a keen ability to transition from manual to automated testing. Jakub has designed and implemented QA testing for Mastercard, Capgemini, and several other small and midsized businesses.

QA Testing Windows Development C#Selenium API Test Automation Agile Development Cucumber Postman Visual Studio Development Quality Assurance Engineering

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Andrej Savcic

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+01:00

Serbia

Toptal Member Since May 3, 2022

Andrej is a quality assurance engineer with whole system development lifecycle experience. He has created and executed test plans, cases to uncover, identify, and document software problems and their cause. Andrej is passionate about every project and is always looking for ways to be even more efficient.

QA Testing Jira

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Alex Pavlenko

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+03:00

Belarus

Toptal Member Since September 17, 2022

Alex is a lead quality assurance engineer and manager with over 12 years of experience in software testing. In addition to his expertise in quality assurance, Alex has worked as a scrum master and project manager on several large-scale outsourced projects. Since obtaining his bachelor's degree, Alex has been certified as a tester and test manager by ISTQB and a scrum master by Scrum.org.

QA Testing UI Development UX Development Postman Jira Windows Development Android iOS Oracle Development API Quality Assurance Engineering Web Application Agile Development

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Serdar Fener

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+03:00

Turkey

Toptal Member Since May 4, 2020

Serdar is an ISTQB-certified software engineer with over a decade of SDLC experience. He specializes in software quality assurance methodologies and test automation with a variety of commercial and open-source tools. He is a bright, talented, ambitious, and self-motivated engineer with a strong technical background. Serdar has worked with notable companies such as IBM, Ericsson, and Danske Bank, with millions benefiting from his expertise.

QA Testing Test Automation Node.js Selenium JavaScript Jenkins TypeScript GitHub Quality Assurance Engineering Postman Agile Development Web Development BrowserStack

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Jihye Cho

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+09:00

South Korea

Toptal Member Since June 15, 2021

Jihye is a seasoned QA engineer with hands-on experience in crypto wallets, B2B education platforms, and project management systems. She's also worked on UI automation using Cypress and Selenium in JavaScript, Python, and Java, API automation using Postman, and security tests. Armed with a strong sense of ownership and accountability, Jihye is a self-motivated individual who enjoys learning new things and always aims to find the best possible result.

QA Testing SQL Postman Jira Agile Development Web Development API UI Development REST API

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Sergio Ruben Silva

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+12:00

New Zealand

Toptal Member Since December 16, 2019

Since 2007, Sergio has worked as a QA test automation engineer at a variety of companies, including EPSON Argentina, Globant, and Vista Entertainment. He's completed quality assurance tasks in a wide array of environments, including firmware for fiscal printers, web apps, web services, and desktop/mobile apps. Sergio is also comfortable creating test automation frameworks for web apps and enjoys mentoring.

QA Testing Quality Assurance Engineering Selenium Test Automation

View Ilia

Ilia Galperin

Freelance QA Tester

UTC+12:00

New Zealand

Toptal Member Since April 28, 2020

For over a decade, Ilia has managed a variety of quality assurance functions, including strategy, test execution, UI, API testing frameworks, and reporting tools that provide results for stakeholders in start-ups, small, and large companies. He has a deep understanding of the software development lifecycle and the critical importance that high quality plays to the success of a project. His skills bring an added advantage to any project requiring in-depth analysis and skilful QA.

QA Testing .NET Postman Test Automation API C#Selenium Agile Development Quality Assurance Engineering

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THE TOPTAL ADVANTAGE

98% of Toptal clients choose to hire our talent after a risk-free trial.

Toptal's screening and matching process ensures exceptional talent are matched to your precise needs.

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Frequently paired together

Get Additional Expertise

Our clients frequently pair these additional services with our freelance QA testers.

Quality Assurance

A Hiring Guide

Guide to Hiring a Great QA Tester

All too often, QA testing is a duty imposed upon developers, designers, and sysadmins. But seasoned leaders know how invaluable it is to hire dedicated QA testers. Discover how to tell a great QA tester apart from the rest.

Read Hiring Guide

THE TOPTAL ADVANTAGE

98% of Toptal clients choose to hire our talent after a risk-free trial.

Toptal's screening and matching process ensures exceptional talent are matched to your precise needs.

Start Hiring

Toptal in the press

... allows corporations to quickly assemble teams that have the right skills for specific projects.

Despite accelerating demand for coders, Toptal prides itself on almost Ivy League-level vetting.

Our clients

Creating an app for the game

Leading a digital transformation

Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide

Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer

Testimonials

Tripcents wouldn't exist without Toptal. Toptal Projects enabled us to rapidly develop our foundation with a product manager, lead developer, and senior designer. In just over 60 days we went from concept to Alpha. The speed, knowledge, expertise, and flexibility is second to none. The Toptal team were as part of Tripcents as any in-house team member of Tripcents. They contributed and took ownership of the development just like everyone else. We will continue to use Toptal. As a startup, they are our secret weapon.

Brantley Pace

CEO & Co-Founder

I am more than pleased with our experience with Toptal. The professional I got to work with was on the phone with me within a couple of hours. I knew after discussing my project with him that he was the candidate I wanted. I hired him immediately and he wasted no time in getting to my project, even going the extra mile by adding some great design elements that enhanced our overall look.

Paul Fenley

Director

The developers I was paired with were incredible -- smart, driven, and responsive. It used to be hard to find quality engineers and consultants. Now it isn't.

Ryan Rockefeller

CEO

Toptal understood our project needs immediately. We were matched with an exceptional freelancer from Argentina who, from Day 1, immersed himself in our industry, blended seamlessly with our team, understood our vision, and produced top-notch results. Toptal makes connecting with superior developers and programmers very easy.

Jason Kulik

Co-founder

As a small company with limited resources we can't afford to make expensive mistakes. Toptal provided us with an experienced programmer who was able to hit the ground running and begin contributing immediately. It has been a great experience and one we'd repeat again in a heartbeat.

Stuart Pocknee

Principal

How to Hire QA Testers Through Toptal

Talk to One of Our Client Advisors

A Toptal client advisor will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics.

Work With Hand-selected Talent

Within days, we'll introduce you to the right QA tester for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

Work with your new QA tester for a trial period (pay only if satisfied), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.

Find Experts With Related Skills

Access a vast pool of skilled developers in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.

QA Engineers QA Analysts

FAQs

How quickly can you hire with Toptal?
Typically, you can hire a QA tester with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery, timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.

Once you select your QA tester, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.
How do I hire a QA tester?
To hire the right QA tester, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect QA testers for your project.
How are Toptal QA testers different?
At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our QA testers to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut.

In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship.

When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched QA testers ready to help you achieve your goals.
Can you hire QA testers on an hourly basis or for project-based tasks?
You can hire QA testers on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our QA testers can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.
What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal QA testers?
We make sure that each engagement between you and your QA tester begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

Hiring Great QA Testers: A Quick Guide

All too often, QA testing is a duty imposed upon developers, designers, and sysadmins. But seasoned leaders know how invaluable it is to hire dedicated QA testers.

Quality assurance testers help teams ship robust and reliable software, build stronger features, and most importantly, highlight issues before they have a chance to affect clients. Their work can give a team’s product an immediate and lasting confidence boost.

The question is, what sets a great QA tester apart from the rest?

Good QA Testers Follow Test Plans Well—Great QA Testers Create Them

QA testers use test plans to conduct user acceptance testing, ensuring the product will work in the real world.

Great QA testers can expertly turn general requirements into specific user acceptance criteria (statements of how a product should satisfy requirements), list test cases, and finally organize them into coherent test plans.

The Added Value of a Great QA Tester

Software QA testers know the massive cost savings carried by finding and fixing issues sooner rather than later. The best will not only argue for testing as early as possible within and alongside the development cycle but also be regression testing evangelists. They’ll question the product and the process; both will be better for it.

Automation Testing

They aren’t experts in QA engineering, but great QA testers will have some overlap with QA analysts. They’ll know methods, tools, and frameworks for automating repetitive tasks and tests, allowing for more consistent regression testing, higher-quality assessments over time, and an expanded capacity for focusing on new features.

Performance Testing

Response times and system stability under load are often critical. Candidates should be able to describe how to:

Stress-test a component
Simulate traffic load
Monitor performance KPIs

They should also be able to name some tools or testing services that facilitate performance testing setup.

White Box Testing

A product’s survival depends on its reliability and data consistency. Enter white box testing, where a QA tester is able to verify correctness behind the scenes. For this, candidates must be comfortable working with databases, message brokers, and back-end logs.

The Twin Traits of Top QA Testers

The best QA testers are collaborative and curious. To determine whether a candidate has these qualities, ask them to consider a real-life example of a production issue and have them fill out a bug report.

Collaborative Nature

Proactivity and communication are key. You want a QA tester to ease the work for the rest of the team:

Adding as much detail as possible in all bug reports
Questioning requirements against what’s been implemented
Raising doubts with the project manager

A great QA tester must know when, how, and why to interact with all team members.

Curiosity

The quality of a software product relies on the curiosity of QA testers. Seek candidates who:

Aren’t afraid to question the details (or lack thereof)
Routinely strive to acquire deeper domain knowledge
Like to delve into software to learn how things work (i.e., via exploratory testing)
Constantly try to compromise developers’ work

Also, ask how they’ve gained confidence with a new project. Did they explore the product, read the documentation, and investigate the latest industry news? How did this increased awareness help them think like a user?

Inquisitive Power Users with a Dash of QA Analyst Skills

Senior QA tester jobs need candidates who effectively walk in users’ shoes: They interact with an application free from the bias of its designers and developers, preventing new features from backfiring on real users. Meanwhile, their technical edge will keep proven features stable and performing well. A powerful combination!

Featured Toptal QA Testing Publications

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