Crowdsourced Testing Market Size & Overview:

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Crowdsourced Testing Market size was valued at USD 2.6 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 6.3 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.4% over the forecast period 2024-2032.

The global crowdsourced testing market is experiencing enormous growth due to the increased need for digital platforms and devices, cloud-based applications, and the rapid increase of mobile device users. Government initiatives and digital transformation are driving the market, as well as increased testing requirements by businesses in an increasingly digital world. In 2023, the U.S. government reported that 87% of its citizens had access to broadband internet, while the use of mobile devices hit an all-time high of 94%. These devices play an important role in crowdsourced testing by providing a readily available testing tool for businesses. Since digital is now part of every aspect of society, companies are desperate to deploy software faster to meet customer demands. As such, they are adopting endeavors that integrate testing environments that are scalable. Crowdsourced testing provides real-time testing feedback from a global testing cell made up of thousands of testers. This arrangement results in quick bug and performance issue identification of mobile apps and websites, among others, across virtually all digital devices. According to a European Commission report in 2023, the EU saw a 30% increase in companies opting for crowdsourced testing due to its cost-effectiveness, contributing to a market size of over USD 1.2 billion in the region. Government-backed digital initiatives such as India’s “Digital India” program and the U.S. government's push for digital inclusion in underserved areas are further expected to boost market growth, as companies increasingly look for versatile testing environments to meet growing consumer demands.

Crowdsourced testing platforms connect testers who make up a crowd of clients or professionals to test software on a target demographic. They simplify the testing process and handle the testing process from planning and testing a product across various devices. They recruit the testers and fulfill the test, as well as deliver intricate test analysis details. Applause announced the launch of the Product Excellence Platform Pep to assist businesses in the increasingly digital world to find faults in applications and enrich the app development cycle. North America, with its advanced technological infrastructure and high smartphone penetration, leads to the adoption of crowdsourced testing. The market is fragmented, with companies pursuing strategies like product launches and expansion for competitive advantage.

Crowdsourced Testing Market Dynamics

Drivers

• Crowdsourced testing helps companies accelerate time-to-market by enabling faster testing cycles. It provides access to a global pool of testers, allowing for real-time, around-the-clock feedback.

• Crowdsourced testing aligns well with agile workflows, offering flexibility in test execution.

• The increasing complexity of apps across multiple platforms (mobile, desktop, web) drives demand for diverse testers.

The increasing adoption of agile and DevOps methodologies is a crucial driver of the Crowdsourced Testing Market. In recent years, more companies have embraced agile and DevOps models, leading to an increased demand for rapid and continuous testing. Crowdsourced testing can be easily integrated into these methodologies as it delivers the required flexibility and scalability. Unlike traditional testing models that require companies to maintain in-house teams of testers on payroll, crowdsourced testing ensures that organizations have access to a vast network of global testers at all times. Companies have to ensure that they are prepared to meet the constantly changing testing needs and demands dynamically. For example, as companies increasingly adopt continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines in DevOps, the need for immediate feedback on software builds becomes critical. According to the 2023 State of DevOps Report, over 70% of high-performing organizations reported adopting CI/CD practices, enabling faster and more frequent software releases. In this environment, software testers are required to provide immediate feedback on builds. Furthermore, with the recent software stack testing and automated testing trends, software teams can run tests across multiple–even hundreds of–environments simultaneously.

In addition, the increasingly wide range of complexity of software applications from mobile, web, and desktop to other devices, drives companies to use diverse test environments and real-world user feedback. Various companies, such as Google and Microsoft, have successfully employed crowdsourced testing using platforms such as Applause and Testlio to test their apps in extremely variable conditions across hundreds of device models.

Restraints:

• Outsourcing testing to a large group of external testers increases the risk of data leaks, Sensitive information may be exposed without stringent security protocols in place.

• With a varied pool of testers, maintaining standardized testing quality can be challenging, Results may vary based on testers’ experience levels, impacting overall reliability.

The significant restraint in the crowdsourced testing market is the risk of data leaks and confidentiality. Crowdsourced testing implies that companies ask outsourced testers from various locations to evaluate their software products. It is a viable option for the companies as it allows them to reduce costs by avoiding hiring in-house testers. However, by inviting unpaid freelance testers to the work, companies put themselves at risk of sensitive data exposure. Often, outsourced testers may have access to customer information or proprietary code and confidential information about the project. If there are not enough security protocols in place, the companies risk having their data exposed on purpose or inadvertently by those tasked with evaluating the software. Furthermore, there is a potential issue of law during crowdsourced testing, testers are not always compelled to handle sensitive data the same way as in-house employees. In particular, some of them can evaluate the software from unsecured WIFI networks which also negatively impacts the security of data. So, many companies in such highly regulated finance or healthcare often refuse crowdsourced testing altogether as the data needs confidentiality anyway. Overall, it is important to have a robust non-disclosure agreement and a dedicated secure environment for testing.

Crowdsourced Testing Market Segment analysis

By Testing Type

The platform segment dominated the market and accounted for the highest market share 69% in 2023. This is explained by the growing need for cross-platform compatibility testing as businesses deploy applications across various devices and operating systems. Platform solutions have experienced a higher adoption rate as they allow enterprises to ensure seamless user experience, which is crucial for businesses’ success in competitive markets. Moreover, government statistics show that there is a surge in mobile and web app deployment. To illustrate, in 2023, over 65% of U.K. citizens accessed government services through digital platforms, creating the need for a robust testing framework.

The performance testing segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The reason for such rapid growth is the escalating emphasis on developing applications capable of handling significant traffic without performance issues. Additionally, as cloud infrastructure continues to expand and the global economy shifts online, businesses have focused on performance testing to ensure optimal app operation and customer satisfaction. For example, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that in 2023, online sales surpassed USD 1 trillion for the first time. This had driven the demand for high-performance applications leading to the performance testing segment’s growth.

By application

The crowdsourced testing market is dominated by the mobile applications segment, which accounted for a 39% share in 2023. The reason for this dominance is the global trend of shifting towards mobile-first strategies by almost all industries. Both governments and enterprises have and continue investing in mobile technology to increase the reach and enhance its work efficiency. For example, the Indian government, as a part of its Digital India mission, reported a 52% increase in the development of mobile applications for public services in 2023, subsequently raising the usage of mobile systems. Similarly, as reported by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in the United States, 61% of the overall Internet traffic in 2023 was mobile. As technologies develop, and users increase the amount of mobile usage, the number of developed mobile applications concurrently increases. They require thorough testing to ensure they are user-friendly and safe and will work efficiently. As such, the mobile applications segment is leading the market because it responds to the needs of companies striving to offer the best user experiences and gain a competitive edge. Additionally, mobile applications are now essential in such sectors as retail, healthcare, and finance. Many governments also began to use mobile applications for their services simultaneously demanding the higher precision and security of performed tests.

By Industry

The BFSI Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sector dominated the crowdsourced testing market by vertical, gaining a market share of 21% in 2023. The financial services sector is increasingly digitizing with the rise in demand for online banking, mobile transactions, and real-time financial management. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s 2023 report, over 63% of Americans were utilizing mobile banking services, up from 50% in 2021. The emergence of these digital banking platforms raises the necessity for stringent security and performance testing. Besides, due to the BFSI sector’s overarching emphasis on data security, regulatory compliance, and fraud prevention, the sector affords critical prominence to crowdsourced testing. This strategy plays an important in the BFSI sector as it enables addressing the complex challenges by pinpointing vulnerabilities and ensuring smooth user experiences.

Regional Insights

The North America region dominated the global crowdsourced testing market in 2023, and held a market share of 32%. The regional dominance can be attributed to the strong presence of major players in the technology market, combined with the early adoption of new digital technologies and cloud infrastructure investments. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis states that the IT services sector was estimated to contribute S1.1 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2021, and crowdsourced testing played an important role in testing digital solutions. Moreover, the region has enacted various government policies and offered governmental support to strengthen cybersecurity measures and data privacy, further propelling its dominance in the crowdsourced testing market.

Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region will record the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth is a consequence of the rapid pace of digitization taking place in countries such as India, China, and Southeast Asian economies. The Indian government has enacted an aggressive digitalization policy, and the Digital India program aims to increase internet penetration and ecommerce service penetration. Further, the China Ministry of Information and Industry Technology reported that 80% of Chinese citizens enrolled in some type of digital platforming in 2023, and crowdsourced testing services are needed to ensure that the operations do not crash. Moreover, Asia-Pacific offers a lower labour cost and a larger pool of skilled professional testers, making it a viable location for crowdsourced testing services.

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Key Players

• Applause (Applause Platform, Applause Codeless Automation)

• uTest (uTest Platform, Test Cycle Management)

• Testlio (Testlio Platform, Testlio Managed Testing)

• Crowdtest (Crowdtest Dashboard, Bug Discovery Service)

• Passbrains (Passbrains Platform, Passbrains Marketplace)

• Bugcrowd (Bug Bounty Program, Vulnerability Disclosure Program)

• Synack (Synack Red Team, Synack Vulnerability Intelligence)

• Global App Testing (Functional Testing, Exploratory Testing)

• Rainforest QA (Rainforest Automation, Rainforest Tester Network)

• Cobalt (Cobalt Pentest Platform, Cobalt Core)

• 99tests (Crowd Testing Platform, Functional Testing Suite)

• Testbirds (Testbirds Nest, Device Cloud)

• Digivante (Digivante Platform, Exploratory Testing)

• Crowdsprint (Crowdsprint Testing Services, Performance Testing)

• test IO (Exploratory Testing, test IO Automation)

• QaizenX (Crowdtesting Platform, App Usability Testing)

• Mob4Hire (MobTest Platform, Crowdsource Usability Testing)

• Crowd4Test (Crowd4Test Platform, Mobile App Testing)

• WeAreTesters (Crowdsourced QA, Bug Bounty Services)

• Flatworld Solutions (Crowdsourced Testing Services, Functional Testing) and others. 

Recent News & Developments

• In June 2023, Applause expanded its service offering by allowing its clients to use crowd testing to train, test, and validate high-quality generative AI models.

• In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a new program to help small businesses use crowdsourced testing services to improve their digital presence. The initiative will provide cost-effective testing solutions to startups to help them verify that their applications are working properly and safely on different devices and operating systems.

• In May 2023, Testlio and Bugcrowd created a partnership to provide high-end quality and security testing services to businesses thanks to the efficiency benefits of crowdsourcing.