The licence is usually the easiest number in this decision. The harder numbers are how much engineering time goes into writing tests, keeping them working and working out why one failed.
Add up what testing costs today
The numbers below are made up, to show the arithmetic. Replace them with yours.
| Cost | How to estimate it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Manual checking | Hours per release × releases a month | 3 hours × 4 = 12 hours |
| Writing tests | Hours per test × new tests a month | 2 hours × 3 = 6 hours |
| Upkeep | Hours a month on changed flows and test data | 5 hours |
| Investigating failures | Failures a month × hours per failure | 6 × 1 hour = 6 hours |
| Tools | Licences, CI minutes, device or browser clouds | Whatever you pay now |
In this example the team spends 29 hours a month before any tool cost. Multiply by what an engineer's hour costs you, then ask which of those hours each option would actually change.
Compare equivalent work
A browser test product, a device lab and a managed QA service solve different problems, so include the work your team still owns in each.
| Option | You pay for | Your team still owns |
|---|---|---|
| Open-source framework | CI time and engineering time | Writing, selectors, upkeep, debugging |
| Browser testing product | Subscription or usage | Expected outcomes, test data, reviewing failures |
| Managed QA service | A larger contract | Requirements, access, reviewing what they find |
| Device or browser cloud | Usage | Everything except the infrastructure |
No option removes all the work. Check that you're comparing the same scope, and don't use an unsourced industry savings figure as your business case.
Measure it on a real flow
Record how long it takes to turn one checklist item into a useful test, review a failure and adjust a changed requirement. Those observations make a more credible local business case than a promised percentage reduction. A large generated suite can also add review work, so count useful tests, not generated ones.
What Zerocheck costs
Zerocheck is US$500 a month, with US$500 in credits at sign up, for one project on a dedicated instance, with hands-on setup of your first tests and about 1,000 test runs a month, with more by agreement. It doesn't replace API testing, native mobile coverage or exploratory QA. See pricing.