Alpha and Beta Testing

 Alpha Testing

• Alpha testing performed by Testers who are usually internal employees of the organization.
• Alpha Testing performed at developer’s site.
• Reliability and Security Testing are not performed in-depth Alpha Testing.
• Alpha testing involves both the white box and black box techniques.
• Alpha testing requires a lab environment or testing environment.
• Long execution cycle may be required for Alpha testing.
• Critical issues or fixes can be addressed by developers immediately in Alpha testing.
• Alpha testing is to ensure the quality of the product before moving to Beta testing.  

Beta Testing

• Beta testing is performed by Clients or End Users who are not employees of the organization.
• Beta testing is performed at a client location or end user of the product.
• Reliability, Security, Robustness are checked during Beta Testing.
• Beta Testing typically uses Black Box Testing.
• Beta testing doesn’t require any lab environment or testing environment. The software is made available to the public and is said to be real time environment.
• Only a few weeks of execution are required for Beta testing.
• Most of the issues or feedback is collected from Beta testing will be implemented in future versions of the product.
• Beta testing also concentrates on the quality of the product, but gathers users input on the product and ensures that the product is ready for real time users.