QA Rates Compare

Hourly (time and materials): QA rates and effective hourly figure

Hourly (time and materials): billed per worked hour, no minimum commitment. Billing unit: hour; typical minimum term: 0 months. 25 published and 0 single-source records in 7 countries; monthly fees convert at 160 hours per month unless the source states another basis.

Hourly (time and materials): effective hourly median (the middle value of the weighted observations) per country, role and level (USD)
Country, role, levelMedianConfidenceIndependent sources
Germany, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$80B: medium confidence2 or more
Germany, QA Automation Engineer, Middle$85B: medium confidence2 or more
Germany, QA Lead, Lead / Principal$104B: medium confidence2 or more
Germany, Security Test Engineer, Middle$148B: medium confidence2 or more
India, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$17B: medium confidence2 or more
Philippines, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$14A: high confidence2 or more
Poland, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$32C: indicative2 or more
Poland, QA Automation Engineer, Middle$41C: indicative2 or more
Poland, QA Automation Engineer, Senior$34A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Manual QA Engineer, Junior$51B: medium confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$79A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Manual QA Engineer, Senior$91A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Performance Test Engineer, Middle$76B: medium confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Performance Test Engineer, Senior$96B: medium confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, QA Architect / Test Manager, Lead / Principal$132A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, QA Architect / Test Manager, Middle$108A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, QA Automation Engineer, Middle$79B: medium confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, QA Automation Engineer, Senior$79B: medium confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, QA Lead, Lead / Principal$108A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, SDET, Middle$79A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Security Test Engineer, Middle$98A: high confidence2 or more
United Kingdom, Security Test Engineer, Lead / Principal$138A: high confidence2 or more
United States, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$104A: high confidence2 or more
United States, QA Automation Engineer, Middle$96A: high confidence2 or more
Vietnam, Manual QA Engineer, Middle$15A: high confidence2 or more

SDET: software development engineer in test; builds test frameworks and test infrastructure in code.

Per-country deltas and gaps in the sources

Hourly is the base model for every delta on this site; 2 other models have their own pages.

Countries with no published Hourly (time and materials) record (17): Canada, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Egypt.

Sources

  1. freelance-platform FRATCH. Software Testers in Germany | Find vetted experts fast. Published 2026-08-06, verified . ev-rate-germany-001
  2. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in Germany 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-07-10, verified . ev-rate-gfeu-001
  3. fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-eur
  4. freelance-platform FRATCH. Test Automation Engineers in Germany | Find vetted experts fast. Published 2026-08-06, verified . ev-rate-germany-002
  5. job-board TalentUp. Test Automation Engineer Contractor Hourly Rate in Germany 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-10-08, verified . ev-rate-gfeu-002
  6. freelance-platform FRATCH. QA Managers in Germany | Find vetted experts fast. Published 2026-08-09, verified . ev-rate-g2dp-002
  7. job-board TalentUp. Quality Assurance Manager Contractor Hourly Rate in Germany 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-07-21, verified . ev-rate-g2dp-003
  8. freelance-platform FRATCH. Penetration Testers in Germany | Find vetted experts fast. Published 2026-08-07, verified . ev-rate-g2dp-001
  9. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: Germany); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-g4dp-001
  10. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in India 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-09-23, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-009
  11. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: India); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-09-14, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-017
  12. fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-inr
  13. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in Philippines 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-08-13, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-011
  14. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: Philippines); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-09-14, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-016
  15. fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-php
  16. job-board SOLID.Jobs. Jak wygląda rynek pracy testerów w 2026 roku? Rynek, który przestał obiecywać łatwe wejście - SOLID.Jobs Blog. Published 2026-09-22, verified . ev-rate-poland-001
  17. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in Poland 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-10-08, verified . ev-rate-gfeu-003
  18. fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-pln
  19. job-board SOLID.Jobs. Jak wygląda rynek pracy testerów w 2026 roku? Rynek, który przestał obiecywać łatwe wejście - SOLID.Jobs Blog. Published 2026-09-22, verified . ev-rate-poland-002
  20. job-board TalentUp. Test Automation Engineer Contractor Hourly Rate in Poland 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-10-08, verified . ev-rate-gfeu-004
  21. freelance-platform Lemon.io. Automation QA Engineer Salary & Hourly Rate 2026. Published 2026-07-01, verified . ev-rate-mkt-003
  22. job-board SOLID.Jobs. Jak wygląda rynek pracy testerów w 2026 roku? Rynek, który przestał obiecywać łatwe wejście - SOLID.Jobs Blog. Published 2026-09-22, verified . ev-rate-poland-004
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  24. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Junior Test Analyst Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2025-10-20, verified . ev-rate-gfua-006
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  30. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-029
  31. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Senior Test Analyst Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-002
  32. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-26, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-015
  33. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-019
  34. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-024
  35. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-030
  36. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Performance Tester Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-006
  37. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-21, verified . ev-rate-gfua-004
  38. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-26, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-013
  39. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Senior Performance Engineer Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-20, verified . ev-rate-gfua-005
  40. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-022
  41. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-027
  42. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-033
  43. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Head of Testing Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2025-10-20, verified . ev-rate-gfua-007
  44. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Test Manager Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-009
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  46. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-021
  47. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-026
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  55. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-020
  56. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-025
  57. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-031
  58. job-board IT Jobs Watch. SDET Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Related Skills | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-005
  59. survey Henderson Scott. Technology Salary Guide 2026. Published 2025-11-06, verified . ev-rate-gfua-001
  60. job-board IT Jobs Watch. Penetration Tester Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-007
  61. survey Henderson Scott. Technology Salary Guide 2026. Published 2025-11-06, verified . ev-rate-gfua-002
  62. survey Yolk Recruitment. Technology & Digital (Contract) Salary Survey 2025. Published 2025-06-17, verified . ev-rate-gfua-003
  63. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-028
  64. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-034
  65. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-13, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-035
  66. job-board IT Jobs Watch. CHECK Team Leader Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Co-Occurring Skills | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-20, verified . ev-rate-gfua-008
  67. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in United States 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2025-07-03, verified . ev-rate-g2we-001
  68. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United States); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-08-22, verified . ev-rate-g2we-011
  69. job-board TalentUp. Test Automation Engineer Contractor Hourly Rate in United States 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-10-08, verified . ev-rate-g2we-002
  70. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United States); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-07-11, verified . ev-rate-g2we-012
  71. job-board TalentUp. Software Tester Contractor Hourly Rate in Vietnam 2026 | TalentUp |. Published 2026-09-16, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-013
  72. vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: Vietnam); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-09-14, verified . ev-rate-g2ea-015

Questions

What is the Hourly (time and materials) engagement model in QA outsourcing?

Hourly (time and materials): billed per worked hour, no minimum commitment; billing unit: hour.

In which countries is the Hourly (time and materials) model not observed in the data?

17 of 24 countries have no published or single-source record for Hourly (time and materials): Canada, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Egypt.

What is the usual minimum term for the Hourly (time and materials) model?

The typical minimum term recorded for Hourly (time and materials) is 0 months.

Is the Hourly (time and materials) model billed per hour, per month or per project?

Hourly (time and materials) bills per hour; monthly fees convert to an hourly figure at 160 hours unless the source states another basis.

Figures are medians of published observations converted to USD at the quarterly ECB reference rate shown in the footer. They describe market ranges on the verification date, not quotes. Monthly and annual figures assume the hours stated on this page. Confidence grades are defined on the methodology page. This site does not recommend providers.