Alpha vs. Beta Testing
In the many years we’ve been running beta tests, we’ve seen a number of aspects of product testing that can be confusing for those on the outside looking in. One area in particular that we get asked about is the difference between a beta test and an alpha test. The truth is that they’re both integral stepping stones of a product’s development but play very different roles in the development and testing of a product.
You’re probably already familiar with how the beta testing process works, but if you’ve ever gotten wind of an alpha testing opportunity, it may benefit you to understand what they involve. Companies will typically conduct alpha testing themselves using friends, family, or employees as their testers. Then (once the product is more complete and stable) the more structured beta testing phase will follow with real members of the product’s target market doing the testing. Let’s take a deeper look into what differentiates alpha and beta testing.
| Alpha Test | Beta Test |
| What does each testing phase ultimately do? | |
| Alpha tests improve the quality of the product at its earliest stage. They will also ensure that the product is ready for beta. | Beta testing further improves the quality of the product, and also integrates real customer input regarding the complete user experience. Beta tests simply ensure that a product is ready for release. |
| When do they take place? | |
| Alpha testing happens toward the end of the development process, when the product either is or is close to being in a fully-usable state. | Beta is the final testing phase before the product is launched. Beta tests will sometimes even end within weeks (or even days) before the final release. |
| How long does each phase typically last? | |
| Alpha tests are usually very long with many iterations as the development team fixes problems. They can sometimes last 3-5 times longer than a beta test. | Beta tests typically only last a few weeks, but can sometimes last up to a couple of months. Betas usually only have a few major iterations of the product. |
| Who at the company is involved in the test? | |
| Alpha tests matter almost exclusively to the quality and engineering teams, which are the people building the product. They’re looking for help finding bugs to fix. | Usually product marketing, support, quality, and engineering care the most about the beta testing phase (basically, the entire product team). |
| Who is selected to test the product? | |
| Testers during this phase are usually people who are close to the company and the development team. This can mean anyone from the test engineers to friends, family, and other employees of the company. | Beta testers (as you know) are real customers in the real world, carefully selected to meet target demographic characteristics of the product. |
| What should testers expect to encounter? | |
| During alpha tests, people will encounter many many bugs, crashes, glitches, and missing features and documents. | Beta tests usually include a few bugs, fewer crashes, most docs, and are feature-complete at this stage. |
| How is feedback collected? | |
| Alpha test feedback collection is generally very informal, possibly with testers giving feedback via email or directly to the team. | Feedback collection is usually much more formal with a beta test, as testers give structured feedback through a central portal (like Betabound). |
| How are the problems addressed? | |
| Most of the known critical issues found during an alpha test get fixed, and some features may be completely changed or added as a result of this early feedback. | All of the beta test feedback is collected and triaged. Most of the time, it’s kept in consideration for future versions of the product, and only the most important and critical changes are made before launch. |
| What exactly does each type of test achieve? | |
| Alpha tests set well-defined benchmarks that are then used to measure the product against those benchmarks. This gets the product ready for beta. | Beta tests explore the limits of a product by allowing real customers to go nuts exploring every element of the product in the comfort of their own environment. |
| What happens when the testing phase is over? | |
| Companies will have a fairly good idea of how a product will perform after an alpha testing phase. They’ll also know whether or not the product meets the design criteria and whether the product is ready for beta. | After beta tests are over, companies will have a great idea of what their target market thinks of their product and what paying customers are likely to experience when purchasing their product. |
| What’s the next step? | |
| Beta Test! | Release Party! |
Some additional points to consider:
- Both terms (alpha and beta) are used primarily in the technology industry.
- Most products go through both an alpha and a beta testing phase.
- Both phases are incredibly important for finding and fixing problematic bugs.
- Some companies use terms like field trials, customer validation, CAT (customer acceptance testing), UAT (user acceptance testing), and beta testing synonymously.
- Every company’s process will be different, based on their structure, resources, and goals.
Obviously we specialize in beta testing here at Betabound. If you have a friend or family member that works in technology industry, you may find yourself with the opportunity to alpha test a product (and now you’ll know what that may entail). We highly recommend giving it a shot if you get the chance. The tests are casual and the products are buggy, unpredictable, and usually very unstable at that point, but that’s what makes it fun. Regardless, we always have plenty of opportunities here for you to beta test whatever products pique your interest.
Did we miss anything? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!