We have seen the future of web testing, and it’s Acobay. This web 2.0 online service not only makes the task easy, but fun and rewarding as well. It’s essentially a marketplace where users can sell bug reports to webmasters. Continue reading for an in-depth overview — sponsored by Acobay.
Overview
When creating a new website or online service, the most important task before going live is finding and fixing all the bugs. However, that process can be long and arduous should you tackle it alone. Acobay exposes your website to thousands of testers at once, enabling you to get immediate results while paying for only valid bugs. As a client, getting started is easy as creating an account, adding a website, and buying credits. When the latter two steps are completed, you’ll have people testing your website(s) immediately. Bugs will be marked “minor” (typos, broken links, etc.), “major” (functionality or compatibility issues), and critical (security).
For testers, after creating an account, just go to the “active projects” page to start earning. Websites with more credits should be placed higher on your priority list. If there are no active projects, users may test any website they wish. Before creating a bug report, testers should ask themselves: “If I were the site owner, would the bug matter?”, “What causes the bug, the website or something else?”, and “Does the bug persist?” Trivial issues may be marked invalid by the client. Payments are sent via PayPal or Moneybookers to the email address on file.
Pricing
The best feature of Acobay just might be their price structure, as there are no registration or subscription fees. Clients deposit money only when they want to purchase bug reports — minor $20 / major $40 / critical $80 — while testers submit them for free. All amounts listed are in the US currency unless otherwise noted. If this is something you’re interested in, register here.
