Beta Testing is the second phase of Software Testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out. Beta Testing of a product is performed by real users of the software application in a real environment. It allows the real customer an opportunity to provide inputs into the design, functionality, and usability of a product. These inputs are important for the success of the product. Beta testing reduces product failure risks and provides increased quality of the product through customer validation. It is the final test before shipping a product to the customers.

Advantages of Beta Testing

• Opportunity to get your application into the hands of users prior to releasing it to the general public. Beta testers can discover issues with your application that you may have not noticed, such as confusing application flow and even crashes.
• Reduces product failure risk via customer validation.
• Improves product quality via customer feedback.
• Cost effective compared to similar data gathering methods.
• Creates goodwill with customers and increases customer satisfaction.

Difference between Alpha Testing and Beta Testing

• Alpha Testing is conducted by a team of highly skilled testers at development site whereas Beta Testing is always conducted in Real Time environment by customers or end users at their own site.
• Alpha testing requires a lab environment or testing environment, whereas Beta testing doesn’t require any lab environment or testing environment.
• Since Alpha Testing is done onsite, therefore, developers, as well as a business analyst, are involved with the testing team whereas in Beta Testing developers and business analysts are not at all involved.
• Beta testers can be naive or proficient end users of software product but alpha testers are always high skilled professional testers.
• Alpha Testing involves both black box testing as well as white box testing. Beta Testing is always black box testing or functional testing.
• Alpha Testing is done before the launch of a software product into the market whereas Beta Testing is done at the time of software product marketing.
• Alpha Testing is conducted in the presence of developers and in the absence of end users whereas for Beta Testing this is exactly reversed.
• Alpha testing is to ensure the quality of the product before moving to Beta testing Beta testing also concentrates on quality of the product, but gathers users input on the product and ensures that the product is ready for real-time users.
• Reliability and security testing are not performed in-depth Alpha Testing Reliability, Security, Robustness are checked during Beta Testing.