Offshore QA Software Testing Team & Services: Our Experience

Tsiala Jobava

Last updated on February 10, 2026 | 17 min read

OffshoreOutsourcingQuality AssuranceTesting

Software quality assurance is mission-critical in a world where one bug can ruin an app’s rating or delay a product launch. QA ensures that your application functions correctly, remains bug-free, and delivers the expected user experience.

Many companies, from fast-scaling startups building their first mobile apps to global enterprises like banks, eCommerce retailers, and healthcare providers, outsource QA instead of building an internal team. Offshore QA software testing teams provide a cost-effective way to access specialized expertise, accelerate development, and reduce costs without compromising quality.

At DevsData LLC, we’ve partnered with clients such as The Globe and Mail, SyrenCloud, Inc., and Sea, a global maritime software provider. In each case, QA was mission-critical – from new product launches to digital transformation projects. For example, with Sea, we recruited senior QA professionals to build a Polish engineering hub, introducing scalable testing frameworks that improved delivery pipelines. Similarly, a London-based cryptocurrency exchange relied on our QA experts to secure its algorithmic trading platform. These projects highlight how DevsData LLC helps clients accelerate time-to-market, ensure compliance, and deliver reliable user experiences.

In this article, we share everything we’ve learned from delivering offshore QA services across industries. You’ll gain a clear understanding of how offshore QA works, what a typical team structure looks like, and the most common types of software testing used today. We also explore the real-world benefits and challenges of outsourcing, provide guidance on selecting the right QA partner, and offer insights from our hands-on experience at DevsData LLC. Finally, we highlight key trends that are shaping the future of quality assurance, helping you make smarter, more scalable testing decisions. If you’re exploring a better, more scalable approach to software testing, this guide will help you do it right.

What is offshore QA software testing?

Offshore QA software testing is the practice of partnering with a quality assurance team located in a different country to handle the testing phase of your software development process.

Instead of hiring and managing testers in-house, businesses work with skilled QA professionals abroad who are fully dedicated to testing and validating their products.

This setup enables companies to tap into a broader talent pool, reduce costs, and expand testing coverage across different time zones. Offshore QA teams can handle everything from manual testing and automated scripts to regression testing, performance checks, and user acceptance testing.

It’s important to distinguish different outsourcing models:

• Onshore QA involves hiring teams within your own country, often at higher rates and with limited scalability.
• Nearshore QA involves collaborating with teams in nearby countries, often with overlapping time zones, for easier and more efficient collaboration.
• Offshore QA, in contrast, typically involves teams in more distant regions, such as Eastern Europe, Latin America, or Southeast Asia, offering cost advantages and access to specialized expertise.

Offshoring QA is no longer just about saving money. It’s about scaling faster, releasing higher-quality products, and having the flexibility to adapt your testing efforts as your project evolves. When done right, offshore QA becomes an integrated part of your team, aligned with your workflows, committed to your quality standards, and ready to move at your pace.

The QA team structure: Who does what?

A strong QA team is more than just one or two testers clicking through features. It’s a mix of roles, each focused on different parts of the testing process. When you work with an offshore QA team, here’s who you’ll typically find on board:

When managing offshore QA teams, structure matters as much as roles. Effective onboarding, shared documentation, and strong leadership from the QA lead help remote testers integrate smoothly. Regular syncs across time zones, use of collaborative tools (Jira, Slack, TestRail), and overlapping working hours ensure the team operates as a cohesive unit rather than a disconnected extension.

How offshore QA services work in practice

Working with an offshore QA team isn’t just about outsourcing tasks. It’s about building a smooth, structured collaboration that fits into your product development cycle. Here’s how the process typically works:

Kickoff and planning

At DevsData LLC, every QA engagement begins with a kickoff call where our QA lead and the client align on scope, tools, and communication. Based on our experience, introducing shared Jira boards and Slack channels on day one can reduce onboarding time by up to 30%. For example, in a retail eCommerce project, this approach accelerated alignment and allowed our QA engineers to deliver the first actionable reports within a week.

Test strategy and setup

We design testing strategies tailored to the client’s product and release cycles, striking a balance between manual and automated testing. In a FinTech engagement, DevsData LLC’s QA team built Selenium-based regression scripts integrated into the client’s CI/CD pipeline, enabling them to double their release frequency, from weekly to twice a week, without compromising quality. Our know-how in CI/CD automation is one of the reasons clients return to us for long-term QA partnerships.

Test execution

Once the setup is complete, our QA engineers run both manual and automated tests across the agreed-upon test cases and user flows. Each defect is logged with screenshots, videos, or logs and reported to developers through Jira or a similar ticketing system. For instance, during a Sea platform scaling project, DevsData LLC’s QA engineers uncovered critical concurrency issues that could have affected thousands of users – preventing what would have been a costly post-launch incident.

Defect management

DevsData LLC’s QA and engineering teams are tightly integrated, ensuring reported issues are retested promptly after fixes. We emphasize regression testing to make sure nothing breaks along the way. In one logistics software project, this disciplined approach reduced repeated bug cycles, strengthening product stability over successive releases.

Reporting and documentation

The offshore QA team provides regular updates, typically on a daily, weekly, or per-sprint basis. These updates include test results, bug trends, test coverage summaries, and risk areas. Well-documented reports help the product team understand what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs attention before launch. Proper documentation also makes future testing more efficient and traceable.

Types of QA testing we provide

A reliable offshore QA team should be able to cover a wide range of testing needs, not just basic bug checks.

At DevsData LLC and across the industry, the most effective QA partnerships incorporate a combination of manual and automated testing, along with specialized testing tailored to the product type and industry.

Here are the key types of testing commonly offered:

Manual and exploratory testing form the foundation of any QA effort. Our testers approach your product like end-users would, exploring features, testing edge cases, and catching visual or functional bugs that automation might miss. This is especially effective during early development phases or for apps with frequent UI changes, like an eCommerce platform testing dynamic product filters or checkout flows.

Automated testing boosts speed and consistency by handling repetitive tasks such as login validations or form submissions. Using tools like Selenium or Playwright, our engineers write scripts that fit seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines. For example, in the Sea project, our QA engineers established scalable testing processes and introduced automation tools that became the foundation for faster, more reliable releases.

Regression and smoke testing ensure that updates don’t accidentally break existing features. Smoke tests help identify critical failures immediately after a new build is deployed, while regression testing verifies that key functionalities continue to function properly after changes. This is essential for products under continuous development, such as marketing platforms or social apps with frequent updates.

Mobile and web testing address cross-device and cross-browser consistency. Our teams test mobile apps on real iOS and Android devices, examining gesture behavior, push notifications, and layout issues across various screen sizes and resolutions. We also test web apps for responsiveness and compatibility with browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, which is crucial for client-facing portals or booking systems.

Performance testing simulates traffic surges and concurrent usage to reveal bottlenecks. For instance, we helped a logistics platform identify and fix slowdowns that occurred when over 500 users submitted forms simultaneously. These tests ensure your app remains fast and stable under real-world conditions.
Security and data integrity testing are crucial in industries such as healthcare, finance, and legal technology. Our QA engineers perform checks to ensure safe data migration, validate encryption protocols, and identify vulnerabilities, such as exposed APIs or insecure authentication. In one healthcare case, we helped a client achieve GDPR compliance by identifying data exposure risks before launch.

The benefits and challenges of offshore QA

Offshore QA provides significant benefits for companies seeking to scale more quickly, reduce costs, and maintain high product quality. However, like any outsourcing model, it comes with trade-offs. Understanding both the benefits and the challenges will help you decide whether it’s the right move for your organization.

Benefits of offshore QA

While offshore QA offers real value, it’s not without its complexities. Success depends on how well you manage collaboration, communication, and context. By being aware of the common pitfalls and planning around them, you can avoid costly missteps and build a more effective partnership.

Benefits of offshore QA

While offshore QA offers real value, it’s not without its complexities. Success depends on how well you manage collaboration, communication, and context. By being aware of the common pitfalls and planning around them, you can avoid costly missteps and build a more effective partnership.

Challenges and how to solve them

Offshore QA services offer companies a strategic approach to enhance product quality, expedite testing cycles, and reduce costs by leveraging global talent and specialized expertise. The model allows for flexible scaling and helps internal teams stay focused on development. However, success depends on overcoming key challenges, such as communication gaps, onboarding delays, and ensuring data security. With the right partner and transparent processes, offshore QA can deliver significant value without compromising control or quality.

How to successfully hire an offshore QA partner

Choosing the right offshore QA partner isn’t just about finding a vendor – it’s about finding a team that fits your workflow, understands your product, and can deliver reliable results. A poor fit can slow you down or create more work than it solves.

Here’s how to make a confident, informed decision:

1. Define your QA needs

Before looking for a partner, clearly define your needs. What types of testing are required: manual, automated, mobile, or regression? Do you need full-time testers or support during crunch periods? The more specific your scope, the easier to find a match.

2. Review their skills and experience

Not all QA teams are built the same. Look for partners with:

• Relevant domain expertise (e.g., FinTech, eCommerce, healthcare).
• Experience with your tech stack.
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, or your preferred workflow.
• Sample reports, test cases, or case studies that show their depth.

Bonus points if they’ve worked with companies of similar size or stage.

3. Assess communication and collaboration

A team might have the skills, but if communication is weak, the project will suffer. During the early talks, pay attention to:

• Responsiveness.
• Clarity in writing and speaking.
• Openness to feedback and process alignment.

Ask about their tools, Jira, TestRail, Slack, and Zoom, and how often they report progress.

4. Check for flexibility and engagement models

Different projects need different levels of support. A good QA partner will offer options like:

• Staff augmentation for short-term support.
• Dedicated QA teams fully integrated into your product lifecycle.
• QA consulting for building or improving your entire testing setup.

Select a model that aligns with your workload, budget, and desired level of control/oversight.

5. Prioritize security and IP protection

You’ll likely be sharing code, databases, and infrastructure. Choose a partner who:

• Follows GDPR, ISO, or other recognized standards.
• Offers NDAs and secure access protocols.
• Has clear policies on code ownership and confidentiality.

Ask direct questions about how they manage security and risk.

6. Start small, then scale

Even the best-looking partners should prove themselves. Start with a small scope or trial sprint. This gives you a chance to assess:

• Testing quality.
• Collaboration style.
• Speed and flexibility.

At DevsData LLC, we recommend starting with a limited scope or trial sprint to evaluate testing quality, collaboration style, and speed. Once proven, scaling up is straightforward and low-risk.

How we build and manage QA testing teams

At DevsData LLC, we don’t just place QA engineers on projects; we build QA partnerships. We aim to deliver real value: faster releases, cleaner code, and reliable collaboration seamlessly fitting into your workflow.

Here’s how we make that happen:

Tailored team assembly

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. Every project is different, so we start by understanding your needs:

• What kind of product are you building?
• Which platforms are involved – web, mobile, backend APIs?
• What testing methods are required?

Once we’re clear on that, we handpick QA engineers from our vetted talent pool based on skills, domain knowledge, and communication fit.

Strong onboarding process

Before any testing begins, we onboard the QA team with full context:

• Product walkthroughs.
• User flows and key features.
• Testing priorities and known risk areas.

We also align on tools, reporting formats, sprint cadences, and communication habits to keep everything moving smoothly.

Test strategy built around you

Whether you need manual testing, automation, or both, we build the test strategy with your product lifecycle in mind. That includes:

• Creating and maintaining detailed test cases.
• Setting up automation frameworks, if needed.
• Prioritizing tests by impact and frequency.

We adapt to your workflow, whether you work in two-week sprints, continuous delivery, or something in between.

Consistent communication and reporting

You’ll never have to chase us for updates. We integrate directly into your team’s rhythm, using tools like Jira, TestRail, and Slack to:

• Share progress.
• Report bugs with complete documentation.
• Provide weekly test summaries and sprint-end reports.

For example, in the Shipwell project, our QA engineers provided structured reports that highlighted not only defects but also risk areas. This transparency gave Shipwell’s product managers the confidence to prioritize fixes quickly and keep release timelines intact.

Continuous improvement

Our QA teams don’t just test, they think. We identify patterns, suggest improvements, and optimize both your product and QA processes over time. This culture of rigor is embedded across DevsData LLC’s work. For instance, in a cryptocurrency trading client engagement, our team applied one of the most demanding vetting and evaluation processes in our history. Candidates faced algorithmic challenges, live coding, and multi-stage technical reviews before joining the project. The outcome: not only did the client hire four exceptional engineers, but they also opened a new engineering branch in Poland after seeing the consistent quality of our delivery.

With DevsData LLC, you’re not just outsourcing QA, you’re gaining a trusted quality partner that adapts to your team and scales with your growth.

Cost factors in offshore QA services

One of the biggest reasons companies turn to offshore QA is cost savings, but what exactly affects how much you’ll pay?

Offshore doesn’t mean “cheap,” and cheaper isn’t always better. Instead, smart QA budgeting means knowing what you’re paying for and why. Here are the main factors that influence the cost of offshore QA services:

Labor costs are one of the most significant drivers of offshore QA pricing. While the scope and complexity of a project play a significant role, the location of your QA team can have a substantial impact on your overall budget. Below is a comparison of average annual salaries for manual and automation QA engineers across key regions, helping illustrate why many companies look beyond their local talent pools for quality assurance support:

Note: These figures reflect averages and may vary based on experience, tech stack, and specific country or city within the region.

Lessons from famous QA failures

Sometimes, the best way to understand the value of QA is to examine what happens when it is missing. History is full of high-profile software failures that could’ve been prevented with better testing.

Here are a few infamous cases and the lessons they leave behind:

Mars Climate Orbiter disintegration (1999)

NASA lost a $125 million spacecraft just as it was about to enter Mars’ orbit. The Mars Climate Orbiter burned up in the Martian atmosphere and was unable to complete its mission.

The cause was a catastrophic yet remarkably simple unit mismatch. One team’s navigation software calculated force in pound-seconds using imperial units, while another team interpreted the data in Newton-seconds, the metric equivalent. This misalignment caused the spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere at an incorrect angle, resulting in its disintegration.

The key lesson here is always to test assumptions, especially those that seem too obvious to question. When teams assume they’re aligned without verification, critical risks can go unnoticed. Quality Assurance isn’t just about finding bugs; it’s about validating standards, ensuring integration compatibility, and confirming that teams are truly working in sync. As this incident demonstrates, even a single unchecked variable can have irreversible consequences.

YouTube’s “Gangnam Style” glitch (2014)

PSY’s “Gangnam Style” music video went viral and became the first YouTube video to surpass 2.1 billion views. It broke YouTube’s view counter, which was limited to a 32-bit integer. The platform had to upgrade its system to a 64-bit counter to handle the unexpected traffic.

The issue stemmed from a technical limitation: YouTube’s developers had set the view counter to a 32-bit signed integer, which has a maximum value of 2,147,483,647. At the time, no one imagined that a single video could ever reach that number. But when “Gangnam Style” did, the counter overflowed, causing a glitch that required a significant system update.

The key lesson is to test for success, not just failure. While much attention is often paid to failure modes and stability under strain, it’s equally important to prepare for unexpected popularity. Load testing and boundary testing are essential, even for entertainment content. A solid scalability plan can prevent your systems from breaking under the weight of their own success.

NHS IT system crash (2017)

A failed software update in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) IT system resulted in thousands of patient appointments being delayed or canceled. Some hospital systems couldn’t access critical patient data for hours.

The root cause was an untested software patch that introduced errors during deployment. To make matters worse, there was no rollback plan in place. The incident highlighted significant gaps in quality assurance during deployment, as well as a lack of coordination between the technical and operational departments.

The lesson here is clear: always test software updates in a controlled environment before releasing them into live systems. Regression testing and a robust rollback strategy are non-negotiable, especially for systems dealing with sensitive data or public health. Quality Assurance doesn’t end at launch – it must extend into post-launch support and ongoing maintenance to safeguard performance, reliability, and, in cases like this, human well-being.

These cases show that even the most prominent organizations, with all the funding, experience, and resources, are vulnerable without solid QA practices. A single overlooked assumption, performance bottleneck, or integration bug can undo months (or years) of work. At DevsData LLC, we’ve seen firsthand how small gaps in testing can escalate. We’ve also learned from those situations – improving our frameworks, strengthening regression coverage, and refining communication. That’s why clients trust us today: not just because we deliver quality, but because we bring the hard-earned lessons of past projects into every new engagement.

Why DevsData LLC is the right partner for offshore QA

Website: www.devsdata.com
Company size: ~60 employees
Founding year: 2016
Headquarters: Brooklyn, NY, and Warsaw, Poland

DevsData LLC brings the technical know-how, recruitment power, and global flexibility to deliver real results if you’re looking for a reliable offshore QA partner. With over nine years in the industry, DevsData LLC has supported fast-growing startups and large international companies with QA services that adapt to their pace and complexity.

The company specializes in both manual and automated software testing. Our QA experts, including testers, automation engineers, and SDETs, have worked on various projects, from enterprise platforms to modern SaaS products. This experience gives DevsData LLC a clear understanding of what it takes to ship clean, stable code.

What sets DevsData LLC apart is that it’s not just a staffing agency; it’s a company built by engineers. With a background in building software products, we know exactly what makes a strong QA professional. Whether you’re hiring for a short-term release cycle or long-term product testing, we focus on quality, attention to detail, and culture fit. DevsData LLC recruits globally, with a strong presence in Poland, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Real-world case studies

Over the years, DevsData LLC has embedded highly skilled QA testers across a range of software projects, helping clients avoid critical release issues and enhance cross-platform performance. Below are two selected case studies that demonstrate our QA team’s real-world impact.

Mobile app QA for a US-based retail and eCommerce business

One of our clients in Pennsylvania approached us with a malfunctioning mobile application, visually outdated, functionally limited, and incompatible with modern eCommerce tools. The goal was to rebuild it using the existing codebase while implementing new features and ensuring full compatibility with the Magento platform.

Our QA engineers were involved throughout the development lifecycle, focusing on:

• Cross-device compatibility testing on iOS and Android.
• Accessibility auditing and adjustments in line with WCAG 2.2 (AA level).
• Regression testing to avoid introducing bugs during code refactoring.
• UI/UX validation to ensure the new design met industry standards.

Notably, the QA team identified and resolved multiple critical issues, including a broken checkout flow on mobile devices, layout glitches on tablet screens, and color contrast violations that would have prevented WCAG compliance. As a result, the app launched with 40% fewer post-deployment fixes, a faster go-live, and a vastly improved user experience across all devices.

Website testing for CarbonCapture, Inc.

In a separate engagement with CarbonCapture, Inc., a San Francisco-based startup incubator, we developed a modern WordPress website to showcase their mission and achievements. The site featured parallax scrolling, interactive animations, and complex frontend logic built with custom fields and Sass.

Our QA specialists conducted:

• Responsive design checks to ensure seamless display across desktops, tablets, and mobile.
• Functional testing of WordPress components including dynamic forms and content modules.
• Load testing and performance validation to ensure stability even during traffic spikes.

Throughout the QA process, over a dozen layout and usability issues were uncovered before the site went live, including animation breaks in Safari and inconsistencies in navigation on smaller screens. These were resolved in collaboration with developers, ensuring a smooth, polished launch.

As a compact company, DevsData LLC keeps things lean. You won’t deal with endless layers of project managers or inflated pricing. Instead, you get direct access to decision-makers, personalized service, and native English-speaking professionals who genuinely understand your goals. Our flexible model enables them to adjust quickly and tailor services to meet your exact needs.

The team has worked with companies in the US, Israel, and beyond and includes professionals with backgrounds from top-tier universities and global tech firms. We maintain a perfect 5/5 satisfaction score on Clutch and GoodFirms, supported by public testimonials from clients like Cubus, Skycatch, Varner, and Novartis.

Whether you’re looking to outsource QA or hire highly specialized testers, DevsData LLC offers a straightforward, reliable solution with a proven track record.

To get in touch, email us at general@devsdata.com or visit our website at www.devsdata.com.

Future of offshore QA services

Offshore QA is evolving fast. What started as a cost-saving model is now becoming a hub of innovation powered by smarter tools, better workflows, and a global-first mindset. Here’s what’s shaping the future:

AI and machine learning in testing

AI is already making an impact in QA. It’s being used to:

• Auto-generate test cases.
• Predict high-risk areas in code.
• Create self-healing test scripts that adapt to UI changes.

As tools mature, expect offshore QA teams to use AI for faster, smarter, and more proactive testing.

Continuous testing in CI/CD pipelines

As more companies adopt DevOps, offshore QA teams become increasingly integrated into CI/CD environments. Testing is no longer a separate phase; it happens alongside development. Automated checks run with every build, and feedback is nearly instant.

Shift-left testing strategy

QA is moving earlier in the development cycle. Instead of catching bugs after the code is written, teams validate requirements, architecture, and assumptions from the start. Offshore teams that follow this “shift-left” mindset reduce risks and save time.

Domain-specific QA expertise

Clients want QA engineers who understand their space. FinTech, healthcare, logistics, and gaming all have unique testing needs. Offshore teams are getting more specialized to meet these demands.

Better security and compliance

As remote and offshore work becomes the norm, providers are stepping up their security game. Security is becoming a core component of offshore QA, encompassing GDPR compliance, zero-trust environments, and secure test data management.

Unified QA and product collaboration

QA isn’t just working with developers anymore – it’s sitting closer to product managers and UX designers. Offshore teams that understand the product vision, not just the test plan, are helping to shape better user experiences.

The future of offshore QA is flexible, intelligent, and deeply integrated with product development. It’s no longer about cutting costs but building faster software.

Conclusion

Offshore QA has grown far beyond its roots as a cost-saving move. Today, it’s a strategic approach to delivering better software – faster, smarter, and more reliably. By collaborating with skilled offshore teams, companies can access global talent, round-the-clock testing cycles, and in-depth testing expertise across various platforms and industries.

When supported by the right processes and clear communication, offshore QA becomes an extension of your core team, not a disconnected vendor. Yes, there are challenges. But with the right partner, those challenges are manageable and often disappear altogether with the right onboarding, collaboration habits, and shared ownership.

At DevsData LLC, we’ve helped companies across industries build high-performing QA setups that scale with them, support fast-paced growth, and deliver real product value. Whether launching your first app or scaling an enterprise platform, a reliable offshore QA team can give you the confidence to move fast without breaking things. Quality isn’t optional, and with the right team, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

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Tsiala Jobava Copywriter and Marketer

Tsiala Jobava is a talented marketing specialist from Georgia. Tsiala holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Georgian American University and a master’s in Marketing and Communication from Barcelona Business School. She has built a diverse career, working as a copywriter and in marketing and PR, before returning to her first passion – writing. Along the way, she has gained valuable experience in social media management, content creation, and brand development.

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