Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software testers and business analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software tester and a business analyst. Additionally, a software tester has an average salary of $78,580, which is higher than the $74,431 average annual salary of a business analyst.
The top three skills for a software tester include test results, regression and test scripts. The most important skills for a business analyst are project management, data analysis, and business analysis.
| Software Tester | Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $78,580 | $74,431 |
| Hourly rate | $37.78 | $35.78 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 208,853 | 170,514 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose. They remove the issues and bugs within a product before deployment to users. Their responsibilities include software and systems analysis, risk mitigation, and software-related issue prevention. They should have skills in automation, programming, social networking, logical thinking, and mobile and web technology.
Business analysts are employees who are responsible for interpreting business data and coming up with business solutions. They are well-versed in whatever business the company is in, and they have strong business acumen. They collect data related to the business and then interpret and analyze the data. Business analysts should be able to conduct different levels of analyses and must also be able to create a sound study. Once the analysis is done, they provide recommendations or strategic direction to decision-makers that will help the business become sustainable and grow.
Software testers and business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Tester | Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $78,580 | $74,431 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $53,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | Nordstrom | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software tester and a business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Software Tester | Business Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software testers' and business analysts' demographics:
| Software Tester | Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |