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The differences between software testers and quality assurance testers 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 quality assurance tester. Additionally, a software tester has an average salary of $78,580, which is higher than the $74,140 average annual salary of a quality assurance tester.
The top three skills for a software tester include test results, regression and test scripts. The most important skills for a quality assurance tester are manual test cases, regression, and test scripts.
| Software Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $78,580 | $74,140 |
| Hourly rate | $37.78 | $35.64 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 208,853 | 82,396 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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.
A quality assurance tester, also known as QA tester, has different responsibilities depending on the line of work or industry involved. In a computer development setting, they are in charge of working and coordinating with technical engineers. They have to conduct regular tests for new software and programs, identify inconsistencies, and find areas for improvement. Furthermore, a quality assurance tester must produce reports from the tests, which can be the basis of progress for further developments.
Software testers and quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $78,580 | $74,140 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $55,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Nordstrom | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software tester and a quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Software Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software testers' and quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Software Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| 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% |