How much does a QA tester really earn?
“How much do testers really get paid” is one of the most common questions — and for good reason: ad promises often differ from reality. Here are honest numbers from our graduates. A Junior QA starts at $20–35/hour, Middle at $30–55, Senior at $45–80. There’s no ceiling: the more experience and specializations (like automation), the higher the rate.
Maxim was working at Uber, took the course, and started with a $20/hour contract. Three months in he got a $40 offer from a big company, and six months later he was poached at $60/hour — a 3x jump in a year. Alexey started as an intern and a year later got an offer of $100,000/year with paid vacation and sick leave. Rita, after moving to the US with below-average English, took the courses remotely and got an offer from Disney — her income is now above the national average.
The main takeaway: QA pay grows less from a diploma than from a real portfolio — bug reports, test cases, and (at the next level) automation. You can start with 3 free QA Basic lessons to see the format before paying for the course.