Manual vs automation QA cost
Manual QA Engineer and QA Automation Engineer are separate roles on this site: the first executes test cases and exploratory sessions without automation code, the second writes and maintains automated tests.
What the comparison measures
The comparison takes the published median (the middle value of the weighted observations) for both roles in the same country, at the same seniority level and under the same engagement model. A difference between countries is a different comparison; the rates hub lists the country and role combinations with published records.
Role mapping from sources
A source that publishes one figure for "QA engineer" without a separate automation figure is not assigned to either role. A generic title counts as manual only when the same source lists automation separately.
Worked example from published records
Median: the middle value of the weighted observations; p25 and p75: the bounds of their middle half.
- Middle Manual QA Engineer, United Kingdom, Hourly (time and materials): median $79 per hour (p25 $63, p75 $89), A: high confidence, n=5; at 160 hours per month: $12,640 per month.
- Middle QA Automation Engineer, United Kingdom, Hourly (time and materials): median $79 per hour (p25 $74, p75 $83), B: medium confidence, n=2; at 160 hours per month: $12,640 per month.
Difference between the first two medians: $0 per hour, or 0% of the first.
Sources for this example
- job-board IT Jobs Watch. Test Analyst Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-001
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-26, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-016
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-018
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-01, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-023
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-19, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-029
- fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-gbp
- job-board IT Jobs Watch. Test Automation Engineer Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-003
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-26, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-014
The rates hub lists every country where each role is published.
Cite this page
QA Rates Compare (2026). Manual vs automation QA cost, data version 1.0.0. https://qaratescompare.com/guides/manual-vs-automation-qa-cost/. Accessed 2026-10-20.
Figures are medians of published observations converted to USD at the quarterly ECB reference rate shown in the footer. They describe market ranges on the verification date, not quotes. Monthly and annual figures assume the hours stated on this page. Confidence grades are defined on the methodology page. This site does not recommend providers.