crowdsource testing

Crowdsource testing, also known as crowdtesting, is the practice of sending out prototype software and products to broad groups of people for testing rather than having testing performed internally.

Crowdsource testing allows more individuals to participate, often at a reduced cost and with better testing quality. Testers may be developers or interested members of the general public, as in beta testing.  Bug bounties, another form of crowdsource testing, reward researchers and software hobbyists for finding software bugs.

Crowdsourced product testing makes it possible for a wider variety of people to try a product in a greater range of conditions than possible in-house, often leading to problems being found that might otherwise only be discovered by consumers.

Jeff Howe, who coined the term crowdsourcing, suggested that it encouraged the best-qualified and most creative participants to give input to a project.