QA Effort Estimation Calculator for Manual Testing

Accurate QA estimation is critical for delivering high-quality software on time and within budget. Nexura Ventures provides a simple, powerful, and free Manual QA Effort Estimation Calculator that helps you determine testing hours, team size, and testing timelines.

Choose Your QA Estimation Method

1️⃣ QA Estimation Based on Development Effort

Use this method when you already know:

  • Developer hours
  • Story points
  • Estimated engineering effort

This calculator applies industry-standard QA-to-Dev ratios, complexity multipliers, and regression impact to determine total testing hours.

Calculator

How the Calculation Works

The calculator uses:

  • QA-to-Dev ratio based on complexity (High: 44.7%, Medium: 41.6%, Low: 29.4%)
  • High Complexity: Browser (2.22%), Device (1.333%), Profile (7.5%) of dev hours
  • Medium Complexity: Browser (1.84%), Device (1.233%), Profile (6.75%) of dev hours
  • Low Complexity: Browser (1.08%), Device (0.8%), Profile (4.625%) of dev hours
  • Total = Base QA Hours + (Sum of Multipliers × Factor)
  • Factor: High = 0.4035, Medium = 0.3647, Low = 0.3482

2️⃣ QA Estimation Without Development Effort

Use this approach when:

  • You don't have developer estimates
  • You only know features, modules, or scope
  • You are early in the project
  • Requirements aren't fully detailed

This method analyzes feature complexity, expected test cases, regression load, devices, and integrations.

Calculator

Complexity Reference:
  • Simple: 1.575 hours per requirement
  • Medium: 3.1375 hours per requirement
  • Med Complex: 4.06 hours per requirement
  • Complex: 5.939 hours per requirement

Calculations update automatically as you enter data.

How the Calculation Works

The calculator uses complexity-based effort per requirement:

  • Each complexity level has predefined hours per requirement
  • Hours include test case preparation, execution, and buffers
  • Total = (Number of Requirements) × (Hours per Requirement based on Complexity)

Why Use Nexura Ventures' QA Effort Calculator?

  • Designed by QA experts
  • Accurate, flexible, and easy to use
  • Works for any project size
  • Supports Agile & Waterfall
  • Made for PMs, QA leads, and founders
  • Helps avoid underestimation and project delays
  • 100% free

Example Use Cases

Creating project timelines
Planning QA budgets
Preparing SOWs or proposals
Allocating QA resources
Early-stage discovery estimation
Cross-platform testing planning
Product and sprint planning

FAQs

This version is optimized for manual testing. An automation calculator will be available soon.

Most teams use 25%–40%, depending on complexity and regression depth.

No estimation tool is perfect, but our calculator follows industry benchmarks to produce a highly reliable starting point.

Yes — the Nexura Ventures QA Effort Estimator is completely free.

Yes. The calculator includes platform multipliers for all major test types.

Need a more detailed QA estimate?

Contact Nexura Ventures for a free expert consultation, deeper analysis, or project-specific QA planning.

Contact Us for Expert Consultation