QA testing or security testing?

Last reviewed 2026-09-30Written by Jacob Masse, TrazTech Inc.

QA testing checks the app works correctly for people using it in good faith: flows, edge cases, devices. Security testing checks what people acting in bad faith can make it do: reach others' data, skip payment, abuse limits. They overlap on logic bugs in areas like checkout. An app with real users and real data needs both, and they are cheaper bought together.

Compared

Buying both

See QA testing and security testing. Bundled engagements for small apps usually land at $5,000 to $12,000 CAD.

The same feature, two tests

Take a team invitation feature. QA asks: does the invite email arrive, does the link work on a phone, what happens if the person already has an account, can an expired invite be resent, does the team list update without a refresh? Security asks: can I invite myself into someone else's team by changing the team ID, does the link work twice, can a removed member reuse an old invite, can a normal member promote themselves to admin through the invite request?

Both lists matter, and neither tester would naturally cover the other's. That is why combined engagements are common for small apps: one scoping call, one set of accounts, two kinds of report. If budget forces a choice, prioritise security for apps holding personal information or money, and QA for free tools where a broken flow costs users but exposes nothing.

Getting it checked

TrazTech offers vibe-coding QA and security review, listed from $2,000 CAD. Get at least one other quote on the same scope; the questions to ask a testing firm help compare them.

Related questions

• Can I launch without QA?
• Do I need a pentest before launch?
• Which test do I need

Common questions