Manual regression feels simple on the surface. You run your tests again after a code change, check what still works, and you ship.
But beneath the surface, it eats time (since manually executing test steps take too much time). It also eats budget, and it quietly slows your release velocity.
If you’ve ever thought, “we just need a few days to finish regression,” you’ve likely already paid more than you think.
That’s why we created this guide. It shows you how to calculate your regression cost using a manual testing cost calculator. You’ll see where the hours go. You’ll understand what those hours cost. And you’ll walk away with a clear picture of what automation could return.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
If you're planning your QA roadmap, this will help you budget smarter. Let’s get into it.
Every manual regression cycle uses real time and real money. These costs often spread across teams and sprints, which makes them hard to track. But they show up in every cycle.
According to the World Quality Report 2024–25, “about 43 % of companies invest between 11 % and 20 % of effort relative to their development resources in testing, while a quarter dedicate between 21 % and 30 %” (p. 21). This highlights that testing can easily consume one-fifth to one-quarter of a development budget.
Let’s look at what actually drives the cost of regression testing.
You can plug these inputs into a manual testing cost calculator to estimate quarterly spend. But here’s a high-level view to show how each cost driver connects to business outcomes:
| Cost input | Business impact |
|---|---|
| Tester hours | Increases QA budget allocation each sprint |
| Cycles per quarter | Multiplies execution cost and effort |
| Hourly rate | Ties testing directly to financial planning |
| Regression coordination | Adds load to leads and QA managers |
| Slower feedback | Delays release schedules and customer impact |
Once you see how the pieces fit together, it becomes easier to model the cost of regression testing. That clarity helps you make stronger cases for automation and smarter QA decisions.
📚See our deeper guide on how manual regression cost grows and how automation flips the balance.
You don’t need a spreadsheet to start measuring the cost of regression testing. All you need is a simple formula and the numbers you already know.
Here’s the core formula:
Manual regression cost per quarter =
(Number of testers × Hours per cycle × Cycles per quarter × Hourly rate)
Let’s say your team has:
Plug that into the formula:
5 testers × 30 hours × 4 cycles × $50/hour = $30,000 per quarter
Now look at the annual number. Multiply $30,000 by 4. You’re spending $120,000 per year just to rerun test cases manually.
That number comes from inputs you already track. When you use a manual testing cost calculator, you get a faster way to estimate and explain. You can show budget impact without the need for extra tools or meetings.
This kind of testing cost breakdown helps QA managers build a business case. It also helps product teams understand the trade-offs between testing coverage and delivery speed.
💡Try it yourself with Katalon’s interactive Test Automation ROI Calculator
Once you know your quarterly spend, it becomes easier to model the long-term cost of regression. Manual regression increases with team size and test volume. Automation, on the other hand, creates repeatable value every cycle.
A controlled case study confirms that “Automated graphical user interface (GUI) tests can reduce manual testing activities and increase test frequency,” demonstrating how automation scales more effectively than manual regression.
Let’s compare the quarterly and annual cost between manual and automated regression for a growing QA team:
| Quarter | Manual regression cost | Automated regression cost |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | $30,000 | $45,000 (setup) |
| Q2 | $30,000 | $10,000 |
| Q3 | $35,000 | $10,000 |
| Q4 | $40,000 | $10,000 |
| Total (Year) | $135,000 | $75,000 |
This projection shows how the return on automation grows over time. Manual regression grows with complexity. Automated testing stays stable once it’s set up. If you use a manual testing cost calculator, you can customize this projection to fit your team.
Understanding the manual vs automated testing cost is key to budget planning. It helps teams decide when to invest and where automation creates the most value over time.
📚Explore our guide to calculating test automation ROI
Manual regression is not just a QA cost. It is also a product delay. Every extra testing day is a day your new features wait to reach users. Empirical evidence backs this up.
💡A study in Empirical Software Engineering on Mozilla Firefox found that “the rapid release model enables faster delivery of features and fixes without negatively affecting post-release defect density,” after moving to a six-week release cadence.
Take this example. A team spends three days per sprint on manual regression. Over twelve sprints, that adds up to thirty-six days. That is almost a full month where delivery slows down.
Now apply that across multiple teams. Across multiple products. That time becomes even more valuable when you look at what it could unlock with automation.
💡Faster feedback means faster releases. Teams can merge changes sooner. Product managers can deliver value earlier. Developers can iterate with less friction. The impact compounds over time.
Automated testing helps teams improve QA speed without sacrificing coverage. It supports continuous delivery and reduces release bottlenecks. That’s one reason more teams use it to achieve time saved with automation.
Speed is not just a nice-to-have. Industry data confirm how vital release speed has become.
The 17th State of Agile Report notes that 39 % of organizations rank time to delivery among their top priorities and 41 % adopt Agile specifically to accelerate time to market. When it aligns with testing accuracy, it becomes a growth lever. Automation makes that alignment possible.
UK-based insurer Saga faced a familiar bottleneck: every product release required extensive regression testing, but the manual process couldn’t keep up with the pace of Agile development.
To break this cycle, Saga adopted the Katalon Platform for automated regression testing. The shift transformed their QA operations:
These gains directly improved release velocity and cost efficiency. More scenarios could be tested more frequently, and every development release reached production faster—with fewer overtime hours and less manual coordination.
Saga’s experience illustrates the business case your cost calculator highlights: automation converts regression testing from a multi-day, labor-intensive task into a repeatable two-hour process. The return on investment is not theoretical; it is demonstrated every sprint in faster releases, broader coverage, and lower per-cycle cost.
Katalon helps teams start fast.
When paired with a manual testing cost calculator, Katalon helps QA leaders model potential savings. They can plan for the future and measure impact from day one.
If you want results you can see, Katalon gives you the visibility and control to scale your test automation with confidence.
📚 See how to measure and prove your test automation ROI with Katalon
Manual regression comes with a clear cost. Every test cycle adds to your budget. Every hour spent on repetitive testing is an hour your team could use elsewhere. Each extra hour of manual regression represents a significant recurring cost.
Automation transforms that pattern. With the right tools in place, you turn regression into a process that scales with confidence and speed. You get faster feedback, higher coverage, and a consistent release rhythm.
The best way to start is with a manual testing cost calculator. Use it to model the cost of regression testing today. Then explore how much time is saved with automation once the process is in place.
That shift matters. You get earlier releases, faster cycles, and a testing model that supports growth without constant trade-offs.
Use the calculator. Share it with your team. Run the numbers together. You’ll get a clearer view of what you spend and what you could gain by automating now.
🚀 See Katalon in action — book a demo