Must-Have Equipment for QA Freelancers

Having the right tools for the job is essential to making lots of money as a QA.

This is especially true if you are a freelance QA Engineer. You will be expected to have the necessary equipment in order to get the job offer.

I made a list of the equipment and software that I have and use for my projects.

Note that the links below all go to Amazon and are affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use these links, but it helps to support this blog.

Computer

My preferred setup is a Mac Computer running both Mac OS and Windows.

The MacBook Pro is my computer of choice.

You will want to get a setup that has the best stats for CPU, Storage, and Memory that you can get. You will be installing a lot on here like Windows, SQL Server, and Visual Studio.

Operating System

Since you have a Mac, you don’t automatically have Windows. You will need a copy of Windows 10 to install on your MacBook.

I recommend Windows 10 Pro so that you will get the additional power user features.

To run Windows on your Mac I use Parallels Desktop.

Parallels Desktop allows you to run both Mac OS and Windows at the same time. You can switch between desktops by opening a new window or swiping in full-screen mode.

Tablet & Phone

You will want at least one tablet to test responsive websites. I use the iPad since I am already running an Apple setup. Using the iPad with my Mac makes it easy to backup and move files between my computer and the iPad.

I am going to assume you already have a smartphone, so I am not recommending a specific one here. I use an iPhone, but you can use whatever you have handy.

Headset or Microphone

A good headset or microphone are required since you will most likely be working remotely from your team at some point. You need to be able to hear and be heard as clearly as possible. Plus, you may be asked to create demonstration videos for your team.

For the headset, I use the Hyper X Cloud Stinger. You can use something smaller, but I had this laying around and it is a good quality headset.

The microphone that I use is the Snowball. The sound on this is great and the mic is a very good value.