Alpha Testing:-It is conducted at the Developer sight by 
end users 


Beta Testing:-It is conducted at the end users site

If the software is Application then Alpha testing will be done.
Alpha Testing:
              If the testers and real customers combinedly
test the software in development site then it is called
Alpha testing.

If the software is product then Beta testing will be done.

Beta Testing:
             If the testers and model customers combinedly
test the software in customer site,then it is called Beta
testing.

Alpha and Beta testing concepts are different from Product 
based company and a Service based company. 

In a Product based company:
Alpha Testing defines as the testing which is done at the 
developer's site by the testers.
Beta testing is the testing done by the tester by 
generating the customer's environment.

In a Service based company:
Alpha testing is the testing conducted by customers at 
Developer's site. 
Beta Testing is the process of giving the product to 
customers and let them do the testing at their environment.

Note: 
Simple fact, if ur company is Product based company, u 
don?t have any customers as such. U developed ur won 
product and sell in open market. Whoever buys ur product is 
ur customers. So u usually tries to generate the possible 
customer?s environment for testing both Alpha and Beta


Correct me if I m wrong!!!

Alpha Testing: Particular part of an application is tested 
by enduser.

Beta Testing: Whole application is tested by enduser

Alpha Testing 

Tested at developer site by customer.
Developer "looks over shoulder" and records errors & usage 
problems.
Tests are conducted in a controlled environment.

Beta Testing 

Conducted at one or more customer sites by end user of 
software.
Live application environment cannot be controlled by 
developer.
Customer records all problems encountered and reports to 
developer at regular intervals.

alpha testing is conducted by real customer, this test is 
done in the development site, in this test involved few 
developers, few testers,and some ofcustomer site people, 
this test is suitble for applications.

beta testing is conducted by model customer, this test is 
done in the customer site, suitble for products.

Alpha testing-- Simulated or actual operational testing by 
potential users/customers or an independent test team at 
the developers'site, but outside the development 
organization.

Beta testing--operational testing by potential and/or 
existing users/customers at an external site not otherwise 
involved with the developers, to determine whether or not a 
component or system satisfies the user/customer needs & 
fits within the business processes. Beta testing is ofen 
employed as a form of external acceptance testing for off-
the-shelf software in order to acquire feedback from the 
market.

Alpha Testing:Testing of a s/w pruduct or system conducted 
at the developer sites by the customer.

Beta Testing:Conducted at the more than one customers by 
the end user of delivered s/w product.

Alpha testing is done by end users in development site,this 
test is suitble for application.                         
beta testing is done by real customers in customer site, 
this is suitble for 
products.                                                
The different between application&product.
application is used by with in the company,but product is 
used globally.

alpha testing means where the test going to be conducted
with out customer intervention

and beta testing is where the test is to be conducted in
customer presence.

In software development, your alpha test, will be a test 
among yourselves (the teams) to confirm that your product 
works. Originally, the term alpha test meant the first 
phase of testing in a software development process. The 
first phase includes unit testing, component testing, and 
system testing.

In software development, a beta test is the second phase of 
software testing in which a sampling of the intended 
audience tries the product out. Beta testing can be 
considered "pre-release testing."

alpha testing : client ask to test the s/w in testing
enviornment in presence of developer and tester 

beta testing : after releasing the product specific client
doing testing example . yahoo messenger 8.1.0 beta version ,
they release that product for the client to know whether it
is satisfied the cuostmer requirement as we developed it .

Alfa testing performs befor imlementaion of S/W at 
developer's Site.
And
Beta Testing performs after imlimentaion and before 
mantinance at client site.

Alpha Testing: Simulated or actual operational testing 
performed by end users within a company but outside 
development group.

Beta Testing: Simulated or actual operational testing 
performed by a sub-set of actual customers outside the 
company.

In short, 

Alpha testing = Developer's site by customer

Beta Testing = Customer's site from customer end.

Can say the part of Acceptance testing

Alpha Testing:
Done at the developer's site by the real customer, where the developer "looks over the shoulder" and notes the errors.

Beta Testing:
Done by one or more end-users of the software at customer's place. And if there are any changes to be made, they will be informed to the developers at regular intervals and will be implemented in the next version of release.

Hi all,
This is Deepu, posted answer. Please correct me if I am wrong.


Thanks in advance..