From freelance tester to 7-figure MRR testing platform

Kristel Kruustük started as a freelance tester and slowly-but-steadily built Testlio into a leading QA platform that seamlessly blends human testers with internal tech.

13 years later, it's bringing in seven figures per month.

Here's Kristel on how she did it. 👇

Hunting for bugs

I came to software testing by way of curiosity and taking chances. At 22, I started as a freelance tester in London, literally hanging posters around a coworking space that read "I hunt for bugs.”

Now, thirteen years later, I'm the founder (alongside my husband, Marko Kruustük) of Testlio, a community of verified software testers with a platform that integrates into organizations’ development processes.

We've scaled to become a 7-figure MRR company, with a growing community of testers across 150+ countries serving companies of all sizes, including Fortune 500 clients.

Lately, we’ve been building the first truly holistic, AI-driven tooling that addresses every friction point in the testing lifecycle. Our combination of real testing data, proven methodologies, and a global community of experts makes us uniquely positioned to set new standards for both software quality and talent matching.

Spotting the problem

After connecting with companies and experiencing the limitations of existing platforms firsthand as a freelance tester, I knew we needed to create something fundamentally different.

The traditional model compensated testers based on the number of bugs they found rather than time spent, creating an environment where testers wouldn't collaborate. I saw many testers rush to report "low-hanging fruit" bugs, rather than focusing on impactful testing. This model resulted in broken trust and undermined outcomes. 

We created Testlio to change that. We value community, shared responsibility, and aligning incentives with thorough testing, not just fast bug-finding. Our first customer was actually a competitor’s client who embraced Testlio’s vision of providing quality testers. That’s all that mattered to them.

Crowd-sourced QA

​​We operate on a crowdsourced model where companies pay for access to our vetted testing community. Our testers are compensated on a regional basis depending on the complexity of tasks, and we focus on attracting quality brands that are prepared to pay premium rates for meaningful work.

Rather than competing on price with platforms that offer low rates, we've built our model around quality. Our rigorous vetting process ensures we can command higher rates because clients trust they're getting experienced, localized professionals.

Revenue growth has also come from expanding into new areas like AI testing, where we help companies identify bias, cultural blind spots, and security failures that automated testing misses.

An evolving tech stack

Testlio is a cloud-based, AI-powered Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that leverages Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, including Amazon DynamoDB and Amazon API Gateway, for its scalable functionality. 

Our platform integrates various technologies, including AI for test creation and management, no-code and scripted automation tools, and third-party systems via CI/CD pipelines and integrations to provide manual and automated testing services. 

Customers can run automated tests directly on the platform or through their CI/CD pipelines, leveraging the integrated tools and services. What’s unique is that our system manages the logistics of connecting a global network of testers with devices and the testing platform itself.

Organic growth

In our early years, our growth was largely organic — like I said, I started by hanging posters in a coworking space! But in these past years, it's been a very intentional mix of marketing and sales. Our business is growing because we keep up with the changes and build our clients what they need to solve their problems.

In addition to that, many of our clients actually started as testers themselves or are QA managers who connect with our origin story and understand the value of proper testing. This creates a natural pipeline where testers become customers as they advance in their careers.

We've also focused on working with brands that really care about quality — companies like Netflix that see the value in meaningful testing rather than just checking boxes. This selective approach has helped us maintain high standards while growing sustainably.

The challenge of maintaining quality at scale

There have been lots of challenges along the way.

A primary focus has been scaling Testlio while maintaining our commitment to exceptional quality. Our platform connects thousands of freelance testers with some of the world's biggest brands, and upholding consistent standards across geographies, devices, and languages requires continuous refinement.

It's not a problem you solve once. It's something you build systems and culture around over and over again. Because you want to keep getting better — always.

I often say that every misstep and failure got me here. But if I had to start over, I'd lean even more into my intuition. And I'd speak up sooner, especially when something doesn't feel right to me. 

On a more personal level, one of the harder things has also been figuring out how to build a company and raise a family at the same time. It's a lot to juggle, but I wouldn't change a thing. I’ve just learned to stop trying to do it all perfectly — I focus on what matters most in that moment.

Adaptability is a superpower

I think our adaptability gives us a real advantage in the market.

For example, we started experimenting with AI long before it became mainstream. Now we're leveraging that early innovation and 13 years of testing experience to build AI-powered solutions no traditional testing company can match.

This ability to lead change is what keeps us competitive and helps us serve our clients better.

Focus on creating genuine value

Here's my advice: Build and join networks (including communities like Testlio), and have friends around you.

Entrepreneurship can be tough, so it's important to have support and advice from people who understand the journey.

Also, if you're passionate about something, constantly look for opportunities to learn and improve. Don't be afraid to identify problems in existing solutions and build something better. Focus on creating genuine value and fostering collaboration rather than just competing on price or volume.

What's next?

It's certainly an exciting time for Testlio. We recently launched LeoAI Engine™ and LeoMatch™, breakthrough AI-driven tools for QA and talent matching that prove AI can accelerate releases, cut costs, and enhance quality when humans stay central.

We're also expanding globally with tremendous growth opportunities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.

You can follow me on LinkedIn and learn more about Testlio at testlio.com.

And for skilled testers looking to join a community that values quality over quantity and wants to work with top-tier brands, we'd love to have you apply to become part of our global testing network.