Paid to test is CESXY's structured testing service. It connects creators who want careful, independent feedback with testers who can give it. Creators commission a test, testers file reports and an editor checks each report before the creator receives it.
It is separate from our free review. This article explains both routes through the service, what a report must include, how privacy works and where the line with editorial review sits.
Free review and paid deep testing
A free review costs nothing. You get a first response within 7 days, reviews run in queue order and there is no promised date. If the project is accepted, the result is a public editorial review.
Paid deep testing costs [PRICING TBD]. There is no online payment on the site. We confirm payment details by email. You get a first response within 7 days, and the testing schedule is confirmed by email. The result is a private report that only the creator sees.
A paid test has no effect on public verdicts. It does not grant, speed up or change any badge. Creators don't preview verdicts, and criticism is never removed for payment.
The creator route
Send a private brief. Tell us the project address, the core action, the tasks you want tested, who your target users are and which devices matter. If testers need an account, create one for testing only. Never share a personal login.
We review the brief. We check that the project is reachable and that the request is clear and appropriate. We may come back with questions.
We agree terms. We confirm the scope, the number of testers, the testing window and the price. We confirm payment details by email.
Places open. Once the brief is approved and payment is confirmed, we open a fixed number of testing places. A published task shows only the work, the timing and how many places are left.
You receive the reports. An editor checks each report before it reaches you.
The tester route
Browse the active assignments and apply with a short note on how you would approach the task. CESXY reviews applications in queue order. Once you are approved, you lock one place. You then use the project as the brief describes and file one structured report. A task counts as complete only after CESXY accepts the report.
For tester payment, we confirm payment details by email.
What makes a report accepted
A report is useful only if the creator can act on it. We look for six things.
It answers the brief. The report covers the tasks and questions the creator asked about.
Problems can be reproduced. Each finding lists the exact steps that cause it.
There is evidence. Screenshots, recordings, timings and device and browser details back up each finding.
Severity is clear. Problems that stop the core action are kept apart from small issues and from personal taste.
It is professional. The report criticises the project, not the person, in line with our Community Guidelines.
It is your own work. The report reflects your own use of the project.
Reports that fall short go back to the tester. Our article How to Write a Testing Report Creators Actually Use gives a full template.
Privacy
Briefs and reports often contain things a creator would not publish, such as unreleased features, known bugs or test logins. Briefs are private. Testers see only what they need for the task they were approved for. Reports go to the commissioning creator. Briefs and reports stay private unless CESXY later chooses to publish editorial evidence, and we would say so plainly. Creator email addresses are never made public. Testers must not share brief contents or findings outside the service. Neither briefs nor reports should contain personal data about real people.
What we decline
We decline briefs where testers cannot reach the product, for example when there is no public or test access, sign-in is broken or the product does not exist yet. We also decline abusive requests. These include fake reviews, inflated sign-ups or ratings, collecting testers' personal data, testing something built to deceive people, or targeting another person or company.
Is it right for you?
For creators, Paid to test fits when you need structured feedback that friends and informal testing cannot give. Typical moments are before a public launch, after a large change or when you need results across several devices.
For testers, it fits if you are methodical, observant and able to describe what you find in clear language.
To see current assignments or send a brief, open Paid to test.