Exact Difference between System Testing and Acceptance Testing

Distinction between System Testing and Acceptance Testing

System Testing	Acceptance Testing
1. System Testing does not include any thing means it is not known by any other name.	1. Acceptance Testing Include Alpha Testing means it is also sometimes known as alpha testing.
2. User is not involved in System Testing.	2. User is completely involved in Acceptance Testing.
3. It is performed before Acceptance Testing.	3. It is performed after System Testing.
4. It is not the final stage of Validation.	4. It is the final stage of Validation.
5. System testing of software or hardware is testing conducted on a whole, integrated system to estimate the systems compliance with its specified set of requirements?	5. Acceptance Testing of software or hardware is testing conducted to evaluate the system compliance with its specified set of user requirements.
6. The only things Tester should be testing at the System Test stage are things that he and she couldn’t test before.	6. The only things Developer and User should be testing at the Acceptance Test stage are things that developer and tester couldn’t test before.
7. It is done to check how the system as a whole is functioning. Here the functionality and performance of the system is validated.	7. It is done by the developer before releasing the product to check whether it meets the requirements of user or not and it is also done by the user to check whether I have to accept the product or not.
8. It is used to check whether the system meets the defined Specifications or not.	8. It is used to check whether it meets the defined User Requirements or not.
9. System Testing refers to the testing of complete system as a whole that is carried out by testers and sometimes by developers to check whether it meets the system specifications or not.	9. Acceptance Testing is carried out by the users to determine whether they accept the delivery of the system or not. It is normally performed by users and sometimes developers are also involved in it.
10. System Testing determine the developer and tester for satisfaction with system specifications.	10. Acceptance Testing determine the customer for satisfaction with software product.
11. System Testing involves both Functional and Non- Functional Testing.	11. Acceptance Testing only involves the Functional Testing based on the requirement given by client/user.

Note

System Testing: The process of testing an integrated system to verify that it meets specified requirements is known as system testing. [Hetzel]

Acceptance Testing: After the system testing is over, the software/application is tested by the client/user to check whether it meets the requirements given by him or not. This is known as acceptance testing.

Acceptance testing can be performed either at the developer’s site (premises) or client site.