16 Developer Salary Tools: Where to Find a Benchmark Salary When Hiring Software Engineers in 2024

Benchmarking salaries is one of the most complex tasks for HR Managers. With a dynamic industry like Software Engineering, it’s even more difficult. You should make sure that your salary benchmarks are compatible with current salary ranges, that they are in line with the company finance policy, and, lastly, that salary benchmarks should boost employee morale. Aligning these three aspects is a mammoth task, and without reliable resources, it might be impossible. You will need all the help you can get. 

International Salary Information Websites

The good thing, though, is that developers have created the tools to help you decide on their salaries. We will be reviewing the top 16 to see which one fits you and your company perfectly.

Glassdoor

Website: glassdoor.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The sites are free, but there is a registration requirement before the site is used.

Scale: The representative statistics on the site are on a city scale, but smaller cities are not represented; rather you have to use the country scale. 

General info

Glassdoor was founded in 2007 and is one of the oldest service providers on this list. The company was acquired for 1.2 billion dollars by Recruit Holdings after a stern performance on the stock market. The site has been ranked by data expert Tom Larkin as trustworthy, based on the users’ sentiments. The site uses anonymous information from users who register for their services, and the number of users can reach up to 60 million per month. It gives the company quite a deep pool of information. The software engineer salary data is then averaged and weighted before being posted on the site to ensure that the information is as accurate as possible. The best part is you can search salaries for specific companies on Glassdoor. 

• Ranked trustworthy by a Tom Larkin report.
• 60 million monthly users.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: Glassdoor

PayScale

Website: payscale.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The site is free and can be accessed without registration. 

Scale: Salaries are available on a city scale. You can search for salaries on a country or state scale too on the site. 

General info

First launched in 2002, the site has become a flag bearer in the Compensation Management industry. The site has over 10 000 customers and 600 employees to make sure that the salary data they publish is as accurate as possible. PayScale uses location filters, and you can search for software engineering salaries based on your location. The site lists not just the basic software engineer salary ranges but also includes potential bonuses in their estimates. Besides, it has a scale that shows the difference in salaries for all experience levels. There are junior, median, and senior salaries. As a benchmarking tool, PayScale ticks all the boxes, and, based on reviews, the information has been touted to be accurate. 

• Over 600 employees curate the data.
• Takes into consideration experience.
• Includes bonuses.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: Payscale

Hired (US, UK, Canada, France)

Website: hired.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The site is free, and salary calculations can be made without registering for the service.

Scale: You can calculate salaries on a city scale for cities in the United States. But for other countries, salaries are calculated on a country scale. 

General info

The Hired calculator is one of the simplest compensation information tools. The calculator is available in four countries and uses data collected from each of the countries. The data, unlike other sites, is not scrapped from internet job ads. Hired uses data collected from interview requests to create a comprehensive database that can be used to calculate salaries. The salaries are calculated based on location, which is on a city scale, except for France. Hired salary calculator does not allow salary calculation based on technology used by IT experts, which is quite common for compensation information tools that allow calculation of software engineering reimbursement. The site uses a simple user interface that allows easy navigation, and the data breakdown is quite simple to understand.

• Easy navigation.
• Uses data from interview requests.
• Does not require registration or subscription.

Tech specialist yearly salary, the SF, Bay Area, the USA 2024. Source: Hired

WellFound

Website: wellfound.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The site is free, and there is no registration prerequisite for using the site. 

Scale: Salary ranges are based on a city-scale for larger cities.

General info 

AngelList is owned by Venture Hacks Inc. It is one of the leading companies in tech and data collection. Founded in 2010, AngelList has risen to be one of the top sources of salary data in the software development industry. The site’s salary calculator uses information sourced from a diverse pool of employers. The database used to calculate the salaries also includes information collected from third-party sources. The main source used by the AngelList salary calculator is job listings on the AngelList site. AngelList makes it clear that the figures they provide are estimates, and salaries can be divergent from their given information as the final decision lies with the employer. Location and programming language are some of the factors that are put into consideration when AngelList estimates salaries. 

• Information is sourced from employers.
• Multiple locations are available. 
• Allows salary comparisons.

Developer yearly salary, San Francisco, the USA 2024. Source: AngelList

Browse Dev Profiles Available for Hire

SalaryExpert

Website: salaryexpert.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The tool is completely free and can be used without prior registration.

Scale: The tool allows salary calculation on a city scale. But for the locations in the USA, the calculations can be done on a zip code scale.

General info

Salary Expert has one of the largest databases of customer information relating to compensation. The site uses location-based entries from site users and calculates salaries for different jobs. The tool’s calculations are based on the position and location. The data on the site is updated daily, and it allows the site to provide up-to-date information in terms of salaries across 201 countries. Salary Expert also provides a five-year salary potential, showing the projected salary trajectory of the position in question. Salaries are calculated excluding information like skill-based data. The tool also shows bonuses as part of remuneration information. The estimates are quite comprehensive, and they also include charts on the education level as part of the information used in the salary calculations.

• Extensive database.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: SalaryExpert

Paylab

Website: paylab.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The site has a free 7-day trial, but info about developer salary remains closed. There is also a registration prerequisite.

Scale: Paylab calculates salaries on a country scale.

General info

Paylab is a salary comparison website that collects information from employees in different positions to enable accurate salary comparisons. The company, based in Slovakia, was founded in 2015 and is also known as the International Salary Survey. The company uses a cocktail of employee and employer information to make salary comparisons. Information includes employee experience, skills, and location. Paylab also puts into consideration financial and non-financial employee benefits. The data used to obtain this information is collected from questionnaires filled by Paylab users. The questionnaires are thoroughly vetted before use to ensure that they were filled by real people rather than programmed bots. 

• Over 400 thousand salary profiles.
• Over a thousand clients.

Salary.com 

Website: salary.com

Country: International.

Registration requirements and fee: Salary.com can be used for free without registration.

Scale: Salary.com uses a city-scale for salary calculations.

General info

Salary.com is a leading compensation data company that has endorsements from HR departments of big companies like Shazam. The site also boasts of recognition from big institutions like the Ventana Research and Constellation Shortlist. The site has a data library with all the data sources used for compensation analysis. The data collected in the site’s centralized library is outsourced from both employers and employees to give the perfect picture of how the compensation matrix is structured. Moreover, the data is updated regularly. The site calculates salaries using location and has a specialist breakdown model that includes lower-level, median-level, and top-level employee salaries. Salary.com does not provide a skill-based salary analysis, but what it lacks in this regard, it makes up for with some innovative features like the salary structure wizard.

• Centralized compensation data library.
• Pay equity analytics.
• The salary structure wizard feature.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: Salary.com

Levels.fyi

Website: levels.fyi

Country: International.

Registration requirements or fee: The site can be used for free without registration. The real-time data stream package costs $900 per month.

Scale: Compensation estimates are made on a city scale for the US. For other countries, estimates are made on a country scale.

General info

Level.fyi was launched in 2017 and provides a tool for employees and employers to access salary information. The site collects data from job listings on the internet to create salary benchmarks. The parameters used to estimate the salaries are location and job title. The estimates include both the base salary as well as benefits (monetary). The salaries are estimated based on percentiles. Besides the salary calculator, the site also has several features, including the confirmed salaries section. It shows salaries that are being paid by competitors in the industry. These are actual salaries rather than estimations.

• Verified salaries.
• Percentile-based calculations.
• Inclusion of bonuses.

Tech specialist’s yearly salary, Bay Area, the USA 2024. Source: Levels.fyi

US, UK, and Western European Salary Information Websites

Bureau of Labor Statistics (US)

Website: bls.gov

Country: USA.

Registration requirements or fee: There is no registration required, and the sites can be accessed for a fee.

Scale: a general country overview.

General info 

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is a government body that researches extensively on issues that include employee compensation. The information from this site is curated by data collection experts and is updated regularly. The site offers information on prevailing rates on the software engineering job market. The site has a yearly survey on the compensation of software engineers. The information that comes with the annual salaries includes the level of education of the employees as well as experience.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Indeed (US)

Website: indeed.com

Countries: Available in the USA.

Registration requirements or fee: The site can be used for free without registration. There is an optional registration process, though, that ensures a tailored experience.

Scale: The estimations are on a country scale rather than a city scale.

General Info

Indeed, it is one of the biggest sites in the world that focus on recruitment. The site has an average of over a million organic visitors monthly. The information available on Indeed is collected from employees and prospective employers. On Indeed, job positions are listed, and some employers include salaries. Salaries for similar positions are weighted, and then averages are calculated. The salary estimates on Indeed are not endorsed by the companies. If salaries are provided, the site does display them as verified.

• Millions of users.
• Inclusion of bonuses.
• Company compensation ranks.

Developer yearly salary, the USA 2024. Source: Indeed

Monster (US)

Website: monster.com

Country: US.

Registration requirements or fee: The site offers free access to location-based compensation information. There is an employer edition that requires a monthly subscription. The site can be accessed without prior registration. 

Scale: Monster salary estimates are calculated on a city scale.

General info 

Founded in 1999, Monster can easily be the oldest company on this list. The company has an amazing reputation. That might be the reason why the company rakes in millions in revenue yearly. The information on Monster is sourced from the millions of job listings that are submitted to the site. The average salaries for a certain position are then weighted, and an average salary estimation is made, taking into account information like location, level of expertise, years of experience, and particular skill sets. 

P.S. If you’re located out of the US, you should use a VPN.

• City scale data presentation.
• Extensive data sources.
• Provides salary.

Developer yearly salary, Los Angeles, the USA 2024. Source: Monster

Robert Half (US)

Website: roberthalf.com

Country: USA.

Registration requirements or fee: No subscription fee or registration is required for site access.

Scale: Salary estimates are available on a city scale, including smaller cities.

General Info

The site Robert Half is a part of the multi-billion-dollar Robert Half international company that was founded in 1948. The company provides a platform for employers to meet employees, mainly in the finance and tech industry. The site has one of the cleanest user interfaces on this list that provides seamless navigation. The information on the site does not take into account bonuses as well as incentives. It includes the base salary. The estimates are averages calculated from salaries on software engineering job listings. Specialized skills are also taken into account for the calculations. 

• Estimates are easy to interpret.
• Shows low percentile-high percentile range.
• The median salary is estimated.

Tech specialists yearly salary, Los Angeles, the USA 2024. Source: Robert Half

Totaljobs (UK)

Website: totaljobs.com

Country: UK.

Registration requirements or fee: Using the site is free, and there is also no restrictive pre-registration requirement for you to use the site.

Scale: It’s possible to make as search as detailed as a postal code.

General Info

Founded in 1999 by Rob Perkins, StepStone owned, Totaljobs is one of the biggest online job markets in the UK. The site has millions of employers and employees that use it to connect. These millions of users are the source of the information the site uses in its estimates for salaries. The site uses location to calculate the average of the salaries on offer for the searched position. The information is entirely based on the submissions made on the site by its users.

• Postal code scale.
• The median salary is calculated.
• The sample size is alluded.

Developer yearly salary, London, the UK 2024. Source: Totaljobs

Tech Salary Calculator (Spain)

Website: techsalarycalculator.com

Country: Spain.
Registration requirements or fee: Salary calculations are free and can be accessed without prior registration.

Scale: Salary estimates are available on a city scale.

General info

Tech salary calculator is powered by the popular platform Jobfluent. The site, although still in its infancy, has a comprehensive database from its parent company JobFluent. The site offers skill-based estimation salaries for job opportunities in Spain. The site estimates salaries based on the technology they use to code. The estimates are not that accurate as they do not take into consideration factors like experience. The estimations come in the form of a range, though, and it tends to improve the quality of results. 

• Skill-based calculations.
• Comprehensive list of skills.
• Easy to navigate.

Developer yearly salary, Barcelona, Spain 2024. Source: JobFluent

Offshore Countries Salary Information Websites

Djinni (Ukraine)

Website: djinni.co

Country: Ukraine.

Registration requirements or fee: The site is completely free, there is no registration option.

Scale: The site offers job estimation on a city scale.

General info

Djinni is based in Ukraine. The site offers a world-class estimation service with well-laid-out graphics. The site uses information gathered from individuals that search for jobs and from employers that seek human resources on the site. The calculations are based on individual skill sets, and also the level of experience is considered. 

• Provision for multiple skill-based calculations.
• Consideration of the English language barrier.
• The site uses multiple languages.

Developer yearly salary, Ukraine 2024. Source: Djinni

DOU (Ukraine)

Website: dou.ua

Country: Ukraine.

Registration requirements or fee: There is no required registration to be able to use the site. There is also no fee required to use the site. 

Scale: The data available on the site is available on a city scale.

General info

DOU is a Ukrainian salary calculator tailored for programmers. The tool can estimate salary earnings of developers, using information gathered from several reports, which include Data science and other IT services reports, salaries and testers report, and salaries for PM. The salary estimates are made in quartiles, that is three quartiles with the middle one being the median. The salaries take into account skillset as well as location. 

• Multiple reports and sources are used.
• User-friendly.
• Can be translated using Google translator.

Developer yearly salary, Ukraine 2024. Source: DOU

Software Development in Outsourcing Companies

Millions of tech startups are active and are running. YouTeam has managed to bring most of them together in one place to help companies that require their services to find them easily. The YouTeam model has managed to put over 500 of these outsourcing companies on one platform. The fact that YouTeam has hundreds of companies in our outsourcing model means we are in touch with everything happening in the outsourcing industry. With so many software developers being represented in our marketplace, our average software development rates data is the most reliable on the market. If there was ever an accurate source of outsourcing information, then it has to be YouTeam.

Developer hourly rate, 2024. Source: YouTeam

If you need to get an update about the most recent development rates for the specific tech stack of your project, book a free call with our representative. We will help you to find out how much would it cost to extend your team with dedicated developers from offshore countries.

Software Developer Salary Worldwide: Conclusions

One thing that we have to point out is that there is a flood of information when it comes to employee total compensation. One thing you will notice as you use these sites is that prices in the same city might be different from one job board to the next one. The reason for this is that the sources of information for various job boards tend to differ. Salary estimates or calculations are based on this information. It means that if the information collected by one job board from one city is different from the next one, the salary estimates are bound to be different.

Programmers in the USA and Western Europe have higher salary estimates compared to those in Eastern Europe. The USA has higher estimates than Western Europe, though. The cost of living might be one of the reasons why rates are higher in the USA. Smaller economic scales contribute to some of the low salaries in Eastern Europe. 

It is important to note that most of these tools will give you estimates, and these may vary from the actual figures that companies are paying. If you are in the HR niche, though, we can guarantee that these 16 tools will make your life a whole lot easier.