Side-by-side distribution
Application Security
$190,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 55.2%
- Live roles
- 317
Cybersecurity
$134,925
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.5%
- Live roles
- 373
Highest-paying jobs
Staff+ Application Security Engineer
Staff+ Application Security Engineer - M&A
Staff Engineer - Product Security
Senior Staff Engineer - Product Security
Product & Application Security Engineer
Senior Security Engineer, Product AppSec
Principal Software Engineer II - Product Security
Security Engineer, Application Security
Staff Engineer - Product Security
Principal Security Software Engineer, Application Security
Highest-paying jobs
Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Products
Research Engineer, Cybersecurity RL (Reinforcement Learning)
Full Stack Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Products
Sr. CSfC Cybersecurity Engineer II (6376)
Sr. Cybersecurity Engineer II (6376)
Senior Cyber-Security Operations Analyst, Product AppSec
Senior Security GRC Analyst
Security Operations Analyst
Senior Software Engineer, Cybersecurity
Cyber Security Analyst II
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$204,500 | 8 |
Mozilla
|
$85,751 | 5 |
|
Faire
|
$422,240 | 4 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$315,000 | 4 |
Harvey
|
$275,000 | 3 |
Brex
|
$216,000 | 3 |
Airwallex
|
$205,000 | 3 |
SpaceX
|
$202,500 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Accenture Federal Services
|
$134,850 | 11 |
CHAOS Industries
|
$150,000 | 7 |
Saalex
|
$125,000 | 7 |
|
MetroStar
|
$216,500 | 4 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$114,500 | 3 |
AGE Solutions
|
$90,000 | 3 |
|
Anthropic
|
$357,500 | 2 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$213,500 | 2 |
Application Security salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $237,500 | 26 |
| San Francisco | $232,500 | 47 |
| Chicago | $213,750 | 7 |
| Seattle | $200,000 | 11 |
| Boston | $195,000 | 4 |
| Austin | $187,500 | 5 |
| Toronto | $185,000 | 11 |
| Denver | $177,500 | 5 |
| Berlin | $155,802 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 7 |
Cybersecurity salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $158,400 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $150,000 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 9 |
| New York | $146,250 | 12 |
| Boston | $141,750 | 4 |
Application Security vs Cybersecurity: which pays more?
The median for Application Security is $190,000 per year (typically $159,735–$235,000), versus $134,925 for Cybersecurity ($112,500–$166,550). That puts Application Security about 41% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Application Security and Cybersecurity are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.