Side-by-side distribution
Application Security
$179,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.4%
- Live roles
- 500
Penetration Tester
$160,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 40.5%
- Live roles
- 158
Highest-paying jobs
Staff+ Application Security Engineer
Staff+ Application Security Engineer - M&A
Security Engineer, Application Security
Security Engineer, Application Security
Security Engineer, Application Security
Principal Software Engineer II - Product Security
Senior Software Engineer, Application Security
Principal Security Software Engineer, Application Security
Security Engineer, Product
Security Engineer, Application Security
Highest-paying jobs
Member of Technical Staff (Offensive Security Engineer)
Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Security Engineer, Level 5, Offensive Security
Senior Offensive Security Engineer
Senior Offensive Security Engineer
Staff Security Engineer (Penetration Tester)
Sr. Staff Security Engineer – AI, VMR, Offensive Security
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Offensive Security Engineer
Staff Offensive Security Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
SpaceX
|
$175,000 | 8 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$142,450 | 7 |
Anduril Industries
|
$204,500 | 6 |
DigitalOcean
|
$170,450 | 6 |
Samsara
|
$230,100 | 5 |
| ME Medtronic | $165,000 | 5 |
| BO Boeing | $151,000 | 5 |
Compass
|
$222,050 | 4 |
GDIT
Leidos
CACI
Application Security salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $235,000 | 42 |
| New York | $232,500 | 36 |
| Chicago | $199,600 | 11 |
| Seattle | $198,750 | 18 |
| Los Angeles | $197,500 | 7 |
| Boston | $196,043 | 12 |
| Atlanta | $184,775 | 8 |
| Austin | $179,000 | 11 |
| Toronto | $161,250 | 9 |
| Denver | $158,400 | 7 |
Penetration Tester salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $257,500 | 4 |
| New York | $225,000 | 7 |
| Denver | $198,088 | 8 |
| Seattle | $194,044 | 6 |
Application Security vs Penetration Tester: which pays more?
The median for Application Security is $179,000 per year (typically $143,013–$225,000), versus $160,000 for Penetration Tester ($139,950–$202,522). That puts Application Security about 12% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Application Security and Penetration Tester 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.