Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$181,642
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.3%
- Live roles
- 1,051
QA Automation
$139,313
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 23.5%
- Live roles
- 507
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Staff Frontend Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Principal Front End Developer
Senior Frontend Engineer
Senior Frontend Engineer
Staff Frontend Engineer ($300k - $500k salary)
Staff / Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Principal Software Engineer, Frontend - Design Systems
Web Developer
Senior Software Engineer, UI
Frontend Engineer, Financial Web Platform
Highest-paying jobs
Automation Tester
Senior Associate - Test Automation & Tools Development Engineer
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET)
Embedded Software Test Engineer, Onboard Test Automation
Principal Software Engineer in Test (SDET)
Sr. Software Development Engineer in Test, AI/ML
Sr Software Development Engineer in Test, ML
Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, ML/AI
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Mindrift
|
$124,800 | 12 |
Roblox
|
$269,270 | 11 |
Air Apps
|
$61,110 | 10 |
Verkada
|
$220,000 | 7 |
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 6 |
|
PlayStation Global
|
$187,600 | 6 |
Harvey
|
$241,700 | 5 |
Sigma Computing
|
$230,000 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
PlayStation Global
|
$209,700 | 14 |
|
Air Apps
|
$61,692 | 11 |
Dialpad
|
$104,717 | 5 |
Brain Corp
|
$113,292 | 4 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$164,500 | 3 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$132,200 | 3 |
Onebrief
|
$163,750 | 2 |
Standard Bots
|
$135,000 | 2 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $201,150 | 70 |
| San Francisco | $200,000 | 63 |
| Boston | $191,250 | 6 |
| Seattle | $184,250 | 14 |
| Los Angeles | $159,766 | 6 |
| Toronto | $134,418 | 15 |
| Singapore | $124,800 | 5 |
| Berlin | $101,594 | 4 |
| Dublin | $99,370 | 3 |
| London | $78,965 | 5 |
QA Automation salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 4 |
| Seattle | $162,500 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $150,000 | 7 |
| New York | $134,500 | 5 |
| Toronto | $106,250 | 6 |
| Dublin | $99,648 | 3 |
Frontend Engineer vs QA Automation: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $181,642 per year (typically $134,531–$220,000), versus $139,313 for QA Automation ($104,929–$175,600). That puts Frontend Engineer about 30% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Frontend Engineer and QA Automation 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.