Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$182,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34%
- Live roles
- 965
QA Automation
$143,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 24.5%
- Live roles
- 489
Highest-paying jobs
Site Reliability Engineer - Frontend
Staff Frontend Engineer ($400k - $500k salary)
Staff / Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Principal Software Engineer, Frontend - Design Systems
Software Engineer, Frontend
Senior Software Engineer, UI
Frontend AI Principal Engineer - Cortex Code
Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Frontend Engineer
Principal Frontend Software Engineer - Discovery UX
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer in Test (SDET)
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Sr Software Development Engineer in Test, ML
Sr. Software Development Engineer in Test, AI/ML
Embedded Software Engineer, Onboard Test Automation
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test
Staff RF Test Automation Engineer, Electronic Warfare
Software Development Engineer in Test, AI Platform
Sr. Test Automation Engineer (SIL/HIL Infrastructure)
Test Automation Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Air Apps
|
$60,559 | 11 |
|
Roblox
|
$268,610 | 8 |
Harvey
|
$241,700 | 8 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$192,500 | 8 |
|
Snowflake
|
$243,750 | 5 |
Reddit
|
$228,950 | 5 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 5 |
Sigma Computing
|
$230,000 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
PlayStation Global
|
$175,600 | 12 |
|
Air Apps
|
$61,135 | 11 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$178,750 | 4 |
Housecall Pro
|
$76,800 | 4 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$141,025 | 3 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$125,500 | 3 |
Forge Global
|
$190,000 | 2 |
Flex
|
$166,500 | 2 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $208,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $205,500 | 73 |
| New York | $201,150 | 65 |
| Boston | $200,000 | 9 |
| Seattle | $189,000 | 10 |
| London | $171,448 | 6 |
| Chicago | $165,000 | 3 |
| Toronto | $153,750 | 13 |
| Los Angeles | $134,531 | 6 |
| Berlin | $102,373 | 4 |
QA Automation salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $180,000 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $162,500 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 4 |
| Atlanta | $157,500 | 3 |
| Toronto | $107,500 | 3 |
Frontend Engineer vs QA Automation: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $182,500 per year (typically $139,525–$220,000), versus $143,000 for QA Automation ($110,000–$175,000). That puts Frontend Engineer about 28% 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.