Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$181,642
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.3%
- Live roles
- 1,051
QA Engineer
$136,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35.8%
- Live roles
- 2,129
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
Senior QA Engineer
Senior Associate - Test Automation & Tools Development Engineer
Senior Quality Assurance Engineer
Senior/Staff Design for Test Engineer
Principal Electrical Engineer, Integration & Test
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET)
Embedded Software Test Engineer, Onboard Test Automation
Principal Software Engineer in Test (SDET)
Manufacturing Software Test Engineer
Software Engineer, Manufacturing Test Systems
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$164,500 | 98 |
|
Air Apps
|
$61,692 | 43 |
Relativity Space
|
$153,375 | 30 |
SpaceX
|
$108,750 | 18 |
|
PlayStation Global
|
$209,700 | 15 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$117,500 | 15 |
Vast
|
$166,656 | 11 |
Archer
|
$162,000 | 11 |
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 Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Bangalore | $194,838 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $161,000 | 39 |
| Austin | $155,000 | 7 |
| Seattle | $153,750 | 6 |
| Atlanta | $152,750 | 10 |
| Los Angeles | $152,500 | 25 |
| Boston | $136,400 | 12 |
| New York | $134,750 | 12 |
| Denver | $115,000 | 4 |
| Toronto | $106,250 | 20 |
Frontend Engineer vs QA Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $181,642 per year (typically $134,531–$220,000), versus $136,000 for QA Engineer ($107,500–$170,000). That puts Frontend Engineer about 34% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Frontend Engineer and QA Engineer 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.