Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$182,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34%
- Live roles
- 966
QA Engineer
$141,025
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 38.7%
- Live roles
- 2,168
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, Connections
Highest-paying jobs
Senior QA Engineer
Senior QA Engineer, Platform
Autonomy & Perception Integration Engineer - Flight Test (R5441)
Senior/Staff Design for Test Engineer
Electrical Engineer, Actuator Test Infrastructure
Principal Electrical Engineer, Integration & Test
Hardware Engineer, Test
Software Engineer, Manufacturing Test Systems
Manufacturing Software Test Engineer
Manufacturing Electrical Test 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 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 6 |
|
Snowflake
|
$243,750 | 5 |
Reddit
|
$228,950 | 5 |
Sigma Computing
|
$230,000 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 117 |
|
Air Apps
|
$61,135 | 43 |
Relativity Space
|
$163,500 | 32 |
SpaceX
|
$113,750 | 25 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$127,500 | 24 |
Vast
|
$160,444 | 16 |
PlayStation Global
|
$175,600 | 13 |
Astranis
|
$158,750 | 12 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $208,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $205,250 | 72 |
| New York | $201,150 | 64 |
| 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 Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $210,655 | 9 |
| Seattle | $197,000 | 11 |
| New York | $190,000 | 18 |
| San Francisco | $182,500 | 51 |
| Atlanta | $159,000 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $151,000 | 26 |
| Denver | $140,000 | 7 |
| Boston | $130,000 | 11 |
| Toronto | $107,500 | 15 |
| London | $71,321 | 8 |
Frontend Engineer vs QA Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $182,500 per year (typically $139,525–$220,005), versus $141,025 for QA Engineer ($114,500–$171,406). That puts Frontend Engineer about 29% 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.