Side-by-side distribution
Full-Stack
$175,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.4%
- Live roles
- 2,796
QA Automation
$142,125
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 25.1%
- Live roles
- 487
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Staff Full Stack Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer, Applied AI
Senior AI Fullstack Engineer
Fullstack Software Engineer, Agent Platform
Founding Engineer - Full Stack
Staff Full Stack Engineer ($400k - $500k salary)
Full Stack Engineer, Fleet Scheduling
Full-Stack Engineer, ChatGPT Education & Learning
Staff+ Software Engineer, Full-stack
Full Stack Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Products
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
Test Automation Engineer
Sr. Test Automation Engineer (SIL/HIL Infrastructure)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
OpenAI
|
$330,000 | 20 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$131,425 | 18 |
SpaceX
|
$142,500 | 12 |
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 11 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 9 |
Affirm
|
$194,766 | 9 |
| GR GRVTY | $200,000 | 8 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$192,500 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
PlayStation Global
|
$175,600 | 11 |
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 |
Dialpad
|
$117,006 | 3 |
Forge Global
|
$190,000 | 2 |
Full-Stack salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $215,000 | 159 |
| Seattle | $210,000 | 32 |
| New York | $200,000 | 163 |
| Boston | $195,000 | 16 |
| Denver | $188,000 | 9 |
| Chicago | $185,000 | 14 |
| Los Angeles | $175,000 | 21 |
| London | $154,508 | 12 |
| Austin | $147,500 | 10 |
| Toronto | $137,065 | 41 |
QA Automation salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $180,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 4 |
| Atlanta | $157,500 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $156,250 | 8 |
| Toronto | $107,500 | 3 |
Full-Stack vs QA Automation: which pays more?
The median for Full-Stack is $175,000 per year (typically $140,000–$207,500), versus $142,125 for QA Automation ($113,750–$175,150). That puts Full-Stack about 23% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Full-Stack 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.