Side-by-side distribution
QA Automation
$136,238
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 21.6%
- Live roles
- 988
Software Engineer
$174,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.3%
- Live roles
- 35,636
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer in Test (SDET)
Lead Software Development Engineer in Test - AI Tooling & Automation
Sr Software Development Engineer in Test, ML
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Sr. Software Development Engineer in Test, AI/ML
Sr. Engineering Manager, SDET
Embedded Software Engineer, Onboard Test Automation
Principal, Software Engineering: Software Development Test (SDET)
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test
Test Automation Software Engineer – Level 5
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning (Audio)
Software Engineer, ML Networking
Lead Software Engineer
Staff Software Engineer, Kubernetes Platform
Staff Software Engineer, Node Infra
Staff+ Software Engineer, Developer Productivity
Staff Software Engineer, Code RL
Software Engineer, Research Infrastructure
Staff Software Engineer, Claude Code
Staff Software Engineer, Environments Infrastructure
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
PlayStation Global
|
$175,600 | 11 |
Air Apps
|
$61,135 | 11 |
| SA Salesforce | $212,450 | 4 |
Cisco
|
$206,450 | 4 |
Anduril Industries
|
$178,750 | 4 |
Swift
|
$152,955 | 4 |
|
OCC
|
$140,575 | 4 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$128,850 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$136,000 | 336 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$221,000 | 296 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$142,400 | 186 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 160 |
OpenAI
|
$355,500 | 141 |
CACI
|
$139,950 | 137 |
SpaceX
|
$142,500 | 124 |
Blue Origin
|
$197,582 | 109 |
QA Automation salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $185,000 | 8 |
| San Francisco | $178,538 | 12 |
| Los Angeles | $167,500 | 5 |
| Seattle | $162,227 | 4 |
| Atlanta | $149,063 | 4 |
| Chicago | $117,600 | 9 |
| Toronto | $113,154 | 4 |
Software Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $431,406 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $225,800 | 1,589 |
| New York | $211,500 | 1,423 |
| Seattle | $202,500 | 605 |
| Los Angeles | $185,000 | 230 |
| Boston | $185,000 | 262 |
| London | $180,000 | 137 |
| Austin | $176,550 | 199 |
| Atlanta | $167,500 | 159 |
| Chicago | $161,000 | 209 |
QA Automation vs Software Engineer: which pays more?
The median for QA Automation is $136,238 per year (typically $107,058–$168,875), versus $174,500 for Software Engineer ($135,000–$215,000). That puts Software Engineer about 28% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so QA Automation and Software 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.