Front End vs Back End Developer Salary: Comparing Across IT Companies

Maryna Panchuk Head of IT Recruitment

Front end and back end developers have different skill sets, expertise, and responsibilities, yet both are essential for successful website development and optimization. But how much do front end vs back end programmers make per annum in different countries?

We at Alcor, a professional Eastern European IT recruiting company with an extensive database of Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovak developers, are ready to answer this question in this article. Below you will find a detailed comparison of front end vs back end salary by countries, but first…

What is Back End Development?

Back-end development deals with the internal structure of a website, i.e. a database, the server itself, and the APIs to interact with it. Back-end devs ensure everything runs smoothly, and that’s why server-side languages, architecture frameworks, data structures, and algorithms are indispensable.

What is Front End development?

Front-end development is about the part of a website visible to the users, i.e. interface, fonts, colors, styles, menus and links. To make them work properly, developers use such programming languages as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and TypeScript, leverage UX design knowledge and cooperate closely with designers and back end programmers.

Here is a more detailed overview of front end vs back end developers’ responsibilities and competences:

frontend vs backend

Back End vs Front End Developer: Key Differences

So, what is the difference between a front end developer and a back end developer? One of the facts about software development specialists is that back-end developers deal with what’s on the inside of the website, and front-end developers handle what’s on the outside, which results in four different aspects.

Technical Expertise

Back-end developers use programming languages (Python, Java, PHP), whereas front-end developers apply markup and web languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). However, it’s also possible for a programmer to have a solid foundation in both — then we’re talking about full-stack development. As shows our experience with Dotmatics, a scientific software company based in the US, top-notch programmers can combine multiple skills. One of our 20 successful hires for them was a Back End Engineer who surprised the client with their front-end knowledge and eventually joined the team as a Full Stack Developer.

Having distinct objectives

Back-end development relies on logic to achieve proper functionality, whereas front-end development aims at making the website attractive and easily navigated by the user.

Addressing different challenges

Back-end devs handle data backup and website security, while front-end programmers resolve user accessibility and search engine optimization issues.

If your product requires rare tech skills, then hiring both a front and back-end developer is a great solution, as they play key software development team roles. This was the case with another client of ours, an American online fraud detection company Sift. They turned to Alcor in order to expand to Eastern Europe and were looking for a talented Full Stack Developer. We conducted a powerful employer branding for Sift, engaged 10 IT researchers and looked through our database of Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian developers. It turned out that the most reasonable solution for the client was to hire a Front and Back End Engineer instead. After that, Alcor quickly filled the positions, provided legal & compliance assistance and eventually helped the client to open a remote branch in Eastern Europe.

Being Seen vs Going Unnoticed

While the work of front-end developers is always visible to the users, the back-end development of a website stays hidden. Despite that, both parts are essential to enhance the user experience.

Back End and Front End Developer: Market Trends

According to the 2022 Developer Nation Pulse report, there are 31,1 million software developers in the world, with 43,38% of them being back-end developers and 25,96% – front-end coders. Thus, we can roughly estimate that there are 13,5 million back-end programmers and 8 million front-end engineers around the world.

Being in the top 3 most popular developer types, back and front end coders are in high demand. In the USA alone, there are over 10,000 front end and 24,000 back end developer vacancies on LinkedIn, around 8,500 front end and 10,600 back end job openings on Glassdoor, as well as 16,000 front end and 21,000+ back end jobs on Indeed as of April 2023. Moreover, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the overall employment of web programmers will increase by 23% from 2021 to 2031 with 21,800 vacancies per year.

facts

Average Back End and Front End Developer Salary: Key Takeaways

Below contains a comprehensive table of average front end vs back end developer salary all over the world (as of April 2023), which my team and I compiled using open and trustworthy local resources.

Gross annual income, USD North America South America
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer $57,000  $78,000 $106,000 $18,000 $25,000 $32,500
Back End Developer $68,000 $90,000 $119,000 $19,000 $26,000 $33,000
Gross annual income, USD Western & Nordic Europe Eastern Europe
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer $40,000 $57,000 $70,500 $23,000 $34,500 $46,500
Back End Developer $44,000 $61,500 $76,500 $24,500 $34,000 $48,000
Gross annual income, USD Eastern & Southern Asia Middle East Africa
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer $31,000 $44,500 $62,000 $33,000 $61,500 $73,500 $13,500 $22,000 $29,000
Back End Developer $37,000 $51,500 $63,500 $53,000 $67,000 $90,000 $17,000 $26,000 $32,500

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in North America

USA

The US boasts the highest front end vs back end developer salary, which ranges between $97K-$158K and $109K-172K respectively. 

Gross annual income, USD San Francisco Los Angeles New York City 
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer $105,000 $130,000 $166,000 $97,500 $120,000 $155,000 $92,500 $114,750 $150,000
Back End Developer  $117,000 $140,000 $165,750 $111,500 $135,000 $162,000 $100,000 $120,000 $160,000
Gross annual income, USD Seattle  Boston Washington, DC  
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $100,500  $125,500 $165,500 $97,500 $120,000 $155,750 $92,500 $117,000 $154,750
Back End Developer $105,000 $130,000 $197,500 $117,000 $140,000 $175,500 $105,000 $120,000 $174,500

Canada

Gross annual income, USD Toronto Montréal Vancouver
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $55,750  $71,500 $90,500 $53,500 $62,000 $78,500 $53,500 $64,000 $81,000
Back End Developer $53,500 $78,000 $110,000 $57,000 $67,750 $85,750 $50,000 $73,000 $92,500

Mexico

North America

Gross annual income, USD USA Canada Mexico  
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $97,500 $121,000 $158,000 $54,500 $65,750 $83,500 $16,500 $35,000 $54,000
Back End Developer $109,250 $131,000 $172,500 $53,500 $73,000 $96,000 $21,000 $40,500 $60,000

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in South America

Brazil

In Brazil, the salary of front end and back end developer is $22K-$39K

Check out our article if you’re curious about nearshoring software development to Argentina

Argentina

The front end and back end developer salary in Argentina is considerably lower than in Brazil: $14K-$25K and $15K-$26K

Gross annual income, USD Brazil Argentina
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $22,000 $31,500 $39,000 $14,000 $20,000 $25,000
Back End Developer $23,000 $32,000 $40,000 $15,000 $20,000 $26,000

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Western & Nordic Europe

United Kingdom

Gross annual income, USD England Scotland
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $36,500   $67,500 $80,500 $42,500 $61,000 $75,500
Back End Developer $45,750 $64,500 $79,500 $44,500 $62,500 $77,500
Gross annual income, USD Wales Northern Ireland
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $43,500 $60,000 $74,500 $37,000 $53,000 $65,500
Back End Developer $43,750 $61,500 $76,000 $38,500 $54,500 $67,000

Germany

German wages greatly differ from the UK ones only for entry-level positions. For example, the front end vs back end salary spans between $53K-$56K

France

French developers make less than their German counterparts: $36K-$57K

Italy

In Italy, remuneration is the lowest among the three countries with the following front end and back end salary difference: $24K-$46K and $31K-$51K

Gross annual income, USD Germany France  Italy
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $53,500  $67,500 $79,000 $39,500 $45,000 $54,500 $24,000 $36,000 $46,000
Back End Developer  $56,000 $72,000 $82,000 $36,000 $46,500 $57,000 $31,500 $42,500 $51,500

Norway

Norway offers higher pay than Germany: $51K-$90K

Netherlands

The front end developer vs back end developer salary in the Netherlands is in the same range: $50K-$90K

Sweden

When comparing front end vs back end developer salary by countries in the Nordic region, Sweden offers $38K-$64K to Front End developers, while the compensation for Back End specialists constitutes $57K-$96K.

Gross annual income, USD Norway Netherlands Sweden
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $51,750  $70,500 $86,500 $50,000 $71,750 $89,000 $38,500 $52,750 $64,500
Back End Developer $56,000 $75,000 $90,000 $52,500 $73,500 $90,750 $57,500 $80,500 $96,000

Austria

The salary of front-end vs back-end developer is lower than in Germany for junior positions, but reaches the same level of ≈$80K for senior programmers.

Belgium

The income in Belgium is higher than in Italy and varies from $28K to $72K

Spain

In Spain, the salaries amount to $30K-$65K

Gross annual income, USD Austria Belgium Spain
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer   $46,000  $65,500 $81,000 $28,500 $52,000 $64500 $32,750 $42,500 $60,000
Back End Developer $51,000 $72,500 $89,500 $32,750 $52,500 $72,000 $29,500 $43,750 $65,500

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Eastern Europe

Poland

For Polish developers, front end vs back end developer income differs only slightly: $26K-$67K and $28K-$69K accordingly. 

Romania

However, Romanian developers earn less: $19K-$34K

Gross annual income, USD Poland Romania
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $26,500 $42,000 $67,000 $19,000 $27,000 $33,500
Back End Developer $28,000 $38,000 $69,750 $20,000 $27,500 $34,500

Hungary 

The front end vs back end average salary range in Hungary is the same as in Romania. 

Check out our article if you’d like to know if it’s beneficial to outsource to Eastern Europe?

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is in the middle between Romania, Hungary, and Poland, allowing developers to earn $27K-$50K per year. 

Gross annual income, USD Hungary Czech Republic
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $20,000 $38,500 $35,000 $27,750 $40,000 $50,000
Back End Developer $20,500 $29,000 $35,750 $29,000 $40,750 $50,500

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Eastern & South Asia

China

Chinese remuneration earn as much as their colleagues in France, with the pay for junior developers being slightly higher: $32K-$34K

Japan

The income in Japan differs from the salaries in China for middle-level specialists. 

Gross annual income, USD China Japan
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $32,000 $42,500 $57,500 $20,750 $39,000 $60,750
Back End Developer $34,000 $46,500 $58,500 $38,000 $51,750 $60,500

South Korea

Programmers’ salaries in South Korea generally fall into the same range as China. 

Singapore

While comparing the front-end and back end salary by countries in Asia, we can’t help but notice that it’s compensation is the highest: $45K-$75K

Gross annual income, USD South Korea Singapore
junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $27,500 $37,750 $56,000 $45,000 $57,500 $73,000
Back End Developer $32,000 $49,000 $60,000 $45,000 $58,500 $75,000

India

India

Gross annual income, USD Mumbai Delhi Bangalore  
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $3,500 $6,500 $12,500 $4,000 $6,000 $12,500 $3,500 $6,500 $12,500
Back End Developer $6,000 $12,000 $22,500 $6,500 $11,000 $24,000 $6,000 $12,500 $23,000

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Israel

Israel

Gross annual income, USD Tel Aviv Haifa Jerusalem 
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $39,000 $84,000 $125,000 $38,000 $80,000 $120,000 $27,000 $57,000 $94,000
Back End Developer $73,000 $100,000 $130,000 $67,000 $80,000 $114,000 $47,000 $68,750 $100,000

Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Australia

Australia

Gross annual income, USD Sydney Melbourne Brisbane 
junior middle senior junior middle senior junior middle senior
Front End Developer  $60,000 $97,000 $135,000 $60,000 $90,000 $120,000 $60,000 $85,000 $131,000
Back End Developer $86,000 $110,000 $150,000 $98,500 $128,000 $160,000 $84,000 $105,000 $130,000

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the lowest front end vs back end developer worldwide salary is offered in Africa ($13K-$32K), followed by South America ($18K-$32K) and Eastern Europe ($23K-$47K). Asia and the Middle East pay more ($31K-$63K; $33K-$90K), but the compensation in Western Europe is slightly higher ($40K-$76K). In the countries of North America, developers make the most ($57K-$119K)

If you’re interested in any other details, reach out to our team: we’ll provide you with salary report on your tech positions in a chosen country and outline all the legal & compliance aspects before recruiting a team of developers in just 3-6 weeks. 

FAQ

1. What is the difference between a front end and back end developer?

Front end developers work on website layout, navigation and functionality, whereas back end developers ensure its architecture, data access and storage.

⚡️ 2. How much do front end vs back end developers make in different regions?

In Africa and South America, front end and back end developers earn $13K-32K a year. Programmers with the same skills from Eastern Europe are offered $23K-47K. In Eastern & Southern Asia, salaries amount to $31K-63K, while in Middle East they range from…

3. Where do front end and back end developers earn the most?

The region of North America offers the highest remuneration for both front end ($57K-$106K) and back end ($68K-$119K) developers.

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