It is quite important to know how much money one can expect when entering the profession of software engineering. So, based on experience and skills, the state/area of work, and the job position offered to software engineers, IT companies in India offer different salaries. We’ll get into detailing everything that you would probably like to know about the software engineer salary in India and what impacts that income.
Major Factors Influencing Software Engineer Salaries in India
Experience and Its Impact on Earnings
The overall level of experience is one of the primary determining factors concerning the salaries. Through the years, software engineers advance in skills and hence will be able to take up more difficult projects.
Location-Based Salary Variations
Choosing a place of work can affect one’s pay. Major tech hub cities pay better because of the competition between IT companies and the higher cost of living.
Industry and Company Size Influences
Nevertheless, various industries consider software engineering skills from different perspectives. Usually, companies in tech, finance, and healthcare are known to pay better.
- IT Services: Salaries range from ₹5 to ₹10 lakhs.
- Software Products: Higher salaries, typically ₹8 to ₹20 lakhs.
- Financial Services: Often pay between ₹9 to ₹18 lakhs.
- Healthcare and Biotech: Salaries can go up to ₹20 lakhs for specialised roles.
Also read: How to Become a Software Engineer
Exploring Salary Trends Based on Years of Experience
Let’s start understanding how experience influences the software engineer salary in India.
Entry-Level (0-2 years)
- Salaries range from ₹3 to ₹5 lakhs per year.
- Requirements: Strong foundational knowledge and ability to adapt to new technologies and workflows.
- Focus: Gaining practical experience, learning new programming languages, and understanding the software development lifecycle.
- Growth potential: Very Significant.
Mid-Level (3-7 years)
- Salaries range from ₹6 to ₹12 lakhs per year.
- Expectations: Handling complex projects, possibly leading teams, and making critical technical decisions.
- Skills: Specialised expertise (e.g., machine learning, cloud computing).
- Importance: Continuous learning and professional development.
Senior-Level (8-15 years)
- Salaries range from ₹15 to ₹30 lakhs per year.
- Roles: Strategists and leaders, overseeing projects, mentoring junior developers, and making high-stakes decisions.
- Specialisation: Critical in areas like artificial intelligence, big data, and software architecture.
- Skills: Aligning technical goals with business objectives enhances earning potential.
Expert-Level (15+ years)
- Salaries range starts from ₹30 lakhs per year.
- Positions: Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Senior Solutions Architect.
- Value: Vast experience, deep expertise in specific domains, strong leadership and management skills.
- Contributions: Driving innovation and leading large teams effectively.
Also Read: Software Developer Skills and How to Develop Them
Comprehensive Analysis of Salaries by Specific Skills
Java Developer
- Entry-Level: Typically earn between ₹4 lakhs and ₹7 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: Can expect to make around ₹8 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Often see salaries ranging from ₹16 lakhs to ₹30 lakhs per year.
Python Developer
- Entry-Level: Earn between ₹4 lakhs and ₹6 lakhs annually.
- Mid-Level: See salaries ranging from ₹7 lakhs to ₹12 lakhs per year.
- Senior: Can earn between ₹15 lakhs and ₹25 lakhs annually.
SQL Developer
- Entry-Level: Typically earn between ₹3 lakhs and ₹5 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: Can expect salaries around ₹6 lakhs to ₹10 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Often earn between ₹12 lakhs and ₹20 lakhs per year.
Cloud Computing Expert
- Entry-Level: Earn between ₹5 lakhs and ₹8 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: See salaries ranging from ₹9 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Can earn between ₹18 lakhs and ₹30 lakhs per year.
Machine Learning Engineer
- Entry-Level: Typically earn between ₹6 lakhs and ₹9 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: Can expect salaries around ₹10 lakhs to ₹20 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Often see salaries ranging from ₹25 lakhs to ₹40 lakhs per year.
Internship Assurance
DevOps & Cloud Engineering
Location-Based Salary Comparison for Software Engineers
Major Tech Hub Cities
- Bangalore: Known as the Silicon Valley of India, offers average salaries ranging from ₹6 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs per year.
- Hyderabad: Another tech giant, with salaries typically between ₹5 lakhs and ₹14 lakhs annually.
- Pune: Offers competitive salaries, usually in the range of ₹5 lakhs to ₹12 lakhs per year.
Other Prominent Cities
- Mumbai: Typically offers salaries ranging from ₹5 lakhs to ₹12 lakhs per year.
- Chennai: Salaries usually fall between ₹4 lakhs and ₹10 lakhs annually.
- Delhi: Offers competitive pay, with salaries ranging from ₹5 lakhs to ₹13 lakhs per year.
Impact of Job Roles on Software Engineer Salaries
Full-Stack Developer
- Entry-Level: Typically earn between ₹5 lakhs and ₹8 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: Can expect to make around ₹9 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Often see salaries ranging from ₹16 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs per year.
Data Scientist
- Entry-Level: Earn between ₹6 lakhs and ₹9 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: See salaries ranging from ₹10 lakhs to ₹20 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Can earn between ₹25 lakhs and ₹35 lakhs per year.
Software Architect
- Entry-Level: Typically earn between ₹10 lakhs and ₹15 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: Can expect to make around ₹16 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Often see salaries ranging from ₹30 lakhs to ₹40 lakhs per year.
DevOps Engineer
- Entry-Level: Earn between ₹5 lakhs and ₹8 lakhs per year.
- Mid-Level: See salaries ranging from ₹9 lakhs to ₹15 lakhs annually.
- Senior: Can earn between ₹18 lakhs and ₹25 lakhs per year.
Conclusion
We’ve been discussing the many factors that affect software engineer salary in India. First, experience affects income; the more experience one has, the higher their compensation will be. Next, location affects salary; cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad, which are centres for technological businesses, provide higher salaries. We also discovered that IT services, software products, and financial services pay better compared to the rest.
Knowledge in the current trending domains, for instance, Java, Python, and cloud computing, can contribute to higher salaries. When deciding on our career paths, knowing these elements allows us to have cognitive approaches to how we should progress in the ever-growing software engineering industry and how we should best advance to earn better salaries.
