There is not much difference between a software developer and a software tester as their goals are the same i.e. to improve the quality of a software or application.
It is believed that there is a difference between the salary of a developer and the salary of a software tester.
The salary amount of both the developer and the tester is based on different factors including their duties, responsibilities, company, demand, job role, experience, and skills etc.
In this section, we will try to find out who earns better: a developer or a tester, by taking different factors into consideration. So, if you want to know who earn more salary, continue reading.
Are you the one who thinks getting into software testing can be a wrong financial choice? Read this:
- It is not true that testers do not need as many skills as developers. Most testers are also programmers, and testing tasks are performed by many developers. Such tools as Selenium use the same programming languages in which developers write their code so that testing is quick and easy to set up.
- The popularity of the Test Driven Development and Behaviour Driven Development frameworks is on the rise. It implies that developers will have to take into account the viewpoint of end-users and testers. Setting up these frameworks, testers serve a critical function and development testing boundaries often overlap.
- In both development and testing teams, key skills include
- Understanding core functional processes
- Programming language skills, especially for Java.
- Database and design concepts
- Analytical and logical thinking
- Good communication skills
- A team-oriented attitude
- Capacity to manage work using tools or manually
4. Participation in the development process Both teams are crucial throughout the entire development process. As companies adopt continuous integration and continuous testing methods, testers and developers collaborate closely. In Agile, there’s no strict separation between development and test teams; it’s all part of one SCRUM.
5. Are growth opportunities similar for Testers and Developers?
Individual growth varies based on abilities, goals, efforts, and circumstances. It’s not heavily influenced by the specific IT branch.
Developers may progress to roles like managers, business analysts, and architects, or explore sales and research opportunities, depending on qualifications, goals, and available chances.
Similarly, testers have various possibilities within their domain, such as becoming Test Leads, Test Managers, Business Analysts, and more.6. Are developers more important than testers?
Some people think if a job isn’t crucial, why have it? In the world of IT, there used to be a conflict between developers and testers, but now it’s not a big issue among IT teams. However, some people who don’t know much about these jobs still believe developers are more important than testers.7. It’s essential not to decide whether to be a software tester based on the opinions of those who don’t understand the work well. Jobs can be uncertain everywhere. When job cuts happen, it’s usually the weakest link that’s affected, and it doesn’t always mean testers are the ones losing their jobs.
Factors affecting the payscale of a software tester and a software developer
- Your skills and how good you are at your job
- How much experience you have
- Your current salary (if you’re switching to a new job)
- The type of employment (full-time, freelancing, contractual)
- Where you live
- The company you work for
- Any extra benefits you get
- Sometimes, how good you are at negotiating your salary.
Software Developers
A software developer is a professional whose work is mainly concerned with the development of software.
As the name suggests he is responsible to design or develop the new software to fulfill the demand of the end users.
They develop software whether it is a business software, gaming software, mobile software or applications, computers software etc.
A software developer takes care of the whole process including research, design, programming, testing, and launching of the software in the market.
There are two types of software developers i.e. Application Software Developers and System Software Developers.
Application software developer designs both; custom software for a particular business of commercial software for the general public as well.
On the other hand, the system software developer develops the system that takes care of the proper functioning of computers like an operating system for computers.
They also build system’s interface that allows the users to interact with computers.
As online technology is increasing day by day, all businesses are seeking software developers to develop a customized application for their business.
Whether it is a bank, a university, a news channels or a hospital everyone has their own application, and to design the same they need a software developer.
Software developers help the companies to update with the latest technology through web or application development.
The applications designed by the developers can be used on computers, tablets, Smartphone etc.
Therefore, a software developer should be able to create or design, manage and maintain new programs and software.
A software developer must possess an excellent knowledge of programming languages such as HTML, Java, JavaScript, C++, c# etc. Prior experience is always a plus point considers in salary.
Qualifications and Skills Required to be a Software Developer
- A bachelor or masters degree in computer science, software engineering or in a related field
- They should have analytical, communication, teamwork, problem-solving skills. Additionally, they should be creative, innovative, and familiar with database management, program testing and other related software.
Tasks Assigned to a Software Developer
- Test and document software
- Write, modify and debug software
- Design and develop application components
- Analyze needs of the user and then develop the software to fulfill that needs
- software up gradation in existing software
- Create diagrams, models, flowchart of different activities
- In charge of the entire development process
- Collaborate with computer programmers for optimum utilization of resources
- Write codes for programming of software
Now let’s discuss the salary of a software developer through a pie diagram
The above diagram is showing the annual salary of a software developer by experience level. It has a positive trend, we can see that the salary is increasing with the growing experience.
The salary of a developer differs from country to country. The average salary shown in the diagram includes bonus, allowances, tips, and overtime pays.
A software developer at the initial stage of his career on an entry level with the experience of 0-5 years can expect to earn an average salary of $61,000.
A software developer after the experience of 5 years, can expect an average salary of $ 80,000 annually. After 10 years of experience, a software developer can get the average salary of $ 87,000 per year.
An experienced software developer who has 20 years of work experience earns an average compensation of $ 97,000 per year.
Software Tester
A software tester is a professional who tests software to ensure that there is no bug, errors, defects or problem in the software that can affect the performance of a software or application before launching it in the market.
They are expert in handling software quality testing tools and techniques. It is the responsibility of a software tester to ensure that software will perform as desired both functionally and non-functionally.
A software tester uses various types of software testing such as black box testing, white box testing, unit testing, system testing, load testing, scalability testing, user acceptance testing, regression testing, smoke testing, integration testing, performance testing, compatibility testing, usability testing, security testing etc.
Whenever a software developer designs software, a software tester plays a key role in the process. He works as a quality assurance and he is the one who gives final approval to launch the software in the market.
He receives the software build at various stages in the process before going into the hands of the end user.
He runs the software programs through various tests and records the response of the software. The key component of software testing is documenting each and every step performed during software testing.
Documentation helps to discover the coding problems. Another significant aspect of testing is to find bugs in the program.
A software tester tests the software or application in different scenarios in order to assure the quality of software. They also provide user feedback and report unnecessary user interface confusions.
Qualifications and Skills Required to be a Software Tester
- A software tester should have a bachelor degree in computer science, mathematics or engineering or in a related field.
- A software tester should be fluent on UNIX, Linux or Windows
- He should be a multi-tasker
- He should have excellent communication skills both verbal and non-verbal
- He should have knowledge of programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, C#, C++, Python etc.
Tasks Assigned to a Software Tester
- Evaluate software applications to check the errors and maintain stability
- Debug scripts and identify flaws in the system
- A software tester applies both manual and automated software testing strategies
- Analyze software programs
Let’s discuss the salary of a software tester with the help of a pie diagram. 
This diagram is showing the annual salary of a software tester on the basis of experience. This is also having a positive trend as shown in the diagram for the salary of a software developer.
With the increase in the experience, salary is also increasing. A software tester is getting $49,000 at the initial stage of his career; the average compensation includes bonus, incentives, overtime and other allowances.
Hence a software tester can expect a good salary in his career of 0-5 years. After getting the experience of 5 years he can expect $ 68,000 average salary in a working period of 5-10 years.
An experienced software tester means the employee with experience of 10-20 years can expect $ 75,000 average salary per year.
When a software tester complete 20 years of working he will get an average salary of $ 81,000 annually.
Now we have the average salary of both; software developer and the software tester. So, we can compare both the pie charts together and find out the conclusion.
By comparing both the diagrams we can see that the software developers earn more than a software tester.
The initial average salary of a software developer is $ 61,000 on the other hand; the average initial salary of a tester is $49,000 that clearly shows that a developer earns more than a tester.
Also Read : 52 Software Testing Tools 2019
Important things to remember:
1. There is more to a job than money. It’s an opportunity to apply your talent and belong to a community of people who appreciate, what you do. Consider the whole picture to see all these advantages.
2. Search for a job similar to find a lion, not a unicorn. Be wary of tales you hear regarding someone getting high pay despite of having less experience than you.
3. Never compare salaries with others, whether they are Quality Assurance (QAs) or Developers (Devs). If you believe that you work too hard for too little money, discuss this with your manager.
4. When a job is good, it’s great.
5. Lastly, remember: “To multiply your income, multiply the rate of learning.” Learn new skills to increase what you can earn.