Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between desktop support analysts and application support analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a desktop support analyst and an application support analyst. Additionally, an application support analyst has an average salary of $92,078, which is higher than the $48,674 average annual salary of a desktop support analyst.
The top three skills for a desktop support analyst include desktop support, customer service and computer system. The most important skills for an application support analyst are application support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Desktop Support Analyst | Application Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $48,674 | $92,078 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 99,621 | 173,440 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A desktop support analyst's role is to develop strategies and systems to improve and coordinate desktop support efforts. Their responsibilities revolve around testing and modifying existing networks and systems, providing corrective measures on issues and concerns, performing regular inspections, troubleshooting, and maintaining inventories on software, hardware, and other applications. Furthermore, as a desktop support analyst, it is essential to respond to calls and correspondence from clients, all while adhering to the policies and regulations of the company.
An application support analyst is responsible for responding to and resolving customer issues about smartphone or computer applications. They do a variety of applications ranging from banking software and mobile games, and they usually deal with a great number of clients daily. It is also their task to report to a next level member of staff, such as an information technology (IT) manager or a senior systems analyst. Moreover, they spend their time working in an office setting and can be employed by software companies, game developers, technology creators, and other types of organizations.
Desktop support analysts and application support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Analyst | Application Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $48,674 | $92,078 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $65,000 | Between $67,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Cambridge Associates | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a desktop support analyst and an application support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Analyst | Application Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop support analysts' and application support analysts' demographics:
| Desktop Support Analyst | Application Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 14.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |