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Freelance software developer vs developer/consultant

The differences between freelance software developers and developer/consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a freelance software developer and a developer/consultant. Additionally, a freelance software developer has an average salary of $112,663, which is higher than the $98,508 average annual salary of a developer/consultant.

The top three skills for a freelance software developer include microsoft sql server, java and object oriented programming. The most important skills for a developer/consultant are java, project management, and javascript.

Freelance software developer vs developer/consultant overview

Freelance Software DeveloperDeveloper/Consultant
Yearly salary$112,663$98,508
Hourly rate$54.16$47.36
Growth rate21%21%
Number of jobs278,991257,985
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age3939
Years of experience44

Freelance software developer vs developer/consultant salary

Freelance software developers and developer/consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Freelance Software DeveloperDeveloper/Consultant
Average salary$112,663$98,508
Salary rangeBetween $82,000 And $153,000Between $71,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between freelance software developer and developer/consultant education

There are a few differences between a freelance software developer and a developer/consultant in terms of educational background:

Freelance Software DeveloperDeveloper/Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorComputer ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityStanford University

Freelance software developer vs developer/consultant demographics

Here are the differences between freelance software developers' and developer/consultants' demographics:

Freelance Software DeveloperDeveloper/Consultant
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 87.7% Female, 12.3%Male, 58.5% Female, 41.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between freelance software developer and developer/consultant duties and responsibilities

Freelance software developer example responsibilities.

  • Implement a centralize configuration system for managing application settings, consisting of a desktop application with a WCF backend.
  • Web applications development using PHP, JQuery, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, XML and MySQL.
  • Create single-page Javascript application with AngularJS MVC framework for the CMS interface and write all HTML.
  • Develop desktop applications base on Java.
  • Redesign the online reference manual for an internal API.
  • Update client sites with modern technologies such as HTML5 canvas.
  • Show more

Developer/consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage SDLC development including analysis, writing technical documentation, design, coding, testing.
  • Lead the project, development and architecture of an innovative SharePoint contract warehouse, including designing several process improvements.
  • Interpret, develop, and enhance graphic, visual & interaction designs in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
  • Work with other web technologies such as AJAX, jQuery, and PHP throughout this redesign.
  • Work with AJAX data consisting of JSON responses parsing the same and presenting on the UI layer.
  • Coordinate new test environment builds with CICS & DB2 support teams, streamline existing test environments by identifying and eliminating redundancies.
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Freelance software developer vs developer/consultant skills

Common freelance software developer skills
  • Microsoft SQL Server, 9%
  • Java, 5%
  • Object Oriented Programming, 5%
  • JavaScript, 5%
  • PHP, 5%
  • Android, 5%
Common developer/consultant skills
  • Java, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • JavaScript, 6%
  • HR, 6%
  • Microservices, 4%
  • JQuery, 4%

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