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The differences between freelance software developers and software development engineers 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 software development engineer. Additionally, a freelance software developer has an average salary of $112,663, which is higher than the $109,147 average annual salary of a software development engineer.
The top three skills for a freelance software developer include microsoft sql server, java and object oriented programming. The most important skills for a software development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,663 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $54.16 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 278,991 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Freelance software developers and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,663 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $153,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a freelance software developer and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between freelance software developers' and software development engineers' demographics:
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |