Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between freelance software developers and software 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 engineer. Additionally, a freelance software developer has an average salary of $112,663, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software 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 engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,663 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $54.16 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 278,991 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Freelance software developers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,663 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $153,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a freelance software developer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between freelance software developers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Freelance Software Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |