Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead web developers and applications developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead web developer and an applications developer. Additionally, a lead web developer has an average salary of $108,800, which is higher than the $89,205 average annual salary of an applications developer.
The top three skills for a lead web developer include web application, javascript and CSS. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Lead Web Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,800 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $52.31 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 250,411 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead web developer is in charge of spearheading the development of web applications and systems. In a company setting, their responsibilities include managing a team of developers, identifying and understanding project requirements, heading the planning and execution stages, setting objectives and timelines, establishing guidelines, delegating tasks, and providing technical support and guidance to staff. They must also respond to issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, being the lead web developer, they must encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
Lead web developers and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Web Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $108,800 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $140,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | First Republic Bank | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a lead web developer and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Web Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead web developers' and applications developers' demographics:
| Lead Web Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.3% Female, 18.7% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 15.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |