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The differences between platform managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a platform manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a platform manager has an average salary of $134,244, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a platform manager include project management, java and digital marketing. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Platform Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $134,244 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $64.54 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 114,724 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 10 |
The duties of a platform manager depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology (IT) industry, a platform manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the efforts put into developing and maintaining IT programs and systems, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Among their responsibilities include managing IT teams and specialists, setting goals and objectives, monitoring the workflow, performing installations and upgrades, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Platform managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Platform Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $134,244 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $97,000 And $184,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Retail |
There are a few differences between a platform manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Platform Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between platform managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Platform Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |