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The differences between senior/lead 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 senior/lead developer and an applications developer. Additionally, a senior/lead developer has an average salary of $127,208, which is higher than the $89,205 average annual salary of an applications developer.
The top three skills for a senior/lead developer include java, C++ and javascript. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Senior/Lead Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $127,208 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $61.16 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 265,829 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead developer typically works for a software company. They are responsible for designing, developing, and debugging code. They lead a software team and communicate all team activities to their management. They must have creative expertise, great communication skills, and an aptitude for teamwork.
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.
Senior/lead developers and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior/Lead Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $127,208 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $177,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Atlassian | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior/lead developer and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior/Lead 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 senior/lead developers' and applications developers' demographics:
| Senior/Lead Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 31.8% White, 50.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 8% |