Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software designers and software testers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software designer and a software tester. Additionally, a software designer has an average salary of $107,449, which is higher than the $78,580 average annual salary of a software tester.
The top three skills for a software designer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a software tester are test results, regression, and test scripts.
| Software Designer | Software Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $107,449 | $78,580 |
| Hourly rate | $51.66 | $37.78 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 313,443 | 208,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Software designers transform customers' requirements into services. They analyze customers' needs, conduct negotiations, and create designs based on that data. They typically work with teams of programmers. They are also responsible for creating project documentation.
The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose. They remove the issues and bugs within a product before deployment to users. Their responsibilities include software and systems analysis, risk mitigation, and software-related issue prevention. They should have skills in automation, programming, social networking, logical thinking, and mobile and web technology.
Software designers and software testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Designer | Software Tester | |
| Average salary | $107,449 | $78,580 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $144,000 | Between $61,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Globant | Nordstrom |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software designer and a software tester in terms of educational background:
| Software Designer | Software Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software designers' and software testers' demographics:
| Software Designer | Software Tester | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.0% Female, 20.0% | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |