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The differences between software testers and functional 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 tester and a functional tester. Additionally, a software tester has an average salary of $78,580, which is higher than the $76,647 average annual salary of a functional tester.
The top three skills for a software tester include test results, regression and test scripts. The most important skills for a functional tester are java, test cases, and web application.
| Software Tester | Functional Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $78,580 | $76,647 |
| Hourly rate | $37.78 | $36.85 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 208,853 | 37,146 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A functional tester's main responsibility is to validate the behavior of an application and analyzed the requirements of the clients. They are skilled in Java and database design for software development. The tasks they do are complex, including scanning IDs of the receiver and serial numbers on each unit, testing the units to make sure they work properly, and checking for any defects and damages. They are also trained in using numerical codes for passing or failing each unit and writing serial numbers on the production tracker.
Software testers and functional testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Tester | Functional Tester | |
| Average salary | $78,580 | $76,647 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $61,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | Nordstrom | Cerner |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software tester and a functional tester in terms of educational background:
| Software Tester | Functional Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between software testers' and functional testers' demographics:
| Software Tester | Functional Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |