Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between solutions architects and software architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a solutions architect has an average salary of $116,327, which is higher than the $114,406 average annual salary of a software architect.
The top three skills for a solutions architect include cloud, java and AWS. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Solutions Architect | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $116,327 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $55.93 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 107,754 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A solutions architect specializes in creating and implementing software systems that improve business operations and resolve network issues. They are primarily responsible for conducting research and analysis to assess the business's needs, develop specific designs for the company, provide solutions should there be any system issues, and keep company officials informed with all changes and updates. Furthermore, a solutions architect must lead and encourage development teams, stay up to date with the newest trends to continue innovations within the systems, and implement its policies and guidelines.
A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Solutions architects and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Architect | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $116,327 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $154,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Aspiration |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a solutions architect and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Architect | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between solutions architects' and software architects' demographics:
| Solutions Architect | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |