SoftwareTestPilot

Salary Guides · 2026

QA & SDET Salary Guides

Deep, verified compensation guides by role and location — India, USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia. Tech-stack multipliers, take-home tax math, and up-to-date market tiers.

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Verified guides
34

across 6 countries · updated 2026

34 verified guides

Most searched · July 2026

Global · USA · India · UK · EUPopular

Playwright Salary (Global)

Typical CTC range
$95k – $210k+ · ₹12L – ₹45L+ · £55k – £110k

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Bangalore, IndiaPopular

SDET Salary in Bangalore

Typical CTC range
₹18.0L – ₹42.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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USAPopular

SDET Salary in USA by State

Typical CTC range
$135,000 – $210,000+ USD

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Bangalore, IndiaPopular

QA Engineer Salary in Bangalore

Typical CTC range
₹10.5L – ₹28.0L CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Browse by location & role

Global · USA · India · UK · EU

Playwright Salary (Global)

Typical CTC range
$95k – $210k+ · ₹12L – ₹45L+ · £55k – £110k

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

Read Full Guide
Bangalore, India

SDET Salary in Bangalore

Typical CTC range
₹18.0L – ₹42.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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USA

SDET Salary in USA by State

Typical CTC range
$135,000 – $210,000+ USD

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Bangalore, India

QA Engineer Salary in Bangalore

Typical CTC range
₹10.5L – ₹28.0L CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Hyderabad, India

QA Lead Salary in Hyderabad

Typical CTC range
₹22.0L – ₹45.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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USA

Remote SDET Salary in USA

Typical CTC range
$135,000 – $195,000+ USD

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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United Kingdom

Automation Tester Salary in the UK

Typical CTC range
£52,000 – £85,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Germany

QA Lead Salary in Germany

Typical CTC range
€72,000 – €105,000+ EUR

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Canada

Software Tester Salary in Canada

Typical CTC range
$85,000 – $135,000+ CAD

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Australia

Automation Tester Salary in Australia

Typical CTC range
$105,000 – $155,000+ AUD

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Pune, India

Automation Tester Salary in Pune

Typical CTC range
₹9.5L – ₹24.0L+ CTC

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Chennai, India

QA Engineer Salary in Chennai

Typical CTC range
₹8.5L – ₹24.0L+ CTC

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Gurgaon & Noida (Delhi NCR), India

SDET Salary in Gurgaon & Noida

Typical CTC range
₹16.0L – ₹38.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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California (SF Bay Area / Silicon Valley / LA)

QA & SDET Salary in California

Typical CTC range
$145,000 – $220,000+ Base

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New York City (NYC Metro), NY

Automation Tester Salary in New York City

Typical CTC range
$135,000 – $195,000+ Base

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Seattle & Redmond, WA

QA & SDET Salary in Seattle

Typical CTC range
$140,000 – $215,000+ Base

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Austin (Silicon Hills), TX

SDET Salary in Austin, Texas

Typical CTC range
$125,000 – $185,000+ Base

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Chicago, IL

QA Lead Salary in Chicago

Typical CTC range
$130,000 – $185,000+ Base

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USA National (by State & Industry)

Manual QA Tester Salary in USA

Typical CTC range
$65,000 – $92,000 Base / $115k+ Specialized

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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California (LA, Irvine, SD, Bay Area)

Game QA Tester Salary in California

Typical CTC range
$58,000 – $95,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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India National (Entry-Level, 0–2 yrs)

QA Tester Fresher Salary in India

Typical CTC range
₹4.5L – ₹12.0L+ CTC

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USA National (Hubs + Remote)

Principal SDET Salary in USA

Typical CTC range
$185,000 – $260,000+ Base / $400k+ TC

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India National (BLR, HYD, PUN, CHN)

Performance Tester Salary in India

Typical CTC range
₹14.0L – ₹36.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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India National (BLR, HYD, PUN, CHN, NCR)

API Tester Salary in India

Typical CTC range
₹12.0L – ₹28.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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India National (BLR, HYD, NCR, PUN)

QA Manager Salary in India

Typical CTC range
₹32.0L – ₹55.0L+ CTC

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Netherlands (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, RTM, UTR)

Software Tester Salary in Netherlands

Typical CTC range
€58,000 – €92,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick)

QA Engineer Salary in Ireland & Dublin

Typical CTC range
€60,000 – €95,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Sweden (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö)

Automation Tester Salary in Sweden

Typical CTC range
550,000 – 850,000+ SEK Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia)

QA Engineer Salary in Spain

Typical CTC range
€42,000 – €68,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Zug, Bern)

QA Lead Salary in Switzerland

Typical CTC range
115,000 – 160,000+ CHF Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk)

SDET Salary in Poland & Warsaw

Typical CTC range
180,000 – 300,000+ PLN Base

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India National (All Experience Levels)

QA Tester Salary in India (All Levels)

Typical CTC range
₹4.0L – ₹45.0L+ CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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USA National (All Experience Levels)

QA Testing Salary in USA 2026

Typical CTC range
$75,000 – $260,000+ Base

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Global · USA · India · UK · EU

Mobile Tester Salary (Global)

Typical CTC range
$72,000 – $195,000+ · ₹6.0L – ₹38.0L CTC

2026 Verified · 5 experience tiers · Take-home calculator

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Verified 2026 data

Cross-referenced with AmbitionBox, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, ONS & BLS.

Take-home math included

Post-tax examples across experience tiers in every guide.

Tech-stack multipliers

Playwright, CI/CD & API premiums broken out per market.

Frequently asked questions

1.How are SoftwareTestPilot salary figures verified?
Every range is cross-referenced against live listings on our QA Jobs Radar, AmbitionBox, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, ONS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, StatCan, and direct reporting from practicing QA/SDET engineers in each market. Guides are reviewed by Priyanka G. before publication.
2.Which QA role pays the most in 2026?
Senior SDETs and Principal Quality Architects at product companies command the highest packages globally — ₹45L–₹75L+ CTC in Bangalore, $180K–$260K+ TC in the USA, and £85K–£120K in the UK. Playwright + TypeScript + CI/CD ownership adds the largest premium over legacy manual/Selenium roles.
3.Do you include take-home pay after tax?
Yes. Every guide includes a Take-Home Pay & Tax Calculator section with worked examples across experience tiers, factoring the local income-tax regime, social/retirement contributions (EPF, Superannuation, NI, FICA, CPP, Kirchensteuer, etc.), and any regional allowances.
4.How often are salary guides updated?
Salary guides are reviewed and republished at least twice per year, with market-shifting updates (major layoff waves, currency swings, new visa salary floors) pushed within 14 days. Each guide shows a Data as of date in its hero card.
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