Side by side
Backend Engineer vs Software Engineer
Backend Engineer pays more: a median of $138,000 against $125,500. There is 11.0× more demand for Software Engineer. Software Engineer is the more remote-friendly of the two, by 9.5%. Listings for Software Engineer move faster — median age 68 days against 78.
Comparison
Side by side
| Measure | Backend Engineer | Software Engineer | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open postings | 8,361 | 92,298 | -83,937 |
| Posted this week | 646 | 3,101 | |
| Median salary | $138,000 | $125,500 | +$12.5k |
| 25th percentile | $109k | $99k | |
| 75th percentile | $171k | $156k | |
| Salary disclosed | 6.4% | 6.2% | |
| Remote share | 3.5% | 13.0% | -9.5pp |
| Median age of posting | 78d | 68d | |
| Open over 60 days | 31.2% | 43.1% | |
| Visa sponsorship | 20.9% | 23.5% |
Pay
Pay distribution
Backend Engineer
$62k$239k
Software Engineer
$56k$217k
Freshness
How old the listings are
Backend Engineer
just posted78d median90d+
Software Engineer
just posted68d median90d+
Demand
What each side asks for
Backend Engineer — technologies
Software Engineer — technologies
Backend Engineer — employers
Software Engineer — employers
More comparisons
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Both sides are counted the same way on the same day, so the gap is comparable even where the
absolute numbers move. Salary figures use only postings that publish a range — the disclosure
rate is in the table because a median over 20% of a cohort is a weaker number than one over 70%.