New data shows Google and Meta pay engineers more than Apple, but Apple is 'more consistent and fair' - 9to5Mac (2024)

If you’ve ever wondered how well Apple engineers are paid in comparison to other tech companies, new data from Blind offers some insight. According to the data, Google and Meta are the best-paying tech companies for engineers, while Microsoft and Apple pay less.

Blind is an online forum that employees at tech companies can use to share anonymous information about their employment, including things like promotions, salaries, complaints, and more. This new study is based on self-reported data published by Blind last week, as first spotted by The Verge.

The data reveals that Amazon, Google, and Meta pay entry-level engineers more on average than Apple and Microsoft. Amazon pays an average of $159,000, Google pays $184,000, and Meta pays $179,000. Apple’s average for entry-level engineers comes in at $142,000, and Microsoft’s at $141,000.

This trend is relatively consistent across each job level, which includes professional, senior, staff, and principal. Blind, however, pulled a few other interesting tidbits from the data. For example, Amazon’s pay ranges are wider than other companies, which means “compensation can vary heavily.”

Apple, meanwhile, has “less competitive” pay levels than other companies, but its pay tiers and job levels are more “consistent and fair.”

• “Google has one of the most balanced or consistent pay bands among Big Tech companies. This means it’s rare for someone at a lower job level to get paid more than someone at a higher level.”
• “Meta engineers appear to level up the fastest and have some of the highest pay.”
• “Microsoft has many job levels for software engineers, which might give the company more flexibility to hand out more promotions. However, their total compensation is lower than their peers across the board up until staff software engineer.”

The full breakdown of the data can be found on Blind’s website, with more details in the charts below.