- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- Remote Software Engineer Salary and Equity Compensation 2026
Remote Software Engineer Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do remote Software Engineers expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for remote Software Engineers in a startup is 124k per year, with a range from 45k to 462k. The salary range for Software Engineers varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
124.2k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average remote Software Engineer salary is $124,167, which is 32.4% higherthan the average remote startup salary of $93,792. RemoteSoftware Engineer salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$250,667/yr
Range $155k - $462k
Average
$124,167/yr
Range $90k - $160k
Below Average
$90,542/yr
Range $45k - $137k
Industries
The highest average salary remote Software Engineer can get in Business Intelligence, that is $419,500. This pay is 33.3% higher than the average remote Software Engineer salary, which is $314,750. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Business Intelligence (avg $419,500 per year), Hospitality (avg $419,500 per year), Vacation Rentals (avg $419,500 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary remote Software Engineer can get with Laravel, that is $419,500. This pay is 347.3% higher than the average Software Engineer salary in remote startups, which is $93,792. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying remote Software Engineer skills of 2026 are:
1. Laravel
$419.5k
2. Machine Learning
$195k
3. Go
$170k
4. Python
$150k
5. C++
$150k
6. Kubernetes
$150k
7. TypeScript
$150k
8. PHP
$130k
9. Kotlin
$130k
10. Docker
$130k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary remote Software Engineer can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $110,000. This pay is 17.3% higher than the average salary in remote startups, which is $93,792. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder