Node.js Developer Salaries – Guide to Hire and Save Budget [True Saving, not Traps]

Node.js is an increasingly popular platform for building applications, including websites and mobile apps. In 2025, Node.js is used by 48.7% of all respondents (49.1% among professional developers), making it the most-used web framework/technology, according to the Stack Overflow survey. Startups may use Node.js web development services to get their software off the ground quickly and into users’ hands as fast as possible. If you are looking for a Node.js developer to help you save not only your time but also your development costs, then you’re at the right place at the right time.

In this article, ProCoders will provide you with all tips and tricks for finding a good developer for a reasonable price, compare pricing for different countries, and even consider costs for different engagement models. Are you already interested in boosting your business in terms of budget? Then read further!

Node Salaries Market Trends

In 2025, the popularity of Node.js increased exponentially. Developers have embraced the advantages of Node.js, and as a consequence, expertise on the platform is in demand, as well. Netflix, NASA, Uber, Trello, PayPal, Twitter, and more currently use the Node.js framework. Among web programmers, Node.js has been named the most popular web technology every year by Stack Overflow, being chosen by:

• 47.12% responders in 2022
• 42.65% responders in 2023
• 40.8% responders in 2024
• 48.7% responders in 2025

In 2026, Node.js is expected to continue being a growing trend among developers and provide undeniable benefits that make it the preferred choice of computer framework.

Node.js salary is higher than average for developers in the industry, and it’s even more competitive compared to popular positions like PHP or WordPress developer jobs. In 2026, you will be able to hire Node.js developers for the following price per year:

Experience	USA	UK	Western Europe (Germany)	Central Europe (Estonia)
Junior developer	$113,191	£33,399	€54,215 (Berlin)	€26,821
Mid-level developer	$141,668	£42,372	€56,267 (Berlin)	€38,344
Senior developer	$179,014	£53,755	€58,320 (Berlin)	€47,669

The sources: Glassdoor, Salary Expert.

However, it’s not the top. Let’s look at how the Node.js developer salary rates are set up in the next sections of this article.

Node JS Developers’ Salary Criteria and Can the High Rate be the Seniority Indicator

How do Node.js programmer salary rates break down worldwide? We’ll look at this from a global, regional, and seniority point of view.

Node.js Developer Average Salary: Depending on Experience

The Node.js developer’s average salary can vary widely, anywhere from 50 to 100 percent, depending on how long the candidate has been working with the platform. For 100%, you can take the salary of a senior Node.js engineer in the US for about 100 thousand dollars per year. In Central Europe (Estonia, Croatia, etc.), the average salary of such a specialist will be about 50 thousand dollars per year.

Node.js Developer Average Salary: Depending on Countries

When setting your development budget, consider that the cost of living varies worldwide, affecting the average Node.js developer’s salary. Even though Node.js experts are highly sought after and wanted, their wages can be lower than you expect in some countries, and we are talking about not only India.

For instance, Node.js developer salaries in the United States are among the world’s highest – approximately $141,657 per year. However, Estonia-based salaries for Node.js engineers can be less than half that, making it possible to hire offshore developers for half the price if you look outside your home country. The reason for that is that in Central Europe, the cost of living is much lower than in Western Europe or the USA, which makes employees be more affordable:

Countries	Median Salary Rate for Node.js Developers (exchange rates as of Nov 2025)
USA	$141,657/year
Canada	≈ $59,630/year
United Kingdom	≈ $66,100/year
Israel	≈ $69,700/year
Estonia	≈ $40,700/year

Sources: Glassdoor, TalentUp

Node.js Developer Average Salary: Depending on Regions

Companies that need IT talent tend to congregate in cities where the cost of living is low. However, after they place their office there, the process of gentrification is possible. It’s when prices rise due to the fact that programmers relocate to those regions in massive numbers. The increased cost of living can be as much as 20 percent higher in these cities than in others.

The impact of living costs on the salaries of IT talent can be seen in the chart below. Node.js developers in NYC have a median annual salary of $125,815, while the same developer living in London would be worth $63,132. If you hire your IT talent to work for you remotely, it pays to hire in regions where it costs less for those workers to live, and the average Node.js developer’s salary is far less:

Region	Average salaries/year
NYC	$147,900
San Diego	$152,400
Toronto	$131,000
San Francisco	$138,800
Chiсago	$119,600
Detroit	$82,500 (≈ CA $114,800)
Vancouver	$80,600 (≈ CA $112,000)
London	$68,800 (≈ £54,200)

Sources: Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter.com, Talent.com

Node.js Salaries: Depending on Engagement Models

There are four major engagement models for employing Node.js developers: freelancer, in-house specialist, and outstaffing. Let’s consider the features of all models and the average salary depending on the level of developers’ experience and location.

Freelance

Using the services of freelance developers is widespread because it provides flexibility and relieves employers of the need to complete various recruiting, onboarding, and employee maintenance processes. It’s a good choice for completing short-term, straightforward projects and small tasks.

Pros: 

• competitive pricing 
• a wide talent pool available on several freelancing platforms (Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal).

Cons: 

• potential misunderstandings (if your freelance developer belongs to another culture), 
• a mismatch between claimed and actual skillset
• a possibility that your freelance developer would disappear when they face some challenges

Experience	The USA	Latin America	Western Europe	Central Europe
Junior	$41-60/hour	$41-60/hour	$61-80/hour	$41-60/hour
Middle	$61-80/hour	$41-60/hour	$61-80/hour	$41-60/hour
Senior	$101-120/hour	$41-60/hour	$61-80/hour	$61-80/hour

The source: arc.dev

In-house specialist

The employment of in-house specialists is the most expensive model, and it works best for large-scale projects that are planned to be constantly modified and updated. It doesn’t work well for startups or small-sized projects that don’t require constant involvement from Node.js developers – those types of clients should look into other alternatives.

Pros: 

• complete control over the development process
• direct connection with the employee
• no risk to security

Cons: 

• expensive hiring 
• personnel maintenance procedures
• additional equipment maintenance expenses
• a lengthy search for the required specialist

Outstaffing

The outstaffing process involves hiring Node.js developers from nearshore/offshore companies to work alongside your in-house staff. This method is similar to outsourcing, but a hired specialist becomes a part of your team, and all the management stuff falls on you. 

Pros: 

• a high level of flexibility
• complete control over the development process
• the ability to discover highly specialized developers at competitive rates
• the ability to avoid hidden hiring costs

Cons: 

• time zone difference (in case of offshore outstaffing)
• cultural differences
• language barrier (in case a developer lives in another country)

In the case of ProCoders, we check the English level of our candidates, so their knowledge responds to the client’s expectations when hiring them. What’s more, we don’t consider the time zone difference as a problem: it’s a good opportunity for us to make your development process continuous! For example, when you sleep, you know that our developers work on your product when it’s their daytime.

In case you’re interested in outstaffing, ProCoders is a trusted provider of development services all over the world. We have worked on tons of projects and have mostly only excellent reviews. 

If you’re interested in the outstaffing services, we can provide you with them at such rates:

• average annual salary of $80,000 per project (however, everything depends on your project complexity and the tasks that should be done);
• the hourly rate of $29+ per hour.

Low Rates Traps or Why You Can Pay Double Price

When a business owner hires a junior developer to work on an IT startup, they may think they are saving money. However, if the developer does not know enough about Node.js or its design concepts and paradigms, mistakes and assumptions will be made, leading to wasted time and potential overspending.

Additionally, since most Node.js application projects are based on the concept of rapid development, it is easy to miss out on the essential factors of certain applications that significantly impact performance and cost later down the line.

What’s more, missed deadlines can also lead to a doubling of the price of your project since you have to increase development time, set a new deadline, and pay all employees accordingly for this time. If you decide to “save” money and hire a Node.js developer at a very low price, later, you will have to pay from 50% to 75% over your budget for fixing errors and other problems.

What Else Could Affect the Cost of Node JS Developer

The demand for IT talent, level of experience, education, and location will always be the primary drivers that set prices for IT talent.

Factors that may affect the value of one Node.js Developer as compared to another include:

• They have a firm grasp of development tools, including Node Package Manager (npm) and Grunt.
• Expertise in troubleshooting complex problems, including juggling user authentication and authorization between multiple systems and servers;
• Understanding of how to make programs work well as they grow in size and complexity;
• Demonstrated experience in using agile and lean methodologies;
• Expertise in overall project management.

3 Tips to Hire Node JS Engineers at a Reasonable Hourly Rate

Here are some valuable tips to help you hire the right Node.js developers at a reasonable hourly rate:

Contact Outstaffing Company

If you want to find developers but don’t want to go through the process yourself, then you can opt to work with an outstaffing company.

Outstaffing companies have a pre-found talent pool of Node.js developers who are already screened, passed all the test tasks, and answered all the Node.js interview questions. All you need to do is contact them, explain your needs, and wait for a company to provide you with a specialist needed for your team.

This method is not expensive and allows you to save time, effort, and resources. It allows you to save your precious time, effort, and resources and avoid hidden hiring costs. Also, the possibility of getting a high-quality outstaffed developer at a reasonable rate will increase if you contact the ProCoders company.

Hire Developers from Central Europe

Hiring a Node.js developer from Estonia, Portugal, or Croatia will cost you less than hiring a developer from the United States, Great Britain, or Eastern Europe (Germany, France). The cost of living is much lower in these countries, the quality of education is high, and the tax rates are low. So it’s best to look for a Node.js developer there if you want to hire them at a reasonable salary and get a quality product.

Try Hiring With the Referrals Help

A referral from the office referral program, friends, ex-employees, or anyone from your network is a great way to find an affordable and reliable long-term Node.js developer. They tend to fit in easily and stay with your company in the long haul because they already know a little about the job and workplace culture. Word-of-mouth can attract high-quality developers at a reasonable hourly rate.

Where to Find Appropriate Node.js Developers and Save Budget with ProCoders

Instead of suffering a headache because of all the hiring stuff, you can contact ProCoders, who not only can vet your contract hires for their skill levels but can offer you the talent you need at half the cost compared to the UK or US-based companies.

In addition, our Estonia-based talent pool is English-speaking and well-versed in all the major languages and platforms you need to meet all your project milestones!

Here are the key points of cooperation with ProCoders:

Cost-effective

ProCoders put much effort into ensuring that we are the greatest fit for our clients’ requirements so that they receive the most value for their money while using our services. 

No hidden costs

There won’t be any surprises later while working with us, and everything about the whole cost of the job will be clear. 

Transparency

Every workflow stage is open and honest, especially regarding prices. We will inform our clients if their suggested budget or project deadline is unattainable. Also, ProCoders will let them know about the non-relevant technology they selected and provide an alternative. 

Flexible and involved

We actively participate in our clients’ projects and adjust to unanticipated circumstances. ProCoders always strive to offer extra resources or development services to fulfill deadlines.

Conclusion

As you can see, deciding where and how to hire Node.js programming talent will significantly impact your next development project: cost and time savings of hiring contract programmers in lower-cost markets—like Estonia—often outweigh those considerations.

Hiring in countries where the cost of living is low can help you reduce your costs by about half. You will also save time and money when you choose a company that can facilitate the hiring process for you, like ProCoders. With our help, you can assemble a highly qualified team in as little as two to three weeks, with a minimum of onboarding headaches.

The demand for Node.js developers is rising, and competition for these programmers is fierce. By understanding the market you are hiring in, you will be better positioned to find qualified candidates and secure the right team.

At ProCoders, we’d love to help you assemble at the right time at the right price! You can also find information about the cost to hire a mobile app developer in our blog!