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

Node.js is an increasingly popular platform for building applications, including websites and mobile apps. In 2022 Node.js was ranked as the 6th most popular technology, with over one-third of professional developers ranking it in the top (36% chose this platform). 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!

Mr. Krabs is talking about money

Node Salaries Market Trends

In 2022 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 according to StackOverflow’s 2022 Developer Survey. It was chosen by 42% of respondents.

In 2023, Node.js will continue to be a growing trend among developers and provide undeniable benefits that make it the preferred choice of computer framework. The usage of Node.js technology is expected to increase by 4-7% next year, bringing it closer to other popular JavaScript frameworks.

As a result, Node.js engineer salary has increased as well. Clearly visible how the average Node.js salary of a developer in the UK with different experience levels changed in the period from 2019 to the 2022 year:

Experience2019202020212022
Junior$36,000$39,000$42,000$45,000
Middle$52,000$57,000$61,000$64,000
Senior$75,000$83,000$90,000$96,000

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 2022, you can hire Node.js developers for the following price per year:

ExperienceUSAUKWestern Europe (Germany)Central Europe (Estonia)
Junior developer$75,000$35,000$30,000$17,640
Mid-level developer$115,000$60,000$50,000$32,760
Senior developer$140,000$100,000$83,000$49,440
The sources: Glassdoor, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter.

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 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.

Indeed.com further breaks down the difference in node js developer salary between junior and senior levels. While the average developer of this technology has three to nine years of programming experience in general, those with senior-level experience can expect to bring in far more than their junior counterparts (that is why a full-stack Node.js developer salary is so high). This is one more reason for a rate to rise:

Experience Level – US BasedSalary
Junior Developer$76,278
Full-Stack Developer$112,189
Senior Software Engineer$132,364
Junior Software Engineer$78,859
Frontend Developer$109,684
Backend Developer$116,254
Source: indeed.com

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 $115,850 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:

CountriesMedian Salary Rate for Node.js Developers
USA$115,791
Canada$106,000
United Kingdom$98,100
Israel$85,000
Estonia$57,200
Sources: ziprecruiter, talent, indeed
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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 massively. 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 salaries are far less:

RegionAverage salaries
NYC$125,000
San Diego$101,875
Toronto$106,000
San Francisco$130,822
Chiсago$109,563
Detroit$111,000
Vancouver$108,000
London$63,100
Sources: ziprecruiter, talent, indeed

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
ExperienceThe USALatin AmericaWestern EuropeCentral 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
ExperienceUSAUKWestern Europe (Germany)Central Europe (Estonia)
Junior developer$75,000$70,000$35,000$26,640
Mid-level developer$115,000$100,000$60,000$32,760
Senior developer$140,000$130,000$95,000$49,440
The sources: Glassdoor, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter.

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 managing 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 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 the 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 outstafing services, we can provide you with them under such rates:

  • average annual salary of $80,000 per project (however, everything depends on your project complexity and tasks that should be done);
  • the average hourly rate of $29 per hour.
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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 is to 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, and 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 comparing to the UK or US-based companies.

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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 key points of cooperation with ProCoders:

Cost-effective

ProCoders put much effort into ensuring that we are the greatest fit for our client’s 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 upfront 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 client’s projects and adjust to unanticipated circumstances. ProCoders always strive to offer extra resources or development services to fulfill deadlines.

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FAQ
How much does it cost to outsource Node.js development?

To outsource Node.js development, you should pay outsourcing companies approximately $60-80 per hour in the USA, $60-70 – in the UK, $50-65 – in Western Europe, and $35-50 in Central Europe per 1 developer. You can calculate the approximate cost for your project based on this and on how many developers you need. 

Besides, the cost of outsourcing a Node.js development will depend on various factors, including the engagement model, the developer’s experience level, location, and the specifications of each project.

Can I hire a Node.js developer via community in Discord?

Yes, you can hire Node.js developers via the community in Discord. There are many skilled developers in the community who are capable of delivering top-notch results within your given budget and timeline. However, you will still have to interview them to see if these developers are a good fit for your company.

How the middle Node.js developer’s and full-stack one efficiency differs?

Both the full-stack and middle Node.js developers are professionals who not only have knowledge of JavaScript but also know how to handle a wide range of tasks as a team leader at the same time. The difference between them is that the full-stack developer has excellent skills in each field, knows how to distribute workloads and can do both as they are skilled at front-end development, while the middle Node.js developer knows basic tasks but doesn’t have much experience.

What is the best proportion of junior, middle and full-stack developers to deliver an awesome product?

Professionals know that the ideal team consists of 30-50% of junior developers, 40-50% of middle ones, and there should also be 1-2 seniors. Full-stack specialists are not essential.

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!

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