Software Engineer Salary in India (2026): Freshers to Senior, City by City
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In this guide
A software engineer in India earns between ₹3.5 LPA as a fresher in an IT services company and over ₹1 crore as a senior engineer at a top product company. The biggest factor is not your city. It is the type of company you work for.
The experience and city tables below follow Instahyre's 2026 salary guide. They are illustrative public-source estimates, not Artha AI's measured dataset or guaranteed offers. Company mix, role scope, equity and individual skills can produce very different outcomes.
Salary by experience and company type (CTC, LPA)
| Experience | IT services (TCS, Infosys, Wipro) | Product companies and GCCs | FAANG and top product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresher (0–1 yr) | ₹3.5–6 | ₹8–15 | ₹15–35 |
| Early career (2–4 yrs) | ₹5–10 | ₹12–25 | ₹25–50 |
| Mid-level (5–8 yrs) | ₹10–18 | ₹22–40 | ₹45–80 |
| Senior (8–12 yrs) | ₹18–30 | ₹35–60 | ₹70 LPA–₹1.2 Cr |
FAANG figures include stock (RSUs) averaged over four years. Your monthly cash pay will be lower than the CTC.
Salary by city (overall average ranges, LPA)
These are Instahyre's overall city average ranges across experience levels, not matched mid-level salaries. Do not compare them as if every city has the same employer or experience mix.
| City | Overall average CTC range |
|---|---|
| Bangalore | ₹13–16 |
| Hyderabad | ₹11–14 |
| Delhi NCR (Gurgaon, Noida) | ₹11–14 |
| Mumbai | ₹10–13 |
| Pune | ₹10–13 |
| Chennai | ₹8–11 |
| Tier-2 cities (Kochi, Indore, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad) | ₹6–9 |
Bangalore has the highest overall range in this source. Employer mix and the concentration of product companies and global capability centres (GCCs) help explain differences. Compare rent, living costs and the actual offer rather than choosing a city on salary alone.
Skills that pay more
The skill premiums below are indicative estimates cited in the public salary guides listed under Sources and further reading, not guaranteed uplifts or measured Artha AI outcomes.
| Skill | Typical premium over a generalist developer |
|---|---|
| AI/ML and LLM engineering | +30% to +100% |
| Cybersecurity | +30% to +50% |
| System design and distributed systems | +25% to +40% |
| Cloud, DevOps and SRE | +20% to +40% |
| Frontend (React) | Around market rate |
| Manual testing | Around 25% below market |
How engineers grow their salary
- Annual hike at the same company: usually 8–15%.
- Switching jobs: often a 30–50% jump in one move.
- Moving from services to product: the single biggest jump. Product companies often pay 2–3x more at the same experience level.
What does this mean in your bank account?
A 12 LPA CTC can mean about ₹93,000–₹96,000 a month in hand under the illustrated structure. Zero income tax under the new regime assumes an eligible resident individual with only normal slab-rate salary income and taxable income within the ₹12 lakh rebate limit after the ₹75,000 salary deduction. Other income can change eligibility; special-rate capital gains are not covered by the rebate. See our CTC to in-hand salary guide for the full breakup and assumptions.
Is software engineering still a safe career with AI?
AI coding tools are changing what junior engineers do, but demand for engineers who can design systems and work with AI is rising. Read Will AI replace software engineers in India? or check your AI risk score.
Explore the Software Engineer AI Risk Index to understand task exposure alongside pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the salary of a fresher software engineer in India?
Instahyre's indicative ranges are ₹3.5–6 LPA at IT services companies, ₹8–15 LPA at product companies and GCCs, and ₹15–35 LPA at top tech firms. These are public-source estimates, not guaranteed offers.
Which city pays software engineers the most?
Instahyre's overall average ranges put Bangalore at ₹13–16 LPA, followed by Hyderabad and Delhi NCR at ₹11–14 LPA. These are not experience-matched mid-level salaries.
How much does a software engineer with 5 years of experience earn?
Instahyre's indicative mid-level ranges are ₹10–18 LPA in services and ₹22–40 LPA in product companies and GCCs. Top firms can pay more; these are estimates, not guaranteed offers.
Do product companies pay more than service companies?
Yes, often 2–3x at the same experience level.
Which skill gives the highest salary jump?
AI/ML and LLM engineering has the largest indicative premium in the cited public-source estimates. A skill does not guarantee a pay rise; role, employer and demonstrated ability matter.
Sources and further reading
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