How Much Do Ukrainian Testers Earn: $2,250 Median (Winter 2026)
DOU has released the results of its winter salary survey of Ukrainian QA specialists. In December 2025, the median salary for testers rose by $50 compared with six months earlier, reaching $2,250. This is the highest median level recorded in the community’s salary surveys.
All salaries are reported in US dollars after taxes. Median values are used to analyze compensation levels.
- The growth in median salary was driven primarily by two roles: QA Tech Lead and Junior QA.
- At the same time, median wages for Middle QA and Senior QA specialists remained unchanged over the past six months.
- Negative trends were observed in management roles: QA Team Lead salaries declined by $100, while Head/Manager positions saw a $300 decline over the same period.
- The highest median salaries are earned by QA specialists working with C# / .NET, TypeScript, and Java. For these technologies, median compensation reached $3,000 or more.
- The lowest median salaries were reported among QA specialists using JavaScript ($2,100) and SQL ($1,800).
Ukrainian Testers Abroad
- QA specialists currently living abroad earn more than their counterparts in Ukraine. At the Junior level, the difference is minimal. However, Middle-level specialists abroad earn nearly 23% more, Seniors earn 16% more, and Leads earn 21% more.
- Among relocated specialists, the highest median salaries were recorded in Spain, Poland, and Germany.
Median Salaries of Men and Women
- Men almost always have a higher median salary than women. Early in their careers, the pay gap is insignificant, but after roughly 7–8 years of experience, the difference becomes much more pronounced, reaching $500–600.
- As in previous survey waves, the smallest gender pay gaps are observed in Manual QA, while the largest are found in Automation QA.
- Job title also plays a role: among Juniors, the pay gap between men and women is minimal, but at the Senior level, men earn significantly more on average than women with the same level of experience.
Earlier, we published data on developer salaries for this winter as well.
How Much Do Ukrainian Testers Earn: $2,250 Median (Winter 2026)
DOU has released the results of its winter salary survey of Ukrainian QA specialists. In December 2025, the median salary for testers rose by $50 compared with six months earlier, reaching $2,250. This is the highest median level recorded in the community’s salary surveys.
All salaries are reported in US dollars after taxes. Median values are used to analyze compensation levels.
- The growth in median salary was driven primarily by two roles: QA Tech Lead and Junior QA.
- At the same time, median wages for Middle QA and Senior QA specialists remained unchanged over the past six months.
- Negative trends were observed in management roles: QA Team Lead salaries declined by $100, while Head/Manager positions saw a $300 decline over the same period.
- The highest median salaries are earned by QA specialists working with C# / .NET, TypeScript, and Java. For these technologies, median compensation reached $3,000 or more.
- The lowest median salaries were reported among QA specialists using JavaScript ($2,100) and SQL ($1,800).
Ukrainian Testers Abroad
- QA specialists currently living abroad earn more than their counterparts in Ukraine. At the Junior level, the difference is minimal. However, Middle-level specialists abroad earn nearly 23% more, Seniors earn 16% more, and Leads earn 21% more.
- Among relocated specialists, the highest median salaries were recorded in Spain, Poland, and Germany.
Median Salaries of Men and Women
- Men almost always have a higher median salary than women. Early in their careers, the pay gap is insignificant, but after roughly 7–8 years of experience, the difference becomes much more pronounced, reaching $500–600.
- As in previous survey waves, the smallest gender pay gaps are observed in Manual QA, while the largest are found in Automation QA.
- Job title also plays a role: among Juniors, the pay gap between men and women is minimal, but at the Senior level, men earn significantly more on average than women with the same level of experience.
Earlier, we published data on developer salaries for this winter as well.
