Berlin · Salary Report
Berlin tech salaries — real ranges, 2026.
Base salary ranges for 11 tech roles in Berlin: Backend, Frontend, Mobile, Data, ML, DevOps, Product, Design, Engineering Management. Junior to Staff. Updated quarterly.
Compiled from public salary reports, Levels.fyi self-reported data, Glassdoor distributions, and observed disclosures from the Ampli Berlin jobs board. Last update: 2026-06-25.
| Role | Junior 0–2 yrs | Mid 2–5 yrs | Senior 5–8 yrs | Staff / Lead 8+ yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backend Engineer Higher end at funded scaleups (€10M+ Series A/B). Lower end at agencies. | €55k–€70k | €70k–€95k | €90k–€130k | €120k–€175k |
| Frontend Engineer React/Next.js dominates. TypeScript premium of ~5-8%. | €50k–€65k | €65k–€90k | €85k–€120k | €110k–€160k |
| Fullstack Engineer Same band as backend in practice; "fullstack" titles trend slightly lower at large companies. | €55k–€70k | €70k–€95k | €90k–€125k | €115k–€165k |
| Mobile Engineer (iOS / Android) iOS slight premium. React Native / Flutter generalists earn ~10% less than native. | €55k–€70k | €70k–€95k | €90k–€130k | €120k–€170k |
| DevOps / SRE / Platform Engineer Kubernetes + multi-cloud experience adds ~10-15%. On-call commands a premium at scaleups. | €60k–€75k | €75k–€100k | €95k–€140k | €130k–€185k |
| Data Engineer Cloud data warehousing (BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks) is the hot stack in Berlin. | €60k–€75k | €75k–€100k | €95k–€135k | €125k–€175k |
| Data Scientist | €55k–€70k | €70k–€95k | €90k–€130k | €120k–€170k |
| Machine Learning Engineer LLM/Generative AI experience adds significant premium in 2026 — top of band at AI-first startups. | €65k–€80k | €80k–€110k | €100k–€145k | €130k–€200k |
| Product Manager Senior PM at funded scaleups typically lands €100-115k base, plus equity. | €55k–€70k | €70k–€95k | €90k–€130k | €120k–€180k |
| Product Designer Design Systems specialists and Staff/Principal designers earn at the top of band. | €45k–€60k | €60k–€80k | €75k–€110k | €100k–€145k |
| Engineering Manager Director / VP Eng: €160-230k+ base. CTO at funded startup: €150-200k + significant equity. | €90k–€110k | €100k–€135k | €120k–€165k | €145k–€210k |
All figures are gross annual base salary in EUR, excluding equity, sign-on bonuses, and performance bonuses. Click a role to see open jobs in that category.
Methodology
How we built this
Berlin tech salary data is fragmented. There's no single authoritative source. We triangulate four:
- Public salary reports — StepStone Gehaltsreport, Honeypot State of European Engineering, EU-Startups annual benchmarks.
- Self-reported data on Levels.fyi — particularly useful for Big Tech and well-known scaleups with multiple data points.
- Glassdoor base-pay distributions — the median is reliable; we use 25th–75th percentile as our band edges.
- Ampli jobs board observations — when Berlin employers post salary ranges directly in job descriptions, we record them.
We weight self-reported and observed data more heavily than Glassdoor. We exclude outliers (Big Tech Berlin offices paying SF rates skew the high end; agencies and non-tech employers with engineering titles skew the low end).
These ranges describe typical offers. Top performers and people at hot/late-stage scaleups will land above the top of band; agency, freelance-to-perm, and non-tech employer engineering roles will often sit below.
FAQ
About Berlin tech salaries
How accurate is this Berlin tech salary data?
These ranges are compiled from public salary reports (StepStone Gehaltsreport, Honeypot State of Engineering), self-reported data on Levels.fyi, Glassdoor base-pay distributions, and observed salary disclosures from the Ampli Berlin jobs board. They reflect base salary for full-time roles at startups, scaleups, and tech companies headquartered in Berlin. Equity, sign-on bonuses, and annual bonuses are not included.
What is a typical senior software engineer salary in Berlin?
In 2026, senior software engineers (5-8 years experience) in Berlin typically earn €85,000-€130,000 base salary depending on stack and company size. Backend and infrastructure roles trend higher than frontend. At well-funded scaleups (Series B+, €50M+ raised), the top of that range is common.
Do Berlin tech salaries include stock options?
These numbers are base salary only. Most funded Berlin startups offer equity in addition: typically 0.05-0.5% for senior engineers, more for early hires. At later-stage scaleups, equity tends to be smaller percentages but with higher dollar value. RSUs at established tech (Zalando, Delivery Hero, SAP) work similarly to US companies.
Why is Berlin pay lower than London, Amsterdam, or US tech hubs?
Berlin has lower cost of living (especially housing) than London or Amsterdam, and dramatically lower than SF/NYC/Seattle. After-tax purchasing power for a senior engineer at €110k in Berlin is often comparable to £80k in London or $180k in San Francisco. Public health care, longer vacation (28+ days standard), and parental leave also offset gross-pay gaps.
Which Berlin tech employers pay top of band?
Late-stage scaleups with recent fundraises (Personio, Pitch, Mistral.AI, GetYourGuide), AI-first companies, established US tech with Berlin offices (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, AWS), and Big Tech Berlin offices (Meta, Salesforce) typically pay at or above the top of these ranges. Early-stage startups (seed / Series A) typically sit mid-band but offer more equity upside.
How often is this Berlin salary data updated?
The Ampli team updates these ranges quarterly. Last update: 2026-06-25. If you have firsthand data points to contribute, email hello@ampli.xyz.
Do these salaries reflect German tax or take-home?
These are gross annual base salary numbers — what's in your offer letter and on your contract. For take-home, expect 55-65% of gross after Lohnsteuer (income tax), health insurance, and social contributions for a single tech employee. See our /berlin/relocate guide for an effective-tax-rate breakdown by income.
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