
JavaScript Salaries, Rates, and Team Costs Review Comparison Germany and Ukraine
In this study, we relied on deep knowledge and detailed monthly market analyzes in JavaScript technologies – ReactJS, VueJS, ReactNative, NodeJS, as well as delivery teams consisting of PM, BA, QA, DevOps specialists.
For each position in the team, we will provide a short definition, project role and minimum skill set.
Germany developer cost structure

The national corporate tax rate for entities in Germany is 15%. In addition, they owe 5.5% for a solidarity surcharge related to reunification costs.
Every employee in Germany had an average of 28 days of vacation. The employer continues to pay the salary during the vacation.
Insurance (12%) and HR, office expenses (5%)
Recruitment agencies will charge 20% on average for their services.
Ukraine developer cost structure

Ukraine has privileged taxes for IT companies. So overall taxes are 6.5% and this tax is traditionally divided between employee and employer.
Ukrainian workers are guaranteed 18 days of paid vacation under the law.
Accounting, management, benefits, insurance, etc.
Recruitment Agencies typically charge 8-12% of the total compensation of the new hire.
Lead Developer
The main tasks are to lay down the correct architecture of the project in accordance with the requirements of the development and scalability of the project, control and make decisions regarding the frameworks, libraries and technologies used. Also, Lead Developer is responsible for the composition of the team, the distribution of tasks according to the skills of the team and coordination within the team.
Required skill set and experience
-
Able to work independently on projects and provide technical and architectural solutions and can delegate tasks to senior, middle, and junior developers.
-
Level D3 of the competency matrix in key languages and frameworks – it means maximum theoretical knowledge.
-
At least 8 years working experience as a developer and was a part of a team in 2-3 projects.
-
Practical experience in development team management.
-
Experience in building project architecture from scratch, able to communicate with customers.
-
English C1+
Lead developer Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €66,881
€55,503
€50,666
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €107,222
€88,981
€67,555
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €88,113
€73,123
€61,925
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€9,506
€6,192
Vacations

€8,482
€4,645
Recruitment fees

€14,625
€6,192
Average inhouse costs

€120,726
€78,955
Average inhouse rate

€62
€41
Average outsourcing costs

€169,016
€110,537
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€88
€57
Team Costs Review Comparison
Germany and Ukraine
Senior Developer
On a project, as a rule, a senior developer is responsible for creating the main components of the project in accordance with the laid down architecture, controlling their quality, compatibility and maximum performance in accordance with the assigned tasks. In addition, he leads the investigation & resolution of complex software issues.
Required skill set and experience
-
Able to work independently on projects and provide technical solutions.
-
Excellent technical expertise and business domain knowledge.
-
Can delegate tasks to middle and junior developers.
-
Level D3 of the competency matrix in key languages and frameworks.
-
At least 4 years working experience as a developer and was a part of a team in 2-3 projects.
-
English B2+
Senior Developer Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €66,881
€55,503
€37,155
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €107,222
€88,981
€56,296
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €87,052
€72,242
€51,588
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€9,391
€5,067
Vacations

€8,380
€3,800
Recruitment fees

€14,448
€5,067
Average inhouse costs

€119,272
€64,599
Average inhouse rate

€63
€33
Average outsourcing costs

€166,980
€90,439
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€87
€44
Middle Developer
The main tasks of these developers are the development of small project components and the development of existing components. Simply put, this is an independent work on tasks of average complexity in accordance with the laid down architecture. In fact, on every project there are about 50% of such tasks, where complex architectural solutions are not required.
Required skill set and experience
-
D3 matrix capability level in key languages and frameworks.
-
2 years working experience as a developer at least at 2 projects.
-
Complete the task independently.
-
Communication skills within the team.
-
Skills of resolving atypical situations.
Middle Developer Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €52,761
€43,786
€28,148
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €87,476
€72,594
€45,037
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €68,898
€57,177
€33,778
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€7,433
€3,378
Vacations

€6,632
€2,534
Recruitment fees

€11,435
€3,378
Average inhouse costs

€94,399
€43,067
Average inhouse rate

€49
€22
Average outsourcing costs

€132,159
€60,293
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€69
€35
Junior Developer
The main tasks of these developers is to help develop parts of components or pattern blocks of a project. Junior programmers work under the strict supervision of senior engineers, in fact, they are assistants to developers on the project and help to perform more routine tasks, thereby saving the senior’s time and delay. Often in projects such tasks are from 20% to 40%. Junior Developers may suggests software development direction & provide status reports. Also, he may be involved in the investigation & resolution of issues.
Required skill set and experience
-
Well versed in technology, but has little or no commercial experience.
-
Level D2 of the competency matrix.
-
At least 1 year working experience as a developer.
Junior Developer Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €45,542
€37,795
€14,637
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €68,314
€56,692
€22,518
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €56,690
€47,045
€18,015
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€6,116
€1,802
Vacations

€5,457
€1,351
Recruitment fees

€9,409
€1,802
Average inhouse costs

€77,672
€22,969
Average inhouse rate

€41
€12
Average outsourcing costs

€108,741
€43,640
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€56
€22
Project Manager/Business Analyst
Manages a project, and may lead its teams. Responsible for all aspects of project management & ensures timely, quality deliverables. Promotes regular communication. Monitors and reports on project progress. Works closely with client to set directions, develop & implement strategies, solutions and process improvement initiatives.
Required skill set and experience
-
2+ years IT PM / BA experience.
-
Good knowledge of project management foundations: planning, scheduling, project communication, issue resolution, change management, and risk management (PM).
-
Ability to engage with the client in technology discussions.
-
Experience in the use of multiple structured Agile methodologies (PM).
-
Thorough understanding of the scope management and control (BA).
-
English C1+
-
Good understanding of software architecture design and development principles
PM/BA Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €53,930
€44,755
€16,889
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €107,838
€89,492
€33,778
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €74,312
€61,670
€28,148
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€8,017
€2,815
Vacations

€7,154
€2,111
Recruitment fees

€12,334
€2,815
Average inhouse costs

€102,698
€35,888
Average inhouse rate

€53
€18
Average outsourcing costs

€142,544
€50,244
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€74
€31
Lead PM/BA
The tasks of the Lead PM / BA are to control the quality and efficiency of the development process, set up the work process for a new project, plan scaling, composition of the delivery team, coordinate PM, BA, QA on the project.
Required skill set and experience
-
4+ years IT PM / BA experience.
-
Good knowledge of project management foundations: planning, scheduling, project communication, issue resolution, change management, and risk management (PM).
-
Ability to engage with the client in technology discussions and good understanding of software architecture design and development principles.
-
Experience in the use of multiple structured Agile methodologies (PM).
-
Thorough understanding of the scope management and control (BA).
-
English C1+
PM/BA Lead Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €76,648
€63,432
€28,148
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €148,625
€123,340
€45,037
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €104,250
€86,514
€37,155
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€11,247
€3,715
Vacations

€10,035
€2,787
Recruitment fees

€17,303
€3,715
Average inhouse costs

€142,835
€47,373
Average inhouse rate

€74
€25
Average outsourcing costs

€199,968
€75,797
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€104
€40
QA Manual
This position is required to save time for developers, PM / BA and Product Owner on a project, as well as to analyze all dependencies when creating new product features and to minimize the number of bugs in production.
Required skill set and experience
-
Report bugs and errors to development teams .
-
Create test cases and test plans for manual web-based testing .
-
Review and analyze requirements to create test cases and scenarios .
-
Write clear and accurate user documentation, instructions, and release notes
-
Understanding of software development life cycle.
-
Experience in HTML / CSS and knowledge of SQL as well as experience in API testing.
-
Knowledge of testing methodologies and processes.
-
Experience in manual functional, regression, specification, usability testing.
QA Manual Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €31,158
€25,857
€14,637
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €53,930
€44,755
€28,148
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €50,320
€41,759
€20,266
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€5,429
€2,026
Vacations

€4,838
€1,520
Recruitment fees

€8,352
€2,026
Average inhouse costs

€68,944
€25,840
Average inhouse rate

€36
€13
Average outsourcing costs

€117,206
€43,928
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€61
€22
QA Automation
This position is especially important in the later stages of product development. Automating the testing process significantly saves the team’s time for testing and deploying new versions of the product.
Required skill set and experience
-
Strong test automation design skills (OOP, composition, Page Object, Singleton, Keyword-Driven testing, SOLID, etc.).
-
Strong skills in interaction with web systems (HTML, XML, cookies, web storage, cache, HTTP, REST).
-
Strong Cypress usage skills.
-
Ability to write advanced SQL queries (SELECT incl. JOIN, INSERT, UPDATE, inner queries).
-
Experience in testing REST API and backend servers.
-
Experience with mobile automation testing (Appium or alternatives).
-
Experience testing and troubleshooting web applications (e.g. Chrome Dev Tools).
QA Automation Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €61,106
€50,790
€16,889
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €95,862
€79,554
€36,029
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €69,535
€57,705
€28,148
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€7,502
€2,815
Vacations

€6,694
€2,111
Recruitment fees

€11,541
€2,815
Average inhouse costs

€95,272
€35,888
Average inhouse rate

€49
€18
Average outsourcing costs

€133,381
€50,244
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€70
€31
UIX Designer
The main tasks of a UX designer are to work closely with a Business Analyst on a project and create user interfaces for the future product. When working on UX, designers analyze the basic needs of users and the relationship between the main modules of the product to create the most convenient interface.
Required skill set and experience
-
At least 2 years of commercial experience as a UI/UX Designer.
-
Good understanding of the iterative development approach.
-
Good knowledge of mobile design patterns, iOS, and Android guidelines.
-
Experience with responsive web design.
-
Ability to translate wireframes into UI, provide variability of styles.
-
Extensive experience of work with Figma, using components and auto-layouts.
-
Extensive experience in prototyping and interaction design.
-
Experience with user research and testing.
-
At least an Upper-Intermediate English level.
UIX Designer Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €46,711
€38,764
€18,015
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €97,031
€80,523
€36,209
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €64,758
€53,741
€31,526
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€6,986
€3,152
Vacations

€6,234
€2,365
Recruitment fees

€10,748
€3,152
Average inhouse costs

€88,726
€40,196
Average inhouse rate

€46
€21
Average outsourcing costs

€124,217
€64,312
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€64
€31
DevOps
Among the main responsibilities of DevOps on a project are continuous integration and delivery (CI / CD), server deployment automation (IaC), monitoring, reporting, and working closely with backend engineers to develop the most effective solution that meets product requirements.
Required skill set and experience
-
Experience in Linux / UNIX administration must be practical, at least 2 years.
-
Experience with MSSQL, Postgres databases.
-
Deep understanding of ELK stack.
-
Knowledge of Bash / Shell.
-
Knowledge of Log + visualization: Graylog + Grafana.
-
Experience with CI / CD processes (Gitlab).
-
Experience with high-load distributions of systems.
-
Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
DevOps Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Taxes
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Salary minimum including taxes

Tax. €59,875
€49,688
€28,148
Salary maximum including taxes

Tax. €74,312
€61,670
€50,666
Salary average including taxes

Tax. €67,093
€55,679
€39,407
HR expenses (accounting, management, benefits, insurance etc)

€7,238
€3,941
Vacations

€6,459
€2,956
Recruitment fees

€11,136
€3,941
Average inhouse costs

€91,926
€50,244
Average inhouse rate

€48
€26
Average outsourcing costs

€128,696
€69,461
Average outsourcing rate per hour

€67
€40
Team Costs Review Comparison
Germany and Ukraine
Frontend development Team Composition and cost
In Javascript, frontend teams can develop both web and mobile, using technologies such as React Native. In modern development, it is supposed to work closely with the backend teams that develop the API, transfer the necessary endpoints for the development of frontend components that are independent of the backend.
Typical team composition
- Lead Frontend Developer. The lead developer can be hired full-time at the start of the project and then part-time as a consultant after the main team is assembled.
- Further, as a rule, the team can be linked with a Senior developer, 3 Middle developers, 1 Junior, or 2 Middle, 2 Junior developers – depending on the complexity of the project.
- To coordinate such a team, you will need BA full time, as well as QA. PM can be part time, or one for the whole project – for back and front teams.
Frontend Team Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Outsource
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Senior React/Vue developer

€13,963
€9,973
€7,072
Middle React/Vue developer

€11,051
€7,893
€5,658
Middle React/Vue developer

€11,051
€7,893
€5,658
Junior React/Vue developer

€9,093
€6,495
€3,536
UIX designer

€10,387
€7,419
€4,950
Business Analyst

€11,919
€8,514
€3,536
Manual QA

€9,800
€5,765
€3,536
Part time PM

€5,960
€4,256
€2,475
Lead as a service

€2,524
€2,523
€2,298
Full team

€85,746
€60,732
€38,719
Backend development Team Composition and cost
The main tasks of the backend team are creating a scalable backend architecture, working with databases, developing the platform API and the necessary endpoints for developing the frontend. Moreover, if web and mobile are developed using hybrid technologies such as React Native, very often one backend team is able to work with several frontend teams.
Typical team composition
- The backend team is assembled according to the same principle as the front-end team. Truthfully, except for the skills of the chosen framework, specialists with skills in working and optimizing databases are often needed. And also the attraction of DevOps for high-quality configuration and optimization of the server or cloud solution. In small teams DevOps may be partially involved.
Backend Team Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Outsource
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Senior NodeJS developer

€13,963
€9,973
€7,072
Middle NodeJS developer

€11,051
€7,893
€5,658
Middle NodeJS developer

€11,051
€7,893
€5,658
Junior NodeJS developer

€9,093
€6,495
€3,536
Business Analyst

€11,919
€8,514
€4,950
Manual QA

€9,800
€5,765
€3,536
Part time DevOps

€5,3811
€3,844
€3,182
Part time PM

€5,960
€4,256
€2,475
Lead as a service

€2,524
€2,523
€2,298
Full team

€80,740
€57,157
€38,366
Full-Stack development Team Composition
As a rule, in a full-stack team consisting of front-end and back-end developers, we will single out a PM in a separate role, who is responsible for the interaction and development process of the entire team.
Typical team composition
- In addition, we have introduced such positions as CTO as a Service, Delivery Manager as a Service, which allow projects to attract maximum expertise for development, while not spending expensive specialists on full-time in the team for permanent work.
Full-Stack Team Ukraine vs Germany

Germany
Germany Outsource
Ukraine
Cost-saving
Frontend team

€85,746
€60,732
€38,719
Backend team

€80,740
€57,157
€38,366
Full team

€166,486
€117,889
€77,085
Development environment and cost
In addition to the costs of paying for developers’ time, as a rule, you need to pay for a development environment and a treasure of services or a server, among which are required an environment for managing projects such as Jira, systems for development and version control such as Gitlab or GitHub, cloud providers such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, IDE software, code quality control systems, etc.
Summary
In this article, we have provided statistics based on salary analysis resources – Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com, Dou.ua , as well as our experience in launching a large number of projects with dedicated medium and large teams and analysis of the work of our colleagues for small and medium-sized ones. and large IT companies that provide outsourcing services for development teams.
All data are relevant at the beginning of 2022, and we plan to update them every quarter, since now the development market is developing very quickly and changes can occur quite quickly.
In case of inaccuracy of certain data, please write to us, and we will immediately make the necessary corrections. Also, if you have comments or questions on any block, we will be happy to advise you.
Team Costs Review Comparison
Germany and Ukraine