Testers in Ukraine earn $2200 – where they are paid the most

DOU has published a new report on the income of Ukrainian QA specialists for the summer of 2025. According to the survey, the average salary of testers after taxes has risen from $2000 to $2200 per month.

The main reason for this dynamic is the change in the market structure. Over the year, the share of beginners has noticeably decreased: the number of juniors and interns has dropped from 18% to 15%. And the share of experienced professionals at the Senior level and above has increased – now 42% against 39% six months ago.

For the first time in two years, Automation QA has seen a steady increase in pay. Thus, mid-level specialists receive an average of $175 more than six months ago, and Lead specialists receive about $150 more. Salaries for Senior AQA have remained almost unchanged, but may slowly increase.

For Manual QA specialists, the salary level has remained largely unchanged, with the exception of mid-level specialists, who now receive $100 more. Salaries of experienced General QAs have slightly decreased after the jump in winter 2024: $100 for Lead and $160 for Senior. However, they still remain higher than they were last year.

The type of company also affects salaries. Companies that develop their own products are more likely to pay more to beginners and mid-level specialists – over the past six months, Junior Manual QA salaries in such companies have increased by $100, and Middle Manual QA salaries have increased by $140. On the other hand, outstaffing companies traditionally pay more to Senior specialists and leads. Service companies have the highest rates for team leaders.

English

QAs with Upper-Intermediate English receive about $2500-$2800, and with Advanced – more than $3000, especially at the Middle and Senior levels. For juniors, language skills have almost no effect on salary – about $800-$1000.

Programming language

The programming language used at work also affects income. Those who work with C#/.NET and Java earn the most – on average, about $3000. Those who use TypeScript earn slightly less ($2900). The lowest salaries are among those who work mainly with Python and JavaScript – about $2500. Manual QAs who do not use programming languages at all earn about $1800.

Workplace

The place of work also matters. In big cities, salaries are usually 5-10% higher than in small cities. Testers from Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa have the highest incomes among cities, while the lowest are in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv. Meanwhile, Ukrainian QAs working abroad earn 10-20% more than their counterparts in Ukraine. Most Ukrainian testers are currently working in Poland, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

The study also showed that the share of QAs using programming languages in their work has increased to 51%. The most popular tools among automators and General QA are Postman and Playwright, which are used by more than 40% of specialists.

• Ukrainian IT companies such as Grammarly and MacPaw, have introduced rules for AI development. There are no AI laws in Ukraine yet.
• And Ukrainian programmers abroad earn up to $8800. English helps developers earn more.