According to the latest ZipRecruiter research, the React salaries in the United States varied from $56,000 to $160,000 in 2019. Thus, the average React developer salary equals $114,502. If you compare it to the salary of Ukrainian ReactJS professionals of the same level, you’ll see a huge gap — they earn around 500% less than their U.S. counterparts.
How does this compare to other JavaScript rates? And how likely are React developers to land a high-paying job in different countries? How and where to hire the best React programmers for an affordable price? In this article, we’ll answer all the questions you might have about one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks.
source: ZipRecruiter
What’s React and a reasonable React developer salary?
React is a JavaScript-based framework first used by Facebook. It encompasses the approach, according to which you can create app interfaces using pre-made JavaScript building blocks. With a growing number of organizations using React, the framework is growing more powerful with every year. This is due to two reasons: 1) Easy entry point — a programmer should master a JavaScript library and have a minimal knowledge of HTML; 2) It saves hours, days, and weeks of development, depending on the project size.
So what exactly is so easy about React? We’ve come up with five very distinct benefits.
#1. Easy like Lego
React is all about reusable components. Starting with small pieces that include buttons and checkboxes, developers put more and more on top — building a consistent application UI. Using the same logic, you can apply the same “building blocks” with different projects. Easy squeezy, like with Lego.
#2. A virtual DOM
React is one of the most high-performing development frameworks, meaning it’s faster than most of its js counterparts. One of the main reasons is that React uses a virtual DOM — this eliminates the main problems with a slow update process of DOM. While DOM is traditionally tree-structured, changes at one level often provoke changes at other levels. This might hamper the overall performance. With a virtual DOM, the problem is gone — because all the changes are rendered to the virtual system first.
#3. Huge variety of tools
React has been used to build some of the greatest applications many of us use — including Facebook and Airbnb. Naturally, by this moment the framework encompasses lots of tools and components you can apply in your projects. Moreover, it’s easy to track the hierarchy of components and see what they contain.
#4. Easy to test
Thanks to super accessible React views, apps that are based on this framework are very testable. Plus, it’s generally easier to test units, due to component-based structure. This minimizes the number of code crashes and failures, enabling the creation of stable and high-performing products.
#5. Migration perks
While development ecosystems are growing very complex, so the question of compatibility is an urgent one — both across small and large organizations. The huge advantage of React is that it allows easy migration of components. The framework based on JavaScript will be familiar to the majority of organizations, so it won’t be a problem integrating it into the existent infrastructure.
Putting ReactJS developer salary in perspective
So where are the numbers coming from? For both developers and companies hiring dev teams, knowing how the average salaries correlate across different programming languages and regions is the major thing impacting project budgets.
There’s no formula for calculating rates for React developer jobs. That’s because markets and React programming expectations differ heavily. However, it’s pretty easy to define the factors that impact those rates:
- The country where a developer is based.
- React or React Native.
- Proficiency level and additional expertise.
Let’s expand on these factors a bit more.
Difference between React and React Native salaries
If you’re wondering whether you should study React or React Native and what will pay better, here are a few insights for you:
- React Native evolved later than React, which means it’s still pretty new and there’s a shortage of programmers who can work with this framework.
- The average React and React Native developer salary is the same and both are equally easy to learn.
- React Native works better for working in product companies, developing native software. React enables you to be more flexible in terms of the choice of projects.
Geographical differences
The biggest gaps across development rates stem from geographical differences. For instance, U.S. is generally known for higher wages in the tech sector — and the difference becomes particularly prominent if you compare it to Ukraine, Serbia, or most South Asian countries. Below you can see an excerpt from the Reddit discussion that illustrates this point perfectly:
Even though the numbers mentioned by the Reddit user are a bit lower than up-to-date average salaries — the discussion is 2 years old — the gap between the US and Ukraine remains unchanged.
If you want to get a more detailed breakdown by region, we encourage you to compare JavaScript rates. React and React Native are both pretty new — and most specialists work as JavaScript devs — you’ll still get a very clear picture. Check out the rates in 2019 that were taken from indeed.com:
United States — $111,069 per year
Australia — $112,229 per year
Germany — $64,502 per year
India — $18,875 per year
Ukraine — $29,765 per year
However, if you add the knowledge of React to JavaScript, an average salary grows accordingly. For instance, the average base pay for a JavaScript programmer in the US is $79,161 (according to Glassdoor) versus $104,040 for a React developer (according to Indeed).
Proficiency level
We won’t do much talking here. The obvious reason why your salary might differ from what you expect is you haven’t reached the needed proficiency level yet. Compare the rates across different proficiency levels in Ukraine, according to Djinni:
Junior React developer salary — $1,500 per month.
Senior React developer salary — $3,500 per month.
If you’re still hesitating whether React is worth mastering, read the story of Sam Williams — a programmer who tells how he went from a Junior JavaScript developer to a Senior in a few months by mastering React and a few other things.
Hiring a React developer: Key qualifications
First of all, let’s make it clear that JavaScript has long been one of the most popular programming languages. And it doesn’t seem to be changing. Hiring a good JavaScript programmer — let alone the one who knows React — is extremely difficult. However, there are a few hacks that will help you reach the right specialists:
- Cultivate React methodologies in-house. You can either encourage a JavaScript dev from the inside of your organization to study and teach React or hire a pro who’ll be eager to master the methodology. While knowing JavaScript and React promises a higher wage, many people will be encouraged to start learning it. You’ll definitely be in a winning position if they decide to learn it inside your organization.
- Be prepared for every interview. A good React developer is a rare find. So make sure you don’t miss your ideal candidate by preparing the list of questions and tests in advance. We recommend checking Toptal for the essential interview questions if you’re not a pro.
- Don’t say no to remote work. By searching in your location only, you’re limiting yourself and, maybe, missing the opportunity of working with a stunning development team. So before you dive into the recruitment process, explore the nuances of working with outsourcing providers. This will definitely help you reach a bigger scope of expertise.
Why Ukraine is an ideal choice for hiring React developers?
One thing is finding a country that has cheap React developers. Finding a country that has cheap React developers who can produce perfect code is a whole different story. Ukraine is one of those magical spots on the map where the balance is maintained. Apart from that, here are the key reasons why outsourcing from Ukraine is a good idea:
- IT outsourcing is thriving in Ukraine. This means, without even exploring other markets, you get a huge variety of cooperation options in Ukraine. It’s not a mistake to call Ukraine the number 1 outsourcing destination in Eastern Europe. This ensures your experience here will be safe and, most likely, successful.
- Great tech expertise. Ukraine has over 400 universities, the most popular of which boast seamless tech programs. Kyiv Polytechnic University is a powerhouse of talents in the sphere of IT — not only in Ukraine but in other Eastern European countries as well.
- World-known companies trust Ukraine. An abundance of big corporations — including Microsoft and Skype — have their R&D centers in Ukraine. While being affordable, this destination also offers perfect great expertise. This becomes the number 1 reason for starting the cooperation.
- Perfect location. Ukraine is situated in the heart of Eastern Europe. Only the capital alone, Kyiv, has two international airports — so the country is perfectly reachable. Thanks to the close proximity to Europe, it’s also overwhelmingly English-speaking. So you won’t have a problem finding the common ground with Ukrainian developers.
Want to learn more about the rich scene of software development companies in Ukraine? Check the article on hiring programmers from Ukraine here.
If you google “React developer salary NYC” and see the huge numbers, don’t get scared off. The U.S. development rates are generally very high, and React is not an exception. To get the same quality for a way smaller price, get a dedicated React development partner in Ukraine. You’ll get a team of professionals who’ll work exclusively with your project and own the same level of expertise as the U.S. programmers.