SDET vs automation QA cost
An SDET (software development engineer in test) builds test frameworks and test infrastructure in code; a QA Automation Engineer writes and maintains automated tests on an existing framework.
Title mapping
Sources that use "SDET" or "software engineer in test" map to the SDET role; "automation QA", "QA automation" and "test automation engineer" map to the automation role. Titles that mix both are not assigned.
Same combination, two roles
The comparison holds country, seniority and engagement model fixed and changes only the role.
Worked example from published records
Median: the middle value of the weighted observations; p25 and p75: the bounds of their middle half.
- Middle SDET, United Kingdom, Hourly (time and materials): median $79 per hour (p25 $76, p75 $92), A: high confidence, n=3; at 160 hours per month: $12,640 per month.
- Middle QA Automation Engineer, United Kingdom, Hourly (time and materials): median $79 per hour (p25 $74, p75 $83), B: medium confidence, n=2; at 160 hours per month: $12,640 per month.
Difference between the first two medians: $0 per hour, or 0% of the first.
Sources for this example
- job-board IT Jobs Watch. SDET Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Related Skills | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-005
- survey Henderson Scott. Technology Salary Guide 2026. Published 2025-11-06, verified . ev-rate-gfua-001
- fx European Central Bank. ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (SDMX EXR). Published 2026-10-16, verified . ev-fx-2026-q4-gbp
- job-board IT Jobs Watch. Test Automation Engineer Contract Job Trends, Contractor Rates & Skill Sets | IT Jobs Watch. Published 2026-10-18, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-003
- vendor-rate-card Vendor rate card (delivery country: United Kingdom); vendor name and link are published only in the evidence file. Published 2026-01-26, verified . ev-rate-united-kingdom-014
Cite this page
QA Rates Compare (2026). SDET vs automation QA cost, data version 1.0.0. https://qaratescompare.com/guides/sdet-vs-automation-qa-cost/. Accessed 2026-10-20.
Figures are medians of published observations converted to USD at the quarterly ECB reference rate shown in the footer. They describe market ranges on the verification date, not quotes. Monthly and annual figures assume the hours stated on this page. Confidence grades are defined on the methodology page. This site does not recommend providers.