The State of SaaS Salaries in 2026

Salary hunting in SaaS has gotten easier, but it is still far from simple.

More companies now publish compensation ranges, more candidates expect pay transparency, and more job boards make it easy to filter by salary. At the same time, the market is fragmented. Some roles are posted with annual base salary in USD. Others use monthly pay in local currency. Sales roles may include on target earnings (OTE) rather than base. A surprising number of listings still provide no numbers at all.

To cut through the noise, we analyzed a dataset of about 10,000 job listings posted on The SaaS Jobs, then normalized the compensation data that was available into a single comparable format. The goal is not to declare a single “true” SaaS salary. It is to show what SaaS employers are actually publishing in 2026, how those numbers differ by location and work style, and what patterns are worth paying attention to if you are job hunting.

This post covers SaaS jobs broadly, across functions and seniority levels, rather than focusing on one role type. When we talk about “SaaS salaries” below, we are describing the subset of postings where employers provided enough data to calculate an annual USD range.

What we analyzed and how we normalized it

The dataset

• Total job listings analyzed: 9,426
• Source: job postings on The SaaS Jobs
• Fields used: job title, min compensation, max compensation, currency, time frame (annual, monthly, hourly), plus location and remote flag where available.

The pay transparency reality

Most job listings do not include a salary range. In this dataset:

• Jobs with a usable salary range: 1,797
• After removing one clearly erroneous outlier (a posting that appeared to label a local currency figure as USD, resulting in an implausible salary in the tens of millions), the final compensation sample used for benchmarks is:
  • 1,796 jobs with usable, cleaned ranges

That means the analysis below reflects salary-disclosed postings, not the entire SaaS market. This distinction matters, because transparency is not evenly distributed across geographies or functions, and employers that publish ranges are not a random sample.

How we normalized compensation

To compare apples to apples, we normalized all usable salary ranges into:

• USD
• Annual compensation time frame

Normalization rules:

• Annual pay: used as-is
• Monthly pay: multiplied by 12
• Hourly pay: multiplied by 2,080 (40 hours per week for 52 weeks)

Currency conversion:

• The salary-disclosed sample included mostly USD, plus some GBP and EUR.
• We converted GBP and EUR to USD using late January 2026 spot rates for a reasonable “point in time” comparison.

What “average salary range” means in this report

Each posting provides a minimum and maximum. From that, we compute:

• Average minimum: the mean of minimums across postings
• Average maximum: the mean of maximums across postings
• Average midpoint: the mean of each job’s midpoint, where midpoint = (min + max) / 2
• We also report medians and percentiles where helpful, because averages can be pulled upward by high-end roles.

First, how transparent is the SaaS job market in 2026?

Before the salary numbers, the most important insight might be the transparency rate itself.

Across all 9,426 jobs:

• Salary ranges published: 1,797
• Transparency rate: 19.1%

So, roughly 1 in 5 SaaS job postings in this dataset included a usable compensation range.

That rate changes dramatically depending on geography.

Salary transparency by geography (based on country signal in the data)

We bucketed jobs into US, non-US, and unknown geography. “Unknown” covers postings without a usable country identifier in the dataset.

• US jobs: 2,482 total, 42.3% with salary ranges
• Non-US jobs: 5,444 total, 12.7% with salary ranges
• Unknown geography: 1,500 total, 3.6% with salary ranges

The difference is stark. US postings are far more likely to include pay ranges than postings elsewhere. If you are job hunting outside the US, you will likely encounter more salary opacity, even if the underlying pay is competitive.

Salary transparency by remote status

Remote status is less dramatic, but still interesting:

• On-site (or not marked remote): 6,727 jobs total, 18.7% with salary ranges
• Remote: 2,699 jobs total, 20.0% with salary ranges

Remote roles were slightly more likely to publish salary ranges, but the difference is small. The bigger transparency story is geography.

The headline: what SaaS salary ranges look like in 2026 (USD annualized)

Using the cleaned sample of 1,796 salary-disclosed jobs, normalized to annual USD:

Overall SaaS salary benchmarks (all functions)

• Average minimum: $185,194
• Average maximum: $239,826
• Average midpoint: $212,510
• Median midpoint: $200,000

To add shape beyond a single average:

• 25th percentile midpoint: $141,534
• 75th percentile midpoint: $280,000
• 10th percentile midpoint: $87,500
• 90th percentile midpoint: $345,000

A few takeaways from this distribution:

1. The middle of the salary-disclosed SaaS market is still strong. A median midpoint of $200k implies that many postings with published ranges cluster at or above that level once normalized to USD and annual pay.
2. The market has a long upper tail. The 90th percentile midpoint is $345k, which indicates a substantial number of very high-paying roles in the postings that disclose compensation.
3. Percentiles matter more than averages. The average midpoint is higher than the median midpoint, which suggests high-end postings pull the mean upward.

This is not “the average SaaS salary for every job.” It is the average for salary-disclosed roles on The SaaS Jobs in 2026. That distinction is worth repeating because salary disclosure is not uniform, and disclosure correlates with employer type, geography, and role family.

US vs non-US: what changes when you normalize everything

A classic question for candidates is whether US pay dominates once you convert currencies and annualize. In this dataset, it does.

US vs non-US benchmarks (salary-disclosed jobs only)

US (n = 1,049):

• Average midpoint: $224,995
• Median midpoint: $212,500
• Midpoint interquartile range (25th to 75th): $155,000 to $290,000

Non-US (n = 747):

• Average midpoint: $194,977
• Median midpoint: $186,094
• Midpoint interquartile range: $123,550 to $255,000

What this means for job seekers

• The US salary-disclosed market is higher on both the mean and median, not just on outliers.
• Non-US can still be very competitive, especially for global companies and specialized roles, but the distribution shifts downward.
• The 75th percentile midpoint for non-US roles ($255k) is closer to the US median midpoint ($212.5k) than many people expect, which suggests there are real opportunities outside the US that compete at the higher end of pay bands, particularly in globally benchmarked companies.

A practical interpretation: if you are applying internationally, you should calibrate expectations by geography, but you should not assume non-US roles are automatically “low pay,” especially in SaaS. Some are, many are not, and salary transparency helps you find the difference quickly.

Remote vs on-site: does remote pay less in SaaS?

This is one of the most emotionally charged topics in tech compensation, and it is also one of the easiest to misunderstand. In this dataset, remote roles have lower published ranges on average.

Remote vs on-site benchmarks (salary-disclosed jobs only)

On-site (n = 1,255):

• Average midpoint: $227,511
• Median midpoint: $226,000
• Midpoint interquartile range: $150,000 to $305,000

Remote (n = 541):

• Average midpoint: $177,711
• Median midpoint: $175,000
• Midpoint interquartile range: $125,000 to $217,750

That gap is large. There are a few plausible reasons:

1. Location anchored comp. Many of the highest paying roles are tied to specific hubs, especially in the US, and are posted as on-site.
2. Broader labor market benchmarking. Remote roles often have wider location eligibility. Employers may benchmark to a wider band, which can pull midpoint ranges lower than highly competitive hub pay.
3. Role mix. Remote postings may skew toward certain functions and levels, while some high-paying niches (research-heavy roles, leadership roles tied to HQ) skew toward on-site.

US-only: remote vs on-site is even more separated

Within the US subset of salary-disclosed roles:

• US on-site median midpoint: $243,750
• US remote median midpoint: $177,800

That is a very meaningful difference.

Non-US: remote and on-site are closer

Outside the US, remote and on-site midpoints are closer together:

• Non-US on-site median midpoint: $195,000
• Non-US remote median midpoint: $170,600

If you are targeting remote roles, the key question is not “does remote pay less,” it is “does this employer adjust pay by location, and if so, how aggressively.” Many companies do, some do not, and many apply location adjustments only within certain boundaries.

Which SaaS job families pay the most in 2026?

To make this useful across the whole sector, we bucketed roles into broad job families based on title patterns. This is not perfect. Titles vary widely, and some functions overlap. Still, it is helpful for spotting macro-level patterns.

Below are benchmarks for the salary-disclosed sample (1,796 jobs), with role family based on job title keywords.

Average midpoint by function (selected categories)

• Leadership (n = 123): average midpoint $278,583, median midpoint $275,000
• Engineering (n = 519): average midpoint $260,157, median midpoint $250,000
• Product (n = 53): average midpoint $239,446, median midpoint $231,250
• Marketing (n = 98): average midpoint $203,811, median midpoint $192,891
• Operations (n = 91): average midpoint $206,236, median midpoint $195,000
• Data and Analytics (n = 84): average midpoint $182,325, median midpoint $165,000
• Design (n = 36): average midpoint $194,147, median midpoint $199,625
• Finance (n = 38): average midpoint $196,713, median midpoint $200,000
• Sales (n = 241): average midpoint $160,214, median midpoint $154,938
• Customer Success and Support (n = 86): average midpoint $136,328, median midpoint $135,000
• People (n = 41): average midpoint $157,269, median midpoint $150,000

A few points to unpack:

1) Leadership and Engineering dominate the high end

This is not surprising, but it is worth stating clearly. In SaaS, the functions most directly tied to product delivery and company strategy tend to command higher published pay bands. Engineering is the largest disclosed category, and it has both a high median and a very wide spread.

2) Sales looks lower than many people expect

Sales compensation is often split between base salary and variable, and job postings sometimes list ranges as OTE, base, or a mix. In this dataset, the salary range fields likely represent a consistent concept for each posting, but across the market it can vary. The safest interpretation is:

• Sales is often less transparent in how it is reported in postings.
• The published ranges here may not fully represent real take-home upside for top performers.

If you are a sales candidate, treat posted ranges as a starting point, then clarify base, variable, quota, accelerators, and whether the range is OTE.

3) Customer Success and Support is consistently lower in published ranges

This is one of the clearest patterns in the dataset. It does not mean these roles are not valuable. It does mean the salary-disclosed market places these roles in a lower pay band than engineering, product, and leadership.

4) Product is strong, but smaller sample size

Product roles with published ranges are fewer than engineering or sales in this dataset, but the pay is competitive. If you are targeting product roles, this is encouraging, but keep sample size in mind.

Where salary transparency is highest, and where it is weakest

Pay transparency is itself a market signal. It often correlates with employer maturity, legal requirements, hiring culture, and competitive dynamics.

In this dataset, salary transparency rates by job family (across all postings, not just those with salaries) include:

• Operations: 30.8% include salary ranges
• Engineering: 23.3% include salary ranges
• Data and Analytics: 21.1% include salary ranges
• Product: 20.9% include salary ranges
• Sales: 14.3% include salary ranges
• Customer Success and Support: 13.3% include salary ranges

Operations roles being the most transparent is interesting. It may reflect standardized bands, role clarity, or simpler benchmarking. Sales being less transparent fits the reality of variable-heavy comp plans, which are harder to summarize in a clean range.

For job seekers, there is a simple takeaway:

If you want to optimize for transparency, filter for roles and employers that publish ranges, and prioritize geographies where publishing is common, especially the US.

What is driving the very high end of SaaS salaries in 2026?

If you have been in tech long enough, the top end of these ranges might still feel surprising. The long upper tail is real in SaaS, particularly in US markets and in specialized roles.

Some drivers that tend to correlate with the highest published bands:

1. Highly specialized engineering and security roles
   Security, infrastructure, scaling, and high-reliability domains often pay a premium because the supply of experienced candidates is limited and the downside risk of mistakes is large.
2. Research and advanced engineering roles
   Some SaaS-adjacent companies operate at the intersection of SaaS and AI. Their salary bands can be meaningfully higher than traditional B2B SaaS roles, especially in the US.
3. Leadership roles at growth-stage companies
   VP and director roles can appear in published salary bands that are very high, especially when the company is competing for executive talent and wants to be explicit about pay.
4. Competitive hubs and on-site roles
   The highest bands are heavily represented among on-site roles in major US hubs. Remote roles can still pay well, but the distribution is different.

This does not mean you need to chase only the highest salary bands. It means the SaaS market is more stratified than it appears from casual salary discussions. There are layers to it, and job seekers who understand the layers can navigate the market with more confidence.

How to use these benchmarks in your job search

Salary benchmarks are useful only if they change what you do.

Here is how to apply them in practice.

1) Use median midpoints as your “typical” expectation

Averages get pulled upward by high-end roles. If you want a realistic anchor:

• Overall median midpoint: $200,000
• US median midpoint: $212,500
• Remote median midpoint: $175,000
• On-site median midpoint: $226,000

These are strong starting anchors for salary-disclosed roles in 2026.

2) Use percentiles to set your ambition band

If you are aiming for higher-paying roles, percentiles help:

• 75th percentile midpoint: $280,000
• 90th percentile midpoint: $345,000

If you are consistently landing interviews at companies publishing bands near the 75th percentile, you are playing in a different tier than the median role. That informs how you negotiate, how you prepare, and what tradeoffs you accept.

3) Remote candidates should ask one question early

Remote postings vary wildly in how they treat location.

Ask early:

• “Is compensation adjusted by location, and if so, how is it calculated?”

You will learn more from that single question than from a generic “what is the range” conversation.

4) Sales candidates should clarify what the range represents

If a posting lists a range, clarify whether it is:

• base salary
• OTE
• base plus expected variable
• base plus bonus without commission

Your true market value depends on that definition.

5) Use pay transparency as an employer quality filter

It is not perfect, but it is often correlated with:

• structured leveling and comp bands
• healthier hiring practices
• more predictable negotiation

Some excellent companies do not publish salary ranges. Many do. If transparency matters to you, make it part of your search strategy.

Limitations, and why this still matters

No salary analysis is perfect, and this one has constraints:

• It reflects postings from The SaaS Jobs, not the entire internet.
• It includes only listings with both min and max compensation, plus currency and time frame.
• It converts currencies using spot rates, which can shift over time.
• It does not include equity, bonuses, or benefits, which are a meaningful part of total compensation in SaaS.
• Job titles do not fully represent scope, seniority, or leveling, especially across different companies.

Even with those limitations, the analysis is valuable because it is grounded in real job postings and shows what employers are willing to publish right now.

The bottom line for 2026

SaaS compensation in 2026 is not one market, it is a stack of markets.

• Pay transparency is still limited overall, around 19% of postings in this dataset.
• US roles are far more likely to publish salary ranges than non-US roles, and US published pay is higher on median and average.
• Remote roles publish lower ranges on average than on-site roles, especially within the US subset.
• Leadership, engineering, and product roles dominate the high end of published bands.
• Customer success and support roles sit in lower bands, consistently, in published ranges.
• The upper tail is real, and percentiles explain the market better than a single average.

If you are job searching in SaaS this year, use data to narrow your search, filter for transparency, and negotiate from a position of clarity. The more you normalize and compare roles on the same scale, the less likely you are to accept a “mystery offer” that turns out to be below market for your skills and goals.

If you want to explore SaaS roles with transparent compensation and find opportunities that match your preferred geography and work style, you can browse the latest listings on The SaaS Jobs.