Software engineering salaries

I interviewed for an SDE 1 role but was offered a System Developer (Sys Dev 1) position due to an immediate business requirement. My batch is 2024. The interview process consisted of 4 rounds: Round 1 – DSA: Solved 2 Dynamic Programming problems with a focus on problem-solving and optimization. Round 2 – Project Deep Dive: Detailed discussion of my projects, tech stack (Flutter & Golang), system flow, architectural decisions, and algorithms. Round 3 – Hiring Manager (Tech + Cultural Fit): Rapid-fire questions on Operating Systems, Networking, DBMS, and cultural fitment. Round 4 – DevOps Alignment Round: Focused on my fit for a DevOps-oriented position, discussing Docker, Kubernetes, YAML configurations, and tools like ArgoCD, Jenkins, CI/CD. This discussion was more conceptual as I was relatively new to DevOps.

I received an offer for Technical Lead (Leadership Role). The fixed CTC is 62 LPA. I was offered 1.5 Lac for relocation benefits. ESOPs are also part of the offer.

Role: SDE 2 Location: Hyderabad, India YOE: 4 years 10 months Fixed: 26 LPA Joining Bonus: 2 LPA ESOPs: 6.5 LPA (vested over 4 years – 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%) 1st Year TC: 28.65 LPA

I received an offer from Zeta for an SDE 3 role in Bengaluru with an offer date of Oct 2025. My background includes: Education from a Tier-2 Institute. 5+ years of experience. Previous employment at FAANGMULA with a previous compensation of ₹42L base + ₹45L stocks (initially 70 LPA, which I mentioned to the recruiter). I am currently on a career break. The compensation breakdown is: Base Salary: 42L (negotiated to match my previous base). ESOPs: 10.5 L over 4 years. Joining Bonus: 2L. Performance Bonus: Up to 30% of base, but not officially in the offer. Total CTC: 46.5L.

This offer is for a Software Engineer role (inferred). The base salary offered is 26 LPA. I would receive ESOPS valued at 6 LPA, vesting at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% consecutively over 4 years. A one-time joining bonus of 1.5 LPA is included. The work mode is 5 days Work From Office (WFO).

I received an offer for an SDE-2 Backend role. The fixed component is 28 LPA. I was offered ~7L ESOPs over 4 years, vesting 10/20/30/40. I feel a bit lowballed with this offer compared to the 32-40 LPA range in Bangalore for similar SDE-2 backend roles.

Frontend specific role. Requires 5 days Work From Office (WFO). Standard Zeta Benefits. Applied via Referral. Joining Bonus: 2 Lakhs INR. ESOPs: 4 Lakhs INR vested over 4 years (10%, 20%, 30%, 40% annually). Relocation Allowance: 75,000 INR.

Base - 30L Esop - 7 (10%,20%,30%,40% split) Joining Bonus - 2L Retention Bonus - 1.5L Total - 33.5 LPA + 0.7 Esop (first year) WFO - 5 days

Base salary: 16LPA Joining bonus: 2L Esops: 4L vested over 4 years Relocation assistance: 75k Standard Zeta Benefits

My team at Zeta is actively looking for Frontend SDE1s to join us. This is a great opportunity if you're early in your career and want to work on high-impact projects, build real products, and grow fast in a strong engineering culture. Apply directly [here](https://shorturl.at/vQBYT) or apply for referral [here](https://shorturl.at/arGoi).

Offer Summary Date of Offer: June 2025 Current Experience (YOE): 4 years Base Pay: ₹40 LPA Joining Bonus: ₹4 Lakhs RSUs: $30,000 (vested over 4 years) First Year CTC: ₹50 LPA Location: Bangalore (Hybrid – 1 day/week onsite)

I have a B.E. from a Tier 2 College. I have 4 years of experience. My current company is an MNC at SDE2 level. The offer from Zeta is for an SDE2 role in Bangalore. Base Salary: 32LPA. ESOP: 13 Lakhs vesting in 4 years (10/20/30/40%). Joining Bonus: 2 Lakh. No Relocation. No Variable Pay.

* Role: SDE-1 * Company: ZETA * Years of Experience: 1 * Prior compensation: 12 LPA

I received an offer for SDE 2. My experience is 2 years and 4 months. The offer includes a base salary of 24 LPA. I was also offered a 2L bonus and 6L ESOPs vested over 4 years. I tried to negotiate for a higher compensation but was unsuccessful.

Zeta Offer: * Base: ₹46 LPA * Joining Bonus: ₹4 LPA * ESOPs: ₹30.25 LPA * Special Benefits: ₹2.25 LPA * Total: ₹83 LPA

Software Developer -2 (Backend). Salary: 27 (Including PF). Total comp (Salary + Bonus + Stock): 31 lakh (in first year). Benefits: Free Food,Gym ,Insurance, cab service.

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Recruiter said this is the max they can offer, do anyone get better than below compensation ? Prior Experience: Product Based Company YOE : 2 years 5 Months Date-OF-Offer : December 2024 Base : 26 L (including PF) Joining Bonus : 2 L Stocks : 6.5 L ( 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%) Reallocation : upto 75k (Reimbursement) : hotels, flight etc. 1st year : 26 L + 2 L + 65 K = 28.65 L INR. 2nd year : 26 L + 1.3 L = 27.3 L INR [Assuming 0% increment] 3rd year : 26 L + 1.95 L = 27.95 L INR 4th year : 26 L + 2.6 L = 28.6 L INR. -------------------------------------- Other Perks (Per Year) : Gratuity : 62500 INR Health Insurance : 42,500 INR Life Insurance : 11083 INR

PPO after winter internship Stock bonus: 3.2L (10% after 1Yr, 20% after 2Yr, 30% after 3Yr, 40% after 4Yr) Joining Bonus: 3.5L locked in for 1 year & 2L locked in for 2 years Total comp for first year(Salary + Bonus + Relocation): 20.25 LPA

Education: B.Tech from Tier-3 college\nYears of Experience: 2y 9m\nPrior Experience: SDE-1 at MNC\n\nDate of the Offer: Jan 24\nCompany: Zeta \nTitle/Level: SDE-2\nLocation: Bangalore\nSalary: 28 LPA (lowballed me beacuse my current CTC was low)\nStock bonus: 14L vested over 4 years (10%, 20%, 30% and 40% in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year respectively)\nBonus: None\nTotal comp (Salary + Bonus + Stock): 29.4L\nBenefits: Standard benefits, nothing stands out\nOther details: Had 2 other competing offers for 25LPA

Education: B.Tech in CSE. Years of Experience: Fresher Date of the Offer: June 2024 Company: Zeta Level: SDE1 (Backend) Base Salary: 16,00,000 INR Joining Bouns: 3,50,000 INR Relocation: 75,000 INR 2nd year bonus: 2,00,000 INR Esops: 3,20,000 INR stock grant vested over 4 years 10% ,20% ,30% ,40%. Total comp for first year(Salary + bonus + Stocks): Rs. 19,82,000 INR Benefits: 5L Health Insurance, 4x CTC Life Insurance, Free Snacks and Beverages, Subsidized Meal, Gym, 5 day WFO policy

Company: Zeta Suite Title/Level: SDE-3 Location: Bangalore Salary: 48LPA Base Signing Bonus: 3L Retention Bonus: 2L Stock bonus: $30000 / 4 years Total comp (Salary + Bonus): ~51LPA (first year) + stocks