Salary Guide 2026 - Salaries in Technology [Spain] - Manfred

There has never been such a large salary gap between people with the same role and the same level of experience in tech.

A few months ago, we published this reflection backed by data on the uneven nature of engineering salaries. The article gained a lot of attention and helped many people better understand how the market really works.

This salary guide aims to go one step further. To be a salary compass for both companies and candidates: useful for setting market-aligned salaries in job offers, and also for understanding your own position and expectations when it comes to negotiating compensation.

This year, we’ve introduced a few new features:

• We’ve represented salaries by role using percentiles, so you can see salary distribution in a more visual and practical way.
• We’ve added a small salary-by-experience table for each role.

And we haven’t relied only on our own data: this guide was created in collaboration with Prosfy, whose extensive compensation data (not only from Spain) has significantly expanded our dataset.

Quick summary of 2025 and outlook for 2026

2025 has been a year of partial recovery. We’re seeing more job openings and increased demand for senior hires, driven by the new wave of AI and by companies that have been created and funded in recent years.
That said, some roles have suffered significantly, resulting in fewer active openings and salary declines. This includes Product Managers, Engineering Managers, Mobile Developers, and Product Designers.

In 2026, we expect this trend to continue. Certain roles are being deprioritized as resources are redirected elsewhere or because companies trust AI to cover some of those responsibilities.

At the same time, we’ll see the consolidation of new AI-related roles such as AI Engineer, and more specialized positions like Head of AI, AI Architect, and similar.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the salary guide.

If you’re missing a role or a specific technology, it’s very likely that we don’t yet have enough data in the sample to establish a reliable relationship. Let’s get started.

⚠️ Disclaimer:

This Salary Guide is an approximation based on statistical data from more than 120,000 professionals in the Manfred community.

Important: Salary percentiles are calculated using all experience levels (from <2 years to >10 years), so they represent the median salary (50th percentile).
In some roles with a large sample size (such as Backend or Frontend), the median may appear somewhat low. Therefore, I recommend supplementing the data with the salary by experience table, where salary ranges have been calculated based on individuals with the same experience level.

We don't have data on company size, but the sample includes companies of all types: sectors such as banking or retail, technology consulting, product companies and multinationals.

‼️ Wait a minute! Do you want to download this salary guide in PDF, for you, forever? Here you can do it 🙂

🤑 2026 Tech Salary Guide – Spain

Backend Salaries

Backend salaries by percentile

There is a real stagnation in backend salaries, and even a decline in salary bands below the 50th percentile.

The most common salary sits around €45K, while accessing the top 25% of talent requires salaries close to €65K.

Backend salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–30K
2-5 years	€31–40K
5-10 years	€41–50K
>10 years	€51-55K

Frontend Salaries

Frontend salaries by percentile

Frontend salaries have declined across all percentiles. A market flooded with junior profiles, combined with a general slowdown in frontend hiring, has pushed the median closer to €40K.

That said, experienced and strong frontend engineers are still earning above €50K.

Frontend salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–30K
2-5 years	€31–35K
5-10 years	€35–40K
>10 years	€40-50K

Full-Stack Salaries

Full-Stack salaries by percentile

Full-Stack profiles have appreciated significantly. Not only because it’s hard to find senior engineers strong in both areas, but also because many startups have prioritized (and will continue to prioritize) hybrid roles.

Upper percentiles have increased by an average of €5–7K.

Full-Stack engineers with a product mindset and strong AI tool integration will be the most in demand in 2026, also the most expensive and scarce.

Full-Stack salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–30K
2-5 years	€31–40K
5-10 years	€41–50K
>10 years	€51-60K

AI Engineer Salaries

AI Engineer salaries by percentile

The most sought-after AI role of last year and likely of 2026 as well.

It’s a hybrid role combining backend, AI, and MLOps, which pushes the median salary up. There are also very few profiles available.

Senior professionals tend to cluster in the upper percentiles.

AI Engineer salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25–35K
2-5 years	€36–50K
5-10 years	€51–70K
>10 years	€71-90K

Mobile Salaries

Mobile salaries by percentile

Mobile has been one of the hardest-hit roles in 2025. The deprioritization of many apps has slowed hiring significantly and reduced salaries at the upper percentiles.

Only very scarce profiles, such as React Native and Flutter experts, remain close to €65–70K at senior levels.

Mobile salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–30K
2-5 years	€31–40K
5-10 years	€41–45K
>10 years	€46-50K

QA & Testing Salaries

QA & Testing salaries by percentile

QA is at a crossroads:

• companies where development teams absorb QA responsibilities,
• companies heavily automating testing,
• and others expecting AI agents to replace QA roles.

It was already a modestly paid role and has fallen further in priority.

QA & Testing salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–25K
2-5 years	€26–32K
5-10 years	€33–40K
>10 years	€41-45K

Systems & Infrastructure Salaries

SysAdmin

SysAdmin salaries by percentile

Traditional SysAdmin roles (backups, licenses, virtualization) are stagnating with relatively low salaries.

However, profiles focused on security, performance, deployments, CI/CD pipelines, and automation start around €40K.

There is a clear shortage of infrastructure professionals.

SysAdmin salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–25K
2-5 years	€26–35K
5-10 years	€36–45K
>10 years	€46-50K

SRE/DevOps

SRE / DevOps salaries by percentile

The “trendy” role of recent years. Scarce, very senior, and critical for infrastructure stability and cost optimization.

This will remain one of the most in-demand and best-paid roles.

SRE / DevOps salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25–35K
2-5 years	€36–45K
5-10 years	€46–60K
>10 years	€61-80K

Data Salaries

Data Engineer

Data Engineer salaries by percentile

There are currently very few Data Engineers available. The perfect storm: companies tightening salary ranges, high demand driven by AI initiatives, and few professionals willing to move for modest pay.

Median salaries have risen by about €10K in recent years. Senior profiles often require salaries above €60K.

Data Engineer salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25–35K
2-5 years	€36–45K
5-10 years	€46–60K
>10 years	€61-80K

Data Scientist

Data Scientist salaries by percentile

And we come to one of the profiles that has seen the greatest increase in value since the popularization of AI. Data Scientists are currently the most expensive profile, even more so than DevOps/SRE professionals.

Many companies working on their own AI models and even conducting research in new fields have made it the most in-demand role in recent years, and also the most scarce.

Due to this scarcity and the lack of professionals with extensive experience in AI (models, RAGs, architectures, etc.), salaries for highly experienced professionals are above €70,000.

Data Scientist salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25–35K
2-5 years	€36–50K
5-10 years	€51–70K
>10 years	€71-100K

Data Analyst

Data Analyst salaries by percentile

The role of Data Analyst is evolving. Many companies are trying to outsource these tasks to agents, while more experienced professionals remain in high demand for the valuable insights they can bring to the business.

Data Analyst salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20–25K
2-5 years	€26–35K
5-10 years	€36–42K
>10 years	€43-50K

MLOps

MLOps salaries by percentile

In large companies, the role of MLOps is highly coveted, especially since everyone wants to deploy models across their infrastructure. It's a highly specialized role, a blend of infrastructure and data, which also makes it very scarce.

Right now, it's a very in-demand profile.

MLOps salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25–35K
2-5 years	€36–50K
5-10 years	€51–75K
>10 years	€75-100K

Data Architect

Data Architect salaries by percentile

The role of data architect has also gained importance. And yes, it's also related to AI. Now more than ever, a good architecture is crucial to feed the models and enable the exploitation of the vast amounts of data collected, with proper modeling and quality. And, moreover, security breaches must be avoided.

These roles require extensive experience and technical knowledge, so their salaries tend to be high.

Data Architect salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	∅
2-5 years	€40-55K
5-10 years	€56-75K
>10 years	€75-100K

Technical Leadership Salaries

Software Architect salaries

Software Architect salaries by percentile

The role of Software Architect has also been greatly revalued. Right now, everyone is testing and deploying agents, and writing code is losing the importance it once had. But to automate many tasks and ensure scalability in development, architecture is fundamental.

Software Architect salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	∅
2-5 years	€40-50K
5-10 years	€51-75K
>10 years	€75-100K

Tech Lead salaries

Tech Lead salaries by percentile

Tech Leads are experiencing a strange time. Many companies have decided to eliminate middle management positions to reduce costs. In many companies, the most experienced backend developers are filling the role of Tech Lead without a formal title. But if you're looking for experienced Tech Lead profiles, salaries are still above €60K.

Tech Lead salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	∅
2-5 years	€40-50K
5-10 years	€51-65K
>10 years	€65-80K

Staff Engineer salaries

Staff Engineer salaries by percentile

Few companies are large enough to afford to have staff roles. In many cases, these responsibilities are assumed by other leadership positions. But we are increasingly seeing international companies seeking highly experienced professionals in our country.

Salaries are high because these individuals possess exceptional technical skills combined with strong soft skills, enabling them to be technical experts and support many people within the company.

Staff Engineer salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
5-10 years	€65-85K
>10 years	€86-120K

Engineering Manager salaries

Engineering Manager salaries by percentile

This role has undergone significant adjustment in recent years. There is less demand for Engineering Managers (EMs), and the median salary has decreased slightly. However, experienced EMs have options to move to international companies where salaries are higher.

The entry-level Engineering Manager role, starting from another position, typically has a lower starting salary. But highly experienced EMs continue to earn above €80,000.

Engineering Manager salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
5-10 years	€60-85K
>10 years	€86-110K

VP of Engineering salaries

VP of Engineering salaries by percentile

The rise of AI-related startups has also revolutionized leadership profiles. We've seen an increase in VP and CTO roles over the past year. However, there hasn't been a corresponding increase in salary brackets.

It's important to understand that companies with Engineering VPs are typically larger or in the process of scaling up. Therefore, salaries are higher than average and are often supplemented with equity.

VP of Engineering salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
5-10 years	€75-110K + 0.1/0.5%
>10 years	€110-150K + 0.2/1.0%

CTO / Head of Engineering salaries

CTO / Head of Engineering salaries by percentile

Aren't CTO salaries a bit low? Yes and no. The reality is that we have CTOs in teams of four who earn little more than the most senior person. And we have CTOs in companies with over 300 people in the development team. This can make some figures seem rather low.

Generally speaking, companies pay less for the CTO role than for a VP of Engineering (it depends on the type and size of the company). But the CTO's salary is usually offset by more equity.

CTO / Head of Engineering salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
5-10 years	€55-90K + 0.5/3%
>10 years	€91-140K + 0.3/1.5%

Product Salaries

Product Manager salaries

Product Manager salaries by percentile

We're also seeing a revolution in product development. There have been fewer opportunities for product managers in recent years. And AI is greatly helping to define requirements and generate user stories.

Even so, product roles are still in demand. Junior product managers are rare, but the most common salaries are below €50,000.

It's very difficult to find highly experienced project managers in Spain, and those who are available are well paid.

Product Manager salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	∅
2-5 years	€31-45K
5-10 years	€46-55K
>10 years	€56-80K

Product Designer salaries

Product Designer salaries by percentile

This is where a major setback has occurred. The reduction in the number of designers on teams, coupled with the influx of people wanting to enter technology design (from graphic design backgrounds or bootcamps), has created an unmanageable supply of qualified professionals for companies.

Job postings are quickly filled with highly experienced candidates, and salaries have fallen even further than they already were.

Product Designer salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€20-25K
2-5 years	€26-30K
5-10 years	€31-40K
>10 years	€41-50K

Cybersecurity Salaries

Security / Cybersecurity Engineer salaries

Security / Cybersecurity Engineer salaries by percentile

The reality here is that there's a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, especially those with experience. Few companies (except the largest ones) have dedicated departments. But there are few job openings and few qualified candidates.

It's a vicious cycle. However, we're going to see a significant increase in the value of this profile in the coming years, particularly related to security models and LLMs.

Security / Cybersecurity Engineer salaries by experience

Experience	Salaries
<2 years	€25-30K
2-5 years	€31-40K
5-10 years	€41-55K
>10 years	€56-80K

2026: A Year of Contrasts

AI is advancing faster than many companies can keep up with. Different adoption speeds are emerging.

Data and infrastructure roles are at their peak. Frontend, mobile, QA, and design are seeing fewer opportunities and lower salaries.

This pattern will continue in 2026. Those who integrate AI into their workflows, or work directly on AI systems, will see salaries and opportunities grow.

The rest will follow more gradually.

One important point: if you try to hire on-site staff, salaries increase by at least 20%. Many people don't want to return to the office and prefer to keep their jobs and salaries.

I hope this guide helps you make better decisions this year, whether you’re negotiating your salary or considering a job change.

Above all, be realistic. Salaries are generally not what they were four years ago.

Good luck in 2026.