Desktop Software Developer Salary in 2024
How statistics are calculated
We count how many offers each candidate received and for what salary. For example, if a Desktop Software developer with a salary of $4,500 received 10 offers, then we would count him 10 times. If there were no offers, then he would not get into the statistics either.
The graph column is the total number of offers. This is not the number of vacancies, but an indicator of the level of demand. The more offers there are, the more companies try to hire such a specialist. 5k+ includes candidates with salaries >= $5,000 and < $5,500.
Median Salary Expectation – the weighted average of the market offer in the selected specialization, that is, the most frequent job offers for the selected specialization received by candidates. We do not count accepted or rejected offers.
Desktop Software
What is Desktop App Development?
Desktop app development is quite similar to mobile app development in that it envisages the creation of software for particular devices and operating systems. Here, the app is developed for desktop computers. Three operating systems include:
- Windows
- Linux
- macOS
Most desktop applications are native (custom-built for a given operating system) but desktop-development tools such as Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and Electron can also be used to create cross-platform desktop apps. As with mobile, there are many more popular frameworks for this.
Desktop apps don’t run over the Internet; when you run a desktop app, you’re running code on your computer, and in order to do so, you have to download the application to your computer. Furthermore, desktop applications can talk to the device drivers on your computer (your speakers, etc). You may not know that software you’ve downloaded can talk to that device driver, but it can. The only reason you can play sound from your web app is because your web app is hosted on a desktop app – your browser of choice (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc).
Desktop Development vs. Web Development
There’s no wonder that web development is among the most popular courses for software developers. Lately, the internet is becoming faster and faster, and now delivering amazing web app experiences is much better than it’s ever been. Plus, with some amazing development tools, web apps are rapidly gaining more functionality.
Before we continue comparing desktop development vs. web development, remember that both are awesome options to create your future products. It truly depends for your business goals but one of them should surely be more comfortable for your ideas than the other. No surprise, starting your career with one option is not comparable to another in many aspects.
The points we will compare in this post are:
- Connectivity requirements
- Development tools and technologies
- Installation/updates
- Accessibility
- Security
Connectivity Requirements
Web applications are very much dependent on the internet, as without it there is no internet, therefore web apps will not work. On the other hand, desktop applications are not dependent on the internet. As long as your computer is switched on, whether in the middle of the desert or any other place, a desktop app will function in the same manner.
Even a scratchy or sluggish Internet connection can cripple your web app performance. Internet dependence is another powerful factor to consider in the product planning phase of your development project. If your users aren’t going to be connected to the Internet, then developing a desktop application makes more sense. For example, if you’re developing a software solution for workers that will be out in the field – well, then desktop app development is probably a smarter bet.
Development Tools and Technologies
Because web applications are browser-dependent and they should work on all the most popular internet browsers, they are usually developed with the core technologies of the World Wide Web (e.g., JavaScript, HTML, and CSS languages). On the other hand, a desktop application is usually built in a particular operating system.
For instance, if you were developing for a macOS desktop, you’d use Swift, Xcode, and whatever SDKs Apple has released for macOS development. Native desktop app development is essentially the same as native mobile app development but for a different kind of device.
Native desktop applications can often outperform their web app counterparts because they can take better advantage of the device-specific computer resources that each consumer device has because they were developed specifically for that type of device. A well-designed native desktop app will outperform a web application and provide a better experience because it is faster and more responsive.
Installation/Updates
Desktop applications need to be installed on a device. For an app to be desktop-based it must run on your computer. Web apps, on the other hand, don’t have to be installed on a device. To open a web app you just need to access it on the Internet. Another secret to the success of web apps is that users never have to worry about updating them. For standard software applications, every time there are new features, users will need to install the update. However, with web apps, once users open it online they will always have the latest version. For those who work as programmers, web app updates can be done by developers any time on the server. This means the next time users open up the web app online it will be updated automatically.
Every update must be downloaded and then installed via desktop apps. And installs might be installed at different times. Due to this, each user will not get the same speed or same experience. Besides that, desktop apps and every update do take storage space on the computer.
Accessibility
When it comes to flexibility and ease of use, web apps win hands down. They are available as soon as you connect to the Internet. You never have to download them. Once you access them at one address on the web, you can access them from multiple devices. When it comes to user and business friendliness, this has no competition. From a business point of view, it’s much better than downloading and installing software on every single device each member of staff you want to use it will ever need.
It is increasingly relevant in the business setting where employees are logging in from multiple locations across multiple devices. The desktop applications do not make any sense – a desktop application can be used only on that installing device. Installing and maintaining software across all computing devices that are used by the employees is very time-consuming and definitely a project that will require the project team.
But your team will never lose access to a desktop app. The biggest hazard of web apps is that you might not be able to use the service when you have no Internet access. The downside of not having control over web apps can be felt acutely.
Security
Businesses need to concern themselves with security. This is because web apps are more vulnerable to cyber attacks than desktop apps. Web apps with all the data are hosted on third-party servers, so there will be more angles the hacker may attack the web app, while the desktop apps maintain information on the user’s own devices and may increase chances of a cyber strike.