New for 2026 — the Indian Startup Engineer Salary Report, covering AI startups like Sarvam, Moglix and Navi no one else has data on. Read it →

Salary Guides · India 2026

Know the number before the offer.

CTC ranges across India's top companies, from TCS to Goldman Sachs, freshers to senior engineers.

In-demand salary searches

Jane Street

Quantitative Researcher / Trader · ₹60L–₹100L

Highest comp for India freshers: pure cash, no equity; only 10–15 India hires per year

Databricks

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹35L–₹75L

Pre-IPO RSU: confirm next tender offer date before signing; last tender 2024 at ~$50/share

Google

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹38L–₹65L

RSU + refreshes: total comp compounds fast at Google

Tower Research Capital

FAANG

Quantitative Researcher · ₹35L–₹65L

Pure cash comp: no equity, heavy performance bonus; highest fresher comp in India for quant

Microsoft

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹35L–₹58L

RSU + ESPP: some of the highest total comp in India

DE Shaw

FAANG

Quantitative Analyst · ₹30L–₹52L

Pure cash + heavy performance bonus: no equity at India offices; Hyderabad campus focus

Atlassian

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹36L–₹48L

TEAM stock volatile post-2022: verify RSU grant price at offer

Stripe

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹32L–₹48L

Writing-clarity bar higher than FAANG peers: Stripe weights culture-fit in offers

Flipkart

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹46L

Walmart-owned: RSU + strong bonus structure

Amazon

FAANG

Software Engineer · ₹28L–₹46L

Signing bonus front-loads year-1: important for fresher negotiation

Apple

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹30L–₹44L

No joining bonus at ICT2: negotiate RSU grant size and first appraisal date in writing

PhonePe

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14.5L–₹42L

India's largest UPI app: competitive equity bands

Meta

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹28L–₹42L

RSU cliff in yr 1: total comp skews yr 2–4

Uber

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹30L–₹42L

Stock appreciation matters: UBER listed equity

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹28L–₹42L

Microsoft-owned RSU (MSFT stock): FAANG-adjacent compensation, entry ₹28–42L

NVIDIA

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹25.8L–₹41L

NVDA RSU (NASDAQ): AI-hardware premium; entry ₹25–41L; highest IC6 in India semiconductor sector

Razorpay

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹40L

ESOP-heavy comp: pre-IPO equity matters

Swiggy

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹40L

Listed in 2024: RSU liquidity now available

Goldman Sachs

Startup

Software Engineer / Analyst · ₹26L–₹40L

No RSU/equity at India offices: total comp is cash-only

Intuit

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹22L–₹38L

INTU RSU: strong eng culture, solid total comp for Tier-2 FAANG

Salesforce

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹27L–₹38L

CRM RSU vests annually not quarterly: verify vest schedule before signing

ServiceNow India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹26.4L–₹38L

NOW RSU (NYSE): top-paying enterprise SaaS GCC in India; entry ₹26–38L rivals FAANG

Texas Instruments India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹25L–₹38L

Premium semiconductor GCC: TXN RSU; Bengaluru is TI's largest non-US engineering site

Adobe

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹24L–₹37.8L

ADBE RSU strong historically: creative domain + SaaS comp

Walmart Global Tech

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹22L–₹36L

WMT stock stable: RSU liquidity is solid for non-FAANG

Postman

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹25L–₹35L

ESOP-heavy at mid-level: negotiate ESOP refresh cadence alongside fixed; late-stage private

Meesho

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹21L–₹34L

Listed December 2025: ESOP liquidity improving

IBM

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹23L–₹34L

RSU-heavy comp: IBM Band 6 fresher starts ₹17-24 LPA

CRED

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹33.6L

Pre-IPO ESOP: secondary sales have occurred but liquidity not guaranteed

Oracle

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹23.4L–₹33L

ORCL RSU + above-average fixed for enterprise; slower growth than startups

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Salary FAQs

What is a good salary for a software engineer fresher in India in 2026?

For freshers in India in 2026, salary ranges by company tier: Service companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant): ₹3.5–7 LPA depending on track. Mid-tier product companies (Freshworks, Zoho, LTIMindtree): ₹6–12 LPA. Indian startups and unicorns (Razorpay, PhonePe, Meesho, CRED): ₹15–30 LPA. FAANG India campuses (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta) from IIT/NIT: ₹35–60 LPA all-in. These are total CTC figures including variable pay and benefits.

What components make up a software engineer's CTC in India?

Indian tech CTC typically has 4–6 components: (1) Fixed base salary, the guaranteed monthly component. (2) Variable pay, a performance bonus typically 10–20% of base at service companies and 15–30% at product companies. (3) Joining bonus, a one-time payment common when buying out notice period. (4) ESOPs or RSUs, equity at Series B+ startups and public companies, vesting over 4 years with a 1-year cliff. (5) Employer PF contribution, 12% of basic, excluded from gross CTC at some companies. (6) Other allowances such as HRA, transport, and food. Total CTC is the full cost to company; in-hand salary is significantly lower.

How accurate are AmbitionBox and Glassdoor salary figures for Indian companies?

AmbitionBox and Glassdoor India salary data is directionally accurate but has known biases: (1) Self-reporting bias, where employees who are especially happy or unhappy with their salaries over-represent the dataset. (2) Vintage lag, since salary data can be 1–3 years old in fast-moving markets. (3) Variable exclusion, as many self-reported figures exclude variable pay, ESOPs, and joining bonuses. HireStepX sources primarily from AmbitionBox, with Glassdoor as a secondary cross-check where available, and labels each entry with a verification date.

How much can I negotiate above the initial offer in Indian tech?

For most Indian tech companies, counter-offering 15–25% above the initial offer is the standard negotiation range. Service companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro) have compressed negotiation room for freshers, typically 5–10%. Product startups and unicorns have more room, 15–25% on base, with additional room on joining bonus, ESOPs, and variable cap. FAANG companies in India have structured bands; negotiation works best by requesting the higher end of the band rather than exceeding it. Knowing your BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) before the call is essential.