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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

Workday India

Software Engineer · ₹22L–₹33L

WDAY RSU (NASDAQ): enterprise SaaS; solid pay; Hyderabad GCC covers HR-tech and finance-cloud product

Dream11

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹20L–₹32L

Pre-IPO ESOP: Dream Sports valued at ~$8B; secondary transactions have occurred

Zepto

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹22L–₹32L

Pre-IPO ESOP (Series-G ₹70,000 Cr valuation 2024): IPO expected but timeline not confirmed

Intel India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹20L–₹32L

Semiconductor giant India GCC: INTC RSU; processor and compiler engineering focus

Nium

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹20L–₹32L

Singapore payments unicorn: global B2B payments; ESOP at $2.1B valuation

Hasura

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹20L–₹32L

YC-backed GraphQL OSS startup: Haskell core; $100M raised; strong global dev mindshare

Zomato

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹30L

Early-movers got significant RSU appreciation

Freshworks

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹30L

Nasdaq-listed: RSU + modest equity in SaaS scale

Visa India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹30L

Global payments network; NYSE; RSU; Bengaluru; real-time payments + fraud ML

Zoho

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹10L–₹28L

Bootstrapped: no equity, but stable & above-market fixed

Groww

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹10L–₹28L

Pre-IPO ESOP: secondary market trades at ~$8B valuation

Myntra

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Flipkart-group ESOP: liquidity tied to Flipkart/Walmart exit event

Sarvam AI

Startup

AI Engineer / Researcher · ₹16L–₹28L

India's leading vernacular AI unicorn: BharatGPT, Sarvam-2B; Series B ($1.5B) ESOP

VMware (Broadcom)

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Broadcom RSU (AVGO NASDAQ): post-acquisition hiring reduced; strong legacy compensation; cloud infra focus

ARM Holdings India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

ARM Nasdaq IPO 2023: RSU valuable; Bengaluru is primary India engineering site for CPU IP

Slice

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Neo-bank merged with NESFB (2024): becoming licensed bank; ESOP credibility improving

Zeta Tech

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Banking SaaS unicorn ($1.5B): powers next-gen core banking; strong eng culture; ESOP

Druva

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Cloud backup SaaS unicorn ($2B+): Pune HQ; ESOP; AWS-native; strong B2B SaaS engineering

Truecaller

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹18L–₹28L

Listed Stockholm (TRUE): RSU liquid; 360M+ users in India; payments (Truecaller Pay)

Sarvam AI

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹28L

India-native LLM lab Bengaluru; Series B unicorn ($1.5B); ESOP; 10 Indian languages AI

Zerodha

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹9.5L–₹26.6L

Bootstrapped: zero equity, but India's most profitable startup; best fixed pay for this tier

Morgan Stanley

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

No joining bonus at India offices: negotiate base + RSU cliff schedule

Jupiter Money

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

Neo-bank on Federal Bank rails: ESOP; Mumbai-centric; consumer finance product

M2P Fintech

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

BaaS fintech: powers 50+ banks/fintechs with card APIs; Chennai HQ; ESOP pre-IPO

Khatabook

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

SMB fintech: 10M+ merchants on digital ledger; ESOP; Bengaluru HQ

smallcase

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

Investment platform: broker-integrated; ESOP at growing pre-IPO valuation

ShareChat

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

Regional social media: 400M+ users; Moj (TikTok alternative); ESOP pre-IPO

MoEngage

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

Customer engagement SaaS: 1,000+ global brands; ESOP; Bengaluru HQ

Mastercard Technology India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹16L–₹26L

Global payments network; NYSE; RSU; Pune + Vadodara; 150B+ txn/yr

Cisco

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹17.2L–₹25L

CSCO RSU (NASDAQ): established FAANG-adjacent pay; Bengaluru is Cisco's #1 global hub ex-US

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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.