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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

Mindtickle

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹22L

Revenue enablement SaaS: $100M+ ARR; ESOP; Pune HQ; serving Fortune 500 sales teams

Sumo Logic

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹22L

Cloud observability SaaS: went private 2023 (Francisco Partners); ESOP post-privatisation

Clari

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹22L

Revenue operations SaaS: $150M+ ARR; ESOP at $2.6B valuation; Bengaluru engineering

Chargebee

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Late-stage private (Insight Partners backed): ESOP value depends on IPO; negotiate fixed first

Wells Fargo India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Wells Fargo India GCC: RSU is WFC NYSE stock; Hyderabad campus is mid-tier banking GCC

Lenskart

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Listed RSU (Lenskart IPO 2025): solid equity credibility; D2C + offline retail tech focus

Deutsche Bank India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

DB RSU (Frankfurt listed): European banking GCC; Pune is DB's largest India hub; pay below JPMorgan

Pine Labs

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Pre-IPO ESOP (IPO filed 2025): Pine Labs; strong payments and merchant tech focus; IPO lifts credibility

KreditBee

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Lending fintech: 40M+ registered users; ESOP; Bengaluru; RBI-regulated NBFC

Practo

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Health-tech: 100K+ doctors on platform; ESOP; Bengaluru; multi-market (SEA, LatAm)

Vedantu

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Live-class EdTech: ESOP post-2023 reset; Bengaluru; JEE/NEET LIVE tutoring tech

Exotel

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Cloud telephony leader India: call centre APIs; ESOP; Bengaluru; $100M+ raised

Capillary Technologies

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Loyalty SaaS: 250+ global brands; ESOP; Bengaluru; retail and FMCG CRM platform

Rupeek

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹14L–₹20L

Gold loan fintech: doorstep model; ESOP; Bengaluru; $600M+ raised from Goldman Sachs

Sigmoid

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Data engineering consultancy: Spark/Kafka/Airflow experts; ESOP; Bengaluru HQ

Lowe's India (GCC)

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

US retail GCC; Bengaluru; NYSE listed; RSU; cloud and retail-tech focus

BNY Mellon Technology

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

World's largest custody bank GCC; Pune + Chennai; NYSE; RSU; fintech engineering

Standard Chartered GBS India

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹20L

Emerging-markets bank GBS Chennai; LSE listed; RSU; Python + risk analytics

Paytm

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

Listed RSU (NSE/BSE): volatile stock, solid cash comp

Ola Electric

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹10L–₹18L

Listed equity (OLAELECTRIC IPO Aug 2024): RSU credibility improving; volatile stock price

MakeMyTrip

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

Nasdaq-listed RSU (MMYT): solid equity credibility; travel recovery driving compensation growth

Delhivery

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

NSE-listed RSU (DELHIVERY): solid equity credibility; logistics ML and supply-chain tech focus

CARS24

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹10L–₹18L

Pre-IPO ESOP: CARS24; used-car marketplace; ESOP credibility moderate; Series F unicorn

Naukri (Info Edge)

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹10L–₹18L

Listed (NSE: NAUKRI): RSU liquid; Info Edge: Naukri, 99acres, Jeevansathi portfolio

Shiprocket

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

Shipping aggregator: IPO-filed; ESOP credibility lifting; 100K+ merchants; Delhi HQ

Ninjacart

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

Agri-tech supply chain: Walmart-backed; ESOP; cold-chain and logistics tech

Apollo 24/7

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

Apollo Hospitals digital arm: parent listed (NSE: APOLLOHOSP); health-tech growing team

Country Delight

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹12L–₹18L

D2C dairy: cold-chain logistics tech; ESOP; Gurugram; Series-D funded

Tata Steel

Startup

Mechanical Engineer · ₹4L–₹18L

Core-engineering conglomerate: AEP trainees start on a stipend before IL6 confirmation

Accenture

Startup

Software Engineer · ₹4L–₹17L

90-day notice period: plan your timeline early

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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.