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Create CVIf you’re searching for “full stack developer UK salary,” you’re not just looking for numbers. You’re trying to understand what you should be earning, how to increase your value, and how hiring decisions actually translate into pay.
This guide breaks down real-world salary ranges across the UK, how recruiters and hiring managers evaluate full stack developers, and what separates £40K candidates from £120K+ candidates.
Let’s start with the direct answer based on current hiring data across London, Manchester, Birmingham, and remote UK roles.
Entry-level (0–2 years): £30,000 – £45,000
Mid-level (2–5 years): £45,000 – £70,000
Senior (5–8 years): £70,000 – £95,000
Lead / Staff (8+ years): £90,000 – £120,000+
Contract (day rate): £400 – £800 per day
London salaries: +10% to +25% premium
As a recruiter, salary is not determined by years of experience alone. It’s a risk assessment.
Breadth of stack (frontend + backend + cloud)
Depth in at least one domain
Business impact (revenue, scalability, efficiency)
Ownership of systems (not just contributions)
Ability to operate independently
Hiring managers ask:
Can this person own features end-to-end?
Not all full stack developers are equal in the market.
React + Node.js + AWS
TypeScript across full stack
Next.js + serverless architecture
Java + Spring Boot + Angular (enterprise roles)
Python + React + data-heavy systems
Basic MERN with no production scale
Remote UK roles: often align with London bands
Regional roles: typically £5K–£15K lower
Key insight: Salary is not just tied to experience. It’s tied to perceived impact, technical depth, and commercial value.
Will they reduce team dependency or increase it?
Are they a safe hire or a high-risk hire?
Higher salary = lower perceived risk + higher expected impact
WordPress + PHP generalists
Frontend-heavy with weak backend skills
Key insight: Full stack doesn’t mean “knows everything lightly.” It means “can deliver production systems independently.”
Years alone don’t increase salary. Demonstrated complexity does.
Works on tickets
Needs supervision
Limited system understanding
Builds features independently
Understands APIs and architecture basics
Contributes to decisions
Designs systems
Leads features end-to-end
Mentors others
Makes architectural decisions
Owns entire platforms
Aligns engineering with business goals
Drives scalability and performance strategy
Knowing 10 frameworks ≠ high salary.
Hiring managers care about:
What did you build?
What impact did it have?
Most candidates describe tasks instead of outcomes.
Weak Example:
"Worked on frontend and backend features"
Good Example:
"Delivered full-stack feature used by 50K users, reducing load time by 40% and increasing conversion by 18%"
If your CV has no numbers, you look junior regardless of experience.
Be strong in one area while competent across the stack.
Hiring managers pay more for ownership than participation.
Developers who understand business problems earn more.
Revenue impact
User growth
Performance gains
£400 – £800 per day
No benefits
Higher short-term income
£50K – £120K+
Stability
Career progression
Recruiter insight: Contractors are hired for speed and expertise. Permanent hires are evaluated for long-term value.
Remote has reshaped salary bands.
London salaries spreading nationwide
Companies hiring globally
Increased competition
Top talent still commands premium
Weak candidates still underpaid
Your salary starts with getting through ATS.
Keywords: React, Node.js, AWS, APIs, TypeScript
Clean formatting
Clear role titles
Consistent experience timeline
Overly designed CVs
Missing keywords
Generic job titles
Clear seniority level
Strong tech stack
Business impact
Career progression
Name: James Carter
Location: London, UK
Role: Senior Full Stack Developer
Professional Summary
Senior Full Stack Developer with 7+ years of experience building scalable web applications using React, Node.js, and AWS. Proven track record of delivering high-performance systems supporting over 100K users and driving measurable business growth.
Core Skills
JavaScript (ES6+)
TypeScript
React / Next.js
Node.js / Express
AWS (Lambda, S3, EC2)
REST APIs
Microservices Architecture
Professional Experience
Senior Full Stack Developer – FinTech Company – London
2022 – Present
Led development of full-stack platform serving 120K+ users
Reduced system latency by 45% through backend optimisation
Built scalable API architecture supporting 3x traffic growth
Collaborated with product teams to deliver revenue-generating features
Full Stack Developer – SaaS Startup – Manchester
2019 – 2022
Developed end-to-end features increasing user retention by 25%
Migrated monolith to microservices architecture
Improved frontend performance leading to 30% faster load times
Junior Developer – Tech Agency – Leeds
2017 – 2019
Built frontend components and backend APIs
Supported senior developers in full-stack feature delivery
Education
BSc Computer Science – University of Leeds
Executes tasks
Understands systems
Limited ownership
Owns systems
Makes decisions
Drives outcomes
Thinks commercially
Never negotiate based on experience.
Negotiate based on:
Systems built
Scale handled
Results delivered
Multiple offers = higher salary.
Hiring managers pay more for solutions to problems.
Demand remains strong due to:
Digital transformation
SaaS growth
AI integration
Startup ecosystem
However, the market is:
Competitive at junior level
Selective at senior level
AI-integrated applications
Cloud-native systems
Scalable SaaS platforms
Senior salaries rising
Junior salaries stagnating
Top 10% earning significantly more
Reality: Depth > breadth
Reality: Impact > tools
Reality: Progression matters more than time
Rewrite CV with impact metrics
Add missing keywords
Optimise LinkedIn
Build production-level projects
Gain cloud experience
Take ownership at work
Move into senior/lead roles
Specialise in high-demand stacks
Develop business understanding
Because hiring decisions are based on perceived impact and ownership, not years. Developers who demonstrate system ownership, scalability experience, and measurable business outcomes are valued significantly higher than those who only execute tasks.
Not always. While many companies now offer London-aligned salaries remotely, some still adjust based on location. The deciding factor is your leverage and how critical your skills are to the company.
Cloud expertise can increase salary by £10K–£25K depending on depth. Developers who can design and deploy scalable cloud systems are seen as significantly more valuable than those who only write application code.
The highest-paid developers are “T-shaped.” They have strong expertise in one area (e.g. backend or cloud) while maintaining full stack capability. Pure generalists without depth tend to cap out earlier in salary.
They look for evidence of ownership, system design decisions, and measurable outcomes. Titles are ignored. Impact, complexity handled, and independence determine whether someone is truly senior.
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