- 1.SREs average $142,600; DevOps engineers average $126,240 (Indeed, 2026)
- 2.SREs earn 15-25% more than DevOps engineers at equivalent levels due to higher complexity (NovelVista, 2026)
- 3.Senior SREs with Google-style experience can reach $213K+ (Refonte Learning, 2025)
- 4.2026 trend: Roles are converging—Platform Engineers now do both DevOps and SRE work
$142K
SRE Average
$126K
DevOps Average
15-25%
SRE Premium
$213K
Sr. SRE Max
Salary Comparison
According to NovelVista, if salary is the top priority, the Site Reliability Engineer salary in 2026 is higher than the DevOps engineer salary. SREs typically earn 15-25% more than DevOps engineers at equivalent levels due to higher complexity and responsibility.
| Level | DevOps Salary | SRE Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-Level | $70,000-$90,000 | $75,000-$95,000 |
| Mid-Level | $100,000-$130,000 | $105,000-$135,000 |
| Senior | $140,000-$180,000 | $145,000-$185,000 |
| Staff/Principal | $170,000-$200,000 | $184,000+ (median) |
| Average (Indeed) | $126,240 | $142,600 |
Source: Indeed, Refonte Learning, 2026
Key Differences Between DevOps and SRE
According to Refonte Learning, the most significant difference is that DevOps teams create and deploy code into production and then refine it. In contrast, SRE teams work with already-built software—their primary goal is to ensure it functions correctly and cooperates with other software and systems.
- DevOps: Build → Deploy → Refine. Focus on CI/CD pipelines, automation, and developer experience
- SRE: Operate → Monitor → Ensure reliability. Focus on uptime, incident response, and system resilience
- SRE pays more because SREs take on more responsibilities, including higher risk and deeper software engineering skills
Career Paths
According to SwitchtoDevOps Academy, the career trajectories differ:
DevOps Career Path:
- DevOps Engineer → Senior DevOps Engineer → DevOps Lead or Cloud Architect
- Opportunities to transition into Platform Engineering, Security Automation, or Infrastructure as Code specialization
SRE Career Path:
- SRE → Senior SRE → Staff/Principal SRE → Reliability Architect or Engineering Manager
- Possible pivot into MLOps, Performance Engineering, or Infrastructure Leadership
- Top-tier SREs with Google-style experience can earn at the top of the tech pay scale globally
Source: SwitchtoDevOps Academy, 2026
The 2026 Convergence Trend
According to SwitchtoDevOps Academy, these roles are converging at many companies. Modern 'DevOps Engineers' increasingly handle SRE-like responsibilities, while 'Platform Engineers' do both DevOps and SRE work.
Key convergence factors:
- Platform Engineering emerged as a hybrid discipline combining DevOps and SRE principles
- Kubernetes adoption means both roles work with similar technologies
- Observability tools (Datadog, Grafana) blur the monitoring/operations boundary
- Smaller companies can't afford separate DevOps and SRE teams, so one person does both
Important note: SREs have the most demanding on-call responsibilities but are compensated accordingly. If work-life balance is paramount, Platform Engineering offers the best lifestyle among these three paths.
Which Should You Choose?
- Choose DevOps if: You enjoy building CI/CD pipelines, automating developer workflows, and improving developer experience. Found at: mid-size product companies, service firms, early startups, traditional enterprises.
- Choose SRE if: You want higher pay and don't mind on-call responsibilities. You enjoy solving reliability problems at scale and want to work at top-tier tech companies. Found at: Google, Amazon, Meta, Netflix, large e-commerce, and fintech.
- Choose Platform Engineering if: You want work-life balance while doing a hybrid of both roles. The emerging discipline offers strong salaries without SRE-level on-call demands.
Related Articles
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
DevOps vs SRE salary comparison
15-25% SRE premium analysis
2026 role convergence trends
Average salary data
Taylor Rupe
Co-founder & Editor (B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State • B.A. Psychology, University of Washington)
Taylor combines technical expertise in computer science with a deep understanding of human behavior and learning. His dual background drives Hakia's mission: leveraging technology to build authoritative educational resources that help people make better decisions about their academic and career paths.