Designer Salary at Startups
What startups pay designers, from the pay their live postings state: base salary as the employer writes it, on roles still taking applications.
458 of 1,505 live roles state payChecked dailyUpdated
Median base pay
$154Ka year
The median of 383 live designer postings that state pay in US dollars, as of October 2026. Each posting counts at the middle of its range.
- Middle half of postings
- $110K–$189K
- One in ten pays over
- $218K
- A typical posted range
- $135K–$170K
- Under $80K: 21 postings
- $80K–$100K: 40 postings
- $100K–$120K: 57 postings
- $120K–$140K: 33 postings
- $140K–$160K: 53 postings
- $160K–$180K: 48 postings
- $180K–$200K: 59 postings
- $200K–$220K: 36 postings
- $220K–$240K: 9 postings
- $240K–$260K: 12 postings
- $260K and up: 15 postings
By level
As the title states it: "Senior", "Staff" and so on. Mid-level is a title with no level in it.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Mid-level$125K$93K–$172K · 149 postings
- Senior$163K$116K–$185K · 143 postings
- Lead$166K$143K–$198K · 26 postings
- Staff$199K$171K–$218K · 32 postings
- Principal$177K$169K–$210K · 8 postings
- Manager$217K$193K–$274K · 10 postings
- Director or head of$183K$170K–$225K · 9 postings
By city
Each in the currency its postings use. Pounds, euros and Canadian dollars aren't converted.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Remote$150K$114K–$185K · 147 postings
- San Francisco$185K$155K–$217K · 60 postings
- New York$154K$108K–$188K · 75 postings
Who pays the most
Companies with at least three live designer postings stating pay, by their median.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Anthropic$345K$345K–$354K · 4 postings
- Toast$247K$227K–$247K · 3 postings
- Harvey$233K$185K–$280K · 4 postings
- Raydar$230K$215K–$240K · 5 postings
- Kalepa$218K$201K–$218K · 3 postings
- Adyen$215K$198K–$234K · 3 postings
- Brex$211K$189K–$240K · 3 postings
- Discord$200K$179K–$244K · 3 postings
- Vercel$195K$188K–$205K · 3 postings
- Gusto$194K$179K–$205K · 3 postings
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Common questions
How much does a designer make at a startup?
As of October 2026, the median base pay startups advertise for designers is $154K a year, across 383 live postings that state it in US dollars. The middle half of those postings pay between $110K and $189K, and one in ten pays over $218K.
How much does a senior designer make at a startup?
Postings with "senior" in the title have a median of $163K a year, across 143 of them, against $125K for titles that state no level. The middle half pay $116K–$185K.
Which companies pay designers the most?
Among companies with at least three live postings stating pay, the highest medians are at Anthropic ($345K), Toast ($247K), Harvey ($233K) and Raydar ($230K).
Where do designers earn the most?
San Francisco, with a median of $185K a year across 60 postings, against $150K for remote roles.
Does a designer at a startup get equity?
Often, though few postings say how much: 36% of the 1,934 designer postings we've read mention equity. The figures on this page are base pay only.
Where do these figures come from?
From the postings themselves: the pay range each employer states, on roles still taking applications, which we check against the company's own careers page every day. Each posting counts once, at the middle of its range. Postings that don't state pay, and pay in other currencies, are left out of the main figures.