Blockchain vs AI Salary - Which Industry is Best for Talent in 2025?

Blockchain and AI are two of the world’s fastest-growing industries in 2024, but which one actually pays more for their engineers and developers? To answer this question thoroughly, we gathered some numbers based on market research and our experience as recruitment consultants for companies in both fields. If you’re wondering which field to specialize in, this article should help you compare salaries between the blockchain and AI industries and provide some useful insights on which industry better suits you.

Disclaimer

Any numbers mentioned in this article are for reference only. It's important to understand that there is always limited transparency regarding salary figures. Salary packages can vary depending on a job's skill and experience requirements, location, the employer’s budget, and the candidate’s negotiation skills. Do not, by any means, use the numbers here as a hardline for your job search. Do your own research on how much a role should be paid and how much your skills and experience are worth in the current market.
The main objective of this article is not to pinpoint exact salary numbers, but rather to see if there are significant differences in salary if you choose one career path over another.
We'll focus more on salaries for entry-level and intermediate-level jobs since these are what most of you will be looking for. Numbers for these levels are also more consistent and less skewed by the occasional outlier.

Blockchain vs AI Salary - Market Statistics

What Do Recruitment Websites Say?
We quickly gather numbers from the biggest career/recruitment platforms in the US to compare their numbers, so you don’t have to. Some of these websites like Indeed and Glassdoor have hundreds of users contributing, and should give a fair estimate on how much developers in each industry makes.

Without taking skill sets and years of experience into consideration, we can see that the numbers slightly favor the AI side. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect base salaries only, and companies in both industries often offer very attractive bonuses and shares on top of this.

How Much Are Top AI Companies Paying for Their Developers?

To get a better picture, let's check out what leading tech companies are paying their AI engineers based on 2024 data from levels.fyi.

Google
AI engineers at Google typically make around $254,701, with base compensation close to $200,000. Entry-level engineers (level three) can earn between $130,000 and $280,000 annually, while senior engineers can make $300,000 to $700,000+ including cash and equity.

Microsoft
Principal engineers at Microsoft can earn upwards of $400,000 a year. Level-five engineers, with about eight years of experience, have a total compensation range of $130,000 to $250,000, often with base pay near $200,000 and additional equity.

Meta
Meta’s entry-level engineers start at level three, maxing out at level eight for the most senior positions. Recent offers for AI or machine learning engineers typically start at level four, with median compensation around $360,477.

NVIDIA
NVIDIA's AI and machine learning engineers have a median income of $285,000, including base salary and equity. The base salaries are generally in the low $200,000 range, with the rest coming from stock-based compensation.

How Much Are Top Blockchain Companies Paying for Their Developers?

We also gathered levels.fyi’s 2024 numbers for software engineers at big blockchain companies to give you some reference.

Coinbase
Software engineer compensation at Coinbase ranges from $201.4K per year for IC3 to $729.8K per year for IC7.

Binance
The median software engineer package at Binance in the U.S. totals $130K per year.

Ethereum Foundation
The median salary for a software engineer at the Ethereum Foundation is around $181,905.

Ripple
Senior software engineers at Ripple in the U.S. earn around $268.1K per year, with the median compensation package totaling $230K.

ChainLink Labs
The median software engineer compensation at ChainLink Labs in the U.S. is $160K per year, including base salary, stock, and bonuses.

Blockchain vs AI Salary - Our Take

So, do these numbers align with our actual experience recruiting for AI and blockchain companies?

We can’t disclose specific figures from our clients, but from our experience in 2024, we only noticed a small difference in salaries between AI and blockchain/web3 developers. The numbers in the research above do somewhat resonate with what we've seen when sending out offers, but the numbers are much closer from our experience, especially when comparing offers from startups and smaller companies from both fields. It's also important to note that the difference in salaries you see above aren't solely due to the industry; other hiring factors also play a significant role.

For example, many blockchain companies, even the biggest ones like Binance and OKX, are based outside the US and rely more heavily on teams and talent from Asia and the Middle East. Salaries in these regions simply aren’t as lucrative, and this can affect how the numbers appear on recruitment platforms. We explore these broader salary influences blogs comparing engineer salaries and web3 developer salaries within and outside the US. It’s also worth noting that the AI employers mentioned here are by definition some of the biggest companies in the world. They simply have more budget for salaries than everyone else in every industry, not just blockchain.

What Skills Make You Money in These Industries?

For AI Developers and Engineers

Programming Skills:

• Python: Essential for AI and ML due to its simplicity and extensive library support (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Keras).
• R: Important for statistical analysis and data visualization.
• C++/Java: Useful for performance-intensive applications and large-scale systems.

Machine Learning Frameworks and Libraries:

• TensorFlow: Widely used for developing and training machine learning models.
• PyTorch: Preferred for research and production for its flexibility and ease of use.
• Scikit-learn: Useful for data mining and data analysis.

Mathematics and Statistics:

• Linear Algebra: Fundamental for understanding machine learning algorithms.
• Calculus: Necessary for optimization and algorithm development.
• Probability and Statistics: Essential for data analysis and interpreting model outputs.

Data Handling and Processing

• SQL: Required for managing and querying large datasets.
• Pandas/Numpy: Crucial for data manipulation and numerical computing.

For Blockchain Developers and Engineers

Programming Skills:

• Solidity: Essential for developing smart contracts on Ethereum.
• Go: Used for projects like Hyperledger Fabric and Go-Ethereum.
• JavaScript: Important for building blockchain applications, especially front-end integration.
• Python: Useful for scripting and backend blockchain services.
• Rust/C++: Important for performance-critical blockchain applications.

Blockchain Platforms and Frameworks:

• Ethereum: Knowledge of Ethereum's architecture, smart contracts, and dApp development.
• Hyperledger Fabric: Familiarity with this permissioned blockchain framework for enterprise solutions.
• Binance Smart Chain, Polkadot, and Solana: Understanding other popular blockchain platforms and their specific use cases.

Cryptography:

• Encryption Techniques: Understanding of public/private key cryptography, digital signatures, and hash functions.
• Security Protocols: Knowledge of consensus mechanisms like Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS).

Database Management:

• SQL/NoSQL: Knowledge of traditional and decentralized databases (e.g., IPFS) for off-chain data storage.

Will The Gap Widen In The Future?

Both industries are rapidly growing, and the job opportunities being offered in both industries will only continue to increase over the next few years. You can safely enter either industry and expect there to be well-paid jobs and good advancement opportunities available for the time being. If we have to guess though, the AI industry will probably grow a little bit faster due to its broader application and integration across multiple industries​.

So, does that mean salaries for AI developers will continue to outrun those for blockchain developers in the long run? Is specializing in blockchain a bad idea then? Well, not exactly. In fact, even if you're a general software engineer, you could make the jump to an AI/ML engineer. 

One key factor we have to consider here is that although AI and blockchain can be quite specialized fields, they do share many overlapping skills that are interchangeable, especially at an entry or intermediate level. Both industries will share an overlapping talent pool to a degree, and if AI companies continuously pay more to lure away the talent, blockchain companies will also up their offers to remain competitive in the market. Things will simply balance out.

As the AI market expands and becomes even more fragmented, like how the blockchain industry did over the years, the increased demand for developers from new AI startups will likely drive salaries up for the blockchain industry as well, and the pay gap between entry and intermediate level developers will very likely become less pronounced. It’s just a great time to be a developer, no matter which field you specialize in.

Final Verdict

In 2024, the Blockchain vs AI salary debate will arguably end in a small victory for AI, but this doesn’t mean you should pack everything and just jump on the AI bandwagon. Web3 and blockchain is still a very well-paid industry to work in for developers and the opportunities for career advancement are plenty.

At the end of the day, salaries shouldn’t be your only consideration when choosing your career path. There are plenty more to consider, such as the overall compensation and benefits package, how many jobs are available in your country, and your ability to compete with other talents in the field for advancement. You should also look into your own skills, experience, passion and interest, and overall career goals before deciding which field to eventually specialize in.

If you are looking for a job in blockchain or AI and need some advice on interviewing, polishing your profile, or hunting down job openings, don’t hesitate to contact the Hyphen Connect team for help.

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About Hyphen Connect

Hyphen Connect is a recruitment and staffing consultant focused on helping AI and web3 businesses find the best talent and build the best team. When we are not too busy helping companies hunt down the world’s best talents, we love to share tips on recruitment, staffing, and career advancement.