Cloud Engineer
$113,333
avg. annual salary
Site Reliability Engineer
pays more on average
Site Reliability Engineer
$114,454
avg. annual salary
In the ever-evolving tech landscape, Cloud Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) play crucial roles in ensuring seamless operations and service availability. While both positions focus on maintaining and optimizing cloud infrastructures, they come with distinct responsibilities and compensation packages. Understanding the salary differences, benefits, and career paths can help you make an informed choice about which path to pursue. In this guide, we’ll dive deep into the 2025 salaries for both titles, analyze the benefits they typically receive, and look at potential growth opportunities in each career. Whether you’re considering a career switch or just curious about these roles, this comparison will provide valuable insights.
Salary by Experience Level
starting salary
starting salary
avg. difference (1%)
Cloud Engineer Salary Overview
Cloud Engineers are responsible for developing, managing, and supporting cloud-based systems. As of 2025, the average salary for a Cloud Engineer in the United States is approximately $120,000 per year.
The salary range typically falls between $95,000 and $150,000, depending on experience and location. Entry-level Cloud Engineers can expect salaries in the range of $80,000 to $95,000, while mid-level professionals earn between $100,000 and $130,000.
Senior Cloud Engineers may command up to $160,000 or more, particularly in major tech hubs like San Francisco and New York.
Site Reliability Engineer Salary Overview
Site Reliability Engineers focus on software engineering principles and practices to create scalable and highly reliable systems. In 2025, the average salary for an SRE is around $125,000 per year, with a salary range of $100,000 to $160,000.
Entry-level SRE positions usually offer salaries from $85,000 to $100,000. Mid-level SREs can expect to earn between $110,000 and $140,000, while senior SREs often see salaries exceeding $170,000, especially in competitive markets.
Benefits Comparison
Both Cloud Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers receive competitive benefits packages that typically include health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. Cloud Engineers may have additional perks such as cloud training opportunities, while SREs often receive bonuses related to system uptime and performance metrics.
Companies may also offer flexible working arrangements and remote work options, which are becoming increasingly common in both fields.
Career Paths and Growth Potential
The career paths for Cloud Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers can vary significantly. Cloud Engineers often advance to roles such as Cloud Architect or Solutions Architect, focusing on the design and implementation of cloud solutions.
In contrast, SREs may progress to become Engineering Managers or DevOps Leads, emphasizing operational excellence and cross-team collaboration. Both roles offer strong growth potential, especially as more companies transition to cloud-based infrastructures.
Detailed Comparison
## Role and pay overview
- •Typical U.S. salary ranges (2025):
- •Entry Cloud Engineer: $80,000–$100,000
- •Entry SRE: $90,000–$110,000
- •Senior Cloud Engineer: $150,000–$190,000
- •Senior SRE: $170,000–$220,000
- •On average, SREs earn about 5–15% more than Cloud Engineers at similar seniority because SREs take on 24/7 incident responsibility and reliability metrics.
## Why pay differs
- •Responsibility: SREs handle incident response and define SLIs/SLOs; companies pay premiums for 24/7 reliability. For example, on-call stipends and incident bonuses add 5–10% to total comp.
- •Skill overlap: Both roles demand cloud skills (AWS/GCP/Azure) and Kubernetes. Certifications (AWS Pro, CKA) can raise offers by 5–12%.
- •Location and equity: San Francisco and New York typically add 20–30% to base; startups often offer 10–30% of total comp in equity.
## Actionable takeaways
- •If you prefer coding and incident work, pursue SRE and negotiate on-call pay.
- •If you want steady project work, focus on Cloud Engineer roles and ask for certification bonuses.
- •Target SF/NY/SEA markets or remote roles for +20–30% compensation uplift.