Polish Developers: Pros, Cons, Salaries & Insights

With  1.2 million software developer vacancies likely to go unfilled by 2026, tech product companies in the US are starting to search for remote talent in CEE IT hubs. Polish software developers rank among the top 6 coders globally and are 2nd in Eastern Europe by English Proficiency—a powerful combo that makes Poland a great destination for outsourcing software development services.

I am Maryna Panchuk, Head of IT Recruitment at Alcor—the R&D solution provider for tech companies. We help tech companies build a team from 0 to 100 hi-tech talent without the Silicon Valley price tag.

In this article, you’ll discover why Polish software engineers are a smart choice for scaling your team efficiently, explore their advantages and challenges, and see how Poland’s software engineer salaries stack up against those in the US. You’ll also learn about a top collaboration model with Polish developers that removes outsourcing risks and offers more than a standard Employer of Record solution.

Key Takeaways

• Save up to 40% on total employment costs by hiring Polish developers vs US counterparts.
• Poland is Central & Eastern Europe’s largest tech hub, with 650,000+ tech professionals and a steady annual IT services market growth of 5.9%. 
• Top-tier skills: Polish developers rank among the top 6 worldwide for coding skills and #2 in Eastern Europe by English proficiency.
• Build your software R&D center with Alcor and get a team of 30+ hi-tech gems in just 3 months.

Polish Software Development Market Overview

Poland’s booming tech sector, backed by 650,000+ experts, makes it the largest talent hub in Central Europe. The software development market is projected to grow by 20.5%, hitting US$13.14bn by 2029.

Poland’s innovation-driven growth has earned it 35th place in the Global Startup Ecosystem 2024, with more unicorns than any other CEE country.

A network of dynamic tech hubs fuels this success:

• Warsaw ranked 4th in the EU for the Gaming industry.
• Krakow ranked 8th in the EU for Digital Marketing.
• Wroclaw ranked 5th in the EU for the Medtech industry.
• Poznan ranked 20th in the EU for the Proptech industry.

Beyond these major cities, secondary tech hubs like Katowice, Poznań, the Tri-City area, and Łódź offer a strategic advantage: software developers’ salaries that are 15–20% more affordable.

What truly sets Poland apart is its proactive government support for innovation and R&D. The country is investing 1 billion zlotys (approx. $240 million) into AI development as part of its national tech growth strategy. On top of that, companies conducting R&D can benefit from a generous 200% tax deduction on eligible R&D expenses, including employee salaries, raw materials, expert consultations, research equipment, and IP protection costs.

What truly sets Poland apart is its proactive government support for innovation and R&D. The country is investing 1 billion zlotys (approx. $240 million) into AI development as part of its national tech growth strategy. On top of that, companies conducting R&D can benefit from a generous 200% tax deduction on eligible R&D expenses, including employee salaries, raw materials, expert consultations, research equipment, and IP protection costs.

Poland’s strong economy, EU membership, and stable political environment, in combination with top-notch developers, lower rates, and a Western-oriented work culture, make it an ideal destination for foreign companies to enter this IT market.

Is It Worth Hiring Polish Developers?

The short answer is yes. But to give you more details, let’s look at the 4 main factors which make Poland attractive for foreign businesses.

Impressive Tech Skills

Polish developers are globally recognized for their top-tier coding skills. They’re ranked in the top 5 at Google Code Jam and 6th all-time on TopCoder for first-place finishes. According to the 2024 edition of Emerging Europe’s IT Competitiveness Index, Poland ranks 4th overall among emerging European countries. 

With a top 15 spot in Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2024, Poland proves it values both talent and continuous learning.

As for the tech stack, the most popular programming languages in Poland at the end of Q1 2024 are SQL, Python, VBA, Java, and Javascript, followed by the C#/.NET/C/C++ language family. 

Our client Mako (formerly A2Labs) had a chance to see this technical excellence in action. Determined to hire competent engineers with deep GPU optimization skills, they partnered with Alcor. While other agencies couldn’t deliver a single candidate, Alcor sourced several senior-level ML specialists from Poland within a few weeks, exceeding expectations and leaving a strong impression.

Competitive Developer Salaries

According to Alcor’s internal research, the average annual compensation for senior tech professionals in the US is $129,600. Meanwhile, the average software engineer’s salary in Poland for a specialist of the same level is approximately $70,800. This allows U.S. tech companies to reduce employment costs by nearly 50% without compromising on talent quality.

Solid Technical Education

Poland is known for its strong technical education, which focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). There are 40 state-owned universities and 20 public institutes of technology, among which are such well-known ones as Warsaw University of Technology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Adam Mickiewicz University, and the University of Gdańsk. Moreover, 22 Polish HE institutions are included in the QS World University Ranking 2025 list, proving their high standards for education. 

Poland is flourishing with its growing number of tech graduates. In 2023–2024 alone, nearly 74,000 students pursued ICT studies—a strong indicator of a future-ready, skilled workforce.

High English Proficiency

Apart from technical expertise, Polish software developers have an exceptional command of the English language. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, Poland is ranked 13th out of 35 European countries.

Main tech hubs such as Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, and Katowice have a B2-C1 level of English, which makes their software engineers a perfect fit for Western tech companies.

Average Polish Developer Salaries & Payroll Taxes

The Polish developer rates are gradually growing year by year. Yet, they are still several times lower compared to the ones in Western countries. To see a clear picture of cost-effectiveness, let’s compare the average salary of a Polish software developer to that of one from the US.

	Annual Senior Developer Compensation, USD
Position	USA	Poland
AI/ML Engineer	132,000	80,400
Cloud Engineer	174,000	72,000
Blockchain Developer	132,000	77,000
Mobile Developer (iOS/Android/Xamarin)	114,000	84,000
Salesforce Developer	114,000	72,000
Manual/Automation QA	96,000	72,000
Ruby Developer	114,000	84,000
C/C++ Developer	114,000	81,600
.NET Developer	114,000	78,000
Vue.js Developer	120,000	72,000

However, to understand the real cost of hiring Polish software developers, it’s important to factor in additional expenses. Annual compensation goes beyond base salary—it also includes taxes, recruitment fees, and employee benefit packages.

Payroll Taxes

Poland offers a favorable tax environment for tech companies working with developers under the B2B model. In this setup, all tax obligations fall on the private entrepreneur, with no legal requirement for the hiring company to cover any taxes—effectively resulting in a 0% tax burden for the company.

Regarding other Polish taxes in the IT industry, employers are required to cover social security contributions when hiring full-time employees. For an employee receiving a monthly remuneration of USD 5,000, the employer will contribute approximately 20% to SSC on top of the gross Polish software developer’s salary.

These include:

• 9.76% retirement pension contribution
• 6.5% pension contribution
• 0.67–3.33% disability pension
• 2.45% to the Employment Fund
• 0.1% to the Fund of Guaranteed Employment Benefits. 

Recruitment Fees

Recruitment costs vary by role seniority:

• 15% of gross annual salary for mid-level specialists
• 20% for senior-level positions
• 25% and more for leads and top-tier talent

Standard Benefits Package

Eastern European tech companies, including Polish ones, typically offer a comprehensive benefits package valued at around $6,350 annually, which comprises:

• Medical insurance – $1,200
• Learning & Development – $900
• Corporate merchandise – $150
• Work equipment – $3,300
• Wellness & mental health support – $800

The table below compares the total annual cost of hiring a Polish software developer vs. a US-based one, factoring in gross salary, recruitment fees, and a standard benefits package.

	Annual Senior Developer Compensation, USD
Position	USA	Poland
AI/ML Engineer	180,000	102,480
Cloud Engineer	232,500	92,400
Blockchain Developer	180,000	99,600
Mobile Developer (iOS/Android/Xamarin)	157,500	106,800
Salesforce Developer	157,500	92,400
Manual/Automation QA	135,000	93,600
Ruby Developer	157,500	106,800
C/C++ Developer	157,500	101,160
.NET Developer	157,500	99,600
Vue.js Developer	165,000	93,600

After collecting and analyzing remuneration metrics, my team concluded that the average Polish developer salary rates are roughly 2 times lower than in the US.

For instance, Polish mobile app developers, who are in extreme demand on the global market nowadays, can cost employers about 32% less compared to their American colleagues. The cost advantage is even more striking when it comes to Polish Cloud Engineers, who can save over 60% in salary expenses compared to the US.

More than Just Hiring Polish Developers

Alcor is your trusted partner in building your own software R&D center. We help tech companies hire elite talent from Central Europe and LATAM with custom pricing and volume discounts. Among our clients are globally renowned companies such as Grammarly, People.ai, Samsung, Huawei, Tonic Health, Ledger, ThredUP, Gotransverse, and many others. 

Over 40 of our tech recruiters guarantee to hire 5 Polish programmers for you in 4 weeks, using just 8 CVs until 1 accepted offer.

How hiring with Alcor is different from traditional outsourcing:

• Fast & focused hiring – make your first hire in just 2–6 weeks.
• Top-tier talent only – we specialize in recruiting high-tech, senior-level engineers.
• Save up to 40% – cut costs significantly compared to traditional outsourcing models.
• Zero buy-out or setup fees – transparent pricing with no hidden charges.
• No legal entity required – we handle all legal, payroll, and admin tasks so you don’t have to.

Just ask Sift—a US-based cybersecurity company. When Sift needed to scale its product engineering team in Poland, Alcor delivered a full-cycle recruitment service, helping them hire 51 tech talent in total. We also handled legal compliance, payroll, and IT infrastructure setup, enabling Sift to launch its own branded R&D office without the overhead of traditional outsourcing.

Challenges When Cooperating with Polish Developers

There are three main challenges faced by foreign IT companies when outsourcing software development in Poland:

Regulatory Complexity

According to the 2024 Global Business Complexity Index, Poland is ranked 6th in Europe in terms of the complexity of doing business. The reasons are difficult reporting standards, high costs that companies spend to comply with rapidly changing regulatory policies, formal & legal obstacles for investment, as well as complex HR and payroll regulations. 

That’s why it’s crucial to partner with a local expert who understands the landscape. Alcor handles all legal and compliance matters so you can stay focused on growing your business—without getting caught up in red tape.

Employment Contract Difficulties

It might be hard for international enterprises to select the best employment contract type when hiring software development engineers in Poland. Basically, there are two of them: Umowa o prace (employment contract)—a regular employment agreement, and Umowa Zlecenia, or B2B—a contract where an employee is a self-employed person.

B2B contracts don’t presuppose companies to have their Polish legal entity. Instead, they sign direct contracts with developers who are registered as Sole Proprietors (which is a far less complicated procedure). Moreover, employing specialists on a B2B basis means that developers should take care of taxes and contributions themselves. The company doesn’t have to pay any employer costs, offering higher take-home pay. If you encounter any problems when choosing a suitable option for your business, just ask us for assistance.

Time Zone Differences

Poland has Central European Time (CET) and is 6–9 hours ahead of the continental USA (Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time). Such a time difference with the United States might hinder meeting planning and hosting meetings and leave little time for communication during work hours.

However, Western tech companies have managed to leverage this peculiarity to their advantage by organizing a round-the-clock workday. In this way, when the workday in the States has not yet begun, a remote software development team in Poland can complete tasks and speed up the company’s product development process.

Portrait of a Polish Programmer

According to the Bulldogjob survey, over 57% of people in Polish tech are aged 25-34, while 43% of all tech specialists live in Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw. Interestingly, 70% have either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in STEM.

Over 78% of Polish software developers are Middle, Senior, Lead, Manager, or C-level specialists, making Poland a go-to location for hiring high-potential coders.

Before applying for jobs, local programmers consider several factors that influence decision-making.

The research has also found that 91% of Polish coders prefer either remote or hybrid work, which is the #1 factor that persuades software engineers to stay with a company for years. Among other things that help local programmers develop loyalty towards employers are a healthy work environment, high compensation, self-improvement opportunities, and job security.

The most appreciated benefits and perks for Polish developers are flexibility in the workplace, extra days off, professional courses, and medical insurance.

4 Steps to Hiring Polish Software Developers

Hiring IT specialists from abroad is not an easy task, especially if you don’t have any previous experience. Therefore, consider my 4-step guideline to successfully scale up your business by recruiting Polish developers.

1. Choose a cooperation model with local developers

If you decide to hire offshore developers in Poland, you need to explore different cooperation models:

Own legal entity

Setting up a legal entity is often one of the first models that comes to mind when building a team abroad. It offers full control over operations, from choosing the entity type to hiring and onboarding. It also involves a complex, country-specific process that can take months and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Pros:

• 100% control over the team and high dedication from developers;
• Your team culture and long-term commitment;
• High level of data security;
• Best software quality (if you manage to find the right talent).

Cons:

• The most expensive model;
• Takes months, sometimes even years to scale;
• You bear all HR, legal, and payroll responsibilities;
• Mainly suitable for large tech companies, not SMBs or startups.

This model can be one of the safest for software nearshoring to Poland, especially when backed by a team of lawyers, accountants, payroll experts, and tech recruiters. However, it is also the most time-consuming and cost-intensive. Such a model is typically best suited for large tech companies with the resources to manage such an undertaking.

Employer of Record

If your company is small, mid-sized, or a startup that has just raised a Seed Round of investment, an Employer of Record (EOR) can be a more affordable and convenient solution than establishing a legal entity. While the latter may cost tens of thousands of dollars, the regular cost of the former is $599/month per full-time employee (FTE) and $175/month per contractor (B2B).

An EOR for software developers is a service provided by a third-party organization that legally employs your team members on your behalf so you don’t have to set up a legal entity. Moreover, such a vendor helps you comply with local labor laws, prepares and maintains employment contracts or SLAs, and handles HR payroll, taxes, and employee benefits.

Pros:

• No need to set up a legal entity;
• Quick hiring without legal headaches;
• Covers HR payroll, taxes, benefits, onboarding/offboarding;
• No market entry related risks.

Cons:

• No specialization in the tech industry;
• Pre-payment is needed;
• No in-house tech recruitment service is provided;
• All operational support, like procurements or employer branding, is provided through other vendors.

Let’s take a look at the story of People.ai, a US-based revenue intelligence platform. When the company decided to expand its engineering team abroad, it initially worked with several service providers to expand overseas, but the scattered approach led to delays and inefficiencies.

Looking for a more structured and effective solution, People.ai turned to Alcor. They chose our all-in-one R&D model to streamline operations and gain control over their offshore development. We set up their legal framework, secured office space in Ukraine, and built a dedicated team of 25 engineers. With Alcor handling recruitment, EOR, and back-office tasks, People.ai fully focuses on scaling its product.

Tech outsoursing

Tech outsourcing involves delegating specific tech tasks, such as software development, infrastructure management, or support services, to external providers. It enables companies to access specialized expertise and focus on core business activities.

Pros:

• Fast start: 1–3 weeks to start small projects, 3–8 weeks for larger ones;
• In the short term, is considered a more cost-effective model than setting up a legal entity;
• Suitable for defined, one-off projects;
• Frees up your in-house team’s resources for more strategic tasks.

Cons:

• No control over the team;
• In the long run, is more expensive than a legal entity or a tech R&D team;
• Often inconsistent software quality;
• Poor visibility and communication efficiency;
• Low dedication from developers.

As an example, let’s take a look at the story of Dotmatics, an American provider of scientific software that facilitates research, patient treatment, and clinical trials. Before they found Alcor, the company had been working with a tech outsourcing vendor and lacked control over product development. Seeking a solution that would give them full ownership and a dedicated team, Dotmatics chose our R&D model.

As a result, we helped the client significantly boost their recruitment pipeline and hire 30 programmers in 1 year with React, QA Automation, DevOps, Node.js, C++, Product Management, and other skills on time. We also assisted Dotmatics in legal compliance, payroll, and procurement management, letting our client forget about time-consuming back-office operations and focus on the core task—software development.

Tech R&D center

This solution stands out among staff augmentation in Poland and other cooperation models, especially if you’re building a product.

By setting up an up-and-running R&D center with Alcor, you fully own the process, controlling every aspect, from recruiting to team culture. Your wallet will enjoy not only 40% savings but also zero launch costs and no hidden fees.

Let’s break down what makes Alcor’s R&D solution so powerful:

Pros:

• Product-based mindset – Ideal for companies building tech products that need commitment, innovation, and continuity.
• Top-tier recruitment – Our team of tech recruiters will help you to scale your team with top 10% talent from 0 to 100 in a year.
• Full control & dedication – Your team works only on your product. No distractions. No compromises.
• Long-term value – Unlike other short-term models, your R&D team grows with your company. On average, software developers hired by Alcor stay for 2.5 years.
• No legal complications – Our Employer of Record service, included in the R&D package deal, lets you hire internationally without setting up a local legal entity.
• Budget-friendly – No pre-payment, hidden costs, and buy-out fees. Enjoy volume discounts and customized pricing to fit your needs.
• 360° Operational Support – Alcor provides expert assistance in additional HR services beyond the EOR package, office lease, and legal compliance—all in one place.
• Personalized support – Every client gets a dedicated account manager who will help with all your requests.

Bonus? You’re not just hiring hands but building a tech hub that breathes your culture and mission—even remotely.

Potential pitfalls (but fixable with a good provider):

• Setup time may be longer than plug-and-play solutions, like outsourcing.
• Suitable for more mature startups & SMBs, not micro-sized companies.

2. Share your tech expansion goals & hiring needs

To begin setting up your own R&D center, start by outlining your business objectives, hiring goals, and budget constraints.

One of our clients, Franki, came to us with a limited budget and was pleasantly surprised by Alcor’s tailored approach and transparent pricing policy. By partnering with us, they saved 40% compared to traditional outsourcing models—while gaining full control over their team with no buy-out fees.

If needed, we also provide expert guidance and consultations throughout the process to ensure you’re making the best decisions for your expansion.
After you provide all the necessary information, Alcor steps in. We analyze software development in Poland: talent pool, developer compensation, most popular benefits, and hiring peculiarities. Based on this analysis, we prepare a commercial proposal. Once everything is aligned, we proceed with signing the contract and officially start our collaboration.

3. Approve candidates, conduct tech interviews & make offers

Once all negotiations are finalized, Alcor kicks off the tech recruitment process—a structured and transparent journey designed to build a team of Polish programmers from the ground up.

It starts with preparation, where we develop a tailored hiring strategy, craft ideal candidate profiles, and define your employer value proposition to attract top local talent. Next comes the candidate search and HR interview stage: we actively source and headhunt candidates, conduct thorough pre-screening, and assess each applicant’s background, soft skills, English proficiency, and past projects. During the tech interview phase, your team takes the lead in evaluating technical skills through interviews and test tasks while we keep you updated weekly and handle all job offers—including negotiations, counteroffers, and rejections.

Finally, our post-offer support ensures a smooth onboarding process, including employment and payroll services, plus a 3-month candidate replacement warranty for peace of mind.

4. Start the onboarding of new hires & enjoy their great work

Once your candidates are hired, Alcor takes care of the entire onboarding process, from paperwork to payroll. We introduce them to your company’s values, mission, and culture so they feel truly part of your team from day one.

Plus, your dedicated account manager is always on hand to support you and your new hires at every step.