"What should I be making?" It's the question behind every raise request, every job offer evaluation, and every late-night career anxiety spiral. The answer isn't a single number. It's a range, and these three tools help you find it.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor has the largest database of self-reported salaries, sourced from employees who share their compensation in exchange for access to others' data. Strengths: massive dataset, company-specific salary reports, and the ability to see total compensation (base + bonus + equity). Weaknesses: self-reported data can be unreliable, and the site pushes you toward job listings and reviews as aggressively as it shows salary data.
Payscale
Payscale takes a survey-based approach. You fill out a detailed profile (job title, location, years of experience, skills, education) and it generates a personalized salary report with a confidence range. Strengths: the personalization is genuinely useful, and the "what if" scenario modeling (how would an MBA change my range? what about relocating?) is unique. Weaknesses: the free report is limited. The detailed version requires a paid subscription or employer access.
Salary.com
Salary.com is the most data-driven of the three, pulling from HR-validated salary surveys and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data tends to be more conservative and closer to what employers actually budget. Strengths: reliable, employer-validated data with detailed cost-of-living adjustments. Weaknesses: the interface feels dated, and the free tier is more limited than Glassdoor.
How to Use All Three
Check Glassdoor for the broadest view of what people in your role report earning. Use Payscale for a personalized range based on your specific profile. Cross-reference with Salary.com for the employer-side perspective. If all three converge on a range, you have strong data for negotiation.
Once you know the range, use our Pay Raise Calculator to see what different salary levels mean for your actual take-home pay.
The key insight: Don't anchor to one source. Employers know Glassdoor data can be inflated. Employees know Salary.com can be conservative. The truth is usually in the overlap.