Crypto salary 32% surge reshapes Web3 vs Web2 pay for creators

As of 2025, the CoinTab study shows switching into Web3 often raises pay; this explainer breaks down the reported crypto salary changes, role-by-role, and what candidates should expect.

Did a crypto job salary comparison show a 32% boost and what sample supports that claim?

The CoinTab study of crypto hiring trends reports an average pay uplift of 32% for professionals moving into crypto, based on 3,121 job posts crawled. The dataset compares equivalent roles across Web3 and Web2 to estimate pay gaps by function and seniority.

Those headline figures aggregate diverse sub-sectors. The study also finds that roughly 94% of crypto roles in the sample paid more than their Web2 equivalents, but the premium varies sharply by function and seniority.

Treat the 32% as a directional average — always compare role-level compensation and total package elements, not only base pay.

The CoinTab sample reports a 32% average uplift from 3,121 job posts; however, outcomes differ widely by role and sector, so interpret the headline as indicative rather than guaranteed.

Which content and NFT categories posted the biggest gains — how large is the creator pay in Web3 premium?

Creator-focused roles stand out. The study shows overall creator pay in Web3 rose by about +47% versus Web2 equivalents.

Within that group, meme artists saw the largest proportional gains at +108%, NFT music creators at +82%, while NFT artists registered a smaller rise of +21%.

These gaps point to strong demand for community, IP and cultural-product skills in tokenised markets.

The report also highlights product roles tied to marketplaces: NFT marketplace product managers are shown at +42%, underlining investment in trading and discovery features.

Quick definitions

The following term markers clarify the categories used in the dataset before we review tech and analyst pockets.

• NFT artists: creators producing tokenised visual or audio works.
• Creator roles: positions focused on content, community and IP strategies.
• Meme projects: social-first launches where virality is central to growth.

Percentage moves in creative niches can look large because they often start from smaller base salaries; headcount and absolute dollars may differ.

Which technical roles moved most — a blockchain engineer salary guide for wallet, metaverse, ZK and core development?

Technical pay premia are uneven. CoinTab reports standout gains for specialised engineering roles: wallet engineers +42%, metaverse architects +32%, and ZK-prover engineers +27%.

By contrast, core blockchain or protocol developers show a modest change of +2%, suggesting that some core functions are maturing and competitive with Web2 equivalents.

The study gives two aggregate technology figures in different tables — a +16% average and an alternate +19% calculation — likely reflecting different weighting or sample scopes inside the dataset.

Role-level winners and losers

Specialist analytics and product-adjacent roles also show strong premiums in the sample.

• Token analyst: +58%
• DeFi risk analyst: +38%
• Treasury analyst: +40%
• DAO data analyst: +5%
• Junior BD: -15%
• BD managers: +44%
• DeFi PMs: -11%

Compare role scope carefully — wallet and ZK work currently command materially different premiums than core protocol maintenance.

How should candidates and hiring teams read this web3 vs web2 salary picture?

The CoinTab figures show the crypto job market is selective: while the sample-level uplift is large, pay is concentrated in specific roles and experience levels.

For example, NFT marketplace PMs and BD managers gained materially (+42% and +44%, respectively), whereas junior BD and some DeFi PM roles lagged.

Candidates should examine total compensation — base, tokens, vesting schedules and liquidity — and hiring teams should weigh retention mechanics alongside headline base pay.

Employers in Web3 will often compete on a mix of premium salary, token incentives and growth opportunity rather than base alone.

Industry analysts say these premiums largely reflect talent scarcity and rapid product evolution rather than guaranteed long-term stability; compensation strategies must therefore align to recruitment and retention goals.

Always assess offers on like‑for‑like scope and geography before drawing conclusions from headline averages.