Elasticsearch developers
Contract rates, popularity and trend data for Elasticsearch, plus how it compares with other multi-model databases.
Overview
Elasticsearch is a multi-model database, ranked #11 of 431 on DB-Engines with a popularity score of 99.5.
Elasticsearch is declining, down 22.3% year over year on DB-Engines. The installed base is still large, so maintenance, tuning and migration work continues.
Contract Elasticsearch specialists typically bill $96–118/hr, against a W-2 equivalent salary of about $153,500.
Multi-model databases by popularity Trends →
DB-Engines popularity score for the 12 highest-ranked multi-model databases. Updated monthly.
What Elasticsearch developers cost
Contract and salary benchmarks for the US.
Contract rate
C2C or 1099, from W-2 hourly × 1.3–1.6 for tax, benefits and overhead.
W-2 equivalent
BLS median for US software developers ($135,980), adjusted +13% for Elasticsearch using Stack Overflow 2025 pay data (562 US respondents who use it).
Full-time contractor cost
Per year at 40 hours a week.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for Software Developers. Rates vary with seniority and how deep the Elasticsearch work goes. Compare W-2, 1099 and C2C, use the rate calculator, or see rates by state.
Competing databases
How Elasticsearch compares with its nearest rivals.
| Database | Model | DB-Engines rank | Score | YoY | Contract rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Cassandra | Wide column, Multi-model | #10 | 102.6 | -5.2% | $104–128 |
| IBM Db2 | Relational, Multi-model | #9 | 113.2 | -10.1% | – |
| MariaDB | Relational, Multi-model | #13 | 86.4 | -8.4% | $81–100 |
| Redis | Key-value, Multi-model | #8 | 146.5 | -4.9% | $96–118 |
| Microsoft Azure SQL Database | Relational, Multi-model | #14 | 76.0 | +0.8% | – |
| Databricks | Multi-model | #7 | 150.5 | +51.6% | $104–128 |
Multi-model databases closest to Elasticsearch in the DB-Engines ranking. Contract rates shown where Stack Overflow 2025 has enough US respondents to estimate one.
Need Elasticsearch developers?
Tell us what you're building. We take on contract development work, from MVPs to extra hands on an existing team, and we'll reply by email.
- MVPs and new products
- Developers for your existing team
- Rescuing stalled projects
- AI features
Questions
How much does a Elasticsearch developer cost?
Contract Elasticsearch developers typically bill $96–118 an hour (C2C or 1099), with a W-2 equivalent salary of about $153,500. Agencies usually charge 2–3× W-2 pay.
Is Elasticsearch growing or declining?
Elasticsearch ranks #11 on DB-Engines. Its popularity score changed by -22.3% over the past year and it is among the databases losing the most ground.