Top Tech Account Executive Compensation Trends for 2025

Our top compensation trends for Account Executives (AEs) in tech for 2025 give an early glimpse into how the industry is transforming, particularly in the face of disruption. Market dynamics, evolving enterprise sales structures and evolving workforce expectations are all contributing to new patterns for AE recruitment. 

Betts has released the latest update to our annual Compensation Guide, which delves into salary trends and strategic insights for tech sales, marketing and customer success roles. In this blog, we will explore how these developments are specifically shaping Account Executive earnings in 2025:

Big Moves for Tech & a New Role for AEs

While 2024 saw most SaaS companies struggle with balancing talent acquisition against tightening budgets, 2025 is emerging as a year of renewed opportunity in the technology sector. Next-generation AI continues to drive innovation, enterprise-level companies demonstrate robust performance and mid-market organizations are making a strong comeback. However, this revival comes with new complexities for AE recruiting.

The compensation picture for Account Executives has stabilized after the fluctuations of recent years, with a more nuanced approach to valuation based on specialization, mid-market or enterprise experience, and technical knowledge. Rather than basing offers on top-level salary bands, many companies are refining their comp packages according to the specific skills or expertise a candidate brings. 

Account Executive Compensation Data for 2025

Base salaries for AEs continue to vary significantly in 2025 based on experience level, market focus and geographic location. 

Base salary for AEs with less than 3 years’ experience now ranges between $75,000 – $110,000, while those with 3-5 years of experience typically earn between $90,000 – $125,000. Mid-Market Account Executives with 3-5 years of experience command significantly higher compensation at $100,000 – $150,000. On-target earnings (OTE) generally remain at 100% of base salary across most roles (for example, an Account Executive earning a $90,000 base salary in New York or San Francisco could make up to $180,000 OTE on average).

The table below breaks down the average compensation ranges in tech across different time zones:

Top Trends Affecting AE Compensation in 2025

There are many trends changing the course of AE compensation, talent acquisition, and retention strategies in 2025, from economic fluctuations to the growth of the AI industry. Here are the top developments for hiring managers to consider:

The Rise of Quiet Consideration & Its Impact on AE Retention

One of the most significant shifts in 2025 is the emergence of “Quiet Consideration” – a phenomenon where employees remain in their positions while actively monitoring the job market for new opportunities. Unlike the dramatic departures of the Great Resignation era, this trend creates a more subtle yet equally impactful challenge for organizations.

Our research shows that 1.5x more go-to-market (GTM) professionals in our network are actively engaged in exploring opportunities without formally applying for jobs. This could create a deceptively stable appearance in sales teams while significant turnover risk lurks beneath the surface.

Companies that need to focus on retention should look into applying  transparent growth paths, internal mobility options and proactive compensation adjustments rather than waiting for resignation threats. For organizations hiring, this means engaging passive Account Executive candidates earlier in their consideration journey and creating compelling value propositions that address both salary and career development needs.

The Expanding Enterprise Sales Hierarchy

The enterprise tech sales landscape has exploded in 2025 as the pivot we saw from SaaS startups in 2024 into this channel has grown and matured, creating new methodologies and trends. One of the biggest of these is the expansion of dedicated GTM titles for this market, adding Directors and Vice Presidents of Enterprise alongside the ranks of veteran Enterprise Account Executives (EAEs).

Each of these roles generally handles a separate account category based on deal size:

1. Enterprise Account Executive – Handling deals from $250K+
2. Strategic EAE – Managing deals between $500K-$1M
3. Director of Enterprise – Overseeing deals from $1M-$2M
4. VP Enterprise – Leading deals from $2M-$10M

This stratification has important implications for compensation rates for Enterprise AEs, with candidates with experience at each tier commanding progressively higher base salaries and OTE. To learn more about how compensation for EAEs and other enterprise-focused go-to-market roles is developing, check out our Enterprise Compensation Guide.

The Technical Account Executive Premium

The increasing complexity of SaaS products continues to drive demand for Account Executives with technical understanding, which adds an automatic increase to the average salary rate for these candidates. This premium reflects the growing importance of AEs who can navigate product discussions, engage with buyers’ function-specific questions and close deals without relying too much on Sales Engineers. 

As solutions become more complex and buying committees more technically diverse, Account Executives who can “speak the language” of both non-technical and technical stakeholders are increasingly valuable. Companies are increasingly building more stringent technical assessments into their AE job requirements, and compensation packages are being structured to reward demonstrated product competency alongside traditional sales achievements.

Persona-Based Hiring Shifts AE Recruiting Strategies

A significant development impacting Account Executive recruiting and compensation trends in 2025 is a shift from sourcing candidates based on industry experience to hiring those with more persona-based experience. This approach prioritizes AEs who have a history of selling to specific buyer personas, such as C-suite executives or technical decision-makers, and is growing particularly among tech companies targeting enterprise clients.

This recruitment strategy values transferable skills over vertical expertise, potentially opening new opportunities for candidates with experience as an Account Executive to move between industries while commanding premium compensation. Companies adopting this approach will also be able to access a broader talent pool while still securing AE job candidates who can effectively drive sales processes with their target customers.

Navigating Compensation Rates in the New Era of Tech Sales

With the market rewarding specialization, technical acumen and targeted sales expertise in AE hiring, we recommend following these general rules of thumb for adjusting your comp offers:

• Unicorn Sellers: Up to 20% premium over target compensation
• Technical Background: Approximately 10% premium for AEs with technical expertise
• Currently Employed Candidates: May require offers up to 10% above current compensation
• Standard SaaS Sellers: May accept up to 10% below target compensation

Access Real-Time Compensation Insights with Comp Engine

While our Compensation Guide provides valuable strategic-level insights, our Comp Engine delivers real-time salary analytics based on actual placements made by Betts recruiters and sourced from our Betts Connect platform. Whether you are trying to build a competitive compensation strategy for your next unicorn seller hire or negotiating your next AE role, Comp Engine provides the timely insights you need to make informed decisions.
Access Comp Engine here to stay ahead of the curve and keep up with evolving Account Executive compensation trends.