Feature model integration is pivotal in software development, particularly in evolving software product lines through new feature accommodations. Despite its significance, the influence of developers’ experience on integration efforts, and correctness remains inadequately understood. This study conducted a controlled experiment with 25 participants (15 students, 7 professionals) adhering to established empirical study guidelines. Each participant addressed 10 experimental tasks, encompassing 250 integration scenarios, aimed at exploring two core research inquiries. Effort and correctness rate in integrating feature models were quantified, revealing that students exerted higher effort (29.23%) and achieved a greater number of correct integrations (39.53%) compared to professionals. Notably, this superiority lacked statistical significance. Additionally, the study underscores practical implications and noteworthy challenges for the scientific community. The findings lay a foundation for subsequent studies, delving into software development tasks where students and professionals may achieve comparable results. Ultimately, this study marks an initial stride towards an ambitious agenda, empirically advancing feature model integration methodologies.