Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Elastic
Large (~4,000)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Elastic
Best for: Professionals interested in Elastic
Ratings
ChainguardElastic
4.5
4.0
Overall
4.2
4.1
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.1
Culture & Values
4.2
4.0
Comp & Benefits
4.1
3.8
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.8
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven
Elastic only
📡 Async-First
Shared
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source💎 Strong Comp & Equity⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Pros & Cons
Chainguard
- Fully remote with outstanding benefits — 100% employer-paid insurance for employees and families
- Founders are practitioners who understand what engineers and security teams need
- Growing so fast that some inefficiencies exist, though improving
- Fully remote means you miss in-person interactions with teammates
Elastic
- Fully distributed from day one — genuine remote-first culture across 40+ countries
- Open-source DNA means engineers contribute to community, not just internal products
- Cross-timezone coordination means occasional early/late meetings
- Recent leadership shifts have introduced more process and oversight
Bottom Line
Chainguard
Choose Chainguard if you want to build supply chain security tools in a remote, open-source-first culture with strong equity — but expect a fast-moving startup pace.
Elastic
Elastic — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Elastic — 198 jobs
💻 Engineering
87
💼 Sales / GTM
67
📣 Marketing
8
📋 Product
7
👤 HR / People
4
🎨 Design
3
🧠 ML / AI
3
📊 Data
2
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Elastic scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 4.1 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Strong Comp & Equity, Work-Life Balance. Chainguard also emphasizes Engineering-Driven. Elastic also emphasizes Async-First.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Elastic has 198 open roles.