Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Grafana Labs
Large (~1,700)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Grafana Labs
Best for: Engineers who want open-source impact with fully remote flexibility and strong WLB
Ratings
ChainguardGrafana Labs
4.5
4.1
Overall
4.2
4.3
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.1
Culture & Values
4.2
4.0
Comp & Benefits
4.1
3.6
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.8
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 78% Recommend
👤 71% CEO Approval (Raj Dutt)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Grafana Labs only
🪟 Transparent🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source⚙️ Engineering-Driven⚖️ 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
Grafana Labs
- 100% remote-first across 40+ countries with generous PTO (~30 days) and mandatory shutdown days
- Engineers rate it 4.9/5 — absurdly talented colleagues with strong open-source culture
- Career progression above staff level can be challenging with limited upward mobility
- Product management is sometimes marginalized with engineers holding disproportionate power
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.
Grafana Labs
Choose Grafana Labs if you want deep open-source impact, fully remote flexibility, and excellent WLB — but expect limited career progression above staff level.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Grafana Labs — 149 jobs
💻 Engineering
92
💼 Sales / GTM
32
📣 Marketing
6
👤 HR / People
1
⚖️ Legal
1
⚙️ Operations
1
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Grafana Labs scores 4.1/5.0 overall with a 4.3 WLB. That’s a 0.4-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Engineering-Driven, Work-Life Balance. Chainguard also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity. Grafana Labs also emphasizes Transparent, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Grafana Labs has 149 open roles.