Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Plaid
Mid (~800)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Plaid
Best for: Engineers who want transparent leadership and real fintech impact at a top-rated company
Ratings
ChainguardPlaid
4.5
4.6
Overall
4.2
4.2
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.2
Culture & Values
4.2
4.1
Comp & Benefits
4.1
4.0
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.9
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 91% Recommend
👤 83% CEO Approval (Zach Perret)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source💎 Strong Comp & Equity⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Plaid only
🪟 Transparent🌱 Learning & Growth🎯 Direct Product Impact🛡️ Safe to Fail🌈 Diverse & Inclusive
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven
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
Plaid
- 91% of employees recommend — highly accessible and transparent senior leadership
- Strong engineering culture with competitive compensation (4.1/5 comp rating) and real product impact
- Organizational changes can create uncertainty as the company scales
- Career opportunities rated 3.9/5 — growth paths may vary by department
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.
Plaid
Choose Plaid if you want top-tier engineering culture, transparent leadership, and real fintech impact — but expect some growing pains as the company navigates organizational change.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Plaid — 94 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
28
💻 Engineering
24
📋 Product
11
📣 Marketing
7
📊 Data
4
🎨 Design
2
💰 Finance
2
⚖️ Legal
2
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
👤 HR / People
1
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Plaid scores 4.6/5.0 overall with a 4.2 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven. Chainguard also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Strong Comp & Equity, Work-Life Balance. Plaid also emphasizes Transparent, Learning & Growth, Direct Product Impact, Safe to Fail, Diverse & Inclusive.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Plaid has 94 open roles.