Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Vercel
Mid (~600)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Vercel
Best for: Frontend engineers who want to shape the future of web infrastructure
Ratings
ChainguardVercel
4.5
3.9
Overall
4.2
3.4
Work-Life Balance
4.3
3.8
Culture & Values
4.2
4.0
Comp & Benefits
4.1
3.5
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.5
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 72% Recommend
👤 78% CEO Approval (Guillermo Rauch)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
🌐 Remote-Friendly💎 Strong Comp & Equity⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Vercel only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact
Shared
🔓 Open Source⚙️ 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
Vercel
- Building the future of web infrastructure — Next.js, Turbopack, edge runtime
- Strong open-source culture — Next.js, Turbopack, and SWC used by millions
- High expectations and fast pace can lead to burnout
- Leadership sets very high standards — the pace isn't for everyone
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.
Vercel
Choose Vercel if you want to build Next.js and edge runtime — but the pace is relentless and standards are sky-high.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Vercel — 78 jobs
💻 Engineering
32
💼 Sales / GTM
17
💰 Finance
4
⚖️ Legal
3
🎧 Support
3
📣 Marketing
2
🎨 Design
1
👤 HR / People
1
⚙️ Operations
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Vercel scores 3.9/5.0 overall with a 3.4 WLB. That’s a 0.6-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Open Source, Engineering-Driven. Chainguard also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Strong Comp & Equity, Work-Life Balance. Vercel also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Vercel has 78 open roles.