GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Grafana Labs
Large (~1,700)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Grafana Labs
Best for: Engineers who want open-source impact with fully remote flexibility and strong WLB
Ratings
GitLabGrafana Labs
3.9
4.1
Overall
3.9
4.3
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.1
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.5
3.6
Senior Mgmt
3.7
3.8
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 78% Recommend
👤 71% CEO Approval (Raj Dutt)
Culture Values
GitLab only
📡 Async-First
Grafana Labs only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
🌐 Remote-Friendly🪟 Transparent🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Pros & Cons
GitLab
- Best-in-class all-remote culture — truly async-first with genuine flexibility
- Radically transparent company with a public handbook and open processes
- Revenue organization has seen quota chaos and low morale
- Some leadership instability at the C-suite level
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
GitLab
Choose GitLab if you want the gold standard of all-remote work with public handbook and async processes — but expect bureaucracy at scale and comp below top-tier.
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
GitLab — 195 jobs
💻 Engineering
79
💼 Sales / GTM
67
📋 Product
10
⚖️ Legal
5
📊 Data
4
🎨 Design
4
📣 Marketing
4
👤 HR / People
2
⚙️ Operations
2
Grafana Labs — 149 jobs
💻 Engineering
92
💼 Sales / GTM
32
📣 Marketing
6
👤 HR / People
1
⚖️ Legal
1
⚙️ Operations
1
Summary
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Grafana Labs scores 4.1/5.0 overall with a 4.3 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Remote-Friendly, Transparent, Open Source, Work-Life Balance. GitLab also emphasizes Async-First. Grafana Labs also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Grafana Labs has 149 open roles.