GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Notion
Mid (~800)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Notion
Best for: Product-obsessed engineers who care deeply about craft and want to build tools that millions use daily
Ratings
GitLabNotion
3.9
4.4
Overall
3.9
4.2
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.5
Culture & Values
3.8
4.4
Comp & Benefits
3.5
4.2
Senior Mgmt
3.7
4.2
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 88% Recommend
👤 92% CEO Approval (Ivan Zhao)
Culture Values
GitLab only
🌐 Remote-Friendly📡 Async-First🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Notion only
🎯 Direct Product Impact⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth🌈 Diverse & Inclusive💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Shared
🪟 Transparent
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
Notion
- Incredible product culture — everyone uses Notion daily and cares deeply
- Transparent leadership with accessible founders and high trust
- Fast pace can lead to burnout, especially during product pushes
- Hybrid required (3 days in-office) — not truly remote-friendly
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.
Notion
Strong product culture with a beloved CEO (96% approval) and genuine design sensibility — but hybrid-required and the pace can burn people out during product pushes.
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
Notion — 142 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
70
💻 Engineering
18
📣 Marketing
9
📊 Data
5
👤 HR / People
4
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
🎧 Support
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
⚖️ Legal
1
Summary
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Notion scores 4.4/5.0 overall with a 4.2 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Transparent. GitLab also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Async-First, Open Source, Work-Life Balance. Notion also emphasizes Direct Product Impact, Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Diverse & Inclusive, Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Notion has 142 open roles.