GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Vercel
Mid (~600)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Vercel
Best for: Frontend engineers who want to shape the future of web infrastructure
Ratings
GitLabVercel
3.9
3.9
Overall
3.9
3.4
Work-Life Balance
4.0
3.8
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.5
3.5
Senior Mgmt
3.7
3.5
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 72% Recommend
👤 78% CEO Approval (Guillermo Rauch)
Culture Values
GitLab only
🌐 Remote-Friendly📡 Async-First🪟 Transparent⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Vercel only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate⚙️ Engineering-Driven🎯 Direct Product Impact
Shared
🔓 Open Source
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
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
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.
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
GitLab — 195 jobs
💻 Engineering
79
💼 Sales / GTM
67
📋 Product
10
⚖️ Legal
5
📊 Data
4
🎨 Design
4
📣 Marketing
4
👤 HR / People
2
⚙️ Operations
2
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
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Vercel scores 3.9/5.0 overall with a 3.4 WLB. They’re tied on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Open Source. GitLab also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Async-First, Transparent, Work-Life Balance. Vercel also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Engineering-Driven, Direct Product Impact.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Vercel has 78 open roles.