Grafana Labs
Large (~1,700)
Helsing
Mid (~660)
Best For
Grafana Labs
Best for: Engineers who want open-source impact with fully remote flexibility and strong WLB
Helsing
Best for: AI/ML engineers motivated by national security and defense who want to apply frontier AI to high-stakes real-world problems in a mission-driven team
Ratings
Grafana LabsHelsing
4.1
4.0
Overall
4.3
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.1
4.1
Culture & Values
4.0
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.8
3.8
Career Opps
👍 78% Recommend
👤 71% CEO Approval (Raj Dutt)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
Culture Values
Grafana Labs only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source🪟 Transparent⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Helsing only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth
Pros & Cons
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
Helsing
- Highest talent density of any tech company — world-class AI and engineering leadership
- Extremely important mission with rewarding impact and competitive salary
- Ridiculous expectations of work hours — high salaries do not mean constant overtime
- Some management not experienced enough to lead; lacking in performance feedback
Bottom Line
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.
Helsing
Strong engineering culture with a clear mission — but that mission (AI for defense) is not for everyone. Research the ethics carefully before applying; those aligned will find unusually meaningful work.
Open Roles
Grafana Labs — 120 jobs
💻 Engineering
65
💼 Sales / GTM
29
🎨 Design
5
📊 Data
2
👤 HR / People
1
⚖️ Legal
1
⚙️ Operations
1
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
51
🧠 ML / AI
8
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
📣 Marketing
2
👤 HR / People
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
Grafana Labs scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.3 work-life balance rating. Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth. Grafana Labs also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Transparent, Work-Life Balance. Helsing also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, Grafana Labs has 120 open roles and Helsing has 103 open roles.