Glassdoor vs Comparably vs Blind: Picking the Right Site for Company Insights
You're about to accept an offer--or maybe you're already inside, watching Slack for layoff whispers. Either way, you need real intel: what's the actual culture, what people truly earn, how brutal the interviews get. Glassdoor dumps millions of reviews on you but half might be fake, Comparably hands you tidy scores, and Blind? That's where tech workers spill everything anonymously. The trick is knowing which one to trust when.
This guide is for job seekers weighing offers, employees sniffing out trouble, and HR teams trying to benchmark what people actually say. You'll get a clear verdict, comparison charts, and a step-by-step playbook to use all three platforms effectively heading into 2026. No fluff--just tools to separate signal from noise.
The Fastest Path to Reliable Insights
No single site dominates--Glassdoor wins on sheer reach, Blind delivers tech anonymity, Comparably nails precise scores. Your choice depends on what you need: volume for broad scans, anonymity for insider dirt.
Glassdoor claims 114M+ reviews and pulls 62M monthly visitors (Rally Recruitment Marketing, 2022, historical data). Blind verified 5M+ workers (CNBC, 2022, historical data) and reports 7M users total, including 124K at Amazon and 106K at Microsoft (Worklife, 2022, historical data). Comparably uses a structured 20-question format to keep feedback balanced (Physicians Thrive, 2022, historical data).
| Platform | Key Stat (historical data) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Glassdoor | 114M+ reviews, 62M visitors (Rally, 2022) | Broad company overviews, job seekers |
| Comparably | 20-question structured reviews (Physicians Thrive, 2022) | Culture/salary scores, precise comparisons |
| Blind | 5M+ verified users, 7M total (CNBC/Worklife, 2022) | Anonymous tech discussions, layoffs |
Glassdoor's scale dwarfs the others, but Blind's verification adds trust where it counts. Big pools bring variety, yet verification matters most when you're trying to find the truth.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- Glassdoor: Unmatched volume--your starting point for any industry scan (114M+ reviews, Rally 2022, historical).
- Blind: The place for tech anonymity and real-time chatter about layoffs (7M pros, Worklife 2022, historical).
- Comparably: Cleanest structured data on culture and pay, broken down by zip code (Physicians Thrive 2022, historical).
Job hunters should start wide with Glassdoor, tech workers drill into Blind, analysts grab Comparably metrics. Blending them beats relying on any single source.
Glassdoor Breakdown: Volume Meets Verification Challenges
Glassdoor's massive review pool gives you unmatched breadth, but unverified rants and outright fakes demand caution--stick to recent, verified posts.
With 114M+ employer reviews and 62M monthly visitors (Rally Recruitment Marketing, 2022, historical data), it covers salaries, interviews, and CEO ratings across every industry. Fake reviews remain a persistent problem: Amazon, Glassdoor, and others formed a global coalition in 2023 to fight them (AboutAmazon.eu, 2023).
Take Zoom: It topped Comparably's happiness rankings among large firms in 2020 (HR Dive, 2021, historical data), but Glassdoor painted a more mixed picture of work-life balance.
Pro tip: Filter for "verified" reviews--these come from users who uploaded pay stubs or employment proof. It weeds out a lot of noise.
How Glassdoor's Reviews Stack Up
The 2023 coalition tackles fraud through shared intel (AboutAmazon.eu), building on earlier efforts. Plenty of voices mean diverse perspectives, but unverified ones can skew negative--over half of ex-employee reviews land at 1-2 stars (TriNet, 2022, historical data, based on a 2020 survey of 1,096 U.S. workers).
Think of it like a crowded forum: gems hide among the gripes, so verify before you believe.
Comparably's Edge: Structured Data Over Free-Form Rants
Comparably cuts through bias with guided questions, delivering zip-specific salaries and culture fit scores--perfect for apples-to-apples comparisons.
Unlike Glassdoor's open text boxes, it prompts around 20 targeted questions (Physicians Thrive, 2022, historical data), plus location-based pay data you won't find easily elsewhere. LinkedIn saw it as a rival as far back as 2016 (VentureBeat, 2016, historical data).
Zoom ranked as the happiest large company in 2020 according to Comparably (HR Dive, 2021, historical data), highlighting its strength in structured happiness metrics.
Checklist for culture scores:
- Check "Culture Fit" for team vibe.
- Compare by department and zip code.
- Balance with volume sites.
Structured input means less venting, more facts--think survey instead of diary entry.
Blind's Anonymous Pull: Tech Insiders Spill Real Talk
Blind thrives on verified anonymity, fueling raw tech conversations about layoffs and hiring freezes--HR teams watch nervously, but job seekers get early warnings.
It verified 5M+ workers (CNBC, 2022, historical data), with 7M users total (Worklife, 2022, historical data); over 20% of big tech staff check in monthly. Hiring freeze discussions surged 64x compared to 2021 (Worklife, 2022, historical data).
Layoff rumors often hit Blind before official announcements, giving users time to jump ahead. Safety concerns? HR worries about unfiltered spills, yet verification through work email boosts trust.
Anonymity unleashes the kind of truth volume sites often mute. For tech workers, it's gold.
Head-to-Head: Features, Trust, and User Fit Compared
Glassdoor leads in breadth, Comparably in precision, Blind in anonymity--match to your demographic: generalists to Glassdoor, tech pros to Blind.
| Feature | Glassdoor | Comparably | Blind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 114M+ free-form (Rally 2022, historical) | Structured 20Q (Physicians Thrive 2022, historical) | Anonymous threads (5M verified, CNBC 2022, historical) |
| Verification | Partial (pay stubs) | Question-based balance | Work email (7M users, Worklife 2022, historical) |
| Focus | Broad/job seekers | Salaries/culture by zip | Tech/layoffs |
| Demographics | General U.S./global | Professionals | Tech-heavy (20%+ big tech, Worklife 2022, historical) |
Blind skews heavily tech (124K Amazon users, for instance), while Glassdoor hits every sector.
Anonymity and Trust: Blind vs Glassdoor
Blind's 5M verified professionals edge out Glassdoor's partial checks, especially amid the 2023 fake review fights (AboutAmazon.eu). Cross-check strategy: Blind for gut checks, Glassdoor for volume. Job seekers, this combo helps you spot fakes.
Salary and Culture Accuracy Showdown
Comparably's zip code data fills gaps left by Glassdoor's broader salary ranges (Physicians Thrive 2022, historical). No site gives you a perfect match--use both to triangulate ranges.
Steps to Get Actionable Insights Without the Bias
Combine sites in this order: Glassdoor for the scan, Blind for depth, Comparably for scores.
- Search Glassdoor for 20+ recent reviews--filter for verified.
- Hit Blind for your industry (tech workers, this is your goldmine).
- Pull Comparably metrics for culture and pay baselines.
- Note the trends: Layoff chatter spiking? Maybe skip that company.
Picture researching a FAANG interview: Blind flags hiring freezes first, Glassdoor shows interview horror stories, Comparably gives you salaries by zip code. Response rates vary--structured sites like Comparably tend to nudge higher completion.
This routine builds a bias-proof view fast.
When Each Site Falls Short--and Smart Workarounds
Every platform has holes: Glassdoor battles fakes, Blind's HR paranoia skews tech-only, Comparably has a smaller pool.
Pros and cons:
- Glassdoor: Volume is the upside, fakes are the downside--workaround: Coalition updates (2023), stick to verified only.
- Comparably: Precision is the upside, less conversation is the downside--pair it with Blind.
- Blind: Raw intel is the upside, safety risks are the downside--always cross-reference.
Indeed pulls 250M visitors (Rally 2022, historical)--blend 2-3 sites. Teams that stick to one source often regret it later.
Sometimes Blind feels chaotic, like overhearing bar talk--useful context, but you need to verify. Glassdoor's coalition helps, yet fakes still slip through.
FAQ
Is Blind more reliable than Glassdoor for tech jobs?
Yes, when it comes to anonymity--5M verified users spill layoff news early (CNBC 2022, historical)--but Glassdoor's volume adds necessary context. Cross-check both.
How accurate is Comparably's salary data?
Strong on zip-specific figures thanks to structured input (Physicians Thrive 2022, historical), generally better than free-form sites, though sample sizes vary by location.
Does Glassdoor verify reviews like Blind does?
Partially--pay stubs for some reviews, unlike Blind's universal email verification (5M pros, CNBC 2022). The coalition fights fakes (2023), but gaps remain.
What's the best site for anonymous layoff insights?
Blind: hiring freeze discussions surged dramatically (Worklife 2022, historical), and tech insiders lead the conversation there.
Comparably vs Glassdoor: Which has better culture scores?
Comparably--the 20-question format yields balanced metrics (Physicians Thrive 2022); Glassdoor offers more freedom but attracts more rants.
Are fake reviews a big problem on these platforms?
Yes on Glassdoor (hence the 2023 coalition response); less so on verified Blind and structured Comparably.
Before your next move, ask yourself: Does this company's Blind chatter match what Glassdoor volumes suggest? Run through the checklist--which site would you skip? Test the approach on a target firm today.