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Show HN: Comparator - I built a free, open-source app to compare job offers

84 points by MediumD 1y ago

MediumD 1y ago
When I got multiple startup job offers, I realized how hard it was to project out a realistic value behind the equity. Guessing future valuations, dealing with dilution, and running through endless scenarios was a headache—so I built Comparator. Comparator is a simple, free, open-source tool to help you cut through the complexity of startup compensation. Quickly see what your equity might actually be worth, factor in dilution, and easily compare your offers side by side. It’s completely free, no signups, your data never leaves the browser. Check out the app here: https://comparator-one.vercel.app https://comparator-one.vercel.app Check out the code here: https://github.com/DevonPeroutky/comparator https://github.com/DevonPeroutky/comparator
- codingdave 1y ago
  > figure out the real value behind the equity. Zero. Equity is a bonus in case things work out. But for the purpose of deciding on offers - zero.
  - esafak 1y ago
    You'd be remiss if the company is growing and has an IPO schedule. The uncertainty over equity reduces over time. Some people hop from pre-IPO company to pre-IPO company.
  - MediumD 1y ago
    While I think it’s good advice to live as if the equity is worth zero, treating all equity as if its worth nothing, seems a bit over-reductionist when equity packages can routinely be worth millions of dollars. Obviously it’s a crapshoot and should never be seen as a guarantee, I think treating it as zero is bit too far on the opposite extreme.
    - stuckonempty 1y ago
      How did you get to equity packages being “routinely” worth millions when tech startups fail somewhere between 75% and >99% of the time (depending on estimates)? Seems far more likely that startup equity will be worth zero to typical individual contributor employees, not millions
      - mhlakhani 1y ago
        Case in point: 2 years ago i interviewed at a number of places with mind boggling valuations and most of the places I got offers from either no longer exist or laid off half their staff. It’s a lottery
        jjmarr 1y ago
        Lottery tickets still have value.
        mcosta 1y ago
        Usually negative value.
      - MediumD 1y ago
        Of course most startups fail, and most equity is worth nothing. I guess I didn’t think “routinely” implied a specific percentage, just that it isn’t uncommon for options to be worth a lot. If even 5–10% of VC startups succeed, then it’s still worth considering the expected value of the equity when comparing job offers.
        1dom 1y ago
        > just that it isn’t uncommon for options to be worth a lot. You're deluding yourself here. On average, the vast, vast majority of equity options, _especially_ in the VC backed tech world, turn out to nothing for the employee. You literally built a tool because there's so many variables, and in the majority of cases, all these variables do not align in a way that results in a payment. This is almost the literal definition of "uncommon". It is uncommon for options to materialise into a large amount of value for employees. I respect your tool, and I respect what you're doing. But you need to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world. If you want to help young or new people in this area, then don't perpetuate the myth that startup tech company options are statistically any better than a lottery ticket.
dpflug 1y ago
Y'all are getting multiple job offers?
- SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
  That is the best way to max your salary. Interview with as many companies as possible, get as many offers as you can, and pit them against each other.
  - blharr 1y ago
    For the first interview that you get an offer, what exactly do you tell them to keep them from moving on to someone else? Most don't extend employment offers out for months in my experience, or at least they really try to get you to agree off the bat. I imagine someone job searching is getting an interview once a week or so. Several times, I've had delays of weeks to months after just submitting an application to get the interview. So how do you just have multiple offers to juggle at any one time?
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
      You plan about 4-6 weeks and communicate early on that you are talking to several companies, and that you plan on evaluating offers on X date. Companies will shuffle things around to meet your date if you give them time. If they aren't flex you don't want to work for them anyway.
      - BrouteMinou 1y ago
        No. I am not going to "shuffle things around". You are playing the hard to get, good for you. For my part, I have hundreds of other candidates to choose from.
        SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
        Great. Hire them, I will go work for someone who gives the same respect that they expect. People like you are the ones who grumble that it's hard to find good employees, or have to deal with "bad hires". I've built up and staffed teams for a long time and I understand that the best employees sometimes need flexibility. Because the good ones are all going and working for people who want to treat them like adults and understand that the person doing the hiring is just as disposable as the people attempting to be hired. If timelines don't line up, you just say they don't line up and go your separate ways. No harm no foul.
gametorch 1y ago
Very cool. Even if it's hard to model future valuations with any certainty, I would still want to have a tidy comparison like this.
- wwdx 1y ago
  Totally agree, any data points to help make an informed decision between multiple offers is helpful
MH15 1y ago
Reminder to turn "Show scroll bars" to "Always" if you're developing on MacOS for users on the web.
Unearned5161 1y ago
your logo should be more like com<pear emoji>ator, the way it is now sounds like "comppearre"
sponnath 1y ago
There's some minor content overflow in the x axis. I think it wouldn't hurt to tweak the max width of the page content as I feel like it's a bit too much right now. Also not sure if I'm a fan of the animation you have going on with the quotes. Feels tacky.
ivolimmen 1y ago
I am too dumb for this. I get a salary and maybe a bonus. I never worked at a company that gave stock or options. When I do I will share the offers to someone that understands this. But I will most likely choose the company that shares my values and ignore the payout (unless it's realky a bad pay)
- pinoy420 1y ago
  [dead]
- jvanderbot 1y ago
  This is the way. Even when I had multiple startup offers, "Likelihood of becoming rich" was only one column in a 13 column ranking. I ranked them in sorted order on each column, added up their ranks across columns, and accepted the one with the lowest sum of ranks. I have done this for every of my jobs and it's fine. I add or change columns each time. It has led me (eventually) to my current job which is far and away my favorite. I kept former offers in the ranking as well, as a sort of "secretary problem" running solution.
yogini 1y ago
I was thinking of building something similar along with explaining the salary breakdown and how much in-hand salary you will get from your CTC. Loved the initial loading animation. You should also launch this on Peerlist Launchpad, many devs gonna love it.
jlengrand 1y ago
Very nice visualization, and super useful to learn more about how stocks and vestings work. And that puts an exact number on the price of your soul, and at which point you'll go and start working for a company that doesn't share your set of values
margotli 1y ago
Nice one!
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
callbacked 1y ago
Excellent! I just need to find offers...
aman_upadhyay 1y ago
[dead]

84 points by MediumD 1y ago

When I got multiple startup job offers, I realized how hard it was to project out a realistic value behind the equity. Guessing future valuations, dealing with dilution, and running through endless scenarios was a headache—so I built Comparator. Comparator is a simple, free, open-source tool to help you cut through the complexity of startup compensation. Quickly see what your equity might actually be worth, factor in dilution, and easily compare your offers side by side. It’s completely free, no signups, your data never leaves the browser. Check out the app here: https://comparator-one.vercel.app https://comparator-one.vercel.app Check out the code here: https://github.com/DevonPeroutky/comparator https://github.com/DevonPeroutky/comparator

codingdave 1y ago
> figure out the real value behind the equity. Zero. Equity is a bonus in case things work out. But for the purpose of deciding on offers - zero.
- esafak 1y ago
  You'd be remiss if the company is growing and has an IPO schedule. The uncertainty over equity reduces over time. Some people hop from pre-IPO company to pre-IPO company.
- MediumD 1y ago
  While I think it’s good advice to live as if the equity is worth zero, treating all equity as if its worth nothing, seems a bit over-reductionist when equity packages can routinely be worth millions of dollars. Obviously it’s a crapshoot and should never be seen as a guarantee, I think treating it as zero is bit too far on the opposite extreme.
  - stuckonempty 1y ago
    How did you get to equity packages being “routinely” worth millions when tech startups fail somewhere between 75% and >99% of the time (depending on estimates)? Seems far more likely that startup equity will be worth zero to typical individual contributor employees, not millions
    - mhlakhani 1y ago
      Case in point: 2 years ago i interviewed at a number of places with mind boggling valuations and most of the places I got offers from either no longer exist or laid off half their staff. It’s a lottery
      - jjmarr 1y ago
        Lottery tickets still have value.
        mcosta 1y ago
        Usually negative value.
    - MediumD 1y ago
      Of course most startups fail, and most equity is worth nothing. I guess I didn’t think “routinely” implied a specific percentage, just that it isn’t uncommon for options to be worth a lot. If even 5–10% of VC startups succeed, then it’s still worth considering the expected value of the equity when comparing job offers.
      - 1dom 1y ago
        > just that it isn’t uncommon for options to be worth a lot. You're deluding yourself here. On average, the vast, vast majority of equity options, _especially_ in the VC backed tech world, turn out to nothing for the employee. You literally built a tool because there's so many variables, and in the majority of cases, all these variables do not align in a way that results in a payment. This is almost the literal definition of "uncommon". It is uncommon for options to materialise into a large amount of value for employees. I respect your tool, and I respect what you're doing. But you need to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world. If you want to help young or new people in this area, then don't perpetuate the myth that startup tech company options are statistically any better than a lottery ticket.

dpflug 1y ago

Y'all are getting multiple job offers?

SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
That is the best way to max your salary. Interview with as many companies as possible, get as many offers as you can, and pit them against each other.
- blharr 1y ago
  For the first interview that you get an offer, what exactly do you tell them to keep them from moving on to someone else? Most don't extend employment offers out for months in my experience, or at least they really try to get you to agree off the bat. I imagine someone job searching is getting an interview once a week or so. Several times, I've had delays of weeks to months after just submitting an application to get the interview. So how do you just have multiple offers to juggle at any one time?
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
    You plan about 4-6 weeks and communicate early on that you are talking to several companies, and that you plan on evaluating offers on X date. Companies will shuffle things around to meet your date if you give them time. If they aren't flex you don't want to work for them anyway.
    - BrouteMinou 1y ago
      No. I am not going to "shuffle things around". You are playing the hard to get, good for you. For my part, I have hundreds of other candidates to choose from.
      - SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
        Great. Hire them, I will go work for someone who gives the same respect that they expect. People like you are the ones who grumble that it's hard to find good employees, or have to deal with "bad hires". I've built up and staffed teams for a long time and I understand that the best employees sometimes need flexibility. Because the good ones are all going and working for people who want to treat them like adults and understand that the person doing the hiring is just as disposable as the people attempting to be hired. If timelines don't line up, you just say they don't line up and go your separate ways. No harm no foul.

gametorch 1y ago

Very cool. Even if it's hard to model future valuations with any certainty, I would still want to have a tidy comparison like this.

wwdx 1y ago
Totally agree, any data points to help make an informed decision between multiple offers is helpful

MH15 1y ago

Reminder to turn "Show scroll bars" to "Always" if you're developing on MacOS for users on the web.

Unearned5161 1y ago

your logo should be more like com<pear emoji>ator, the way it is now sounds like "comppearre"

sponnath 1y ago

There's some minor content overflow in the x axis. I think it wouldn't hurt to tweak the max width of the page content as I feel like it's a bit too much right now. Also not sure if I'm a fan of the animation you have going on with the quotes. Feels tacky.

ivolimmen 1y ago

I am too dumb for this. I get a salary and maybe a bonus. I never worked at a company that gave stock or options. When I do I will share the offers to someone that understands this. But I will most likely choose the company that shares my values and ignore the payout (unless it's realky a bad pay)

pinoy420 1y ago
[dead]
jvanderbot 1y ago
This is the way. Even when I had multiple startup offers, "Likelihood of becoming rich" was only one column in a 13 column ranking. I ranked them in sorted order on each column, added up their ranks across columns, and accepted the one with the lowest sum of ranks. I have done this for every of my jobs and it's fine. I add or change columns each time. It has led me (eventually) to my current job which is far and away my favorite. I kept former offers in the ranking as well, as a sort of "secretary problem" running solution.

yogini 1y ago

I was thinking of building something similar along with explaining the salary breakdown and how much in-hand salary you will get from your CTC. Loved the initial loading animation. You should also launch this on Peerlist Launchpad, many devs gonna love it.

jlengrand 1y ago

Very nice visualization, and super useful to learn more about how stocks and vestings work. And that puts an exact number on the price of your soul, and at which point you'll go and start working for a company that doesn't share your set of values

margotli 1y ago

Nice one!

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

callbacked 1y ago

Excellent! I just need to find offers...

aman_upadhyay 1y ago

[dead]