Carta is a cap table and equity platform from the United States, and buyers look past it when they want published prices, a free plan, or a lighter tool for a small company. Most go first to Eqvista or Cake Equity, then to Ledgy, EquityList or Vestd. Its own pages blocked our readers, so this page leaves its terms to a written quote.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Eqvista
Free cap table with valuation and transfer agent services · United States
Prints a price for every step: a free cap table for fewer than 20 stakeholders, then Premium at $2 per stakeholder per month. Premium adds Rule 701 and Form 3921 reporting, waterfall modelling and e-signing. A 409A valuation bundle starts at $990 a year, with custom pricing above 50 stakeholders.
Switch from Carta if you want a free tier and a per-stakeholder price you can read before talking to sales.
Pricing: Freemium for under 20 stakeholders; Premium $2 a month per stakeholder, custom above 50; 409A and Premium bundle from $990 a year. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Eqvista →
2. Cake Equity
Startup cap tables with per-stakeholder pricing · United States
The Free plan covers 5 stakeholders with cap table, options and SAFE notes. Build is $1,000 a year for 25 stakeholders, and Team is $2,750 a year for 40, with two 409A valuations and free migration. Pro is quoted by sales and adds ASC 718 reporting.
Switch from Carta if you are a startup that wants free migration help and annual tiers with printed stakeholder limits.
Pricing: Free for 5 stakeholders; Build $1,000 a year for 25 stakeholders; Team $2,750 a year for 40 stakeholders with two 409As; Pro by quote. (free plan)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Cake Equity →
3. Ledgy
Cap table and equity plan platform from Zurich · Switzerland
Built in Zurich and run by Ledgy AG according to its site footer, with separate sections for private and public companies. Our category file lists a free Launch tier and quoted higher tiers. We could not read its plan page, so check each limit in writing.
Switch from Carta if you are a European company that wants a Swiss vendor with a tier for a later listing.
Pricing: Launch is free for up to 50 stakeholders; Scale starts at 5,000 euros a year and Enterprise at 18,000 euros a year, both by quote. (free plan)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Ledgy →
4. EquityList
AI-assisted cap table and secretarial compliance · India
Free for 10 stakeholders, with 1,000 one-time AI credits that do not renew. Build is $1,200 a year for 35 stakeholders and Growth is $3,500 a year for 50, including a 409A valuation on annual billing. Extra stakeholders cost $35 a year. Enterprise adds SAML SSO.
Switch from Carta if you want AI-assisted work and secretarial compliance at a flat annual price.
Pricing: Free for 10 stakeholders; Build $100 a month billed at $1,200 a year; Growth $292 a month billed at $3,500 a year; extra stakeholders $35 to $50 a year. (free plan)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit EquityList →
5. Vestd
UK share schemes and Companies House filing in one platform · United Kingdom
A UK platform for share schemes and Companies House filings. Essentials starts at £25 a month, Starter at £225 and Guided Service at £435 with HMRC submission support. Every plan has an automatically renewing 12-month minimum, and prices exclude VAT. US-style 409A work is not its focus.
Switch from Carta if you are a UK company that needs share schemes, Companies House filings and HMRC help in one place.
Pricing: Essentials from £25 a month; Starter £220 a month and Guided Service £420 a month; 12-month minimum, prices exclude VAT. (none)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Vestd →
6. Qapita
Equity and fund management for Asia and US startups · Singapore
Singapore-based, aimed at startups in Asia and the US. Spark is free for up to 25 stakeholders if you have raised under $1 million, though the page words that limit two ways. Surge is $1,600 a year for 40 stakeholders, and a 409A report is a $1,500 add-on.
Switch from Carta if you operate in Asia or across Asia and the US and have raised little so far.
Pricing: Spark free for up to 25 stakeholders and under $1 million raised; Surge $1,600 a year; Growth $3,000 a year; Enterprise by quote. (free plan)
Full review: #5 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Qapita →
7. Astrella
Full-service equity management priced by stakeholder band · United States
Charges by stakeholder band with no free plan: $1,200 a year for up to 25, $3,200 for 26 to 100 and $8,200 for 101 to 300. Onboarding is full service, with a dedicated implementation manager and employee migration support. Its 409A, 83(b) and HRIS add-ons are sold on request.
Switch from Carta if you want a vendor to run the setup for you and accept bands instead of per-seat pricing.
Pricing: $1,200 a year for 0 to 25 stakeholders, $3,200 for 26 to 100, $8,200 for 101 to 300, custom above 300. (none)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Astrella →
8. Certent Equity Management
Equity compensation accounting and administration for finance teams · United States
A web platform from insightsoftware aimed at finance teams with stock plans, not at seed-stage founders. Its page lists over 400 prebuilt reports, ESPP administration, over 15 award types and ASC 718 and IFRS 2 compliance. No price appears, only forms for pricing and a demo.
Switch from Carta if your finance team runs stock plan accounting and needs reports for ASC 718 and IFRS 2.
Pricing: No price shown on its insightsoftware page; demo request only. (none)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Certent Equity Management →
9. Global Shares
Share plan administration, now J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions · Ireland
Sold under the J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions brand, with Global Shares Ireland Limited named as a legal entity. It administers global employee plans such as ESPP, RSU and LTIP, and supports funding rounds and liquidity events. No pricing is published, only demo requests.
Switch from Carta if you run equity plans in several countries and want a bank-backed administrator.
Pricing: No prices published; the site routes visitors to a demo or contact form. (none)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Global Shares →
10. Equity Edge Online
Cloud stock plan administration from Morgan Stanley at Work · United States
Cloud stock plan administration from Morgan Stanley at Work, according to our category file. Quote only, with no price shown and contact through sales. Its page timed out when we tried it, so we state nothing further. It targets companies with established plans, not a first SAFE.
Switch from Carta if you already bank with Morgan Stanley and want one provider for plan administration.
Pricing: No price on the page; contact the sales team. (none)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Equity Edge Online →
11. Shareworks
Equity compensation platform from Morgan Stanley at Work · United States
The other equity compensation platform from Morgan Stanley at Work, also quoted through that business with no price on the page. We did not fetch its pages for this review, so features beyond the category file are unconfirmed. It overlaps with Equity Edge Online, so ask each vendor to show the difference.
Switch from Carta if you want an equity compensation platform from a large broker and accept a sales-led process.
Pricing: No price on the page; quote through Morgan Stanley at Work. (none)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Shareworks →
Questions and answers
What does Carta cost?
We could not confirm what Carta costs, because its pricing page returned an access denied response on 30 October 2026. Our category file lists it as quote only with no free plan. Ask for a written quote that names stakeholder counts, valuations and any add-ons.
Is there a free alternative to Carta?
Yes, several vendors in this category print a free tier. Eqvista is free for fewer than 20 stakeholders, Qapita Spark for up to 25, EquityList for 10 and Cake Equity for 5. Each has limits, so read the plan page for your stakeholder count before you rely on it.
Which Carta alternative suits a small startup?
Eqvista, Cake Equity and EquityList suit small startups because each prints prices and includes a free plan. Cake Equity Build is $1,000 a year for 25 stakeholders. EquityList Build is $1,200 a year for 35. Compare what each counts as a stakeholder, since former holders can count too.
Which Carta alternative works for a UK company?
Vestd is the one built around UK share schemes and Companies House filings. Essentials starts at £25 a month, with a 12-month minimum that renews automatically. Carta also has a UK site according to our category file, but we could not read it to compare.
Can I export my cap table from Carta?
We could not read Carta's pages, so we cannot name its export formats. Request a full ledger export in writing before you give notice, and check it against signed grant documents. Cake Equity states free migration on Team, and Astrella lists migration support in its pricing.
I am a Pulley customer, do I have to go to Carta?
No. Our category file records that Pulley named Carta as its exclusive transition partner, but nothing obliges you to accept it. Pulley said it will shut down on December 8, 2026, so set a date to choose a vendor and export your data before then.
