Carta is a software platform that assists companies and investors in managing their cap tables, valuations, investments, and equity plans. It provides a comprehensive solution for equity management, offering features like real-time cap table updates, 409A valuations, and scenario modeling. Carta aims to simplify equity management and ownership by providing transparency and reducing paperwork. It's used by startups, venture capitalists, and law firms worldwide.

  • 01Pros and cons from reviewers
  • 02Main features
  • 03What is Carta?
  • 04How Carta compare to similar software?
  • 05Who is Carta best for according to our reviewers?
  • 06Carta Reviews

Pros from reviewers

  • Automated updates and progress tracking: Users appreciate how Carta automatically updates them on their vested options and displays a progress bar for remaining stock options to vest, providing clear visibility on their equity status

  • Efficient customer support: Despite some user complaints, Carta's support team is generally responsive and assists in resolving issues, ensuring a smooth user experience.

  • User-friendly interface: Carta is praised for its simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their stock options

  • Comprehensive equity management: Carta offers features like investor equity management, employee equity option management, cap table management, and 409A valuation, providing a one-stop solution for equity management

  • Extensive knowledge database: Carta has a vast knowledge database for quick learning, making it easier for users to understand and utilize the software

Cons from reviewers

  • User-unfriendliness: Some users find Carta's interface not very user-friendly, requiring a solid understanding of securities and stock options, which can be a barrier for those without this knowledge

  • High cost for startups: Despite its many features, Carta can be quite expensive for startups, making it a less viable option for companies with tight budgets

  • Lack of comparative details: Carta does not provide enough comparative details with similar companies for benchmarking purposes, limiting its usefulness in strategic decision-making

  • Time-consuming updates: The software does not offer a quick method to bulk update a set of option grants, resulting in a time-consuming process of updating each grant individually

  • Difficult cancellation process: Some users have reported that it is extremely difficult to cancel the account before renewal, requiring multiple emails and calls, and even then, the process is not straightforward.

Main features

Starting Price

N/A

Free Plan

No

Get approvals from your board without leaving Carta

Stop managing your cap table in a spreadsheet

Securely manage documents

Keep track of compliance

Streamline communications

What is Carta?

Carta is a global ownership management platform that aims to democratize ownership and finance. It empowers individuals and businesses to manage their equity, providing a simplified and streamlined process for understanding and accessing ownership intricacies. Carta's platform is used by companies, investors, law firms, and employees to navigate the complex world of equity management. The company's mission is to create more owners and transform how ownership and finance operate. Carta's innovative technology and user-friendly interfaces allow entrepreneurs to manage their stakes, investors to make informed decisions, law firms to handle complex equity structures, and employees to see the value of their work.

Ledgy and Carta are both robust equity management platforms, but they cater to different needs and preferences with distinct differences in their features and functionalities.


One of the key differences between Ledgy and Carta is their target audience and the scalability they offer. Ledgy is particularly tailored to startups and growing companies in Europe, focusing on user-friendly features and ensuring compliance with European regulations. It excels in handling employee participation plans and providing transparent equity management, which is essential for smaller organizations looking to scale without extensive legal overhead.


In contrast, Carta is a more comprehensive solution that targets companies at various growth stages, including those gearing towards public offerings. It offers a broad suite of services including cap table management, 409A valuations, and IPO planning, making it ideal for larger enterprises or those with complex equity structures and multiple stakeholders....

logo carta

Carta

Equity. Simplified.

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Ledgy

Equity management made transparent, simple, and efficient for startups.

25% off your first year on Ledgy

Save up to $6,500

Get Ledgy deal

Who is Carta best for according to our reviewers?

  • Companies with numerous employees: These companies can monitor who has vested stock options and receive automatic updates on vested options. Carta also displays a progress bar for remaining stock options to vest

  • Corporate Securities Attorneys: Carta offers an accurate and easy-to-manage turnkey solution for the Board, Investors, and Employees. It enables swift extraction of data and reports for external Funds and Auditors, and provides a self-service portal for Employees

  • Startups: Despite being costly, Carta offers features like investor equity management, employee equity option management, cap table management, and 409A valuation. It also provides well-organized reports, funding overviews, cap tables, and the capability to establish a data room for investors

  • Investors: Carta allows investors to manage their portfolio, although the software can be slow and the user experience illogical. It also makes it hard to maintain a backup

  • Co-Founders: Carta simplifies the management of cap table, compliance, and 409A's. It serves as an excellent portal for legal teams, investors, and employees with options, providing them access to necessary information and documents.

  • Carta Reviews

    4.3

    Carta rating

    4.0

    Ease of use

    3.5

    Customer service

    3.6

    Value for money

    4.0

    Likelihood to recommend

    4.2

    Features

    12 Carta Reviews

    4.3 (12 reviews)
    • Joshua W

      Effortless Equity Management with User-Friendly Software

      its user-friendly interface made it easy to navigate and understand complex equity structures. The software's ability to track and manage cap tables, valuations, investments, and equity plans in one place is truly commendable

      June 24, 2024

    • Alexander Brown

      Carta - Streamlined Equity Management for Private Firms

      As a Corporate Securities Attorney with over two decades of experience, I consider Carta to be my preferred application for privately held entities. It has saved me numerous hours on spreadsheets by offering an accurate and easy-to-manage turnkey solution for the Board, Investors, and Employees. The equity management is turnkey and enables me to share with our Attorneys and Accountants. I can swiftly extract data and reports for external Funds and Auditors, and there's a self-service portal for Employees. Some aspects are complex and require training, but it's worth the effort to maintain all equities in a single ledger. I selected Carta due to its reputation as a leading provider and switched to it because the size and scale of my work required a more robust Equity management solution.

      June 15, 2024

    • Patricia Jones

      Basic Yet Effective: Carta's Approach

      In my view, Carta is a simple software for monitoring employees' options and their vesting schedules. It alerts employees as options vest over time and even lets them simulate exercising their vested options. However, I think Carta could improve by including basic explanations of terms in the software, as the average person might not understand terms like options, vesting schedules, or exercising options. This would definitely improve users' comprehension and control over their financial assets.

      June 11, 2024

    • Jean Martinez

      From Eshares to Carta: A Game-Changer in Shareholder Management

      We started using Carta when it was still called Eshares. Prior to this, we managed everything via an excel spreadsheet which was very chaotic. Now, we can easily generate reports for shareholder information. The only issue I've encountered is the lack of a report that my auditors will accept without my personal adjustments. Despite this, it's a major upgrade from manual tracking. The data entry process is simple, but generating reports for audit purposes can be challenging.

      June 2, 2024

    • Julia Miller

      Carta's Scenario Modeling: A Game-Changer for Strategic Planning

      I was particularly impressed with Carta's scenario modeling feature. It allowed me to project future fundraising rounds and exit scenarios, which was instrumental in our strategic planning

      May 27, 2024

    • David B

      Accurate and Timely 409A Valuation Services by Carta

      I appreciated the 409A valuation services provided by Carta. They were not only accurate but also timely, ensuring compliance with IRS guidelines

      May 20, 2024

    • Charlotte F

      Effortlessly Managing My Stock Options with Carta

      Overall, I find Carta to be simple and user-friendly. It's excellent for companies with numerous employees to monitor who has vested stock options. I value how Carta automatically updates me on my vested options and displays a progress bar for my remaining stock options to vest. So far, I have no complaints, but I may not have used the software deeply enough to encounter any difficulties or dislikes.

      May 12, 2024

    • Kevin Smith

      Streamlining Stock Options with Carta

      Carta helps me monitor all of my company's stock options in one location, providing clear reports and instant updates to our cap table. However, modifications to Stakeholders now require more steps, making it somewhat time-consuming when making multiple adjustments.

      May 4, 2024

    • Ingrid S

      Managing Equity Made Easy with Carta

      I found Carta to be an excellent tool for managing equity

      April 30, 2024

    • Wayne Brown

      Exceptional Customer Service Experience with Carta

      Absolutely love Carta! The process to cancel the account before renewal is thorough, ensuring you're making the right decision. I had the opportunity to communicate with them multiple times via email, which showed me their dedication to customer service. They even arranged a call with me to discuss my concerns, which I found very considerate. On the day of my renewal, they provided me with an offboarding form to complete. It was a bit of a rush, but it added a sense of excitement to the process. I appreciate their thoroughness in ensuring that I was certain about my decision. What I found unique about Carta is that there's no direct button in the app to stop automatic payments or cancel your account. This shows their confidence in their product and their commitment to customer retention. I'm looking forward to using their services again in the future!

      April 21, 2024

    • Alexis E

      Carta: A Game-Changer for LLC Management and Personal Growth

      I was initially drawn to Carta because it was promoted as being capable of handling LLC's, which turned out to be a fantastic learning experience. The onboarding process was unique and it really pushed me to become more independent. Now, a year later, I'm actively engaged in managing our account, which has improved my communication skills as I regularly email and follow up. If we had just used an Excel spreadsheet, I wouldn't have had this enriching experience and we wouldn't have invested $6k in our company's growth. I would recommend Carta over a spreadsheet any day, it's a game-changer!

      April 16, 2024

    • Elizabeth Brown

      An Insightful Review of Carta's Equity Management Services

      I am convinced that Carta offers an excellent product for equity management. I would recommend being proactive when considering a subscription for their newer products or features like 49A valuations. Their salespeople are quite persuasive and will ensure you understand the full benefits of your subscription. Their relationship managers are thorough and take their time to respond to cancellation or refund requests, ensuring that your account is in good standing and automatically renews, even with ample prior notice. Overall, it was an enlightening experience.

      April 13, 2024