Overview
Carta is a San Francisco-based platform that manages cap tables, equity plans, 409A valuations and fund administration. It is the reference point most of its competitors measure themselves against: several vendors in this list advertise migrations from Carta, and Astrella offers to halve a customer’s existing Carta invoice[19]. When it announced a partnership with the New York Stock Exchange in September 2025, Carta said it served nearly 1,000 late-stage companies, including 84% of US companies valued above US$1 billion[3].
The company expanded into the UK and continental Europe by acquiring London-based Capdesk in 2022, which brought HMRC and Companies House filings, EMI and CSOP support, German VSOP handling and French BSPCE support[4]. The capdesk.com domain now redirects to Carta’s UK site. Carta’s release notes from late 2025 show the product moving further into administration for complex companies: a modern cap table and more than 40 reports for LLCs, self-service pour-overs between equity plans, revised ISO disqualification reporting and generally available single sign-on[5].
In 2026 Carta became the designated transition partner for Pulley customers, committing to honour their Pulley pricing for the first full year[1]. Carta’s own pricing pages could not be opened for this review, so prices are not quoted here; its help centre maintains a section for users of its free Carta Launch tier.
Carta features
- Cap table and equity plan management for corporations and LLCs
- 409A valuation service
- Pour-overs between equity plans
- ISO disqualification reporting
- Single sign-on for company admins
- UK HMRC and Companies House filings via former Capdesk
- Free Carta Launch tier for early companies
Carta pricing
Quote-based. Carta's pricing page could not be opened during this review. A free Carta Launch tier exists. Pulley customers migrating under the 2026 transition agreement keep their Pulley pricing for the first full year.
Carta strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Covers corporations, LLCs and fund administration on one platform
- European scheme support through the former Capdesk business
- Large late-stage customer base and IPO partnerships
- Default destination for Pulley's migrating customers
Limitations
- Prices are not published for paid tiers
- Single sign-on must be added to a plan through support
- Several rivals compete mainly on lower cost relative to Carta
- Pricing pages blocked automated access, limiting independent verification
Appears in
Carta alternatives and competitors
Alternatives to Carta: companies ranked in the same lists.
Ledgy
Fidelity Private Shares
Cake Equity
Mantle
Qapita
Eqvista
EquityList
Astrella
Vestd
Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A.
Global Shares (J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions)
Optio Incentives
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