12 Best Equity Compensation Software in 2026

Cake Equity is a startup cap table and equity platform covering ISOs, NSOs, RSUs, RSAs, SAFEs, and warrants. It prices plans for the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Singapore, and New Zealand. Cake MCP lets Claude, Codex, or other AI assistants answer questions from the cap table. The vendor says 10,000+ companies use it.

• Free plan for up to 5 stakeholders
• Team plan includes 2 409A valuations a year
• Built-in equity education for employees on Team

• $60 for each stakeholder above the plan limit
• ASC 718 expensing sits on the custom Pro plan
• Option exercising starts on Team, not Build

I’d point Cake Equity at a seed or Series A startup with a small, distributed team. Build costs $1,000 a year for 25 stakeholders, and Team costs $2,750 a year for 40 stakeholders, including 2 valuations. Employees see their holdings and vesting in a stakeholder portal, with explanations of what each grant means. A 409A add-on costs $1,500 a year on plans without it.

Capboard is a startup cap table and equity tool for European companies, covering stock options, phantom shares, RSAs, RSUs, SARs, and warrants. It adds vesting tracking, funding round simulations, and automated grant letters. Its pricing page starts at €22.50 per month, billed annually, for 15 stakeholders.

• Phantom shares and SARs alongside real options
• Automated grant letters and e-signature
• Free trial on the Stakeholder plan

• €1.50 per month for each extra stakeholder
• 409A valuation only on the custom Scale-up plan
• 3 G2 reviews, too few to judge

This fits a European startup that prefers phantom or virtual shares to issuing real equity abroad. Grants, vesting, and exercises run in 1 place, and employees receive automated grant letters for e-signature. Funding round simulations help founders test dilution before a raise. The vendor names no AI feature, and accounting reports are not listed on the base plan, so ask how expensing will be handled.

Carta is a startup cap table and equity platform for US companies through pre-IPO. It supports options, RSUs, and restricted stock, and runs a UK site. Its Cap Table Plugin lets Claude read live Carta records on ownership, vesting, and 409A history. The vendor says 50,000+ companies use it.

• Free Launch plan up to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised
• SEC-registered transfer agent for US companies
• ASC 718 and IFRS reporting on the Scale plan

• Paid tiers are not priced publicly
• 409A valuations start on the Grow plan
• Feature depth can feel heavy for a 5-person team

My take is that Carta suits US startups that expect several funding rounds and a path to pre-IPO. HRIS and payroll integrations sync terminations and tax withholding, and employees exercise options online. Pulley customers should note that Pulley closes on December 8, 2026, with Carta as its migration partner. Ask for paid-tier pricing at your expected stakeholder count before you sign.

Certent is an enterprise stock plan administration platform from insightsoftware for private companies through IPO and public companies. It covers 15+ award types with a participant portal. It automates ASC 718 expense, Section 16 filings, and SEC and proxy reporting, and offers the Ask Certent assistant. The vendor cites 1.5k+ corporate clients and more than 1 million plan participants.

• 1 system from first priced round to public reporting
• Section 16 and proxy reporting automated
• Participants get self-service access

• Pricing is quote-only
• Strongest on US public-company reporting
• Heavy for a company that only needs a cap table

The clearest case for Certent is a pre-IPO or US-listed company that wants to avoid switching systems at IPO. Admins manage the cap table, grants, and approvals, then produce ASC 718 and SEC reports from the same data. Participants log into a portal to view their awards. Companies can run it themselves or hand the work to insightsoftware, which offers to take equity administration off their hands.

Eqvista is a startup cap table and equity tool for early-stage US companies, covering cap table and ESOP management, vesting schedules, and SAFEs. Its Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation, which the vendor calls AI-powered, supports 409A pricing. The vendor says 25,000+ companies trust it.

• Free plan under 20 stakeholders
• 409A valuation bundles from $990 a year
• Form 3921 and Rule 701 on Premium

• Built mainly for US companies
• ASC 718 reports cost $500 and up
• 10 G2 reviews on the cap table profile

In short, Eqvista is the budget route for a US startup that wants a cap table and 409A valuations from 1 vendor. Premium costs $2 per stakeholder per month, with custom pricing above 50 stakeholders. Stakeholders get their own accounts to view holdings and vesting. The valuation business has the larger G2 following, with 107 reviews on its 409A profile against 10 for the cap table.

J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions, formerly Global Shares, is an enterprise stock plan administrator for companies from early stage to public. It covers stock options, RSUs, ESPPs, and LTIPs (long-term incentive plans) across many countries. It produces audit-ready reports for ASC 718, IFRS 2, ASPE, and JGAAP. It names no AI feature.

• Global plans run across dozens of countries
• 4 accounting standards covered in reporting
• Participant portal for accepting grants and enrolling

• Pricing is quote-only
• Implementation includes data conversion and reconciliation
• More platform than a small startup needs

This one suits a company with employees in many countries that wants a bank-backed administrator. J.P. Morgan says it has launched global plans for businesses with several thousand employees across dozens of countries. Employees log into a portal to accept grants or enroll in plans. Onboarding involves converting historical data and building the participant portal, so plan a project rather than a quick switch.

Ledgy is a UK and European share plan platform for scale-ups through public companies. It covers equity plans and grants, EMI reporting, and SAYE, with HMRC, 409A, and BSPCE valuations. Ledgy Agent completes admin tasks after approval, and Ledgy MCP connects AI assistants to live equity data. The free Launch plan covers up to 50 stakeholders.

• 70+ HRIS integrations from the Scale plan
• Global mobility reporting on Enterprise
• IFRS 2, FRS 102, and ASC 718 expensing as an add-on

• Scale starts at €5,000 a year
• The financial reporting add-on starts at €3,000 a year
• SAML SSO only on Enterprise

It earns its keep for a European scale-up with employees in several countries and an IPO on the horizon. Employees get dashboards showing their holdings and scenarios, and the Enterprise plan adds localized dashboards. Enterprise starts at €18,000 a year and includes IPO readiness support. Budget for the reporting add-on, since share-based payment expensing is not in the base price.

Morgan Stanley at Work, formerly Shareworks, is an enterprise stock plan administrator for private and public companies. It covers cap table management, plan administration, 409A valuation services, and liquidity events. Its global intelligence service helps with tax and legal complexity across countries. It names no AI feature on its equity pages.

• 409A services and liquidity events from 1 provider
• Financial wellness education for every participant
• Stock plan accounts for public company employees

• Pricing is quote-only
• Private and public offerings sit on separate pages
• 32 G2 reviews, listed under Shareworks

This fits a large private company planning liquidity events or a public company with participants worldwide. Morgan Stanley at Work notes that its stock plan accounts were previously called Shareworks, StockPlan Connect, or E*TRADE accounts. Employees get financial wellness tools and access to Financial Advisors alongside their equity. Smaller startups will find more than they need here.

Optio Incentives is a UK and European share plan platform for the Nordics, Europe, and the UK, from startups to listed companies. It covers share plans, EMI, SAYE, and employee share purchases. Its Pre IPO plan adds fair value and 409A valuations plus cost amortization. The vendor says it serves 500+ clients with shareholders in more than 130 countries.

• Employee portal with gains modeling on every plan
• Share warehousing and sell-to-cover for listed companies
• Employer tax and remuneration report data on Public

• Every plan is quote-only
• Strongest in the Nordics and Europe
• Valuations wait for the Pre IPO tier

For a team that runs share plans across the Nordics and Europe, Optio Incentives covers the path from startup to stock exchange. Employees use a portal to model their gains, and Scale adds end-to-end plan management. Public plans add share warehousing, settlement directly to employees, and dilution reports. Scale includes a dedicated customer success manager to help first-time plan owners.

Qapita is a startup cap table and equity platform for private companies up to IPO. It offers equity plan management, funding round modeling, and DocuSign for grants. It reports 2,400+ companies served in 60+ countries, with 500,000+ stakeholders. It names no AI feature.

• Free Spark plan up to 25 stakeholders
• 409A report included on the Growth plan
• ASC 718 and IFRS reporting on Enterprise

• $40 to $60 a year for each extra stakeholder
• HRIS integration and SSO only on Enterprise
• Valuation reports priced per report

I’d point Qapita at a startup with teams in the US and Asia that wants 1 cap table across borders. Surge costs $1,600 a year for 40 stakeholders, and Growth costs $3,000 for 50, with a 409A report. Enterprise adds a helpdesk for plan participants. Employee town halls with an equity expert cost $500 an hour, a useful add-on when staff do not understand their grants.

SeedLegals is a UK share plan platform for setting up and running EMI option schemes. Unapproved options, HMRC registration, and option grants sit on 1 automated platform. Its Options plan includes unlimited EMI valuations and unlimited support from share option specialists. The vendor invites founders to join over 14,000 UK companies using EMI schemes.

• Guided EMI setup from valuation to HMRC registration
• Unlimited EMI valuations on the Options plan
• Option holder portal for staff

• Built for UK companies only
• The Options plan costs £2,699 a year plus VAT
• 2 G2 reviews, too few to judge

Employees will see their options in a holder portal designed to keep them engaged, which matters at a startup handing out its first grants. SeedLegals suits UK startups from first hire to Series A that want specialists checking each step. The Options plan covers unlimited schemes and grants for 1 fixed annual fee. It names no AI feature on its EMI pages.

Vestd is a UK share plan platform for startups and SMEs, covering EMI, CSOP, growth shares, unapproved options, and phantom shares. It adds a cap table and Companies House filings. It is authorized and regulated by the FCA and offers a Vestd AI search assistant. The vendor reports 63,000+ agreements accepted on the platform.

• Companies House integration that syncs in both directions
• Unlimited HMRC valuations on the Guided service plan
• Specialists handle the HMRC and legal steps

• Prices exclude VAT with a 12-month minimum term
• Focused on the UK
• EMI needs the £420 Guided service plan

This one suits a UK SME that wants a share scheme designed with a specialist rather than alone. Essentials starts at £25 a month for cap table work, Starter at £220, and Guided service at £420, with annual billing giving 2 months free. Employees track grants, vesting, and exercises in 1 place. Enterprise adds IFRS 2 reporting support for companies with 200+ stakeholders.