Softwr

Software · head to head

Brex vs Carta

Brex logo

Brex

Software

The financial stack for growing businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Carta logo

Carta

Software

Equity management & valuations

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brex the free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities; Carta free plan eligibility as captured 19 January 2024 was capped at companies with fewer than 25 stakeholders and less than $1M raised in funding
  • They diverge on capability: Brex covers Corporate cards, Carta covers Cap table management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brex and Carta actually diverge.

Attributes where Brex and Carta differ
AttributeBrexCarta
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Founded20172012

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Brex

  • Corporate cards
  • Business accounts
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Travel
  • NetSuite
  • Xero
  • PCI DSS

Only in Carta

  • Cap table management
  • 409A valuations
  • Equity plans
  • Investor reporting
  • Fund administration
  • Gusto
  • Slack
  • Bank-level encryption

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • SOC 2
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Brex

  • Corporate cards with spend controls for startupsnot Carta
  • Expense management and reimbursementsnot Carta
  • Travel booking inside the spend platformnot Carta
  • Bill pay and accounting system syncnot Carta
  • Multi-entity spend management on the paid tiersnot Carta

Carta

  • Equity managementnot Brex
  • 409A valuationsnot Brex
  • Fund administrationnot Brex

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Brex

  • The free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities
  • Premium is $12 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount using the card
  • Enterprise and Smart Card pricing is not published
  • Eligibility criteria are not stated anywhere on the pricing page, which matters for a product that extends credit

Carta

  • Free plan eligibility as captured 19 January 2024 was capped at companies with fewer than 25 stakeholders and less than $1M raised in funding

Pricing, plan by plan

Brex

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense management
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$12/month
    • Advanced controls
    • Custom approvals
    • Travel booking

Carta

$29/month
  • LaunchFree
    • Cap table
    • Stakeholder management
  • Seed$360/year
    • 409A valuations
    • Option exercising
    • Scenarios

Which should you pick?

Choose Brex if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.
Brex review

Choose Carta if

  • You need cap table management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want 409a valuations.
Carta review

Questions people ask

Is Brex or Carta better?
Neither clearly leads. Brex starts at $29/month and Carta at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brex or Carta?
Brex starts at $29/month and Carta at $29/month.
Does Brex or Carta run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Brex best used for?
Brex is most often used for corporate cards with spend controls for startups, expense management and reimbursements, travel booking inside the spend platform, bill pay and accounting system sync. Of those, corporate cards with spend controls for startups and expense management and reimbursements are not what Carta is typically brought in for.
What can Brex do that Carta cannot?
Brex covers Corporate cards, Business accounts, Expense management, Bill pay. Carta covers Cap table management, 409A valuations, Equity plans, Investor reporting. Both handle QuickBooks, SOC 2, Web support, Ios support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Brex

More on Carta

Keep looking

Other head to heads