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Software · head to head

Carta vs BlackLine

Carta logo

Carta

Software

Equity management & valuations

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BlackLine logo

BlackLine

Software

Finance & accounting automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; BlackLine listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table management, BlackLine covers Account reconciliation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and BlackLine actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and BlackLine differ
AttributeCartaBlackLine
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20122001

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Carta

  • Cap table management
  • 409A valuations
  • Equity plans
  • Investor reporting
  • Fund administration
  • QuickBooks
  • Gusto
  • Slack

Only in BlackLine

  • Account reconciliation
  • Journal entries
  • Task management
  • Variance analysis
  • Financial close
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • NetSuite

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Carta

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

BlackLine

  • Financial closenot Carta
  • Reconciliationnot Carta
  • Continuous accountingnot Carta

Where each one falls short

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

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

BlackLine

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

BlackLine

$29/month
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Account reconciliation
    • Task management

Which should you pick?

Choose Carta if

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

Choose BlackLine if

  • You need account reconciliation.
  • You also want journal entries.
BlackLine review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or BlackLine better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and BlackLine at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or BlackLine?
Carta starts at $29/month and BlackLine at $29/month.
Does Carta or BlackLine run on more platforms?
Carta runs on Web, Ios, Android. BlackLine runs on Web.
What is Carta best used for?
Carta is most often used for equity management, 409a valuations, fund administration. Of those, equity management and 409a valuations are not what BlackLine is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that BlackLine cannot?
Carta covers Cap table management, 409A valuations, Equity plans, Investor reporting. BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Journal entries, Task management, Variance analysis. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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