Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

Carta vs Expensify

Carta logo

Carta

Accounting & Finance

Equity management & valuations

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Expensify logo

Expensify

All industries

Expense management for receipts, bills & more

From
$5/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; Expensify minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table management, Expensify covers SmartScan receipts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and Expensify actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and Expensify differ
AttributeCartaExpensify
Starting price$29/month$5/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
CategoryAccounting & FinanceAll industries
Founded20122008

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • Gusto
  • SOC 2
  • Bank-level encryption

Only in Expensify

  • SmartScan receipts
  • Expense reports
  • Corporate cards
  • Reimbursements
  • Travel booking
  • Mileage tracking
  • Multi-currency
  • Real-time syncing

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Carta

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

Expensify

  • Expense reportingnot Carta
  • Receipt managementnot Carta
  • Travel expensesnot Carta
  • Corporate card managementnot Carta
  • Reimbursementsnot 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

Expensify

  • Minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet
  • OCR receipt data extraction requires manual review and correction for accuracy
  • Per-user pricing model increases costs for larger organizations

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

Expensify

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Expensify review.

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 Expensify if

  • You need smartscan receipts.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense reports.
Expensify review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or Expensify better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and Expensify at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or Expensify?
Carta starts at $29/month and Expensify at $5/month.
Does Carta or Expensify run on more platforms?
Carta runs on Web, Ios, Android. Expensify runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Expensify is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that Expensify cannot?
Carta covers Cap table management, 409A valuations, Equity plans, Investor reporting. Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Expense reports, Corporate cards, Reimbursements. Both handle QuickBooks, Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Expensify: How does Expensify capture receipts?

Expensify uses SmartScan technology with OCR to automatically extract data from receipt images, reducing manual data entry. Users can photograph receipts with their phone to quickly create expense entries.

Source
Expensify: What reimbursement methods does Expensify support?

Expensify supports ACH reimbursement via direct deposit after setting up a direct deposit account. Next-day reimbursement is available, or standard processing takes 3-5 business days.

Source
Expensify: How does Expensify offline mode work?

Expensify has limited offline capabilities. Users can capture receipts offline, but data syncs when internet connectivity is restored. Full functionality requires online access.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Carta

More on Expensify

Keep looking

Other head to heads