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Accounting · head to head

Carta vs FloQast

Carta logo

Carta

Accounting

Cap table, equity and 409A valuation software built around United States private company practice

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FloQast logo

FloQast

Accounting

Close management software for accounting teams

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Carta pricing scales with the number of stakeholders on the cap table, so a company that grants options broadly pays a rising annual fee for employees and small angels who sign in once a year, and the cost keeps climbing after the round that justified it is spent.; FloQast no pricing is published, and the vendor states packages scale with business outcomes rather than seat count, which gives a buyer no unit to estimate against
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table of record, FloQast covers Close management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and FloQast actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and FloQast differ
AttributeCartaFloQast
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20122013

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

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 of record
  • 409A valuations
  • Electronic issuance
  • Vesting and exercise
  • Employee portal
  • Scenario modelling
  • Waterfall analysis
  • ASC 718 expense reporting

Only in FloQast

  • Close management
  • Reconciliation
  • Flux analysis
  • Audit prep
  • Team collaboration
  • NetSuite
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage

What people use each for

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

Carta

  • A startup that has just closed a priced round and whose investors and counsel expect the cap table to live somewhere they can read itnot FloQast
  • A company issuing options to employees for the first time and needing a defensible 409A before it can set a strike pricenot FloQast
  • A finance team preparing its first audit and needing ASC 718 stock compensation schedules that tie to the grant recordsnot FloQast
  • A venture fund that wants LP reporting, capital calls and SPV administration handled outside a spreadsheetnot FloQast

FloQast

  • Managing the accounting close with checklists and reconciliationsnot Carta
  • Automating account reconciliation and compliance workflowsnot Carta

Where each one falls short

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

Carta

  • Pricing scales with the number of stakeholders on the cap table, so a company that grants options broadly pays a rising annual fee for employees and small angels who sign in once a year, and the cost keeps climbing after the round that justified it is spent.
  • The cap table is a legal record assembled from years of board consents, so migrating to another provider means re-entering historical transactions and having counsel confirm the rebuilt table matches the signed documents, which is why most companies stay whatever they think of the service.
  • The product is built around United States company law and tax practice, Delaware entities, 409A and ASC 718, so a company incorporated in the United Kingdom, Europe or elsewhere gets a record keeping tool while the valuation and compliance features that carry the price are of limited or no use.
  • 409A valuations are delivered on a cadence and require a refresh after each material event or every twelve months, so a company that raises or changes materially is repeatedly back in a valuation process with fees and turnaround time attached, and a late valuation blocks option issuance.
  • Carta drew sustained criticism in 2024 over how customer cap table data intersected with its secondary trading business, and although it exited that activity the episode is a live reason to check what a vendor holding your ownership record is permitted to do with it.

FloQast

  • No pricing is published, and the vendor states packages scale with business outcomes rather than seat count, which gives a buyer no unit to estimate against
  • The product is split into five separately packaged solution categories
  • Every route to a figure runs through a personalised demo

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

FloQast

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Close management
    • Reconciliation

Which should you pick?

Choose Carta if

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

Choose FloQast if

  • You need close management.
  • You also want reconciliation.
FloQast review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or FloQast better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and FloQast at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or FloQast?
Carta starts at $29/month and FloQast at $29/month.
Does Carta or FloQast run on more platforms?
Carta runs on Web, Ios, Android. FloQast runs on Web.
What is Carta best used for?
Carta is most often used for a startup that has just closed a priced round and whose investors and counsel expect the cap table to live somewhere they can read it, a company issuing options to employees for the first time and needing a defensible 409a before it can set a strike price, a finance team preparing its first audit and needing asc 718 stock compensation schedules that tie to the grant records, a venture fund that wants lp reporting, capital calls and spv administration handled outside a spreadsheet. Of those, a startup that has just closed a priced round and whose investors and counsel expect the cap table to live somewhere they can read it and a company issuing options to employees for the first time and needing a defensible 409a before it can set a strike price are not what FloQast is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that FloQast cannot?
Carta covers Cap table of record, 409A valuations, Electronic issuance, Vesting and exercise. FloQast covers Close management, Reconciliation, Flux analysis, Audit prep.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Carta: Do I need Carta before I have employees with options?

No. Before options exist a spreadsheet reviewed by your lawyer is usually enough. The pressure to move normally comes at a priced round, or the first time you need a 409A to set a strike price.

FloQast: How much does FloQast cost?

FloQast does not publish specific pricing with dollar amounts. Instead, the company offers customized packages that scale with business outcomes rather than seat count. Pricing is tailored to each organization's unique needs, scope, and scale.

Source
Carta: Is the 409A included in the subscription?

The subscription tiers bundle valuations differently and refreshes after material events can carry additional cost. Check what triggers a chargeable revaluation before you sign, because raising a round is exactly the moment you will need one.

FloQast: Does FloQast charge per user?

No. FloQast explicitly states 'No Per-User Fees. Pricing Built Around Value, Not Headcount.' The company's pricing is customized to organizational requirements rather than based on the number of users.

Source
Carta: Can my accountant get the stock compensation numbers out of it?

Yes, it produces ASC 718 expense schedules and exports. If your accounts are prepared under a different framework, expect the schedules to be a starting point that your accountant reworks rather than something they post directly.

FloQast: What is FloQast's pricing model?

FloQast uses a value-based pricing approach with customizable packages across solutions like Close Management, Compliance & Risk, Financial Reporting, and AI Automation. Each organization receives a personalized pricing recommendation based on their unique challenges and objectives.

Source
Carta: Is it useful for a company outside the United States?

It can hold the share register and grants, and it does support some non United States structures. The 409A and United States tax workflow will not apply to you, so weigh it against local alternatives that understand your filings.

Carta: How hard is it to leave?

Harder than the export button suggests. You can export the data, but the receiving system has to reproduce every historical grant, cancellation and transfer, and someone has to verify the result against the original signed consents.

Carta: Who normally pays for it, the company or the investors?

The company, even though investors and counsel are frequent users. That is the usual complaint about the pricing model: the party paying is not the only party benefiting.

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