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Accounting · head to head

Carta vs Payoneer

Carta logo

Carta

Accounting

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

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Payoneer logo

Payoneer

Accounting

One account. Infinite opportunities.

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.; Payoneer an annual account fee of $29.95 USD applies if the account receives less than $6,000 USD in any 12 consecutive months
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table of record, Payoneer covers Receive payments.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and Payoneer actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and Payoneer differ
AttributeCartaPayoneer
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Founded20122005

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Payoneer

  • Receive payments
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Working capital
  • Mass payouts
  • Marketplace integrations
  • Amazon
  • Fiverr
  • Upwork

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 Payoneer
  • A company issuing options to employees for the first time and needing a defensible 409A before it can set a strike pricenot Payoneer
  • A finance team preparing its first audit and needing ASC 718 stock compensation schedules that tie to the grant recordsnot Payoneer
  • A venture fund that wants LP reporting, capital calls and SPV administration handled outside a spreadsheetnot Payoneer

Payoneer

  • Freelancer payment collection from Upwork, Fiverr, and global marketplacesnot Carta
  • Multi-currency account management with 70+ currencies supportednot Carta
  • International wire transfers to 190+ countries and territoriesnot Carta
  • Business contractor payments and global workforce managementnot Carta
  • Marketplace mass payouts for seller platforms and gig economynot 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.

Payoneer

  • An annual account fee of $29.95 USD applies if the account receives less than $6,000 USD in any 12 consecutive months
  • The Payoneer card carries a $29.95 USD annual fee and $12.95 USD for a replacement
  • Converting between Payoneer balances in different currencies costs 0.50%
  • Receiving into a non local currency receiving account costs 1%, minimum $1.00 USD
  • Receiving by credit card costs up to 3.99% plus $0.49 USD
  • Withdrawing to a bank in the recipient's local currency costs 1.2% to 4%
  • ATM withdrawals cost $3.15 USD plus up to 1.8%, rising to 3.5% when currency is converted
  • Card purchases requiring conversion cost up to 3.5%

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

Payoneer

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Receive payments
    • Multi-currency
    • Marketplace connections

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 Payoneer if

  • You need receive payments.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want multi-currency accounts.
Payoneer review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or Payoneer better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and Payoneer at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or Payoneer?
Carta starts at $29/month and Payoneer at $29/month.
Does Carta or Payoneer run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Payoneer is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that Payoneer cannot?
Carta covers Cap table of record, 409A valuations, Electronic issuance, Vesting and exercise. Payoneer covers Receive payments, Multi-currency accounts, Working capital, Mass payouts.

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.

Payoneer: What are Payoneer's withdrawal fees?

Payoneer states its mission is to simplify international payments, but specific withdrawal fees are not published on the homepage. Fee details are accessed via the pricing section.

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.

Payoneer: How much does Payoneer charge for currency conversion?

Payoneer manages multi-currency transactions but does not display conversion rates or fee percentages on the main website.

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.

Payoneer: Is there a monthly fee to keep a Payoneer account?

Payoneer does not list account maintenance fees on its homepage. Specific pricing for account types (freelancer, business, marketplace) requires accessing the pricing page.

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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