Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Carta vs Ramp

Carta logo

Carta

Accounting

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

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ramp logo

Ramp

Accounting

The corporate card that helps you spend less

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ramp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Ramp procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table of record, Ramp covers Corporate cards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and Ramp actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and Ramp differ
AttributeCartaRamp
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile apps
Founded20122019

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Ramp

  • Corporate cards
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Accounting automation
  • Spend insights
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Xero

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

Ramp

  • Corporate expense management and automationnot Carta
  • Accounts payable automation with AI invoice processingnot Carta
  • Multi-currency travel and policy managementnot 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.

Ramp

  • Procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus
  • Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations limited to Enterprise tier only
  • Multi-entity functionality requires Plus tier or higher
  • Local card issuance in 30+ countries limited to Enterprise tier
  • Advanced ERP integrations require higher tier selection

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

Ramp

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited physical and virtual corporate cards
    • Receipt collection and matching
    • AI-powered OCR invoice capture
  • Plus$15/month
    • All Free plan features
    • Auto-lock cards for compliance violations
    • 24/7 phone support
  • Enterprise$null/year
    • All Plus plan features
    • Custom pricing
    • Workday and Oracle integrations

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 Ramp if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile apps.
  • You also want expense management.
Ramp review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or Ramp better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and Ramp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or Ramp?
Ramp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Carta and Free for Ramp.
Does Carta or Ramp run on more platforms?
Carta runs on Web, Ios, Android. Ramp runs on Web, Mobile apps.
Can I use Ramp for free?
Yes. Ramp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Carta starts at $29/month.
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 Ramp is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that Ramp cannot?
Carta covers Cap table of record, 409A valuations, Electronic issuance, Vesting and exercise. Ramp covers Corporate cards, Expense management, Bill pay, Accounting automation.

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.

Ramp: How much does Ramp Plus plan cost?

Ramp Plus plan costs $15 USD per user per month plus a platform fee based on team size. Annual billing provides a 20% discount compared to monthly billing.

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.

Ramp: What accounting systems does Ramp integrate with?

Ramp Free and Plus plans integrate with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Plus plan adds access to additional ERP systems, and Enterprise plan supports Workday, Oracle, and advanced options.

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.

Ramp: Does Ramp offer a free plan?

Yes, Ramp Free plan includes unlimited corporate cards, AI invoice capture, receipt collection, multiple payment methods, QuickBooks and Xero integrations, and 24/7 chat support. No pricing is charged for the Free tier.

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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