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Software · head to head

Carta vs Spendesk

Carta logo

Carta

Software

Equity management & valuations

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendesk logo

Spendesk

Software

Smart spend management for modern teams

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; Spendesk no publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: Carta covers Cap table management, Spendesk covers Company cards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carta and Spendesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Carta and Spendesk differ
AttributeCartaSpendesk
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android
Founded20122016

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 Spendesk

  • Company cards
  • Expense management
  • Invoice payments
  • Budget management
  • Spend analytics
  • Xero
  • Sage
  • NetSuite

Both cover

  • SOC 2
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Carta

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

Spendesk

  • Expense managementnot Carta
  • Spend controlnot Carta
  • Finance automationnot 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

Spendesk

  • No publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • Strong European presence but limited in some non-EU markets
  • High implementation costs due to extensive integration requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Carta

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

Spendesk

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Virtual cards
    • Expense tracking
    • Approvals

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 Spendesk if

  • You need company cards.
  • You work on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
  • You also want expense management.
Spendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Carta or Spendesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Carta starts at $29/month and Spendesk at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carta or Spendesk?
Carta starts at $29/month and Spendesk at $29/month.
Does Carta or Spendesk run on more platforms?
Carta runs on Web, Ios, Android. Spendesk runs on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile 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 Spendesk is typically brought in for.
What can Carta do that Spendesk cannot?
Carta covers Cap table management, 409A valuations, Equity plans, Investor reporting. Spendesk covers Company cards, Expense management, Invoice payments, Budget management. Both handle SOC 2, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Spendesk: What is included in Spendesk's platform?

Spendesk combines corporate cards, a mobile receipts app, approval workflows, automated reconciliation, accounts payable, procurement, and spend controls into one platform.

Source
Spendesk: How does Spendesk handle expense receipts?

Spendesk captures receipts via mobile photo upload with OCR technology, automatically matching receipts to transactions and generating automated expense reports with 98% of expense receipts collected on time.

Source
Spendesk: What integrations does Spendesk offer?

Spendesk integrates with accounting software including Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and SAP, plus HR systems and tools like Slack for comprehensive spend management.

Source
Spendesk: Is Spendesk profitable?

Yes. Spendesk became the first spend management platform to reach profitability in 2025, processing over £10 billion in spend across 35+ countries.

Source
Spendesk: What is Spendesk's valuation?

Spendesk is a unicorn company with a valuation of $1.5 billion, with 2025 revenue of $52 million ARR.

Source
Spendesk: How much time can Spendesk save on bookkeeping?

Organizations using Spendesk save an average of 4 days per month on bookkeeping, equivalent to over 380 hours per year returned to the business.

Source
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Related pages

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