Carta Pricing 2026: Free Launch Tier, What Buyers Report Paying, and the 409A Question
Carta is free for a small company: its Launch tier covers up to 25 stakeholders and about $1M raised. Past that, every paid tier (Build, Grow, Scale) is "Contact sales", and Carta publishes no number for any of them. Buyers report a median of $15,450 a year across 406 purchases, and $3,000 to $8,000 a year for companies under 50 stakeholders (reported by Vendr). Carta fits a pre-seed company that stays inside Launch, or a funded company whose lawyers and investors already work in it. At seed, when you first need a 409A, cheaper published options exist: a free cap table plus an outside 409A costs about $1,500 a year.
What Carta publishes
Carta's pricing page lists four tiers. Only Launch has a price.
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Free | Up to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised |
| Build | Contact sales | Up to 50 stakeholders |
| Grow | Contact sales | |
| Scale | Contact sales | |
| Add-on: Liquidity, QSBS Attestation | Contact sales | Pricing page lists both as add-ons 'available with any paid plan'. |
| All plans (reported) | median $15,450/yr (range $2,947-$55,413), 406 purchases | All Carta purchases Vendr tracks; companies under 50 stakeholders: $3,000-$8,000/yr; reported by Vendr |
| 409A | $2,000-$5,000 per valuation | Reported range per valuation, not a Carta list price; reported by Vendr |
Prices verified on carta.com/plans/equity-management on October 12, 2026.
Carta's pricing FAQ explains the mechanism without the numbers: each package has "a price per stakeholder with a minimum annual fee", so the bill grows with every investor, employee and option holder on the cap table.
Carta words the free limit differently on different pages. The pricing card says "Up to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised". The same page's FAQ says "under 25 stakeholders and raised up to $1 million". Carta's referral page says "up to 25 security holders and less than $1M raised". If you sit at exactly 25 stakeholders or exactly $1M, ask Carta in writing which version applies.
What Carta does not publish, and what buyers report
No paid price, no implementation fee and no renewal terms appear on a public Carta pricing page. The best outside data comes from Vendr, which tracks software purchases (reported by Vendr, read October 12, 2026):
- Median contract $15,450 a year, range $2,947 to $55,413, across 406 purchases. A search snippet of the same page earlier that day showed $14,500 across 365 purchases, so the figure moves as purchases are added.
- $3,000 to $8,000 a year for companies under 50 stakeholders.
- Onboarding or migration $1,000 to $5,000, and renewal increases of 5% to 15%.
One founder on Trustpilot was quoted "$8,000 per year for our startup" (April 2024). Carta's referral page says companies that do not qualify for Launch can "talk to us about receiving a discount for a paid plan"; the size is not published. Stripe Atlas lists a 20% Carta discount among the perks for companies it incorporates.
The 409A: included, or $2,000 to $5,000 each?
For most seed companies the 409A, not the cap table, decides the bill. Carta's own pages say 409A valuations are "included with your Carta plan" from Grow up, with "as many ... as needed" (Carta 409A page). Launch has none: a Launch company that needs a Carta 409A upgrades. Vendr reports that Carta "typically charges $2,000-$5,000 per valuation", often quoted separately from the subscription. The two statements conflict; ask whether the 409A is a line item before you sign.
The law behind it is narrower than most pages say. A 409A report is not itself required: the option strike price must be at least fair market value, and an independent appraisal is one of three safe-harbor methods that shift the burden of proof to the IRS. If the price turns out too low, the penalty falls on the option holder: a 20% additional tax plus interest. More in our 409A valuation services comparison.
Pulley customers: year 1 is matched, year 2 is not published
Pulley shuts down on December 8, 2026, and Carta is its exclusive migration partner. Customers who opt in by November 30 get a 12-month Carta contract at their current Pulley price, plus a credit for unused prepaid Pulley time (Pulley FAQ, September 15, 2026). Pulley's list prices were $1,200 a year (Startup, 25 stakeholders, no 409A) and $3,500 a year (Growth, 40 stakeholders, 409A included). What Carta charges in year 2 has not been published by either company. Pulley's FAQ adds that Carta bills annually or quarterly, not monthly. Full details and the switch offers: Pulley is shutting down.
Trust: the 2024 secondaries exit and the cancellation complaints
In January 2024 Linear's CEO said Carta had approached Linear's investors about selling their shares to outside buyers without the company's knowledge. Henry Ward, Carta's CEO, blamed an employee who broke internal procedures and announced that Carta would "exit the secondary trading business", because "people will always worry that we are using the data" (discussion of Ward's post). Carta still sells a Liquidity add-on today, for company-run tender offers, not a marketplace.
In December 2024 founders told TechCrunch that Carta made cancelling hard before auto-renewal; Carta called it "a one-time staffing challenge". If you plan to leave, give notice well before your renewal date.
Carta vs cheaper options, by stage
| Stage | Carta | J.P. Morgan WS + outside 409A | Eqvista | Cake Equity | Capbase + outside 409A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed, 8 stakeholders, no 409A yet | $0 (Launch) | $0 | $0 (Freemium) | $1,000 (Build) | $999 |
| Pre-seed, 8 stakeholders, first option grant (one 409A) | $1,500 (Launch + outside 409A) | $1,500 | $1,290 (409A bundle) | $2,500 (Build + 409A) | $2,499 |
| Seed, 25 stakeholders, $3M raised, one 409A | Quote (Vendr: $3,000-$8,000 under 50 stakeholders) | $1,500 | $1,990 (409A bundle) | $2,500 (Build + 409A) | $2,499 |
| Series A, 70 stakeholders, two 409As | Quote (Vendr median $15,450, all sizes) | Paid tier not published | $2,590 (may be higher above 50 stakeholders) | $4,550 (Team, two 409As) | $3,999 |
Annual USD from each vendor's pricing page, read October 12, 2026, computed in our cost model; an outside 409A is priced at $1,500 (Cake's published add-on) and assumed allowed on Carta Launch; Carta figures beyond Launch are Vendr-reported, not Carta prices.
Not in the table, and often bigger: Delaware franchise tax. A company with 10 million authorized shares, 9 million issued and $500K in assets can get a default notice for $85,165 when the assumed par value capital method gives $400. Check yours with our Delaware franchise tax calculator.
Not hands-on tested yet: we have not run a live account on Carta. Prices and terms come from Carta's published pricing page and help pages, read on October 12, 2026.
Alternatives at a glance
- J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions: free up to 40 stakeholders (per AngelList's FAQ); 409A through partners.
- Eqvista: free under 20 stakeholders; 409A plus cap table bundles from $990 a year.
- Cake Equity: Build $1,000 a year for 25 stakeholders; Team $2,750 with two 409As.
Full list and who each one suits: Carta alternatives. All cap table tools by stage: cap table software compared.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Carta cost?
Launch is free up to 25 stakeholders and about $1M raised. Build, Grow and Scale are quote-only. Vendr reports $3,000 to $8,000 a year under 50 stakeholders and a $15,450 median across all its Carta purchases.
Does Carta have a free plan?
Yes, Launch. It has no 409A, so the first option grant or crossing 25 stakeholders or $1M raised is usually when the bill starts.
How much does a Carta 409A valuation cost?
Carta says 409As are included from the Grow plan, whose price it does not publish. Vendr reports $2,000 to $5,000 per valuation, quoted separately. Published stand-alone 409As start around $1,299 elsewhere.
When do you outgrow Carta Launch?
When you pass 25 stakeholders, raise past about $1M, or need a Carta 409A. A seed round usually does all three.
Related: cap table calculator, SaaS valuation, the SaaS fundraising guide.