Cap table software is priced by headcount, and headcount means stakeholders: every holder of shares, options, SAFEs, notes and warrants. A 15-person team with 10 angels and 3 advisors already has 28.
Below are the published prices from each vendor's own pricing page, read on November 4, 2026, worked out at four company sizes.
The annual price at four company sizes
| Vendor and plan | 10 stakeholders | 25 stakeholders | 50 stakeholders | 100 stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capable Startup | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Mantle Essentials | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Eqvista Premium ($2 per stakeholder a month) | $240, or free under 20 | $600 | $1,200 | Custom quote |
| Cake Equity Build ($1,000 for 25) | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 + 25 extra-stakeholder fees | $1,000 + 75 extra-stakeholder fees |
| Carta Launch, then Build | Free (if under $1M raised) | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted |
How the numbers were worked out:
- Capable and Mantle charge a flat plan price with unlimited stakeholders, so the price does not change with headcount. Sources: Capable pricing, Mantle pricing.
- Eqvista is free for fewer than 20 stakeholders, then $2 per stakeholder per month on Premium, with custom pricing above 50: 25 × $2 × 12 = $600. Source: Eqvista pricing.
- Cake Equity Build includes 25 stakeholders for $1,000 a year, then lists "+$1 per additional stakeholder"; the page does not state whether that fee is monthly or yearly, so the table shows the count rather than a dollar total. Team is $2,750 a year for 40 stakeholders plus $5 per additional stakeholder. Source: Cake Equity pricing.
- Carta Launch is free for companies under 25 stakeholders that have raised up to $1 million. Build (up to 50 stakeholders), Grow and Scale are priced per stakeholder with a minimum annual fee, through sales. Sources: Carta plans, Vendr Carta purchase data.
The cheapest plan is rarely the one you keep
Entry plans leave out the work that arrives after the first priced round. Check these four before comparing prices:
| What you will need | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| Board consents | Mantle Essentials and up; Eqvista Premium; Cake Build and up; Capable Growth; Carta Grow and up (board meetings) |
| A 409A valuation | Included: Cake Team (2 a year), Mantle Growth (1 a year), Carta Grow and up. Add-on: Cake $1,500, Mantle $1,800, Capable $1,499 |
| Form 3921 and Rule 701 | Carta Grow (3921) and Scale (701); Mantle Growth+; Eqvista Premium; Cake Pro; Capable Growth |
| An AI connector (MCP) | Capable, Mantle (every plan), Cake Team; Carta's Claude plugin is read-only |
A seed company that grants options every quarter usually needs board consents, a 409A and Form 3921 within a year. Price that bundle, not the entry plan.
Per-stakeholder pricing grows with every hire
Here is a hypothetical company with 18 stakeholders at seed and 60 two years later, after hiring and a Series A.
- Flat price, unlimited stakeholders (Capable Startup, Mantle Essentials): $1,200 at seed and $1,200 at 60 stakeholders.
- Eqvista Premium: free at seed (under 20), then a custom quote above 50 stakeholders.
- Cake Equity: $1,000 on Build at seed. At 60 stakeholders, Team is $2,750 for 40 plus 20 additional-stakeholder fees.
- Carta: free on Launch at seed if under $1M raised, then a quote once the company passes 25 stakeholders or $1M raised.
Ask four questions before you sign
- What will I pay at next year's headcount? Get the renewal price in writing.
- Is there a stakeholder cap, and what does each extra cost?
- Which compliance items are in the plan? 409A, Form 3921, Rule 701 and 83(b) tracking.
- Can I export everything, any day, without asking? Excel and Open Cap Table Format are the exit if prices change.
If you are leaving Pulley, the Pulley alternatives comparison covers transition terms, and Carta pricing covers how Carta quotes.
Prices change; each figure above links to the vendor page it came from. Capable publishes this comparison and sells one of the products in it.