7 Quick‑Setup Equity Management Platforms Every Startup Should Test

When hiring ramps up and investors ask for clean ownership records, you don’t have weeks to establish an equity stack. If you need a quick setup compensation management tool for stock options, modern equity platforms allow you to import your cap table, issue grants, and automate compliance fast—often within days.

Equity management software centralizes cap table management, option grants, valuations, and compliance automation. Cap table management keeps an accurate record of ownership and securities, while compliance automation handles filings, tax rules, and audit trails with minimal manual work.

In this guide, we compare seven platforms known for rapid deployment, focusing on usability, compliance, and support—so distributed teams can stay audit-ready and investor-friendly as they scale.

Deel

Deel’s approach integrates equity management within the same streamlined hub that founders use for global hiring, payroll, and compliance. In a startup context, equity management is the centralized digital tracking, allocation, and compliance management of ownership stakes, options, and related reporting for employees and stakeholders. Deel simplifies international equity compensation—granting, tracking, and reporting across borders without the hassle of navigating local rules or managing separate vendors.

What stands out for busy global teams is end-to-end automation: native compliance guardrails, built-in document workflows, and user-friendly onboarding that scales with headcount. Integrations with existing HR and payroll systems keep grant data and employee records in sync, while automated reporting reduces manual errors and accelerates audits and investor updates. Document management supports digital grant agreements and e-signatures. For remote onboarding, eligible international hires can receive equity alongside their employment setup in a single flow.

If you’re defining or expanding a plan, here are some extra resources:

• 10 Essential Steps to Grant Equity to International Employees
• Can Independent Contractors Get Equity? Stock Options Explained
• How Deel Simplifies Granting Equity to EOR Employees

Carta

Carta is a well-known, all-in-one equity management platform used by startups through to late-stage companies. It’s built for cap table accuracy, 409A valuations, and scenario modeling across both private and public contexts, with automated updates and secure access controls. A cap table is the official record of ownership stakes, stock options, warrants, and convertible securities across founders, employees, and investors—keeping it current is essential for fundraising and audits.

Carta is known for its breadth—transfer agent services, portfolio insights for investors, and audit prep tools—positioning it as a robust choice for complex needs. Pricing varies; it is a better fit for larger or fast-scaling startups that need sophisticated controls.

Pulley

Pulley emphasizes speed and clarity for founders and finance teams. Early-stage companies can get moving quickly thanks to streamlined onboarding. Educational resources walk teams through common equity actions and pitfalls, keeping ownership structures simple and audit-ready. For now, Pulley primarily targets US-centric equity plans, with limited support for international grants compared to global platforms.

Ledgy

Ledgy is designed for intuitive, quick setup in scaling teams, especially those running employee participation plans (mechanisms for granting employees equity aligned with company growth). Its strength lies in making complex actions simple: managing participation plans, generating agreements instantly, and centralizing stakeholder access. Real-time dashboards improve transparency, while automated audit preparations help teams stay compliant and funding-ready.

Ledgy’s global-readiness and collaboration features make it straightforward to share read-only views with investors, track vesting at scale, and capture approvals with digital signatures. Tiered pricing supports growing companies that want to start lean and expand capabilities as headcount and geographies grow.

Eqvista

Eqvista stands out for affordability and a user-friendly experience that still covers advanced needs as you grow. Startups can launch on a freemium tier for up to 20 shareholders and upgrade as their cap table expands. Features include centralized dashboards, customizable reports, and unlimited 409A valuations—useful for companies iterating on fair market value with new rounds or plan updates.

Robust document management, file sharing, and role-based access controls support clean workflows between founders, legal, and investors. For early-stage teams, the combination of quick setup and essential features makes Eqvista a low-friction starting point; scaling startups may later evaluate additional integrations or multi-entity capabilities depending on complexity.

Corporify

Corporify specializes in legal entity management and compliance automation—ideal for startups operating in regulated environments or managing multiple entities. It extends beyond basic cap table tooling with end-to-end automation for the legal entity lifecycle and securities tracking. Think of corporate housekeeping as the ongoing process of tracking, updating, and documenting a company’s legal, ownership, and compliance activities—minutes, resolutions, registers, and filings—so audits and due diligence are seamless.

J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions

J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions (Global Shares) offers a flexible platform used by both early-stage and established companies needing investor tracking, vesting oversight, and audit controls. Feature depth spans vesting schedule management, scenario modeling, and audit preparation with defensible histories. A vesting schedule specifies when employees acquire ownership of equity awards—typically over time or upon milestones—aligning incentives and retention by granting rights incrementally, often with a cliff and monthly or quarterly vesting thereafter.

Payroll integrations reduce reconciliation work, while modeling tools help founders and finance teams simulate funding rounds, adjust option pools, and understand dilution. For teams expecting frequent audits or operating under strict governance, the platform’s reporting and access controls help keep stakeholders aligned.

How to choose the right equity management platform for your startup

Use this quick decision flow to narrow your options:

1. Map your scope: US-only or international grants now/soon?
2. Define urgency: live in days vs. weeks; data import needs.
3. List must-haves: cap table, 409A, scenario modeling, audits, document management.
4. Match integrations: HRIS, payroll, e-sign, accounting.
5. Set a budget range by stage and shareholder count.
6. Shortlist 2–3 vendors, run sandboxes/demos, and validate support responsiveness.

Key factors to weigh:

• Usability and speed of onboarding
• Feature set (cap table, valuations, modeling, compliance)
• Pricing and support tiers
• International capabilities and regional legal coverage
• Audit and investor-readiness features

Quick comparison framework

Must-haves for fast-growth startups

• Real-time cap table, vesting, and audit logs
• Automated compliance and document workflows
• Scenario modeling and funding round readiness
• Secure, role-based access and investor sharing
• Integrations for HR/payroll and e-signatures

Compensation management with Deel

Streamline and elevate your compensation strategy with Deel — the all-in-one platform trusted by thousands of companies around the world.

• Centralized compensation workflows — Replace spreadsheets with a structured, auditable planning process that scales across teams and locations.

• Faster review cycles — Speed up compensation reviews and stay on budget with guided workflows and approvals.

• Data-driven decisions — Leverage global salary insights and benchmarking to stay competitive across 150+ countries.

• Pay transparency and compliance — Stay ahead of pay transparency regulations and manage access to compensation data easily.

• Seamless platform integration — Work in the same platform you run payroll and HR, reducing manual work and errors.

Ready to transform your compensation strategy? Book a 30-minute demo and see Deel in action.