Cake vs Pulley

Cake makes equity simple.

See how we stack up against Pulley.
Founders choose Cake for intuitive setup, affordable pricing, and employee-friendly equity tools. Rated #1 for ease of use and quality of support.
Get startedBook a demo
MacBook mockup
#1 in Usability
Highest Usability rating vs. Pulley at #11*
#1 in Implementation
Highest Implementation rating vs. Pulley at #7*
#1 in ReLationship
Highest in Relationship rating vs. Pulley at #7*
*Based on G2's Fall Report 2025
Dashboard mockupiPhone mockup

The Cake difference

Built to motivate teams, not just check boxes.
Pulley is a powerful tool and respected cap table provider—but if you’re looking for a platform that combines simplicity, affordability, and motivational ownership, Cake is designed for you.
We believe that equity shouldn’t just be a compliance tool. It should inspire your team, attract top talent, and help you scale faster. That’s equity, made simple.
Get started today

Why founders choose Cake

Book a demo

Easier to set up and use

Self-serve and get up and running now! No need to wait for demos and long sales cycles. Get FREE migration support if ever you get stuck.

Startup-friendly pricing

Start free, take it for a spin! Scale later and add features as needed. Monthly plans and annual discounts available.

Support that shows up

Human interaction, US time zones. Rated higher than Pulley for quality of support, customer relations & partnership.*

Trusted by US startups 🇺🇸

Highly rated by US customers. Take it from our growing community of US startups who have switched to Cake.

Leading the Equity Management category

See Cake vs Pulley on G2

Ranked #1* where it matters

Cake ranks #1 in Implementation, Usability, Results, Momentum, and Relationship.
*Based on G2's Comparison Report
Categories
Implementation
#1
#7
Usability
#1
#11
Results
#1
#7
Momentum
#1
#7
Relationship
#1
#7

Cake vs Pulley breakdown

Pricing
Flexible, startup-friendly pricing
No need to pay for features you don't need yet
Start FREE for the first 5 stakeholders
Flexible monthly rates and annual discounts
Add stakeholders as you grow. Stay in your current plan beyond 40 stakeholders
Add features and reports as you grow
Fixed annual tiers
Free plans and monthly options not available
Start at $1,200 — No free plans
Fixed annual tiers — No monthly options
Custom pricing above 40 stakeholders
Tier up to scale
Support
Designed to guide non-finance founders and startup teams
Email, chat support, and "Powerup" calls
Dedicated Slack channels for higher tiers
Employee Q&A sessions available upon request.
Rated higher than Pulley for Quality of Support, Partnership, and Customer Relationships*
Designed to guide founders and finance teams
Phone, email, and chat support
Migration and onboarding
Self-serve or FREE migration in 3-5 days
Complete migration within 3-5 days, regardless of plan
Self-serve and get started immediately. Follow the prompts and upload your cap table yourself!
FREE migration support available — whether from spreadsheet or another platform
Rated higher than Pulley for ease of set up and ease of use*
Migration in 5-10 days
Migration completed in 5-10 days
No option to self-serve
Onboarding is reliant on Pulley support
Equity compliance
Strong US compliance
409A Valuation
83B
3921 Reporting
ASC 718
QSBS
Strong US compliance
409A Valuation
83B
3921 Reporting
ASC 718
Incentive plans supported
Support for US and global equity structures
Stock options (NSO, ISO, ESOP)
Restricted Stock (RSU, RSA)
Warrants
International stock option pools
Support for US equity options and securities
Stock options (NSO, ISO, ESOP)
Restricted Stock (RSU, RSA)
Warrants
Equity management
Founder-first and team-focused
Designed to help founders hire, educate, and motivate talent with equity ownership
Customizable vesting engine with built-in notifications and communication features that keep employees informed and motivated
Digital signing and contract management
Employee app that features equity education, goals, calculators, and unique employee experience
Portfolio management, tools, and calculators for investors
Rated higher than Pulley in G2's Equity Management category.
Strong focus on finance leaders
Designed to help founders and finance leaders understand and manage equity
Custom vesting schedules and performance triggers
Digital signing and contract management
Raise
Tools to support and simulate your raise
SAFEs/Convertible securities — ready-made templates, workflows, digital signing
Basic and advanced scenario modeling
Equity dilution calculator
Investor communication
Tools to support and simulate your raise
SAFE stacking and dilution, pro-rata calculations, pre and post-money scenarios
Scenario and waterfall modeling
Investor communication
Philosophy
Equity made simple, affordable, and motivational
Our mission is to help teams understand and value ownership. We believe in transparency, fairness, & the radical idea that every builder should be an owner.
For founders and finance leaders
Pulley’s mission is to make it easier for founders and finance leaders to make the most out of their equity.
Trust factors
Highly rated by startup founders and teams
G2 Category Leader (2024–2025) in Cap Table Management. High ratings in Ease of Setup, Quality of Support, and Product Direction.
Well-established US cap table provider
Market focus
Core focus is the US with thousands of customers and 200+ community partners across legal, accounting, accelerator, and VCs. Active community presence in SF, LA, Denver, Austin & NYC — supporting startups all over the country!
US focus with strong emphasis on SF & YC portfolio companies.
Pricing
Flexible, startup-friendly pricing
‍‍Start free, no need to pay for features you don't need
Start FREE for the first 5 stakeholders
Flexible monthly rates and annual discounts
Add stakeholders as you grow. Stay in your current plan beyond 40 stakeholders.
Add features and reports as you grow
Fixed annual tiers
‍Free plans and monthly options NOT available.
Start at $1,200 — No free plans
Fixed annual tiers — No monthly options
Custom pricing above 40 stakeholders
Tier up to scale.
Support
Designed to guide non-finance founders and startup teams
Unlimited email and chat support, including "Powerup" video calls
Dedicated Slack channels for higher tiers.
Employee Q&A sessions available upon request.
Rated higher than Pulley for Quality of Support, Partnership, and Customer Relationships*
Designed to guide founders and finance teams
Phone, email, and chat support
Migration and onboarding
Self-serve or FREE migration in 3-5 days
Self-serve and get started immediately. Follow the prompts and upload your cap table yourself!
Complete migration within 3-5 days, regardless of plan.
FREE migration support available, too — whether from spreadsheet or another platform.
Rated higher than Pulley for ease of set up*
Migration in 5-10 days
No option to self-serve
Migration completed in 5-10 days
Onboarding is reliant on Pulley support
Equity compliance
Strong US compliance
409A Valuation
83B
3921 Reporting
ASC 718
QSBS
Strong US compliance
409A Valuation
83B
3921 Reporting
ASC 718
Incentive plans supported
Support for US and global equity structures
Stock options (NSO, ISO, ESOP)
Restricted Stock (RSU, RSA)
Warrants
International stock option pools
Support for US equity options and securities
Stock options (NSO, ISO, ESOP)
Restricted Stock (RSU, RSA)
Warrants
Equity management
Founder-first and team-focused
Designed to help founders hire, educate, and motivate talent with equity ownership
Customizable vesting engine with built-in notifications and communication features that keep employees informed and motivated
Digital signing and contract management
Employee equity benchmark calculator
Employee app that features equity education, goals, calculators, and unique employee experience
Portfolio management, tools, and calculators for investors
Rated higher than Pulley in G2's Equity Management category.
Strong focus on finance leaders
Designed to help founders and finance leaders understand and manage equity
Custom vesting schedules and performance triggers
Digital signing and contract management
Raise
Tools to support and simulate your raise
SAFEs/Convertible securities — ready-made templates, workflows, digital signing
Basic and advanced scenario modeling
Equity dilution calculator
Investor communication
Tools to support and simulate your raise
SAFE stacking and dilution, pro-rata calculations, pre and post-money scenarios
Scenario and waterfall modeling
Investor communication
Philosophy
Equity made simple, affordable, and motivational—helping teams understand and value ownership. We believe in transparency, fairness, & the radical idea that every builder should be
Pulley’s mission is to make it easier for founders and finance leaders to make the most out of their equity.
Trust factors
G2 Category Leader (2024–2025) in Cap Table Management. High ratings in Ease of Setup, Quality of Support, and Likelihood to Recommend.
Well-known US cap table provider with growing adoption
Market focus
Core focus is the US with thousands of customers and 200+ community partners across legal, accounting, accelerator, and VCs. Active community presence in SF, LA, Denver, Austin & NYC — supporting startups all over the country!
US focus with strong emphasis on SF & YC portfolio companies.

Take it from US startups who switched to Cake

"During migration, I spoke to your customer service every day, maybe twice a day. But they were on the phone. They were helpful."
Sonny Thadani
Founder & CEO, Robin
🇺🇸
New York, NY
"I was a former Carta user. Happy to have left them."
Joe Gagnon
Founder & CEO, Raynmaker
🇺🇸
Denver, Colorado
"I signed up and tested it out for myself. I was able to migrate everything over myself in two days without any help from Cake staff. Enough said, I was sold."
Josh Marris
Founder & CEO,
🇺🇸
 Murrieta, California
"We saved money with a better product."
Tom Hakel
Founder & CFO, CXO
🇺🇸
Sta. Rosa, California
"Cake Equity feels like the next generation—more dynamic and attentive to user needs."
Christoph Dressel
CEO, Mimo.fit
🇺🇸
Menlo Park, California
More love from Cake users
Know more about why startups around the world love Cake!

Join our growing community

Follow us on Linkedin

Equity doesn't have to be complicated. Join Cake and see for yourself!

Get startedBook a demo
5-star rating5-star rating5-star rating5-star rating5-star rating
5-star Rating
United States HQ
Horizon Ave.
Venice, Los Angeles
CA 90405
Australia HQ
5/2 Philippine Parade,
Palm Beach, QLD 4221
ABOUT
PRODUCT
LEARN
RESOURCES
PrivacyTerms & Conditions
© All rights reserved 2025