Cake Equity vs Pulley — Cap Table Comparison (2026)

Cake undercuts Pulley at every published tier and holds the higher G2 score — and since Pulley retired its free plan, Cake is the only one of the two you can still start on for $0.

Cake Equity and Pulley are both chasing the same customer: a US-based, pre-Series A founder who wants a real cap table without Carta's pricing or complexity. Pulley got there first, backed by Founders Fund since its 2022 Series B, and built its reputation on fast, founder-friendly support. Cake Equity is the newer, leaner challenger — and it has quietly become the top-rated equity management platform on G2, at 4.8/5 across 135+ reviews. (Cake Equity is a Value Add VC sponsor.) Here's how the two actually compare on 2026 pricing and features.

Cake Equity vs Pulley: the side-by-side comparison

Sources: published pricing at cakeequity.com and pulley.com, G2 review data, verified September 2026.

Where Pulley wins: investor familiarity and fundraise modeling

Pulley used to win this comparison on free-tier headroom — its Seed plan, launched in July 2022 alongside the Series B, covered 25 stakeholders at zero cost. That plan has been retired, and with it the clearest reason to pick Pulley on price alone. What remains is ecosystem. Pulley has been around longer, is Founders Fund-backed, and is recognised by more Series A leads and their counsel than Cake is — not universally, but enough that it is less likely to raise a question in diligence. Its fundraise and dilution modeling is also the stronger of the two for stress-testing a term sheet before you sign it, and its range extends further up-market, through Series B rather than topping out around Series A. If you expect an institutional priced round inside 18 months, that familiarity is worth more than the $200-$750/year you would save on Cake.

Where Cake wins: price at the 409A tier, and reviews

Once you need a 409A — which is most companies within their first year, the moment you grant options or price a round — Cake's $2,750/year Team plan undercuts Pulley's $3,500/year Growth plan by $750, a real number at seed-stage burn rates. Cake also currently holds the higher aggregate G2 score in the category: 4.8/5 across 135+ reviews, with the #1 ranking in Implementation, Usability, Results, Momentum, and Relationship for Summer 2026. Reviewers consistently cite the clean employee-facing portal and fast support response times as standout strengths.

Cake Equity vs Pulley: the verdict

Choose Pulley if you are heading into an institutional priced round in the next 18 months and want the platform more Series A leads already recognise, or if fundraise and dilution modeling is the feature you will lean on hardest. Choose Cake Equity if cost is the binding constraint — it is cheaper at every published tier and, now that Pulley has retired its free plan, the only one of the two with a $0 entry point — or if G2's top rating in the category (4.8/5, #1 in Implementation and Relationship) matters more to you than an incumbent name. Both are US-based and built for the SAFE-through-Series-A range; as with any cap table decision, it's worth a quick check with your lead investor's counsel before you commit if you're heading into a priced round. For the full field of options, see our cap table software ranking, and for the mechanics either platform needs to get right, our cap table playbook.