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Side-by-side record

Carta vs. PayPal Payments Pro

A side-by-side view of the product records we have today. Use it to narrow the question, then confirm current pricing, limits, and security details with each vendor.

The short version

Carta starts at Free per seat, versus PayPal Payments Pro at $0. PayPal Payments Pro carries the higher aggregate rating (9.5/5 vs 4.4/5).

Full comparison

Cartafrom Free
PayPal Payments Profrom $0 per month
Audyense Score77ASStrong29AS*Low
PositioningCap table and equity management for venture-backed startupsPayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well a
Free tierYesYes
DeploymentCloud / SaaSCloud / SaaS
Best fitStartup, SMB, Mid-market, EnterpriseStartup, SMB, Mid-market
Pricing plans
  • LaunchFree
  • Growth-stage plansCustom pricing
  • Late-stage / Enterprise plansCustom pricing
  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing
General ledger & accountingNo—
Accounts payable & bill payNo—
AI featuresPartialAI-driven "waterfall traceback" for GP carry/fee calculations (fund-admin side); no general AI features for core cap-table SMB users—
Bank reconciliationNo—
Corporate cardsNo—
Expense managementNo—
Financial reportingPartialEquity-specific reporting only — 409A valuations, ASC 718 stock comp, dilution/waterfall reports — not general P&L or balance-sheet reporting—
Invoicing & billingNo—
Multi-currencyPartialCap table displays values in issuance currency and supports international equity features; no multi-currency general ledger or invoicing—
Public APIYesDocumented developer platform with Launch, Investor, Issuer, and Portfolio APIs—
Accept PayPal payments—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept Visa—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Mastercard and American Express—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Virtual Terminal—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Payment Gateway—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Options to simplify PCI compliance.—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Integrations verified14+—
Aggregate rating4.4 · 228 reviews9.5 · No reviews yet
Integrations
QuickBooks OnlineQuickBooks DesktopNetSuiteXeroGustoRippling+8 more
—
Security & compliance
ISO 27001:2022SOC 2 Type IISOC 1 Type IIGDPR+1 more
—
Pros
  • Intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies a genuinely complex domain (equity and cap table math)
  • Strong educational content and explainers that help non-experts understand equity concepts
  • Comprehensive, centralized platform for grants, vesting, and cap-table reporting
  • Category-leading scale and trust — tens of thousands of companies use it, reducing vendor-longevity risk
  • Independent review documents a concrete business workflow
  • Documented capability: Accept PayPal payments
  • Documented capability: Accept Visa
  • Documented capability: Mastercard and American Express
  • Documented capability: Virtual Terminal
Cons
  • Pricing is not published and scales unpredictably as stakeholder count and company stage grow — flagged directly as "Expensive" in G2 reviews
  • Founders have reported friction getting off the platform, including a mandatory cancellation meeting with a customer success manager before a subscription could be canceled (TechCrunch, Dec 2024)
  • A 2024 dispute drew public scrutiny after a customer accused Carta of using confidential cap table data to solicit buyers for the startup's shares without consent; Carta exited that secondary-trading business within days
  • Confusing admin portal navigation and time-consuming bulk-update workflows for larger cap tables
  • Pricing and usage limits should be checked against the exact plan
  • Implementation effort depends on the team's data and process maturity
  • Reported outcomes should be validated with the buyer's own data
Visit Carta ↗Visit PayPal Payments Pro ↗

Editorial read of this comparison

The table summarizes structured facts; this section explains what the differences mean for a real buying decision.

Where each tool fits, and where it may not

Carta

Carta is a cap table and equity management platform used by venture-backed startups to issue securities, run 409A valuations, manage board consents, and track dilution and vesting across funding rounds. Originally launched in 2012 as eShares, it renamed to Carta in 2017 and now serves tens of thousands of companies from formation through pre-IPO. A free Launch tier covers very early-stage companies (under 25 stakeholders, under $1M raised); growth-stage and enterprise plans are quote-based and scale with stakeholder count and company stage.

A particularly good fit for: Venture-backed startups that need cap table management, 409A valuations, and board/compliance workflows in one place from formation onward Very early-stage companies (under 25 stakeholders, under $1M raised) that qualify for the free Launch tier Companies that need broad HRIS/payroll/accounting integration coverage (Gusto, Rippling, Workday, QuickBooks, Deel) for equity data sync

May be a poor fit if: Cost-sensitive or bootstrapped founders who find Carta's opaque, scaling pricing hard to justify — flat-fee competitors are frequently cited as cheaper for the same stage Teams that need fast, self-serve account changes or cancellations without a mandatory support call

PayPal Payments Pro

PayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well as process mobile and retail credit card. On top of that, users can create and host their own checkout pages for full control. With PayPal Payments Pro, users are charged with a flat rate of 2.90 percent along with a $0.30 per-transaction fee, which is beneficial for companies with large tickets. The flat fee remains the same whether the cards used are debit, credit, corporate or rewards. PayPal Payments Pro doesn’t require buyers to have a PayPal account to complete the purchase. Aside from accepting payments online, users of PayPal Payments Pro are able to process credit card payments via phone, fax, and mail (Virtual Terminal).

A particularly good fit for: B2B teams evaluating finance and accounting software Teams that need documented workflow capabilities and fit guidance Organizations willing to validate implementation and plan limits

May be a poor fit if: Teams seeking a workflow outside the product's documented focus Teams needing unlimited usage without plan limits

Pricing and plan structure

Carta: Published starting price Free

  • LaunchFree
  • Growth-stage plansCustom pricing
  • Late-stage / Enterprise plansCustom pricing

PayPal Payments Pro: Published starting price $0 per month

  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing

Capabilities worth validating

  • Carta: AI features, Financial reporting, Multi-currency, Public API Integrations include QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, Xero.
  • PayPal Payments Pro: Accept PayPal payments, Accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, Virtual Terminal, Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries

Questions to answer before switching

  • Does Carta's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does PayPal Payments Pro's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does the exact integration path for QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite support the sync direction, permissions, and volume we need?
  • Is a hosted-only deployment acceptable for the team and customers who will use this system?

How to evaluate this shortlist

A useful comparison turns the differences between Finance tools into a concrete test. Use these steps to avoid choosing from a feature table or the lowest headline price alone.

  1. Start with a representative Finance workflow, not a feature checklist. Define who will use it, what data goes in, and what outcome the team needs.
  2. Test the complete path through QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite: permissions, sync direction, failure handling, and volume limits often matter more than the integration name.
  3. Compare the cost of the real scenario, including users, usage, storage, support, and contract requirements. The entry price alone does not measure adoption cost.
  4. Before switching, list the evidence gaps, request a demo of the critical workflow, and confirm security, data residency, export, and support with each vendor.

Structured signals help narrow the shortlist, but a trial with a real workflow is still the best way to validate the decision.

Research basis

Last checked: 2026-08-18. Pricing, integrations, feature support, and review signals can change, so treat this as a research snapshot and verify the final decision with the vendor.

Sources consulted: Carta product site, G2, Capterra; PayPal Payments Pro product site, FinancesOnline review, Vendor website