Equity compensation planning

Data as of Oct 17, 2026Reviewed by

How we measure

Which brands AI mentions

#BrandMentioned in
=1Carta74%
=3Carta Total Compensation, a product of Carta28%
=1Pave65%
=3Pulley · pulley.com37%
=3Ledgy26%

Mentioned in · Jul 8 – Oct 17, 2026

ChatGPT SearchChatGPT SearchGoogle AI ModeGoogle AI Mode

Widest split: Carta, 95% on ChatGPT Search and 52% on Google AI Mode.

  • =1CartaChatGPT Search 95%Google AI Mode 52%
  • =1PaveChatGPT Search 64%Google AI Mode 67%
  • =3PulleyChatGPT Search 50%Google AI Mode 24%
  • =3Carta Total CompensationChatGPT Search 27%Google AI Mode 29%
  • =3LedgyChatGPT Search 32%Google AI Mode 19%

Questions and answers

  • ChatGPT SearchOct 17, 2026

    1. 1Pave
    2. 2Carta
    3. 3Carta Total Compensation
    4. 4Cake Equity
    5. 5ShareForce
    6. 6Pulley

    If your main goal is to design competitive equity compensation packages—rather than simply track stock options or manage a cap table—I’d start by evaluating Pave and Carta. Both offer tools for benchmarking equity awards, planning grants, and aligning equity with salary and other compensation.

    Here are the platforms I’d shortlist based on their published capabilities.

    Best compensation software for equity package design

    • Introducing Advanced Equity benchmarks from Pave

    1. Pave

    (Best overall for compensation teams)

    Pave is a strong fit if you want to design offers that combine salary, bonus, and equity. It supports market benchmarking, equity targets, compensation planning, and interactive offer letters that illustrate potential equity value under different scenarios.

    Best for: Hiring packages, refresh grants, compensation bands, and recurring pay-review cycles.

    Pave website

    • Creating a compensation plan that wins top talent

    2. Carta

    (Best for equity grants and pool planning)

    Carta combines private-market salary and equity benchmarks with grant recommendations and equity-pool forecasting. Its Total Compensation product reports more than 40,000 compensation data points. Some equity-planning features are available when your cap table is managed on Carta.

    Best for: Startups and private companies managing option grants, dilution, and hiring budgets.

    Carta Total Compensation

    3. Cake Equity

    Cake is worth considering if you're a startup looking to structure employee equity awards alongside equity administration. Compare its grant-management capabilities and benchmarking workflow against Pave and Carta before selecting it specifically for compensation design.

    Best for: Early-stage companies that want startup-focused equity tools.

    Cake Equity website

    • ShareForce Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2

    4. ShareForce

    ShareForce focuses on designing and managing incentive plans, including options, restricted shares, phantom equity, and performance-based awards. It is particularly relevant if you need flexibility in the structure of your incentive plans, rather than just benchmarking new-hire offers.

    Best for: Companies with complex long-term incentive or performance award plans.

    ShareForce website

    How I'd choose

    If your main requirement is…Start with
    Designing salary-plus-equity offersPave
    Determining grants and forecasting equity-pool usageCarta
    Startup equity administrationCake Equity
    Complex incentive and performance-share plansShareForce

    Let me narrow this down for your company

    The best choice depends on what you mean by design equity packages. For example, some teams need to determine how many options to offer a new hire, while others need to model RSUs, performance shares, vesting, or the potential future value of an award.

    1. What type of company are you evaluating software for?

    Private company / startup

    Public company

    Private equity-backed company

    2. What do you most need to design?

    New-hire equity offers (options or RSUs)

    Annual refresh grants and promotions

    Long-term incentive plans and performance shares

    Full compensation packages, including salary and bonus

    3. Approximately how many employees?

    1–100

    101–500

    501–2,000

    2,000+

    4. Do you already use an equity management system?

    Carta

    Pulley

    Another platform

    No existing system / open to any system

    [Find the best-fit software]

    Sources cited in this answer9

    Google AI ModeOct 17, 2026

    1. 1Pave
    2. 2Carta
    3. 3Ledgy
    4. 4beqom

    When designing equity packages, you generally look at two sides of the coin: Comp Planning & Benchmarking (deciding how much equity to give based on market data and budgets) and Cap Table & Plan Administration (actually issuing, tracking, and modeling that equity legally).

    The top software options in this space bridge both worlds or excel deeply in one:

    • Pave : Exceptional for compensation planning and benchmarking . It connects real-time market data with your HRIS and equity systems to help design total rewards packages (salary + equity). It allows you to model equity refreshes, merit cycles, and new-hire packages using live market data rather than stale annual surveys.
    • Carta : The industry standard for cap table management and equity design . Their "Total Compensation" module bridges comp planning with their massive proprietary cap-table ecosystem. It's ideal if you want your equity design tool tightly integrated with where your shares, 409A valuations, and legal grants actually live.
    • Ledgy : A powerful, modern platform for unified equity and executive compensation . Ledgy connects cap table management with employee-facing equity storytelling, scenario modeling for dilution, and international share plan automation (ESOPs, RSUs) across various regulatory frameworks.
    • beqom : Best if you are an enterprise-grade organization . Beqom handles total compensation (broad-based comp, merit, bonuses, and equity/long-term incentives) globally, allowing large enterprises to design complex, multi-currency equity frameworks tied to performance metrics.

    To help narrow down the right platform for you, could you share:

    • What is the stage and size of your company (early startup vs. mid-market vs. enterprise)?
    • Do you already use a specific cap table provider or HRIS (like Workday, Rippling, or BambooHR) that the tool needs to integrate with?

    Sources cited in this answer5

Also asked as

  • I need to design competitive compensation packages; which equity management tools provide data-driven benchmarking and support for equity structuring?
  • Can you recommend equity management tools that offer data-driven benchmarking and equity structuring capabilities to help us create competitive compensation packages?