An option grant gets more complicated when your next hire works in a different country. Growing startups have to keep ownership records accurate, move grants through board approval, and track the tax and securities rules that apply to each employee. Even US grants come with conditions: the SEC's Rule 701 guidance explains the eligibility and disclosure requirements attached to certain compensatory securities sales.
Employee equity is also no longer a US-only perk. Ravio's 2026 Compensation Trends report found that 58% of UK tech companies now offer equity to all employees, up 16% in a single year, while Germany sits at 38% and France at 43%. A startup hiring across those three markets is running three different equity norms, and three sets of tax rules, off one cap table. Below, we compare where each platform fits, what its AI actually does, and how country coverage and pricing change the choice as you grow.
AI-Native Equity Management Platforms at a Glance
| Platform | Best for | Pricing | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slice Global | Multi-country grants with an AI compliance engine | Scale, Enterprise, Unlimited. Quote | 60+ country coverage. Guardrails at grant time. Onboarding included |
| Ledgy | Unified equity plus executive compensation at international scale | Quote. No public list rate | Cap table, IFRS 2, employee dashboard, exercise and trading. Markets as AI-powered |
| Pulley | Existing customers migrating before the shutdown date | Public annual pricing. First-party wind-down | SAFE modeling. Shutdown 8 December 2026. Carta migration offer for current accounts |
| Carta | US institutional cap table, 409A, and transfer-agent workflows | Free Launch, then per-stakeholder packages | SEC-registered transfer agent. Rule 701 and ASC 718 on Scale. 409A on Grow |
| Mantle | US and Canada founders who want Clerk AI on a flat-rate cap table | Free Starter, then flat annual | Unlimited stakeholders. AI Extract on SAFEs and term sheets. 409A on Growth |
| EquityList | India, Singapore, and US 409A in one AI-credit OS | Public plans plus AI credits | ESOP and SAR schemes. Agentic ops on paid plans. 409A on annual Growth |
Slice Global
Slice is the AI-native global equity platform on this shortlist. The product is the Slice Global Equity Assurance Platform: cap table and share registry, automated grant and board-approval workflows, a dedicated compliance and tax app for employees, and an AI compliance engine that alerts on local exposure when you create a grant. Coverage is listed at 60+ countries. Editions are Scale (up to 3 countries), Enterprise (up to 15), and Unlimited (unlimited countries, waterfall modeling, white-glove compliance for ad-hoc cases).
This is the platform to quote when the next hire is not in the same securities regime as HQ. It is a legal and finance workflow, not a US 409A shop with a chatbot. Confirm country count and HRIS sync on the edition you actually sign.
Best for: Multi-country grants where the next hire is outside HQ's securities regime, and you want an AI compliance engine that alerts before the grant goes out.
Key features:
- AI compliance engine with real-time alerts when creating grants, plus a tax simulator
- Cap table, share registry, options, RSUs, RSAs, convertibles, and multi-entity pools
- Automated grant letters, board approvals, exercise, and termination workflows, with 50+ HRIS sync on every edition
Why we like it: The compliance check sits at grant time, not in a post-hoc report. Scale, Enterprise, and Unlimited map country count to the edition, so you can quote the footprint you actually need.
Notable limitations:
- No public list dollars; every edition is quote, plus Premier Success as a percent of license
- Overbuilt if you are staying single-country and only need a share register
- Not investor-side fund administration
Pricing: Scale, Enterprise, and Unlimited are quote. Onboarding is included. Extra users count toward billing. Premier Success is listed as 25% of platform license fees. Unlimited bundles a higher success plan. There is no public list dollar figure on the pricing page.
Ledgy
Ledgy is a unified platform for non-cash compensation. Equity and deferred compensation are live under one login, with carried interest and pensions coming soon. Cap table management, share-plan automation, an employee dashboard, exercise and trading (including settlement), IFRS 2 expensing, country-specific compliance reports, global mobility reporting, and 70+ HRIS integrations sit on the same product. The company markets the software as AI-powered.
Use Ledgy when the job is international plan administration through private-to-public, not a seed SAFE modeler. Migration on the Enterprise plan is described as weeks, with Ledgy staff extracting and importing data. Security claims on the page include ISO 27001:2022, TLS 1.3, SAML SSO with SCIM, and GDPR. Confirm which of those rows are in the contract you are signing.
Best for: International scale-ups that want equity and deferred compensation under one participant login through private-to-public.
Key features:
- Cap table plus equity and deferred compensation in one participant view (carried interest and pensions coming soon)
- IFRS 2 reporting, country-specific compliance reports, and custom vesting or performance conditions
- Employee dashboard with in-product exercise and trading; 70+ HRIS integrations
Why we like it: Plan admin, IFRS 2, country reports, and an employee exercise path sit in one product. Enterprise migration is staffed, which matters when you are leaving spreadsheets or a thinner ledger.
Notable limitations:
- No public list rate on a live pricing URL we could open
- Valuations are often a separate expert engagement, not a printed SKU
- Heavier than a seed SAFE modeler; confirm AI claims against the contract rows
Pricing: Quote. Ledgy did not publish a list rate on a live pricing URL we could open. Ask for the package that matches private vs public, and whether valuations are in the fee or a separate expert engagement.
Pulley
Pulley still shows a founder and finance cap table: SAFE and dilution modeling, ASC 718 reporting, 409A services, and Nasdaq Private Market liquidity. The same homepage states, in first-party language, that Pulley will shut down and cease operations and services on 8 December 2026, with an exclusive partnership so existing customers can migrate. Prospective customers are told to look at Carta. Pulley stays on this shortlist as an exit, not as a greenfield 2026 contract.
If you already run Pulley, the useful facts are the date, the migration offer, and whether your account qualifies. If you do not, skip a new Pulley tenant. The live homepage still documents SAFE modeling and 409A services. Those features do not reopen a product the vendor has dated to end.
Best for: Existing Pulley customers who need the shutdown date, migration path, and whether their account qualifies, not greenfield 2026 buyers.
Key features:
- Cap table, SAFE modeling, waterfall and scenario reports (still documented on the live site)
- ASC 718, GAAP and IFRS reporting, 409A services, Nasdaq Private Market integration
- First-party shutdown on 8 December 2026, with assisted migration for qualifying current customers
Why we like it: The homepage is clear about the 8 December 2026 wind-down and the Carta migration offer. That honesty is the useful signal if you already run Pulley.
Notable limitations:
- First-party shutdown on 8 December 2026; do not sign a new tenant
- Public annual prices are not a 2027 run-rate
- Not positioned as AI-native or multi-country compliance
Pricing: Startup is $1,200 per year for the first 25 stakeholders. Growth is $3,500 for the first year for the first 40 stakeholders. Enterprise is contact. Smaller angel checks can count as half a stakeholder on that page. Those figures sit next to a shutdown date. Do not model them as a 2027 run-rate.
Carta
Carta is the US institutional cap table: electronic issuance, exercising and repurchases, HRIS and payroll sync, SAFE modeling and closings, and (on paid packages) priced-round modeling, 409A valuations, board meetings, Form 3921, ASC 718 / US GAAP, IFRS, Rule 701 disclosure management, exit modeling, and IPO advisory. Carta states it is an SEC-registered transfer agent for US companies.
Carta is the record many US investors, auditors, and law firms already open. It is not the multi-country AI compliance engine on this list. Add-ons (total compensation, liquidity, QSBS attestation) layer on paid plans. Pulley's shutdown points remaining customers here. A Carta migration is not proof that Carta is AI-native.
Best for: US institutional cap tables that need electronic issuance, 409A on paid packages, and an SEC-registered transfer-agent path investors already recognize.
Key features:
- Cap table, electronic securities, exercises, SAFE workflows, HRIS and payroll integrations
- 409A valuations on Grow. Rule 701, ASC 718, IFRS, and SSO on Scale
- SEC-registered transfer agent path for US stock movements
Why we like it: Launch can start free under Carta's printed caps, and Grow/Scale add 409A, Rule 701, and ASC 718. When Pulley points survivors here, the ecosystem fit is the reason.
Notable limitations:
- International grants are recorded more than administered; local filings stay with counsel
- Paid per-stakeholder dollars are not printed on public pages
- Not the multi-country AI compliance engine on this shortlist
Pricing: Launch is free if you meet Carta's printed caps (pricing FAQ: up to 25 stakeholders and less than $1 million raised). Build, Grow, and Scale are per-stakeholder packages with a minimum annual fee. Public pages do not print those paid dollar rates. Customize with add-ons. Confirm Launch eligibility and the paid unit rate on the quote.
Mantle
Mantle is cap table software for founders in the US and Canada, with Clerk (an in-product AI assistant) and AI Extract that turns uploaded SAFEs, notes, and term sheets into cap-table records. Every plan includes unlimited stakeholders. Starter includes Clerk, SAFE signing and templates, vesting, scenario modeling, law-firm access, and exports. Essentials adds concierge onboarding, issuing and signing securities, board actions, in-platform option exercising, and ISO/NSO reporting. Growth adds an annual 409A and SOC 2 Type 2 report access. Growth+ is custom (equity administration, ASC 718, QSBS attestation, CCPC in Canada).
This is the flat-rate AI option when you need unlimited stakeholders and you are not running 15-country grant compliance. Nasdaq Private Market and Rippling show up as integrations on the comparison grid. Confirm those on the plan you pick. Mantle also advertises a Pulley migration offer. Treat that as a promo, not as the product.
Best for: US and Canada founders who want Clerk AI and AI Extract on a flat-rate cap table with unlimited stakeholders.
Key features:
- Clerk AI assistant and AI Extract on documents, with unlimited stakeholders on every plan
- SAFEs, preferred, option grants, board actions, and scenario modeling
- Annual 409A on Growth. ASC 718 and QSBS on Growth+
Why we like it: Starter is free with unlimited stakeholders, and Growth bundles an annual 409A at a printed flat fee. Document extract into the ledger is the AI job that matches early-stage paperwork.
Notable limitations:
- Geography is US and Canada; not a 15-country grant compliance stack
- ASC 718 and QSBS sit on Growth+, not the lower flat plans
- Pulley migration promo is a campaign, not the product
Pricing: Starter is free with unlimited stakeholders and no credit card. Essentials is $1,200 per year. Growth is $3,000 per year and includes an annual 409A. Extra 409A valuations are listed separately. Growth+ is custom.
EquityList
EquityList is an AI-native cap table and compliance OS: issue and track securities, ESOP and SAR schemes, offer portals, cross-border shareholding across subsidiaries, board and shareholder consents, and valuations for India, Singapore, and the US (409A). The homepage positions an equity agent that runs grants, exercises, buybacks, and expense reporting. Free includes cap table management, stakeholder dashboards, and a lifetime AI-credit pool. Paid plans add agentic operations and file analysis.
Use EquityList when India ESOP or SAR administration is in the same ledger as a US or Singapore entity. When AI credits run out, the AI layer pauses. The cap table stays up. This is a credit-metered OS, not a US transfer-agent record.
Best for: Teams that need India ESOP or SAR administration in the same ledger as Singapore or US (409A) entities, with credit-metered AI ops.
Key features:
- Cap table, ESOP/SAR, offer portals, and multi-entity shareholding
- Ask EquityList AI on Free. Agentic and bulk AI ops on paid plans, metered in credits
- Valuations for India, Singapore, and US 409A. 409A included on annual Growth
Why we like it: Free starts with a lifetime AI-credit pool, and paid plans add agentic grant and exercise workflows. Cross-border shareholding across subsidiaries is the product thesis, not a bolt-on.
Notable limitations:
- When AI credits run out, the AI layer pauses (cap table stays up)
- Not a US SEC transfer-agent record
- 409A inclusion rules differ on annual vs monthly Growth
Pricing: Free is $0 per month with 10 stakeholders and 1,000 lifetime AI credits. Build is $100 per month billed annually ($1,200/year) or $125 per month billed monthly, with 35 stakeholders included, then a per-stakeholder add-on. Growth and Enterprise step up seats and AI credits; 409A rules differ on annual vs monthly. AI top-ups are sold in credit packs.
AI, geography, and compliance compared
| Platform | AI in the product | Geography | 409A and reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slice Global | AI compliance engine at grant time | 60+ countries. Editions cap country count | US-GAAP and IFRS stock-based compensation on the matrix. Not positioned as a 409A shop |
| Ledgy | Marketed as AI-powered. Feature list is plan admin | International private and public. Country reports and mobility | IFRS 2. Valuations via market-leading experts (separate from a public list rate) |
| Pulley | Not positioned as AI-native | US founder and finance teams. Shutdown 8 December 2026 | 409A services and ASC 718 listed. Irrelevant if you are not already a customer |
| Carta | Ecosystem and briefings. Not an AI grant engine | US institutional. Transfer agent for US companies | 409A on Grow. Rule 701 and ASC 718 on Scale |
| Mantle | Clerk assistant and AI Extract on documents | US and Canada founders | Annual 409A on Growth. ASC 718 on Growth+ |
| EquityList | Credit-metered AI and agentic ops | India ESOP/SAR plus Singapore and US entities | 409A on annual Growth. IFRS reporting as an add-on |
How these platforms charge and what still runs
| Platform | How you pay | Free floor | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slice Global | Quoted editions by country count | None printed. Onboarding included | Country cap on Scale vs Enterprise vs Unlimited |
| Ledgy | Quote. Demo | None on a public pricing URL | Private vs public package, and whether valuations are in the fee |
| Pulley | Printed annual prices | None | Whether your account qualifies for the Carta migration before 8 December 2026 |
| Carta | Launch free, then per-stakeholder packages | Launch under printed stakeholder and raise caps | Paid unit rate. Launch eligibility line (stakeholders vs employees) |
| Mantle | Flat annual. Unlimited stakeholders | Starter, free | Whether you need Growth 409A or Growth+ ASC 718 |
| EquityList | Stakeholder tiers plus AI credits | 10 stakeholders, lifetime AI credits | Annual vs monthly (409A only on annual Growth). Credit burn |
Strategic Decision Framework
Four questions before you sign. Stay inside this shortlist.
| Critical question | Why it matters | What to evaluate | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where do the people you grant to actually work? | Rule 701 and a 409A do not clear a grant in another country. | Name the next three hire countries. Ask which product blocks a non-compliant grant. | The demo is a US cap table, and your next engineer is employed through an EOR abroad. |
| Do you need a transfer agent, or a founder ledger? | Exercises, ACH, and investor familiarity are a different product than SAFE modeling. | Whether Carta's transfer-agent path is required by counsel, or whether Clerk/AI extract is enough. | You pay institutional packaging to issue two founder SAFEs. |
| Do you pay by stakeholders, countries, or AI credits? | Headcount growth, new entities, and agentic document reads fail on different invoices. | Year-two stakeholder count vs country count vs credit burn on a real grant cycle. | A free floor that ends the month you hire, with no printed overage. |
| Will the vendor still operate when the next grant vests? | Pulley dated its own shutdown. A new tenant there is wasted migration time. | If you are already on Pulley, start the Carta (or Mantle) move now. If you are not, do not open a Pulley account. | A 2026 contract on a product whose homepage already prints an end date. |
Bottom line
Slice Global is our best overall pick for AI-native equity management in 2026, especially for startups hiring across borders. Its AI compliance engine, cap table management, and automated grant and board-approval workflows bring the main equity tasks into one system. Country-specific alerts help legal and finance teams identify potential issues as grants and regulations change, making Slice a strong fit for companies expanding their international workforce.
Carta, Ledgy, Mantle, and EquityList remain alternatives for specific reporting, regional, or budget needs. For startups that want AI-driven compliance alongside global equity administration, however, Slice Global is the best place to start. Ask for a quote covering your planned hiring countries and required integrations so the package matches your next stage of growth.
