Cake Equity vs Fidelity Private Shares

Cake Equity8.3Visit Fidelity Private Shares8.2Visit

Higher score Cake Equity #10 in Equity Compensation Management Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Cake Equity

vs

Fidelity Private Shares #11 in Equity Compensation Management Software 8.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit site

• Cake Equity fits best

  Startups needing broad equity coverage with a free tier

• Fidelity Private Shares fits best

  Startups needing HRIS-connected equity administration

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Cake Equity 8.3/10 Visit ↗	Fidelity Private Shares 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.3	8.2
Ranking	#10 in Equity Compensation Management Software	#11 in Equity Compensation Management Software
Best for	Startups needing broad equity coverage with a free tier	Startups needing HRIS-connected equity administration
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$1,000/yr	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs	Email, Docs
Compliance	ISO 27001, 2FA	ISO 27001
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cake Equity 3/3 · Fidelity Private Shares 3/3
Employee portal	✓	✓
Tax reporting	✓	✓
Valuation support	✓	✓
Specs
Award types	ISO, NSO, RSU, RSA, SAFEs, convertible notes, warrants, common shares, preferred shares	founder’s stock, common stock, preferred stock, stock options, SAFEs, convertible notes, warrants
Vesting rule support	Advanced	Advanced
Recipient limit	25 recipients	25 recipients
Our review
Pros	Free plan covers cap tables, stock options, and SAFE notes Supports ISO, NSO, RSU, RSA, SAFEs, notes, and warrants Paid tiers add 409A, tax, and stock-based compensation reporting	Free Launch tier covers cap tables, grants, data rooms, and scenarios Supports 15 HRIS and payroll integrations, including Workday and Gusto Combines employee portals, valuations, approvals, and compliance reporting
Cons	Recipient limit is 25 Available through the web platform Advanced compliance features require paid tiers	Paid-tier pricing is not published 409A valuations are conducted by a third party Recipient limit is 25
Our verdict	Cake Equity is an equity management platform for startups and growing companies. It brings cap table management, stock grants, vesting schedules, fundraising modelling, stakeholder communications, employee equity access, valuations, and… Read the review →	Fidelity Private Shares is a web-based equity management platform for Delaware corporations and private companies. It is designed for founders, employees, investors, lawyers, and auditors who need shared, permissioned records across the… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Cake Equity — where it wins

  • Free plan covers cap tables, stock options, and SAFE notes
  • Supports ISO, NSO, RSU, RSA, SAFEs, notes, and warrants
  • Paid tiers add 409A, tax, and stock-based compensation reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Recipient limit is 25
  • Available through the web platform
  • Advanced compliance features require paid tiers

• Fidelity Private Shares — where it wins

  • Free Launch tier covers cap tables, grants, data rooms, and scenarios
  • Supports 15 HRIS and payroll integrations, including Workday and Gusto
  • Combines employee portals, valuations, approvals, and compliance reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid-tier pricing is not published
  • 409A valuations are conducted by a third party
  • Recipient limit is 25

• Cake Equity8.3/10 · Free plan

  A broad equity toolkit with a free tier and paid compliance workflows.

  Visit Cake EquityFull verdict →
• Fidelity Private Shares8.2/10 · Free plan

  A web-based equity platform with a free core tier and broad HRIS integration support.

  Visit siteFull verdict →