Fidelity Stock Plan Services vs Certent Equity Management

FSFidelity Stock Plan Services9.2Visit Certent Equity Management8.4Visit

Higher score FS Fidelity Stock Plan Services #2 in Stock Plan Administration Software 9.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Fidelity

vs

Certent Equity Management #8 in Stock Plan Administration Software 8.4/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Certent

• Fidelity Stock Plan Services fits best

  Large employers managing varied equity plans

• Certent Equity Management fits best

  Companies needing compliance reporting and grant workflows

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Side by side

Feature	FSFidelity Stock Plan Services 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Certent Equity Management 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.4
Ranking	#2 in Stock Plan Administration Software	#8 in Stock Plan Administration Software
Best for	Large employers managing varied equity plans	Companies needing compliance reporting and grant workflows
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Fidelity Stock Plan Services 5/6 · Certent Equity Management 5/6
Employee grants	✓	✓
ESPP administration	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Option exercise	✓	✓
Tax withholding	✓	✓
Participant portal	✓	✓
Reporting and exports	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Participant limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports options, ESPPs, restricted stock, performance awards, and SARs Participants can enroll, accept grants, exercise options, and make tax elections NetBenefits supports account viewing, trading, and moving money on mobile	Creates, approves, vests, and digitally signs equity grants with audit trails Supports participant exercise modeling, tax elections, and document access Files Section 16 forms directly with the SEC and supports SEC, FASB, and IFRS reporting
Cons	Pricing requires contacting sales Plan administration sits alongside services from the company or other providers Participant share management depends on Fidelity accounts	Pricing is quote-based and requires contacting sales Its broad administration and reporting scope may exceed basic grant-tracking needs The platform is cloud-based and web-only
Our verdict	Fidelity Stock Plan Services provides recordkeeping and administrative services for employers’ equity compensation plans, with participant-facing tools in Fidelity NetBenefits. It supports stock options, employee stock purchase plans,… Read the review →	Certent Equity Management supports stock plan and equity administration for private and public companies, with a scope that spans cap table management, grants, accounting outputs, reporting, and participant access. Companies that need… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Fidelity Stock Plan Services — where it wins

  • Supports options, ESPPs, restricted stock, performance awards, and SARs
  • Participants can enroll, accept grants, exercise options, and make tax elections
  • NetBenefits supports account viewing, trading, and moving money on mobile

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • Plan administration sits alongside services from the company or other providers
  • Participant share management depends on Fidelity accounts

• Certent Equity Management — where it wins

  • Creates, approves, vests, and digitally signs equity grants with audit trails
  • Supports participant exercise modeling, tax elections, and document access
  • Files Section 16 forms directly with the SEC and supports SEC, FASB, and IFRS reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is quote-based and requires contacting sales
  • Its broad administration and reporting scope may exceed basic grant-tracking needs
  • The platform is cloud-based and web-only

• FSFidelity Stock Plan Services9.2/10 · Pricing on request

  A full-service option for employers administering multiple equity plan types and participant activity.

  Visit FidelityFull verdict →
• Certent Equity Management8.4/10 · Pricing on request

  A full-lifecycle stock plan platform with participant workflows and public-company reporting.

  Visit CertentFull verdict →