The moment this choice gets real is your first employee grant. Until then, a cap table is a short list and almost anything can hold it. Afterwards you have vesting schedules, board approvals, exercise windows, valuations and people who want to know what their shares are worth. Cake Equity is built around that moment, and describes itself as the equity platform for growing startups.
Nautis isn't. Its Cap Table module records instruments and models rounds, and it has no employee portal or grant workflow in its guide. Nautis pays off in other areas, which we'll come to. Cake's details come from its homepage and pricing page, read in October 2026.
What a grant involves in each product
Cake Equity
On the Build plan and above, you issue templated option grants with integrated e-signing, using a board approval flow and equity benchmarks to set the numbers. Holders get private access through My Cake, its shareholder portal. On Team, that opens up to employees, with integrated exercising, and adds incentive plans covering stock options, RSUs and RSAs. Cake's homepage says the app shows each person how their work builds their wealth, including next vest dates and estimated value.
Nautis
On the Equity tab you pick Stock Options, enter the number of options and add vesting details if you track them, and Nautis recalculates ownership. The legal side happens outside: your lawyer prepares the documents, you can sign them through the separate Docsign module, and you upload the signed copies to the Documents tab. An employee can't sign in to see their grant, and the guide doesn't describe automated vesting notifications or exercising. For a founder keeping notes on two early hires that may do, but ten option holders will outgrow it. See our guide on setting up an ESOP.
The feature gap, listed plainly
| Need | Cake Equity | Nautis Cap Table |
|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder and share records | Yes, with share classes, transfers, repurchases and splits | Yes, with a full transactions log |
| SAFEs and notes | Yes, with a contract editor on Team | Record terms, then convert with the Conversions tab |
| Round modelling | Fundraising and scenario modelling | Scenarios, dilution comparison and exit waterfall |
| Option grants with e-sign | Yes | Record only. Signing is a separate module |
| Board approval workflow | Yes | Not in the guide |
| Employee portal | My Cake, from Team | Not in the guide |
| Option exercising | Integrated, from Team | Not in the guide |
| 409A valuation | 2 a year on Team and Pro. $1,500 add-on on others | Upload a report you obtained elsewhere |
| US compliance | 83(b), QSBS, Form 3921, Rule 701, ASC 718, some by tier | Not in the guide |
| AI access | MCP on Team for Claude, Codex and others | Chief of Staff and MCP connector across the workspace |
| Founder split | Founder vesting | Equity calculator based on contribution, on Voyage and Fleet |
The last row is where Nautis has something distinct to offer. Its founder split calculator weighs salaries, foregone salary, cash and contribution questions, and it's useful before anyone has any shares. Pair it with a good founders' agreement.
What it costs by number of holders
Cake prices by stakeholder, meaning anyone holding securities: shareholders, option holders, note holders, RSU and RSA holders, and warrant holders. Nautis prices by plan, regardless of how many people sit on the cap table. These are annual figures on annual billing as of October 2026. Cake's FAQ says Build and Pro can also be paid quarterly, that paying annually for Build saves $500 a year, and that Team is billed annually.
| Situation | Cake Equity | Nautis |
|---|---|---|
| 5 holders or fewer | $0 | Voyage, $990 a year |
| 12 holders, grants but no 409A | Build, $1,000 | Voyage, $990, records only |
| 12 holders, one 409A a year | Build plus add-on, $2,500 | Voyage, $990, plus a 409A bought elsewhere |
| 30 holders, grants and 409As | Team, $2,750, with 2 valuations included | Voyage or Fleet, plus 409As bought elsewhere |
| Audit-ready reporting needed | Pro, custom price | Not a fit |
The Build tier includes 25 stakeholders and Team includes 40. Each one beyond that is listed at $1 on Build and $5 on Team, and the page doesn't state the period for that charge. Cake's add-ons are 409A at $1,500 a year and QSBS, SPV and stock-based compensation at $500 each, all annual-only, and Pro includes them all. It also offers free managed migration, reconciled by a person, with your cap table visible before you pay.
One honest comparison stands out. For the same $1,000 or so, Build gives you a much better equity product, and Voyage gives you an entire company workspace with a basic cap table. Only you can say which you need more. Nautis has no $0 tier, and its trial starts on Launch, which doesn't include the cap table.
A hiring plan, 18 months out
Consider a 6-person company that has just closed a seed and plans to hire 10 more people. Its founders want an option pool of 12%, and they'd like new hires to understand what they're being offered.
- This quarter, model the pool in the cap table simulator or in Nautis Scenarios to see what the founders give up. This is a modelling job, so any tool works.
- Before the first grant, get a 409A and a board approval. Here the Nautis module stops helping. Cake handles the approval flow, and a 409A comes included on Team or as an add-on elsewhere.
- At each hire, send a grant by e-sign, with vesting running automatically. Doing this by hand across 10 people means a spreadsheet and a calendar reminder that someone eventually forgets.
- After a year, employees ask what their options are worth. A portal answers without a meeting. Nautis can't do that part.
- Throughout, the same founders still need a pipeline, a runway figure and a hiring plan. That is the part Nautis does, and it doesn't conflict with Cake holding the equity record.
Is Cake Equity US-only, and does it matter?
No, but its emphasis is on the US. Its FAQ says Cake is built for the US market with a team in Los Angeles and US compliance as standard, and its pricing page offers a country selector covering markets such as Australia, the UK, Singapore, India and Germany. Pro lists international option pools and bare trusts. We couldn't confirm how features or prices change by country, so check your own market before you commit.
Nautis's Cap Table isn't jurisdiction-specific. It holds your numbers in your chosen currency, which is flexible but means it doesn't enforce any local rule. A lawyer in your jurisdiction remains essential with either product. Indian founders may also want to read our page for Indian startups.
Where Nautis belongs in this picture
Nautis is worth considering for what surrounds equity. The cap table talks to the fundraising CRM, Investor Readiness checks it when scoring round terms, and a data room can hold the exports. The same login covers employee records, pay runs, burnout check-ins and the Chief of Staff's morning briefing. No equity specialist tries to do that.
Don't treat that as a reason to skip proper equity tooling. If you use Nautis as your company workspace and Cake for equity, enter Cake's numbers into Nautis only for modelling, and label them that way. You should also know that Nautis is a young product from July 2026, covering many functions at modest depth by design.
Which belongs on your stack?
- Choose Cake Equity if you're about to grant equity to employees, you need 409As, or you want staff to see their own holdings. It's also an easy starting point with five or fewer holders.
- Choose Nautis if your cap table is still a handful of founders and SAFE investors and your bigger problem is running the company from scattered tools.
- Use both once you start hiring. They answer different questions, and the combined cost is reasonable next to the risk of messy equity records at Series A.
- Talk to counsel first if you've issued equity without board approval or a valuation. Software won't fix that afterwards.
FAQ
Which is better for employee stock options in Nautis vs Cake Equity?
Cake Equity. It offers templated grants with e-signing, board approvals, automated vesting, an employee portal and 409A valuations on some plans. Nautis only records option grants on its cap table, so a team granting options should use a dedicated tool.
How much does Cake Equity cost?
As of October 2026, its pricing page shows $0 for up to 5 stakeholders, Build at $1,000 a year for 25, and Team at $2,750 a year for 40 with two 409A valuations included. Pro is custom, and add-ons run from $500 to $1,500 a year.
What counts as a stakeholder on Cake Equity?
Its FAQ defines a stakeholder as anyone who currently holds securities in your company. That covers shareholders, option holders, note holders, RSU and RSA holders, and warrant holders.
Does Nautis include a cap table on every plan?
No. The cap table and equity calculator come with Voyage at $99 a month and Fleet at $129 a month. Launch at $49 doesn't include them, and that is where the 14-day trial starts.
Disclosure: We make Nautis, so we have a stake in this comparison. It's based on published information, not a scored hands-on test. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
- Cake Equity: pricing and FAQ (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Cake Equity: homepage and FAQ (checked Oct 31, 2026)