A quick search shows me a number of alternatives to Carta, but none that I have ever heard of or come across. Is there any competitor that is considered the second best? Carta just seems to me what everyone had been using without a second thought.
Carta and Pulley, etc. do a solve a valuable concern here for non-executives who are compensated with stock options and want to keep track of stock vesting, exercises, and shares in a transparent way, I’d say.
(And yes, Carta/Pulley are often portcos of those VCs pushing you to use them)
This is largely a result of how long each product has been available, i.e. the older products are more mature. Hopefully Pulley and AngelList continue to catch up so there is a diversity of good options available.