A founder’s two documents — the deck and the cap table — are both free at the stage that matters. Carta Launch keeps a cap table free to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised, Eqvista to 20 and Cake Equity to 5; Papermark gives DocSend-style page analytics on 50 documents under an open licence; Visible hosts two decks and investor updates free; Pitch and Gamma build the deck. Pulley is shutting down on 8 December 2026, Ledgy and Capbase have no free plan, and DocSend and Beautiful.ai sell trials — Beautiful.ai’s with a card that auto-charges. Prices are USD and were checked on 24 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free founder tool that fits
- The market-standard cap table, free until it matters: Carta Launch — 25 stakeholders, $1M raised, SAFE modelling and closings included.
- A cap table and a data room with no card: Eqvista — free under 20 stakeholders, then $2 a stakeholder a month.
- Deck analytics without DocSend’s price: Papermark — 50 documents and links, page-by-page analytics, unlimited visitors; open source.
- Deck hosting plus investor updates: Visible Starter — 2 decks, updates to 100 recipients, a 25-file data room, 2 users.
- Building the deck: Pitch (5 members, 10 GB, branded exports) or Gamma (400 AI credits) — then Canva for the polish.
Which pitch deck & cap table tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Everything below is free indefinitely for the use its row describes. Cap tables cap stakeholders — Carta 25, Eqvista 20, Cake 5 — and Carta adds a $1M-raised ceiling. Deck tools cap members or credits (Pitch 5 members, Gamma 400 credits that do not renew) and brand their exports; Slidebean lets you build but not export. Sharing tools cap documents (Papermark 50, Visible 2 decks). AngelCalc, the YC SAFE documents and Sequoia’s outline are free reference tools with no product behind them.
The exclusions matter for anyone with an older bookmark: Pulley’s pricing page announces it is shutting down on 8 December 2026; Ledgy’s page shows no priced free plan; Capbase starts at $999 a year; DocSend has a 14-day trial and no free plan; Beautiful.ai’s trial requires a card and auto-charges. Google Slides is omitted as a row because Google’s pricing page says nothing about free personal use, though everyone knows it exists.
The table shows the cap, what is included and the Free Score. Open a row for branding, the upgrade trigger and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C |
Free forever | 25 stakeholders · $1M raised · SAFEs | No | 90 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Open source | 50 docs · 50 links · unlimited visitors · AGPL | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Free forever | <20 stakeholders · data room · no card | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| V |
Free forever | 2 decks · 100 update recipients · 25-file data room | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 5 members · 10 GB · branded exports · 2 guests | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 5 stakeholders · always free · no card | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Usage credits | 400 AI credits · 10 cards · badge | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 5 GB · 1 brand kit · 20 AI uses | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Free tools | SAFE & note conversion calculator | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Y |
Free tools | Post-money SAFEs · Send a SAFE free | No | 58 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Free tools | 10-section outline · 2019 article | No | 50 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Trial d | Build free · pay to export or share | No | 42 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 24 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free founder tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1C
Carta LaunchUS · cap table, securities issuance, 83(b), ISO management, SAFE modelling and closings, equity reporting and support — free to 25 stakeholders and $1M raisedFree forever25 stakeholders · $1M raised · SAFEsNo card90⌄
- What’s free
- Launch: cap table management, securities issuance, exercise and repurchase, 83(b), ISO management, investor management, equity reporting, HRIS and payroll integration, SAFE modelling, SAFE fundraising and closings, email, chat and phone support
- Hard limits
- Up to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised · priced-round modelling and deal closings are Build-only · the page does not say what happens when you cross $1M
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A 26th stakeholder, more than $1M raised, or a priced round
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated — Build (up to 50 stakeholders) is quoted on a demo
- Best free for
- A pre-seed company raising on SAFEs that wants the cap table investors expect
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · carta.com/pricing
2P
PapermarkGermany · open-source document sharing: 50 documents and links with page-by-page analytics and unlimited visitors free, or self-hostOpen source50 docs · 50 links · unlimited visitors · AGPLNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Cloud Free: 1 team member, 50 documents, 50 links, unlimited visitors, page-by-page analytics, sharing controls; self-host from GitHub
- Hard limits
- 50 documents and 50 links · no data rooms · about 30 days of analytics and the last 20 views (the table’s mapping is ambiguous) · Papermark branding
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Branding removal, data rooms or a 51st document
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro €24/month (annual saves up to 35%)
- Best free for
- Knowing which slide investors stopped on, without paying DocSend $10 a month
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · papermark.com/pricing and the GitHub repository (AGPLv3)
Why it ranks here. DocSend’s core feature — page analytics — free and open source. The retention window is short and the branding stays.
3E
EqvistaUS · a freemium cap table with option pools, vesting schedules, stakeholder accounts and a data room, free under 20 stakeholders with no cardFree forever<20 stakeholders · data room · no cardNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- Freemium cap table: cap table and option pool management, vesting schedules, stakeholder accounts, data room
- Hard limits
- Under 20 stakeholders
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A 20th stakeholder
- Cheapest paid step
- Premium $2 per stakeholder a month; custom above 50
- Best free for
- A small team that wants a cap table and a data room from one free tool
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · eqvista.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The clearest paid step in the category — $2 a stakeholder — and a data room thrown in; less recognised by investors than Carta.
4V
VisibleUS · Starter: investor updates to 100 recipients, KPI dashboards, two pitch decks, two pipelines, a 25-file data room and an investor database, free forever for two usersFree forever2 decks · 100 update recipients · 25-file data roomNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: investor updates to up to 100 recipients, KPI dashboards, 2 pitch decks, 2 pipelines, 1 data room with 25 files, 2 users, Visible Connect investor database
- Hard limits
- 100 recipients · 2 decks · 2 pipelines · 25 files · 2 users · no integrations
- Time limit
- None — free forever
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third deck or pipeline, or integrations
- Cheapest paid step
- Base $59/month billed annually or $69 monthly
- Best free for
- A founder who wants the deck, the data room and the monthly update in one place
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · visible.vc/pricing
Why it ranks here. The fundraising workflow rather than one artefact; two decks is enough for a current and a previous version, no more.
5P
PitchGermany · unlimited presentations with templates and sharing links for five members, free forever; PPT export, analytics and unbranded exports are PlusFree forever5 members · 10 GB · branded exports · 2 guestsNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- Free at €0 forever: unlimited presentations, custom templates, basic sharing links, 2 external guests, 100 AI credits that do not renew
- Hard limits
- 5 members · 10 GB · 5 MB per image · 2 guests · no video upload, custom fonts, version history or PPT export · embeds and PDF exports are branded · engagement analytics ambiguous
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- PPT export, analytics or unbranded exports
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus €10/month paying yearly
- Best free for
- A founding team building the deck together in the browser
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pitch.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The best collaborative deck editor free; the branded PDF is what you would send investors, which is the catch.
6C
Cake EquityAustralia · cap table, options and SAFE notes with the first five stakeholders always free and no card; Build is $1,000 a year for 25Free forever5 stakeholders · always free · no cardNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Cap table, stock options, SAFE notes with access to Starter and Growth features; the first 5 stakeholders are always free
- Hard limits
- 5 stakeholders
- Time limit
- None — always free
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth stakeholder
- Cheapest paid step
- Build $1,000/year billed annually (25 stakeholders, then $1 per extra)
- Best free for
- Two founders and a couple of SAFEs, especially outside the US
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · cakeequity.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Five stakeholders is the founders and the first angels; the paid step is a thousand dollars, which is why Eqvista ranks above it.
7G
GammaUS · AI-generated decks with 400 credits at sign-up, unlimited gammas and users, PPT and PDF export and a ‘Made with Gamma’ badge; credits do not appear to renewUsage credits400 AI credits · 10 cards · badgeNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- 400 AI credits at sign-up, 20,000 AI token inputs, basic AI image generation, unlimited gammas and users, basic import and PPT and PDF export, a website builder in beta
- Hard limits
- Generate up to 10 cards · credits do not appear to renew · badge removal is Plus
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Exhausting credits or removing the badge
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus — price not confirmed
- Best free for
- A first draft of a deck in ten minutes
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · gamma.app/pricing
Why it ranks here. Genuinely useful AI output and a credit pool that runs out; scored as a credits tier.
8C
CanvaAustralia · 1.6 million-plus templates including pitch decks, 5 GB and one brand kit free; Pro is $144 a yearFree forever5 GB · 1 brand kit · 20 AI usesNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- 1.6M+ templates, 4.7M+ photos, videos, graphics and audio, custom dimensions, Canva Offline
- Hard limits
- 5 GB · up to 20 AI uses · 1 brand kit with 3 colours · no bulk design or social scheduling · watermark policy not stated
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Brand kit, premium elements or more AI
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $144/year for one person
- Best free for
- Making the deck look designed after the content is done elsewhere
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · canva.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A design tool with deck templates, not a deck tool; the pitch-deck template count is not stated.
9A
AngelCalcUS · a web calculator modelling how SAFEs and convertible notes convert in a priced round, with multiple models; no pricing, no sign-upFree toolsSAFE & note conversion calculatorNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Models conversion of SAFEs and convertible notes in an equity financing; multiple models allowed
- Hard limits
- Values ‘for comparison purposes only’ · no explicit free statement, no pricing shown
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- Understanding dilution before the term sheet
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · angelcalc.com
Why it ranks here. A calculator from a YC partner that answers the one question founders get wrong; not a cap table.
10Y
Y Combinator SAFE documentsUS · the post-money SAFE forms, pro-rata side letter and user guide, plus a free Send-a-SAFE tool; versions for Canada, the Cayman Islands and SingaporeFree toolsPost-money SAFEs · Send a SAFE freeNo card58⌄
- What’s free
- Post-money SAFE forms (cap, discount, MFN), pro-rata side letter, SAFE user guide; Canada, Cayman and Singapore SAFEs; ‘Send a SAFE’ free to send
- Hard limits
- Called open source but no licence named · consult-a-lawyer disclaimers
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- The fundraising instrument itself
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · ycombinator.com/documents
Why it ranks here. The documents every cap table above is built to record; free because YC wants them standard.
11S
Sequoia pitch outlineUS · the ten-section business-plan outline investors still quote, in a 2019 article with a link to the slide templateFree tools10-section outline · 2019 articleNo card50⌄
- What’s free
- A ten-section pitch outline with a link to the Sequoia pitch deck template on SlideShare
- Hard limits
- No direct download on the page
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- Structuring the story before opening any tool
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · sequoiacap.com (dated 15 Mar 2019)
Why it ranks here. Not a tool; the structure that most templates copy, from the source.
12S
SlidebeanUS · unlimited presentations from templates with AI layout, free without time limit — and nothing leaves the app until you payTrialdBuild free · pay to export or shareNo card42⌄
- What’s free
- Basic features; unlimited presentations from scratch or templates; not time-limited
- Hard limits
- Cannot export or share without a paid plan
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Exporting, sharing or downloading
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $7/month billed yearly
- Best free for
- Drafting with the AI layout before paying $7 to get the file
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · slidebean.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Scored as a trial despite having no clock: a deck you cannot send is not a deck.
Which free founder tool has no credit-card requirement?
Eqvista, Cake Equity, Papermark, Visible, Gamma and Slidebean state no card; Carta, Pitch and Canva do not state it. The one card trap in the category is excluded: Beautiful.ai’s 14-day trial requires a card and charges it unless cancelled.
The quieter risk is a tool disappearing: Pulley’s own pricing page announces its shutdown on 8 December 2026. A cap table should live in a tool whose exit you have checked — all three free cap tables here export, but check before the round, not during it.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free founder tool fits your situation?
Raising on SAFEs
Carta Launch, with YC’s SAFE documents.
Need a data room too
Eqvista or Visible.
Want deck analytics
Papermark.
Team building the deck together
Pitch.
First draft in minutes
Gamma.
Modelling dilution
AngelCalc.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, building and sharing a pitch deck with investor analytics, and keeping a cap table that survives the first SAFEs. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 24 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing page and recorded stakeholder, document, member and credit caps, branding, export rules and the paid step; Papermark’s licence comes from its repository. Pulley was excluded because its pricing page states it is shutting down on 8 December 2026; Ledgy because its page shows no priced free plan; Capbase as $999 a year; DocSend and Beautiful.ai as trials. Google Slides is not scored because Google’s pricing page does not describe free personal use. Lovable and other AI app builders appear on the Free app builders list instead.
Prices are USD except Pitch and Papermark (EUR). Nothing here is legal or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carta free for startups?
Carta Launch is free up to 25 stakeholders and $1M raised, including SAFE modelling and closings. Above that the Build tier is quoted on a demo.
Is Pulley still available?
Pulley’s pricing page states it is shutting down on 8 December 2026. Carta Launch, Eqvista and Cake Equity are the free alternatives.
Is there a free DocSend alternative?
Papermark — open source under AGPL, with 50 documents and links, page-by-page analytics and unlimited visitors free. DocSend itself offers only a 14-day trial.
Which free deck tool exports to PowerPoint?
Gamma exports PPT and PDF free within its credits; Pitch requires Plus for PPT export; Slidebean requires a paid plan to export at all.
Does Beautiful.ai have a free plan?
No. It offers a 14-day trial that requires a card and auto-charges unless cancelled; Pro is $14.50 a month billed annually.
Where do I get the SAFE documents?
Y Combinator publishes the post-money SAFE forms, side letter and user guide free, with versions for Canada, the Cayman Islands and Singapore.
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