Switching from Carta? Your Complete Migration Guide

Switching cap table providers can feel like the scariest decision on a founder's to-do list. The data is sensitive, the stakes are high, and most guides make it sound like a weekend-long ordeal. It isn't, as long as the platform you're moving to actually shows up for the migration.

Why Founders Are Rethinking Carta

Carta built a platform for large, well-resourced companies. But for most early and growth-stage teams, that complexity shows up as cost, friction, and a support experience that leaves you to figure things out on your own. If any of the following sound familiar, it might be time to look elsewhere:

• Your Carta bill keeps climbing even though your equity structure hasn't gotten more complex.

• You've opened a support ticket and waited days for a response on something time-sensitive.

• Employees don't understand their equity, and nobody at your company has time to explain it.

• The idea of migrating your cap table feels riskier than staying on a platform you've outgrown.

That last point is the one that keeps most founders stuck. The fear isn't really about Carta, it's about the migration itself. So let's walk through exactly how it works.

Carta vs. Qapita: The Questions People Actually Ask

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What Data Needs to Be Migrated from Carta?

This is usually the next question, once timeline is settled because “what exactly are you moving” determines whether you'll need to do any manual re-entry afterward. Short answer: no. A complete migration carries over your cap table, your equity awards, and your valuation history, not just a static snapshot.

The valuation piece is worth calling out specifically, since it's easy to assume only cap table line items move. Your historical 409A reports and supporting methodology migrate along with everything else so your valuation history stays intact for audit and compliance purposes, and your next 409A on Qapita builds on real historical context instead of starting from a blank file.

Step-by-Step Process to Switch from Carta to Qapita

Step 1: Before You Cancel Carta, Get Your Data Out Safely

Once a Carta subscription is cancelled, platform access ends and anything left behind becomes much harder to retrieve. Complete these steps first, regardless of which migration path you choose:

• Export every equity and cap table report you may need later (see the export steps below).

• Download all share certificates in bulk from Carta's backend if possible, or stakeholder-by-stakeholder if bulk export isn't available.

• Confirm your SAFE and convertible note documents are saved securely elsewhere, these are typically signed outside Carta (e.g., via DocuSign), so keep copies on your own company drive, not only on Carta.

• Request written confirmation from Carta support that a final, complete data export has been provided.

Don't skip verification.

Cancelling before confirming your export is complete is the single most common way founders lose historical data during a platform switch. Qapita's team can help you verify your export before you submit the cancellation.

Step 2: What Qapita Needs for a Clean Migration

Qapita's onboarding checklist is built specifically around what Carta exports look like, so nothing gets lost in translation. For companies migrating from Carta, the team will ask for:

• Stakeholder ledger

• Cap table exports with full ledgers

• Security acceptance status report

• Vesting details

• Equity pool transaction ledger

• Share certificates

• Grant agreements

Alongside this, Qapita also shares its own Carta offboarding guide step-by-step instructions on exactly how to download and extract data from Carta, so you're never guessing which button to click.

Step 3: Migration, Validation, and Go-Live

This is where the hand-holding really shows up. Qapita's team loads your data, cross-checks it against your original Carta exports, and flags any discrepancies for your review rather than guessing or pushing an unverified cap table live. You review, approve, and go live with confidence that every share and every grant is accounted for.

Two Ways to Migrate. You Choose the Level of Support

Qapita offers two migration paths depending on how hands-on you want to be. Either way, you're never left staring at a CSV file wondering what to do next.

Path A: Full-Service Migration

Qapita's onboarding specialists coordinate directly with your team to pull every record out of Carta, validate it, and load it into your new cap table, reconciled and ready.  

Path B: Guided Self-Migration

If you'd rather export the data yourself, Qapita provides a complete Carta offboarding guide and a document checklist so nothing gets missed. You upload your files to the onboarding portal, and Qapita's team validates everything before you go live.

What Companies Say After Switching

These aren't hypothetical benefits; they're drawn directly from verified G2 reviews written by companies that made the move from Carta to Qapita.

Migration Checklist Before Leaving Carta

Beyond the Carta-specific exports, a smooth migration also depends on having your foundational equity documentation ready:

• Cap table (if maintained on a spreadsheet), including investor names, share allotment dates, share price, number of shares issued, transfer details, and funding round dates

• Incorporation documents and shareholder agreements

• Share certificate documents, where available

• Convertible notes, SAFEs, or warrants, if any

• Stock plan or scheme documents and board resolutions

• Grant details i.e quantity, exercise price, vesting schedule, instrument type, and signed option agreements

• Employee details, including name, employee ID, and email address

How to Export Everything from Carta

1. Log in to the Carta platform.

2. From the left navigation menu, click “Run Reports” and select “All Reports.”

3. Select each report you need and click download for each one. Files save to your Carta downloads folder, move them to your computer or company drive.

4. On the cancellation screen, click “Download All” at the top, next to “Upgrade.”

5. Wait for the download to finish completely, a spinning icon shows progress. Let it complete fully before moving on.

6. Verify every report downloaded correctly (historical, valuation, securities, equity reports, and so on).

7. Only after everything is verified, click “Submit” to finalize the cancellation.

Ready to Make the Switch?

Migrating away from Carta doesn't have to mean weeks of manual exports and crossed fingers. With Qapita, you get a dedicated onboarding team, a documented checklist built for exactly this transition, and validation at every step.

Unlike a self-serve export-and-hope process, Qapita's onboarding team is with you from the first kickoff call to go-live. That hands-on approach is a big reason Qapita is rated #1 on G2 for customer satisfaction among cap table and equity management platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose historical data when I migrate from Carta?

Not if you export and verify before cancelling. Following the pre-cancellation checklist above, and having Qapita's team validate your export, is what prevents data loss most reported losses happen when companies cancel Carta before confirming every report downloaded.

Do my employees or investors need to re-sign anything?

In most cases, no. Digital share certificates and existing signed agreements like SAFEs or option agreements signed via DocuSign transfer along with your records rather than requiring stakeholders to take new action.

How much does migrating to Qapita cost?

Ans: Qapita's onboarding and migration support is provided as part of getting set up on the platform, there's no separate line-item migration fee. Ask your onboarding contact for a quote specific to your cap table's complexity.

What if my cap table is genuinely complicated with multiple entities, SAFEs, and international stakeholders?

That's exactly the scenario the full-service migration path is built for. Qapita's onboarding team reconciles multi-entity and multi-jurisdiction cap tables as part of a normal migration, not as a special case.

What data should be exported before leaving Carta?

Cap table records, equity grants, shareholder information, financing data, and historical documents.

Can historical equity transactions be migrated?

Yes, historical grants, issuances, transfers, and financing events are typically migrated and validated.

Why do companies look for Carta alternatives?

Common reasons include pricing considerations, scalability requirements, regional support needs, and operational flexibility.