Startup programs for the tools in our stacks
Reviewed
Short answer: Carta Launch is free outright if you're small enough. Linear, DocSend, and Grain discounts come through your investor or accelerator, so ask them first. Apply before you start paying: Linear's and Atlassian's offers are only for companies that aren't paying customers yet.
Every offer below is taken from the vendor's own page, linked in each row. Terms change and most need approval, so check the source before you count on one.
Programs for our stack tools
| Vendor | Offer | Who qualifies | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Source | Up to 6 months of the Business plan free | Fewer than 50 employees, not yet paying for Linear, affiliated with a Linear partner (VC firm, accelerator, or community) | Through your partner's dedicated link; you redeem directly with Linear |
| Carta Source | Carta Launch: cap table, SAFEs, and electronic securities issuance free | 25 stakeholders or fewer and less than $1M raised | Sign up for Launch; no partner needed |
| Mercury Source | Perks: a library of partner credits and discounts on software and services | Mercury customers; perks open after sign-up | Sign up to Mercury; the banking plan itself is $0 a month |
| DocSend Source | Up to 90% off for a year | Seed to Series B portfolio companies of DocSend's partner VCs and accelerators | Through your investor or accelerator, if it's a DocSend partner |
| Grain Source | 50% off Starter or Business for 6 months, up to 50 recording seats and 20 free viewer seats | Under $10M raised in venture funding, affiliated with Grain's partnership network | Apply on Grain's startup page with your workspace name |
Programs for the alternatives
These vendors don't hold a slot; each is the alternative in one of our comparisons.
| Vendor | Offer | Who qualifies | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian for Startups vs Linear Source | Premium editions of Atlassian Cloud products, including Jira, free for 12 months for up to 50 users | VC-funded or with a partner accelerator or incubator, no more than $10M raised, not an existing paid Atlassian customer; one 12-month period per company | Apply to Atlassian; it may ask for proof of funding |
| Papermark vs DocSend Source | Up to 50% off | Portfolio companies of Papermark's partner funds, accelerators, and incubators | Through your investor or accelerator, if it's a Papermark partner |
| Brex vs Mercury Source | Over $350K in discounts and credits on AI and SaaS, as Brex lists it | Brex customers | Open a Brex account |
Tools with no published program
We found no startup offer on the vendor's own pages for these slot holders: Supabase , Affinity , Visible , and AngelList .
Supabase's free plan is the cheapest way to start: 2 active projects at $0. Visible's founder plan, Starter, is free for sending investor updates. Affinity is sold per user and Visible's investor plans through sales, so ask about early-stage or emerging-manager pricing when you request a quote. AngelList publishes its fund administration pricing.
Before you apply
Order matters. Most offers end when you start paying, or can be used once.
- Linear's offer is only for companies not yet paying Linear. Redeem it before you move to a paid plan.
- Atlassian for Startups excludes existing paid Atlassian customers, and each company can enroll for one 12-month period.
- Grain's and Atlassian's offers stop at $10M raised; Linear's at 50 employees; DocSend's at Series B; Carta Launch at $1M raised or 25 stakeholders.
- Partner offers (Linear, DocSend, Grain, Papermark) come through your investor or accelerator. Ask them which programs they belong to before you pay list price.
For investors: offering these to your portfolio
These vendors take applications from funds and accelerators that want to pass the discount on to their portfolio companies:
Approval is up to each vendor. No vendor pays B.efficient for appearing here; see disclosures.