SeedLegals vs FounderCatalyst: Which funding platform to choose

Years ago, taking an equity investment was a slow process involving endless back-and-forth emails and enormous legal bills.

But today, founders and investors have access to modern software tools that streamline and automate much of the fundraising workflow. These intuitive platforms speed up and simplify the administrative aches and pains of coordinating paperwork, negotiating terms, and finalising agreements.

In this post, we explore the services and features available on SeedLegals and FounderCatalyst. We compare prices, the services available and the level of support and community you can find on each platform.

SeedLegals vs FounderCatalyst: More expertise, one platform

Both SeedLegals and FounderCatalyst provide a platform which founders can use to build the legal documents they need for a funding round, send them to investors and e-sign to close the round.

SeedLegals and FounderCatalyst structure their services in different ways, which affects what you pay. With FounderCatalyst, you pay a flat fee for your raise, regardless of whether you successfully raise or not and which services you need.

With SeedLegals, you pay for different levels of membership and a percentage of the amount you raise. For a full breakdown of the membership plans and services, head over to our pricing page.

The different SeedLegals membership plans (Standard, Options or Plus) connect you to a broad range of services that help you grow your startup. The Plus plan is designed to give you maximum value when you raise funding. Plus also comes with generous discounts on essential startup services courtesy of our partner perks programme.

SeedLegals (Plus plan) vs FounderCatalyst: Fundraising

Information correct as of June 2024

SeedLegals’ separated pricing allows for more personalisation and complexity

FounderCatalyst provides a set of basic automated legal documents and templates that can get a startup up and running relatively quickly. The pricing is straightforward and affordable for cash-conscious entrepreneurs.

However, the simplicity that makes FounderCatalyst appealing for some startups is also a limitation – there is less ability to customise the legal docs for more complex scenarios. You might still need to take into account the costs of more complex features or continuing services.

As a startup grows and scales, its legal needs tend to increase in complexity as well.

While FounderCatalyst may provide an affordable entry point, companies may quickly outgrow the basic templates and need to look at more robust legal solutions.

SeedLegals’ model is designed to scale with the startup. The SeedLegals pricing is separated into different tiers and service levels. This allows for more personalisation and the ability to handle sophisticated legal issues that may require specialist guidance from lawyers, whether for a complex funding round or on-going general counsel.

SeedLegals vs FounderCatalyst: Ratings and reviews

SeedLegals has earned 100s of 5-star ratings from successful founders – 748 at last count, to be exact. Explore the table below to see verified glowing reviews posted across independent sites.

Information correct as of June 2024, Trustpilot score updated October 2024

SeedLegals vs FounderCatalyst: Support and community

With SeedLegals, you’re getting a lot more than just the speed you achieve through document automation. You also get a full team of product specialists to support you throughout your startup’s journey. SeedLegals is made up of a team of 150 full-time employees compared to FounderCatalyst’s 6.

On SeedLegals, you won’t only get support from your dedicated account manager and product specialist. You’ll be welcomed into a community of thousands of successful founders and active investors.

Here are just some of the sources of support you’ll find with SeedLegals:

✅ Live platform chat support, plus unlimited task-specific support
✅ Fundraising strategy support from your dedicated account manager (with Plus membership)
✅ Data insights from the 60,000 companies using the SeedLegals platform – see how we use our data to help you make the right decisions for your business on the Termometer
✅ Guided workflow with built-in tutorials
✅ An invite to our exclusive Founder WhatsApp group (with Plus membership)
✅ A full programme of free webinars and events, plus networking opportunities and discounts on ticket prices
✅ Access to 500+ articles and guides, packed with expert insights from investors and successful entrepreneurs
✅ Exclusive offers and perks worth over £8,000 (with Plus membership)

Talk to the funding experts

With 1 in 6 funding rounds closing on SeedLegals, close to £2B raised and 2/3s of all successful SEIS Advance Assurance applications submitted through SeedLegals, we’re at the heart of the UK’s startup ecosystem.

We not only make it simple to access essential legal documents; we have the expertise to work on complex legal cases too which can’t be solved by templated terms alone.

We have an unparalleled understanding of what’s happening in early-stage deals and we use those insights to help you close deals fast and make the right decisions for you.

Book a free 30-minute call with one of our funding experts to discuss the best funding strategy tailored to your business. Or have a chat about our membership plans and how we can support beyond fundraising. We’re always happy to help.