Equitest sits in the middle of the market: more formal than free calculators, cheaper than appraisers. Every alternative trades something — price, depth, or independence. Match the trade to your actual situation, not to which website looks best.
- Cheapest decent estimate
- EvalyMe — free calculator; $14.99/mo Pro vs paid Equitest plans listed around $99/mo.
- Free with real market data
- BizBuySell's calculator — actual SDE multiples, main-street businesses.
- More formal, not less
- A certified appraiser — the thing a ~35-page generated report approximates.
- Actually needed a 409(a)
- Eqvista — some Equitest searchers actually need compliance valuations, not reports.
The picks at a glance
| Alternative | Best for | Price | Trade-off vs Equitest |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvalyMe | Founders who want an estimate plus a work plan | $0 calculator · Pro $14.99/mo | No long formal report; you get speed, price, playbooks, and apps |
| BizBuySell calculator | Main-street businesses | Free | Thinner output; SDE-focused; no guidance layer |
| BizEquity | Advisor-led engagements | Advisor-dependent; reseller packages ~$1,497 listed | Usually requires an advisor relationship |
| Eqvista | Startups granting options | 409(a) from $990 | Different product: compliance, not general valuation |
| Certified appraiser | Lenders, courts, tax, serious deals | Roughly $1,000 informal · $2,500–$5,000+ formal | Cost and turnaround — but the only defensible option here |
1.EvalyMe ours
- Best for
- Recurring-revenue founders iterating on value
- Price
- Calculator free · Pro $14.99/mo
- Platform
- Web + native iOS and Android apps
The honest pitch: if Equitest felt too expensive or too heavy, our calculator gives you a directional range in about sixty seconds with no account, and Pro ($14.99/mo) adds the part Equitest doesn't have — a 30/60/90-day improvement playbook with task tracking and an AI Advisor. The formula and score weights are published.
The catch: you will not get a ~35-page document. If a stakeholder expects pages, this isn't the swap.
2.BizBuySell's valuation calculator
- Best for
- Traditional owner-operated businesses
- Price
- Free
- Platform
- Web calculator
Free, and grounded in real marketplace SDE multiples — for main-street businesses it's arguably better-calibrated than any paid general tool. The surrounding marketplace is also the natural next step if you're selling.
The catch: a number and some comps, no methodology depth, no improvement layer, and weak fit for recurring-revenue businesses.
3.BizEquity
- Best for
- Owners working with a financial advisor
- Price
- Advisor-dependent; reseller packages ~$1,497 listed
- Platform
- Web, often via advisor portals
The institutional option: enormous valuation volume and recognition inside advisor and broker channels. If your advisor already has it, this can be the cheapest credible option you'll find.
The catch: not cleanly self-serve — pricing is quoted through relationships, and the process assumes an advisor in the loop.
4.Eqvista
- Best for
- Startups that actually need a 409(a)
- Price
- 409(a) from $990
- Platform
- Web platform with cap-table management
Include this one honestly: a meaningful share of people shopping general valuation tools are actually trying to price stock options. If that's you, no report generator substitutes for a proper 409(a) from NACVA-certified analysts.
The catch: $990+ per engagement, and it answers an option-pricing question, not "what would someone pay for my company."
5.A certified appraiser
- Best for
- Lending, legal disputes, tax, estate
- Price
- Roughly $1,000 informal · $2,500–$5,000+ formal
- Platform
- Human professionals (ASA/NACVA/RPA credentialed)
If Equitest felt too formal, skip this. If it felt not formal enough — if a bank, court, or buyer's counsel will scrutinize the document — this is the actual product you want, and no software on this page competes with it.
The catch: cost and weeks of turnaround. Buy it when the stakes justify it, not for planning curiosity.
How to choose between them
- Price was the blocker: free calculator first; pay only when a specific stakeholder needs a specific document.
- Formality was the blocker: appraiser — don't pay twice for approximations on the way there.
- You realized it's for stock options: Eqvista (or 409.AI at $899 with a 24-hour draft).
- You want help improving the number, not just receiving it: that's the gap we built EvalyMe for.
Questions
What's the cheapest Equitest alternative? +
For a directional number, EvalyMe's calculator and BizBuySell's calculator are both free. For a formal document, there is no cheap option — formal reports cost real money because someone stands behind them.
Which alternative is closest to Equitest? +
BizEquity, if you want an institutionally-recognized report and have an advisor relationship; a certified appraiser if you want the real version of the formal report Equitest approximates.
I only need a rough number. What should I do? +
Start with a free calculator. If the rough number changes what you do next quarter — hiring, pricing, selling — upgrade to something paid. If it doesn't, you've saved the subscription.
Are any of these certified appraisals? +
Only the appraiser. Every other option on this page — Equitest included — produces an estimate or report that is not a certified appraisal and won't satisfy a lender, court, or the IRS on its own.
Competitor details from public sources, checked October 2026. EvalyMe outputs are estimates, not appraisals or investment advice.