Airbase vs Brex (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Brex grades higher than Airbase: 3.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Brex grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Brex
Corporate cards, expenses, bill pay and travel for growing companies
Free plan · from $12/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Airbase if
- Fits if you want expenses, cards and payables from one finance vendor
- Works for finance teams that already use Paylocity
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: Airbase is now a Paylocity company and the site points to Paylocity for Finance
- Watch out: no prices are published, only a demo request
- Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, as neither is listed
Pick Brex if
- Fits if you're a startup that wants cards and expenses with no software bill
- Works for developers who want an API on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need several expense policies or approval chains without paying $12 a user
- Pricey if your team buys a lot in foreign currencies, with an FX markup of up to 3% on card purchases
- Not for you if you only want some users on Premium, since everyone must be on the same plan
- Tight if you run more than two entities, as Essentials stops there and the rest needs Premium
- Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say whether Premium's $12 is billed monthly or yearly
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAirbaseWeak | 3.6GPABrexExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published and the Paylocity pages need a demo request. It sits in the middle by default. | AFree and substantial. A ten-person company pays $0 a month on Essentials, and Brex charges no fee of its own for ACH, check or wire bill payments. Premium is $12 a user, and the pricing page doesn't say if that's monthly or yearly billing. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial are on record for this listing. | AEssentials is free with unlimited global cards, AI spending rules, up to two entities, bill pay, reimbursements, travel booking, accounting sync and the API. No user cap is listed. |
| Features | BExpense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, spend analytics and fraud detection. | BThe whole job: cards, expense policies, reimbursements, bill pay by ACH, check or wire, travel, a business account and accounting sync. Multiple policies and approval chains wait for Premium, but the core work is all there. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Cards, approvals and accounting links are set up by the company. | A4.84 from 8,836 App Store ratings, the top band. The AI rules check spending against your policy for you, so there's less chasing to do. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations named. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Dynamics 365, Workday, Rippling and Slack, and an API on every plan. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | spend management, now Paylocity for Finance | free global cards and expenses for startups |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Airbase and Brex. How we grade
Where they differ
- Airbase also covers workflow automation.
- Brex also covers reports.
In commonWebExpense trackingBill payCompany cards
At a glance
| Airbase | Brex | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $12 per user / month, billing term not stated |
| Free plan | None | Essentials: unlimited global cards, one local card program, AI spending rules, up to two entities, bill pay, reimbursements, travel booking, accounting integrations and API access. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Paylocity | Brex LLC |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | brex.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Airbase
- Airbase is now a Paylocity company, and the site points to Paylocity for Finance.
- No prices are published, and the Paylocity pages need a demo request.
- Product details here come from short pages that load mostly through JavaScript.
- Check whether new customers buy Airbase or Paylocity for Finance.
Brex
- Card purchases that need a currency conversion carry an FX markup of up to 3%; Brex charges no fee of its own for ACH, checks or wires.
- Brex LLC is owned by Capital One, N.A.; checking is provided by Column N.A., and the cards are issued by Emigrant Bank, Fifth Third Bank or Sutton Bank.
- Essentials allows up to two entities; multiple expense policies, approval chains and custom ERP or HR integrations need Premium.
- All users on an account must be on the same plan, and the pricing page does not say whether Premium is billed monthly or yearly.
Key features
Airbase
- Expense management
- Listed first among Paylocity's finance products, covering employee expenses and policy compliance.
- Corporate cards
- Company cards sit alongside expenses in the finance product list.
- AP automation
- Paylocity lists AP automation and vendor management as part of finance.
- Guided procurement
- A purchase-intake product that feeds the same spend records.
- Spend analytics and fraud detection
- Capabilities listed under Paylocity for Finance include spend analytics, fraud detection and accounting automation.
Brex
- Corporate cards
- Unlimited cards accepted in 210+ countries and territories, with local-currency cards and billing in 50+ countries on higher plans.
- Expense policies
- AI-powered rules check spending; Premium adds category rules, role-based exceptions, auto-approval and audit detection.
- Bill pay
- Automated bill pay by ACH, check, domestic wire or international wire in local currency or US dollars, with no Brex fee per payment.
- Travel booking
- Book business travel inside Brex, free on Essentials, with group travel and advanced travel rules on Premium.
- Business account
- Checking provided by Column N.A., plus Treasury and Vault cash management run by Brex Treasury LLC.
- Accounting and API
- Transactions sync to QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Dynamics 365, and an API is included on every plan.
Plans
Airbase
Pricing could not be confirmed. See airbase.com.
Brex
Essentials$0
For startups: global cards, AI custom rules, up to two entities (one global), bill pay, reimbursements, free travel booking and real-time reports.
Premium$12
per user / month, billing term not stated
Adds multiple expense policies, review and approval chains, AI audit checks, US and international entities, ERP and HR integrations, VAT documents and live budgets.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited entities, local card issuing, collections and reimbursements in other countries, an admin center and a named account manager.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Brex?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Airbase has no price we could confirm, and Brex starts at $12 per user / month, billing term not stated.
Which has a free plan, Airbase or Brex?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Brex has a free plan. Airbase does not.
Which platforms do Airbase and Brex run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Brex lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.