Airbase vs Ramp (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Ramp: it is first in our ranking of spend and bill pay tools, and it grades higher too, 3.6 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ramp 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.
Ramp
Corporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan
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 Ramp if
- Fits if you want cards, receipts and bill pay in one place without a subscription
- Works for US companies that book travel and want it tied to card spend
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your company can't get credit approval for the card
- Skip it if you need purchase orders without paying for an add-on
- Tight if you'll outgrow Free soon, as Plus has a platform fee on top of $15 a user that isn't published
- Watch out: Workday and Oracle Fusion sync need Enterprise, which is quoted and billed yearly
- Watch out: 1099s cost $0.65 per IRS form, and cards are issued only in the US, Canada, the UK and the EEA
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAirbaseWeak | 3.6GPARampExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ramp Free for cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, and the listing gives no fee for ACH bill payments, with same-day ACH free too. Plus is $15 a user, 20% less yearly, plus an unstated platform fee. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial are on record for this listing. | AThe Free plan has no user cap on record and covers unlimited cards, receipts by text or Slack, travel booking, bill pay, invoicing, a checking account and QuickBooks or Xero sync. Plus has a 30-day trial. |
| Features | BExpense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, spend analytics and fraud detection. | BThe whole job: cards with controls, expenses and reimbursements, travel, bills read by OCR and routed for approval, invoicing and accounting sync. Purchase orders and three-way matching are an add-on, which mostly bigger finance teams will miss. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Cards, approvals and accounting links are set up by the company. | A4.91 from 47,070 App Store ratings, the top band. Staff can finish an expense by replying to a text. |
| 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, Slack and Amazon Business. No desktop app is listed, and Workday sync needs Enterprise. |
| Best for | spend management, now Paylocity for Finance | cards, expenses and bill pay at no cost |
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 Ramp. How we grade
Where they differ
- Airbase also covers workflow automation.
- Ramp also covers invoicing and reports.
At a glance
| Airbase | Ramp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $15 per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size |
| Free plan | None | Ramp Free: unlimited cards, expenses by text or Slack, travel booking, bill pay, invoicing, a checking account, custom reports and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of Ramp Plus |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Paylocity | Ramp Business Corporation |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | ramp.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.
Ramp
- Plus adds a platform fee based on team size that the pricing page does not state; Enterprise is quoted and billed yearly.
- Ramp says it is not a bank: checking deposits are held at First Internet Bank of Indiana, and its corporate card is issued by Celtic Bank and needs credit approval.
- Purchase orders and three-way matching come as an add-on to Plus or Enterprise; Workday and Oracle Fusion sync need Enterprise.
- Cards are issued in the US, Canada, the UK and the EEA. Filing 1099s costs $0.65 per IRS form, with state filing free.
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.
Ramp
- Corporate cards
- Unlimited physical and virtual Visa cards with spending controls. On Plus, cards lock themselves when receipts or other policy steps are missing.
- Expenses and reimbursements
- Employees complete expenses by text message or Slack, receipts are matched automatically, and out-of-pocket costs are reimbursed in batches.
- Travel booking
- Book flights, hotels and rental cars under a custom travel policy, with 24/7 phone support for bookings on Plus.
- Bill pay
- Invoices are read by OCR, routed through approvals and fraud checks, and paid by ACH, card, check or wire, with free same-day ACH and wires.
- Invoicing
- Create invoices, follow up with customers automatically and accept payment by ACH, card or check.
- Accounting automation
- QuickBooks Online and Xero sync on every plan. Plus adds NetSuite and Sage Intacct, AI coding for every field and automatic sync of routine spend.
Plans
Airbase
Pricing could not be confirmed. See airbase.com.
Ramp
Free$0
Unlimited cards with controls, receipt matching, travel booking, bill pay by ACH, card, check or wire, invoicing, and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
Plus$15
per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size
20% off with yearly billing; the platform fee is not shown. Adds AI expense reviews, coded bill lines, batch payments, NetSuite and multi-entity support.
EnterpriseCustom
Billed annually. Adds Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations and full customization.
Ways to pay less
Airbase
No public discounts listed.
Ramp
- Annual discount
Save 20% on Plus with yearly billing
Ramp says Plus costs 20% less when billed annually than the $15 per user a month shown.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Ramp?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Airbase has no price we could confirm, and Ramp starts at $15 per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size.
Which has a free plan, Airbase or Ramp?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ramp has a free plan. Airbase does not.
Which platforms do Airbase and Ramp run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ramp 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.