Airbase vs Zip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Airbase and Zip share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features, where Airbase grades higher, or platforms, where Zip does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
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 Zip if
- Fits if purchase requests and approvals are the pain, more than expense claims
- Works for large teams with a procurement function
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you can't see a price, as the site only offers a demo
- Too light for expense reports, as it is built for procurement and payments
- Watch out: Vendor Cards and Global Payments are add-ons, not part of the core product
- Watch out: vendor card spend limits, merchant locks and receipt requirements apply to cards issued through the add-on
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAirbaseWeak | 1.8GPAZipWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published and the Paylocity pages need a demo request. It sits in the middle by default. | CNo price is published; the site only offers a demo request. Middle by default against the category's $7.50, $12 and $20. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial are on record for this listing. | FNo free plan and no trial on record, so nothing to try before paying. |
| Features | BExpense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, spend analytics and fraud detection. | CPurchase request intake, procure-to-pay, AI agents for invoices, payments and vendor cards. It is a procurement tool, and Vendor Cards and Global Payments are listed add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Cards, approvals and accounting links are set up by the company. | CNo store rating on record. Intake forms, approvals and integrations to build. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations named. | BWeb only on record, with seven integrations and an API. |
| Best for | spend management, now Paylocity for Finance | purchase requests and procure-to-pay at big companies |
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 Zip. How we grade
Where they differ
- Airbase also covers expense tracking.
In commonWebWorkflow automationBill payCompany cards
At a glance
| Airbase | Zip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Paylocity | Zip |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Zip
- No prices are published; the site only offers a demo request, so the cost cannot be compared here.
- Vendor Cards and Global Payments are listed as add-ons, not as part of the core product.
- Vendor card spend limits, merchant locks and receipt requirements apply to the virtual cards issued through that add-on.
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.
Zip
- Purchase request intake
- Requests are collected as structured data and routed through approval flows, and that data then fills in purchase orders and invoices.
- Procure-to-pay automation
- Handles purchase orders, invoice processing and payments in one workflow, with invoice coding based on the request and PO already captured.
- AI agents for invoices
- Agents answer emails in the AP inbox, extract invoices, code them, flag duplicates and contract mismatches, and route exceptions to the right person.
- Payments and vendor cards
- The product page cites 79+ international payment rails and virtual cards. Vendor Cards is a separate add-on, issued by Celtic Bank and powered by Stripe.
- Integrations and API
- A marketplace lists 100+ integrations for ERP, contract and risk tools. Zip also offers REST APIs, flat-file imports and an MCP server.
Plans
Airbase
Pricing could not be confirmed. See airbase.com.
Zip
Pricing could not be confirmed. See zip.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Zip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Airbase has no price we could confirm, and Zip has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Airbase or Zip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Airbase nor Zip has a free plan.
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.