Brex vs Extend (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Brex grades higher than Extend: 3.6 against 2.2 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, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
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
Extend
Virtual cards and expense tracking on top of your own bank cards
Which one is for you
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
Pick Extend if
- Fits if you want virtual cards layered on a bank or Amex card you already hold
- Works for teams of up to 5 that can live with one expense category for free
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Starter, as it stops at 5 users and one expense category
- Pricey if you are a small paid team, as Pro bills for at least 10 users
- Watch out: it only works with the card issuers it lists, so check yours is one of them
- Not for you if you need more than 500 active virtual cards on Pro
- Watch out: the pricing page showed no figures when we read it, so these prices come from the listing
How we grade them
| 3.6GPABrexExcellent | 2.2GPAExtendFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPro is $8.99 per user a month billed annually ($11.99 monthly), above the category's cheapest quarter of $7.50 and under its middle of $12. Pro bills a minimum of 10 users, so the floor is about $90 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CStarter is free for up to 5 users with up to 100 virtual cards, one expense category and receipt upload. A small team can start on it, but you will hit the one-category cap. |
| Features | 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. | CVirtual cards, receipts and expense reports, an AI policy assistant, accounting syncs and a card API. The listing shows caps: 500 active virtual cards on Pro and a list of banks and Amex that it works with. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You connect an existing card issuer and an accounting system before it is useful. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, a virtual card API and five accounting integrations on record. |
| Best for | free global cards and expenses for startups | virtual cards with expense tracking |
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: Brex and Extend. How we grade
Price against what you get
Brex starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Extend starts at $8.99 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Brex scores higher, and starts $3.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, none scores higher than Brex for less, and 5 score higher than Extend for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Brex also covers reports.
At a glance
| Brex | Extend | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billing term not stated | $8.99 per user / month, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 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. | Starter plan: free for up to 5 users, with up to 100 active virtual cards, 1 expense category and receipt upload. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Brex LLC | Extend Enterprises, Inc. |
| Price read from | brex.com | paywithextend.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Extend
- Pro bills for at least 10 users, and the Starter plan stops at 5 users and 1 expense category.
- Extend says some company cards qualify for discounted pricing; a checker on the pricing page tests the first 6 card digits.
- Pro is capped at 500 active virtual cards, and Enterprise also lists up to 500 virtual cards created per month.
- The site lists American Express and nine banks as participating, so check that your card issuer is among them.
Key features
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.
Extend
- Virtual cards
- Issue virtual cards for vendors, subscriptions or employees from an existing company card, with limits and budgets set per card.
- Receipts and expense reports
- Receipts can be uploaded and managed, with a lost-receipt workflow and automated expense reports on the Pro plan.
- AI Policy Assistant
- Pro and Enterprise include an AI assistant for spend policy, and the site lists AI categorization of transactions.
- Accounting syncs
- QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Intacct integrations are listed for Pro; NetSuite and Dynamics Business Central appear in the Enterprise column.
- Virtual card API
- A card-issuing API and AI toolkit are offered, and Enterprise lists card issuance automated with an API key.
Plans
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.
Extend
Starter$0
Up to 5 users, 100 active virtual cards, 1 expense category, receipt upload and up to 10 guest seats.
Pro$8.99
per user / month, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly)
10-user minimum. Up to 500 active virtual cards, AI Policy Assistant, expanded categories and automated expense reports.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users and active virtual cards, API-key card issuance and a NetSuite integration. Contact sales for pricing.
Ways to pay less
Brex
No public discounts listed.
Extend
- Annual discount
Save 25% with annual billing
The pricing page shows Pro at $8.99 per user per month billed annually, against $11.99 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Brex or Extend?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Extend is cheaper to start with: $8.99 a month for each person, against $12 a month for each person for Brex. Brex starts at $12 per user / month, billing term not stated, and Extend starts at $8.99 per user / month, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Brex or Extend?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Brex and Extend have 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.