Brex vs Sage Expense Management (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Brex grades higher than Sage Expense Management: 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, 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
Sage Expense Management
Expense tracking and card reconciliation, formerly Fyle
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 Sage Expense Management if
- Fits if your accountants want card feeds matched to receipts before the month closes
- Works for teams of 5 or more that pay per active user
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are one person, as Growth bills at least 5 users and Business at least 10
- Not for you if you want to try it free, as there is no free plan or trial on the page
- Watch out: QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 300 CRE and SSO on the lower plans cost extra, and Sage Intacct has an implementation fee
- Skip it if you need ACH reimbursements outside the US, as they are US-only and need Business
- Watch out: the page now says Sage Expense Management (formerly Fyle), so the listing's name is out of date
How we grade them
| 3.6GPABrexExcellent | 1.8GPASage Expense ManagementWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CGrowth is $11.99 per active user a month billed annually ($14.99 monthly), just under the category's middle of $12. It bills at least 5 users, so one person's real floor is about $60 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. | FThe pricing page shows no free plan and no trial; the plans lead to a demo request. |
| 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. | CReceipts, card feeds, mileage and per diem, approvals and policy checks, accounting sync and a Copilot assistant. The listing shows gaps: ACH reimbursement is US-only and Business-only, and some ERP links cost extra. |
| 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 cards and an accounting system before it works. |
| 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 and eight integrations on record. |
| Best for | free global cards and expenses for startups | card-linked expense reports for accounting teams |
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 Sage Expense Management. 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. Sage Expense Management starts at $11.99 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Brex scores higher, and starts $0.01 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 7 score higher than Sage Expense Management 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 bill pay.
- Sage Expense Management also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Brex | Sage Expense Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billing term not stated | $11.99 per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Brex LLC | Sage |
| Price read from | brex.com | fylehq.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.
Sage Expense Management
- Both listed plans have minimums: 5 billed users on Growth, 10 on Business.
- The page shows no free plan and no free trial; the plans point to a demo request.
- ACH reimbursements are US only and need the Business plan.
- QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 300 CRE and SSO on the lower plans cost extra, and Sage Intacct has an implementation fee.
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.
Sage Expense Management
- Receipts by text, email and app
- Employees can submit receipts by text message, forward them from Gmail or Outlook, or scan them in the mobile app, with data extracted automatically.
- Card feeds and reconciliation
- Connects to Visa, Mastercard and American Express business cards for real-time feeds, and can issue American Express virtual cards on existing cards.
- Mileage and per diem
- Tracks mileage and per diems alongside receipts. Mileage rates follow the standard IRS rate on Growth and vehicle type on higher plans.
- Approvals and policy checks
- Business rules flag policy violations as expenses are entered. Growth has single-stage approvals; Business adds multi-stage, policy-driven approvals.
- Accounting sync
- Two-way integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero, plus Sage Intacct and Sage 300 CRE on Business.
- Copilot assistant
- An AI assistant on every plan that answers questions about spend and gives expense breakdowns.
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.
Sage Expense Management
Growth$11.99
per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited receipt scanning and expense tracking, card feeds, single-stage approvals and Copilot. Minimum billing of 5 users.
Business$14.99
per active user / month, billed annually ($17.99 billed monthly)
Adds multi-stage approvals, ACH reimbursements (US only), project tracking and custom exports. Minimum billing of 10 users.
EnterpriseCustom
For companies with 250+ employees: SSO with AD and Okta, IP allowlisting, branded emails and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
Brex
No public discounts listed.
Sage Expense Management
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the per-user price
Growth is $11.99 per active user a month billed annually versus $14.99 billed monthly; Business is $14.99 versus $17.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Brex or Sage Expense Management?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sage Expense Management is cheaper to start with: $11.99 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 Sage Expense Management starts at $11.99 per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Brex or Sage Expense Management?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Brex has a free plan. Sage Expense Management does not.
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.