Brex vs Relay (2026): which should you pick?

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 Relay if

• Fits if you run a small business and want several checking accounts with cards under one login
• Works for teams that want a savings rate and cash back, and will pay for Grow

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on Starter: it earns less on savings and lacks spend approval requests
• Pricey if you want automation, as Scale is $90 a month
• Watch out: transaction fees apply on every plan, for example $25 for SWIFT wires on Starter
• Watch out: Relay isn't an FDIC-insured bank, as banking comes from Thread Bank
• Watch out: pay-by-bank invoice collection costs 1%, 0.75% or 0.5% depending on plan, capped at $10

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.

Relay

• Relay is not an FDIC-insured bank; banking services come from Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
• Transaction fees apply on every plan: for example SWIFT international wires are $25 on Starter, $22 on Grow and $20 on Scale.
• Pay-by-bank invoice collection costs 1%, 0.75% or 0.5% of the amount on Starter, Grow and Scale, capped at $10.
• Savings APY and card cash back differ by plan and are variable, so the $0 Starter plan earns less than the paid plans.

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.

Relay

Checking and savings accounts

Open up to 20 checking accounts (50 on Scale) and high-yield savings accounts, with deposits auto-transferred by rule.

Debit and credit cards

Visa debit and credit cards with spend limits and roles, up to 50 debit cards per cardholder per checking account.

Expense tracking

Receipt capture and upload reminders, expenses categorized as they happen, and sync to accounting software.

Bill pay

Upload bills, assign tasks, set multi-step approval rules and pay vendors by ACH or wire.

Invoicing

Create and track invoices, send payment links and automated follow-ups, and collect by card, bank payment or wire.

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.

Relay

• Starter$0

  20 checking accounts, 1.19% APY on savings and 1% cash back on credit cards, as of 9/17/2026. Same-day ACH is $1 and domestic wires are $8.

• Grow$30

  per month

  Adds spend approval requests, batch vendor payments, bookkeeping automation and recurring invoices. 1.87% APY and 1.25% cash back. Same-day ACH is $0.50 and domestic wires are $5.

• Scale$90

  per month

  Shown as $90, down from $120, no end date given. 50 checking accounts, bill payment automation, cash flow forecasts, 3.21% APY, 1.5% cash back and no fee for same-day ACH.