Payhawk vs Pliant (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Payhawk and Pliant 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 which platforms you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Pliant
Visa corporate credit cards with spend controls for EU and UK firms
Paid
Which one is for you
Pick Payhawk if
- Fits if you want cards, expenses and payables on one platform
- Works for firms on the accounting systems it lists
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you can't see a price, as the page leads to a demo
- Watch out: NetSuite, Dynamics 365, SAP S/4HANA and advanced HR links are add-ons
- Watch out: currency conversion carries a 0.3% mark-up on EUR, GBP, USD and CHF and 0.7% on DKK and PLN
- Tight if you need budgets or travel, as both are paid add-ons
- Skip it if you use Android, as only a web and iOS listing is on record
Pick Pliant if
- Fits if your company spends over 10,000 euros a month on cards
- Works for EU and UK firms that want a credit card rather than prepaid
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you are a freelancer, sole trader or spend under 10,000 euros a month, as Pliant says it is not a fit
- Pricey if you can't see a price, as none is published
- Watch out: the cards need a good credit rating and come from Pliant Oy or Transact Payments Limited
- Watch out: Standard's cashback depends on volume, and its insurance package has a custom extra fee
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAPayhawkWeak | 1.8GPAPliantWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published, so we leave it at the middle of the category's $7.50, $12 and $20 figures. | CNo price is published: Light, Standard and Custom plans are priced per business through a demo. Middle by default against the category's $7.50, $12 and $20. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial; the pricing page is built around modules and a demo request. | FNo free plan and no trial on record, so nothing to try before paying. |
| Features | CCards, expenses, payables, procurement, accounting automation, travel and AI agents. Budget management and business travel are separate add-ons. | CCredit cards, spend controls, accounting and travel exports, payables and transfers, a Pro API. The listing shows reimbursement-style expense reports are not the focus. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Modules, cards and accounting links to set up. | CNo store rating on record. Credit checks, cards and an accounting link to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and iPhone, with eight integrations on record. No Android app listed. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, with eight integrations on record. |
| Best for | cards, expenses and payables for EU companies | corporate credit cards for EU and UK 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: Payhawk and Pliant. How we grade
Where they differ
- Payhawk also covers workflow automation.
- Pliant also covers reports.
In commonWebiOSExpense trackingBill payCompany cards
At a glance
| Payhawk | Pliant | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Payhawk | Pliant GmbH |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Payhawk
- No prices are published; the pricing page is built around modules and a demo request.
- NetSuite, Dynamics 365, SAP S/4HANA and advanced HR integrations are marked add-ons.
- Currency conversion carries a stated mark-up of 0.3% on EUR, GBP, USD and CHF and 0.7% on DKK and PLN.
- Budget management and business travel are separate add-ons to the core platform.
Pliant
- Plans (Light, Standard and Custom) carry no published price; the site says price is calculated per business and points to a demo.
- Pliant says it is not the right fit for freelancers, sole traders or companies spending under 10,000 euros a month on cards.
- Cards are credit cards that need a good credit rating; the site says they are issued by Pliant Oy in the EU and Transact Payments Limited in the UK.
- Cashback on Standard depends on transaction volume, and its insurance package carries a custom extra fee.
Key features
Payhawk
- Corporate cards
- Physical and virtual debit cards in several currencies, with single-use virtual cards and spend limits by amount, merchant, category or country.
- Automatic expense creation
- An expense is created on each card payment, with receipt capture, mailbox matching and reminders, plus mileage and per diem reimbursements.
- Accounts payable and procurement
- Invoice capture and approval, purchase order requests and 2-way and 3-way matching, with supplier payments in 115 currencies.
- Accounting automation
- Automated coding and VAT coding, with live integrations to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Exact Online, and native ERP add-ons such as NetSuite.
- Business travel module
- Flight and hotel booking with custom travel policy, trip approvals and automatic per diems calculated from bookings.
- AI agents
- Procurement, Payments and Financial Controller agents for the finance team, with an MCP connection for Claude and ChatGPT.
Pliant
- Credit cards
- Visa credit cards, not prepaid or debit, in black Platinum Business or metal Infinite Business versions, plus virtual and single-use cards.
- Spend controls
- Card limits are set flexibly per card and spend is reported in real time inside the Pliant app and web platform.
- Accounting and travel exports
- Connectors cover DATEV, Lexware Office, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Oracle NetSuite, with CSV exports for others.
- Accounts payable and transfers
- Business accounts, FX and cross-border transfers, and accounts payable workflows sit next to the cards.
- Pro API and card programs
- The Pro API is on the Custom plan, and a separate cards-as-a-service offer lets banks and platforms launch their own programs.
Plans
Payhawk
Pricing could not be confirmed. See payhawk.com.
Pliant
Pricing could not be confirmed. See getpliant.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Payhawk or Pliant?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Payhawk has no price we could confirm, and Pliant has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Payhawk or Pliant?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Payhawk nor Pliant has a free plan.
Which platforms do Payhawk and Pliant run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pliant lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS 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.