Brex
Corporate cards, expenses, bill pay and travel for growing companies
Brex report card
Excellent · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for free global cards and expenses for startups
Brex issues corporate cards accepted in 210+ countries and territories and wraps them in AI spending rules, reimbursements, bill pay and travel booking. The Essentials plan does all of that for nothing, with an API thrown in. Multiple policies and approval chains need Premium at $12 a user, and card purchases in another currency can carry up to 3%.
Who Brex is for
- Great if you're a startup that wants cards and expenses with no software bill
- Handy when you have entities in more than one country
- Good for developers who want an API on the free plan
Who Brex is not for
- 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
Why Brex gets a 3.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree 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.
- AFree plan and trialEssentials 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.
- BFeaturesThe 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.
- AEase of use4.84 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Brex's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/brex#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/brex.svg" alt="Brex: 3.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Brex stands among spend and bill pay tools
Brex's GPA of 3.6 is higher than 12 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 11 of 13) and worst on platforms and integrations (B, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $12 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 4 of the 11 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 14 spend and bill pay tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Brex’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 9 of 13, level with 4
- AFree plan and trialAbove 11 of 13, level with 2
- BFeaturesAbove 8 of 13, level with 5
- AEase of useAbove 8 of 13, level with 5
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 13, level with 12
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 spend and bill pay tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Brex, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Brex you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.6 is higher than 12 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade. It costs $144 a year.
What you could make
- Expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Cards issued through a bank.
- Money moved between bank accounts, which takes a licensed payments partner.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, QuickBooks Online, Xero and NetSuite among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Brex’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Brex?
Brex issues corporate cards accepted in more than 210 countries and territories and wraps them in expense policies, reimbursements, bill pay, travel booking and a business account. AI rules check spending against policy, and transactions sync to accounting systems. The Essentials plan is free; Premium adds multiple policies, approval chains, multi-entity support and custom ERP and HR integrations. Brex is now part of Capital One.
Brex has a free plan. Paid plans start at $12 per user / month, billing term not stated. See every plan
Good for
- Startups that want corporate cards and expenses at no software cost
- Companies with entities in several countries
- Finance teams that want spend policies enforced before money goes out
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Brex pricing
- Starts at
- $12 per user / month, billing term not stated
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $12per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited entities, local card issuing, collections and reimbursements in other countries, an admin center and a named account manager. |
Read from brex.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Brex before you buy.
How people rate the Brex app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars93%
- 4 stars3%
- 3 stars<1%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star2%
8,836 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Brex alternatives
- Brex vs Ramp
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Brex vs Airwallex
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Brex vs Expensify
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Brex vs Navan
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Brex vs BILL
Free plan · from $49/mo
Common questions
Is Brex free?
Brex has a 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. Paid plans start at $12 per user / month, billing term not stated.
How much does Brex cost?
Brex lists 3 plans. Essentials: $0. Premium: $12 per user / month, billing term not stated. Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from brex.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Brex work on?
Brex is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is Brex rated?
Brex's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8,836 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Brex have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Brex is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Brex have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Brex is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Brex open source?
Brex is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Brex have an API?
Yes. Brex offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Brex integrate with?
Brex's listing names QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Workday, Rippling and Slack. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Brex?
Brex is made by Brex LLC.
What are the alternatives to Brex?
The closest alternatives to Brex in our directory are Ramp, Airwallex, Expensify, Navan and BILL. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Brex.
How does Brex compare with other spend and bill pay tools?
Brex's GPA of 3.6 is higher than 12 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 11 of 13) and worst on platforms and integrations (B, above 0).
Is Brex good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Brex A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $12 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 4 of the 11 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of Brex?
To replace Brex you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.6 is higher than 12 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade. It costs $144 a year. What you could not make: Cards issued through a bank. Money moved between bank accounts, which takes a licensed payments partner. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.