5 Brex alternatives for cards, spending & rewards
Brex has long been the premium choice for many businesses because it offers an all-in-one financial platform. However, as its focus shifted towards larger enterprise clients, it ran into some difficulties offering services to small businesses and early-stage startups.
The real question is no longer whether Brex is "good" but whether it's the right fit for your organization, your team size, and your goals. Let’s help you find the answers you’re looking for.
REVIEWED BY
Akanksh Muniyappa
Head of Product
WRITTEN BY
Yashvi Tiwari
Content Writer
Quick summary of the best Brex alternatives
● Volopay: Best for global expense management with strong automation
● Ramp: Best for cost savings and AI-driven insights
● BILL: Best for accounts payable and invoice automation
● Airwallex: Best for multi-currency payments and global operations
● Mercury: Best for startups needing simple banking and cards
| Platform | Best for | Cards & controls | Savings/cashback | Expense management | ERP integrations | Support | Scalability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Volopay | Startups, SMEs, and global teams | ||||||
Ramp | US-based startups and SMEs | Limited | |||||
BILL | SMBs | Limited | Limited | ||||
Airwallex | Global businesses | Limited | |||||
Mercury | Startups | Limited | Limited | Limited |
Get your team working with Volopay
5 Brex alternatives for corporate cards, rewards & spend tools
1. Volopay
Best for: Startups, SMEs, global organizations, and growing teams (particularly those operating in the APAC region or globally) that need cost-effective solutions for managing expenses and payment tools without worrying about complicated eligibility criteria.
Solutions: Volopay is a solution for e-commerce, SaaS, professional services, global teams, and any industry with cross-border spend or multiple entities looking to streamline their organization’s expenses.
Integrations: Volopay is integrated with major accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, MYOB, NetSuite, and Tally.
2. Ramp
Best for: Ramp is the best choice for a US-based startup, SMEs, and growing businesses that have outgrown their basic credit cards and need stronger visibility into expenses across vendors, categories, or time periods.
Solutions: Ramp is widely used by software and technology, SaaS, startups, retail, construction, engineering, and financial services industries.
Integrations: Ramp integrates with various accounting and ERP software, including QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Xero, and Workday Financial Management.
Pricing: Ramp has 3 plans: Ramp Free, Plus, and Enterprise. With Ramp free, you are not required to pay anything, and you get access to basic features. Based on your organization’s requirements, you can upgrade your plan to Ramp Plus, which costs $15 per month, or Ramp Enterprise, which is a custom plan designed for large organizations.
3. BILL
Best for: Small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) that have multiple employees and a high volume of distributed spending.
Solutions: BILL delivers customized solutions to the construction, retail, e-commerce, manufacturing, software and technology, professional services, and agency industries through real-time budgeting, corporate cards, and easy AP integration.
Integrations: BILL is integrated with QuickBooks, Xero, Oracle NetSuite, and Sage.
Pricing: BILL currently has four pricing tiers for Accounts Payable & Receivable, starting at around $45 per month, plus transaction fees, and is completely free for Bill Spend & Expense.
4. Airwallex
Best for: Airwallex works best for business accounts for global LLCs, as multi-currency accounts allow users to receive, hold, and pay in over 20 currencies without high fees.
Solutions: Airwallex is a great solution for international sellers, SMEs, startups, and e-commerce industries, given its multi-currency accounts, competitive foreign transactions fees, and all-in-one platform.
Integrations: Airwallex is integrated with NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero, Odoo, and Sage.
Pricing: Airwallex is free to use if you deposit at least $5000 per month or hold a minimum balance of $10000; otherwise, it can go up to $29 per month.
5. Mercury
Best for: Early-stage startups with small teams and tight runways.
Solutions: It offers business banking and financial software solutions mostly designed for startups, technology firms, and contemporary small to medium-sized businesses.
Integrations: Integrated with major accounting software, such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, and NetSuite.
Pricing: Mercury has monthly account fees and no minimum balance requirement. You can use its basic features for free, but if you require more advanced features, you can upgrade your plan to Mercury Plus or Mercury Pro.
What is the best Brex alternative in 2026?
When choosing a Brex alternative, businesses should consider factors such as corporate card features, expense management, rewards, spend controls, integrations, and overall scalability.
The right platform will depend on your company size, operational needs, geographic reach, and how much automation and control your finance team requires.
How to choose the right Brex alternative for your business
To choose the best Brex alternative, you should look for the following based on your business requirements:
Company size and stage
Your team size shapes which tool fits best. Startups need simple setups with low costs. Scaling teams need stronger controls and approvals. Pick a tool that works now and grows with you later instead of one that punishes you for scaling. Look at features that you anticipate needing (scaled workflows and payment coverage in future markets, to name a few), not just the ones you need in the moment.
Budget and overall pricing
Pricing goes beyond the base plan. FX fees, transaction charges, and per-user costs add up fast. The last thing you want is a tool meant to help manage your spending being the one to silently eat up your reserves. Calculate the full cost based on your team size and usage before making a final decision, and be honest with how much you’re willing to invest.
Customer support and user experience
Good support matters most when something goes wrong with a payment or account. Slow responses can cause real delays for your finance team. They can also cause disruption in services or business operations. Look for tools that offer live chat, fast response times, and a simple dashboard that employees can use without much training.
Integrations
Poor integrations mean entering data twice and chasing missing records. It also means wasted hours and money because of repetitive tasks. Check that the tool connects with your accounting software, ERP, and HR systems. Strong integrations keep data accurate and save time at month-end.
Corporate cards and spend controls
Cards without controls lead to overspending and compliance issues. Look for merchant restrictions, spending limits, and department budgets. These features give your finance team the oversight needed to manage expenses as your business grows.
FAQs
Yes. Ramp, Airwallex, and Mercury provide up to 1.5% flat-rate cashback, which is often more dependable than Brex’s rate-based cashback.
Volopay has an AI-based auto-flagging system, merchant-blocking features, and multiple approval levels, making it more effective than Brex at preventing out-of-policy spending.
Volopay (Magic Scan OCR + Accounts Payable (AP) automation, and General Ledger (GL) auto-fill) receives kudos for automating much of the manual work.
Volopay stands out for its quick, native integration with real-time syncing (including automatic categorization). Airwallex also has solid integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite.
Yes, both Ramp and BILL offer their services for free, whereas Volopay’s usage-based fee structure is much more affordable than Brex’s.
Volopay leads with multi-currency wallets, which allow businesses to hold, manage, and transfer over 65 currencies in 180+ countries within a single platform. Airwallex is very strong for multi-currency wallets and cards, and has no foreign exchange fee on cross-border transactions.