Finance Tools
Brex
Corporate cards and expense management.
What it is
Brex provides corporate cards, expense management and business accounts aimed at startups and scaling companies. It was built for companies holding investor cash rather than a long trading history, which is why underwriting works differently. The card and the spend controls are the product; treating it as a full bank replacement is where teams get surprised.
Brex pricing
Brex publishes 2 plans. Paid tiers start at $12/user/mo, and a free tier is listed alongside them.
| Plan | Price | What the vendor’s page says |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $0/user/mo | Essentials $0/user/month: cards, up to two entities, accounting integrations |
| Premium | $12/user/mo | Premium $12/user/month: expense policies, approval chains, multi-entity |
Prices read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-08. Vendors change plans without notice — check the source before you budget. Source
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Key features
Corporate cards
Issues cards with per-employee and per-vendor limits.
Expense automation
Collects receipts and codes transactions to the ledger.
Business accounts
Holds operating cash alongside the card programme.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Cards with controls and automated expenses
- Good integrations with accounting tools
- Built for fast-growing companies
Where it falls short
- Eligibility requirements exclude small businesses
- Focus has shifted upmarket over time
- US-centric
Who it is for
Funded startups managing distributed company spend.
Pick it or skip it
Pick Brex if
- Startups that want corporate cards and expense software with no software fee on Essentials
- Mid-size companies that need approval chains and multi-entity support: Premium $12/user/month
- Global companies issuing local-currency cards in 50+ countries on Enterprise
Skip it if
- You have more than two entities on Essentials
- You need custom implementation services below Enterprise
- You are outside Brex's eligibility criteria for business accounts
Our verdict
Solid for its target customer. Smaller businesses often find they no longer qualify.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Brex cost?
- Brex publishes 2 plans: Essentials at $0/user/mo, Premium at $12/user/mo. Every figure is read from the vendor's own pricing page; the pricing section above shows the source sentence for each tier.
- Does Brex have a free plan?
- Yes. Brex offers a free tier with limits; paid plans unlock higher usage or team features.
- Who is Brex best for?
- Funded startups managing distributed company spend.
- What are the main drawbacks of Brex?
- The trade-offs we noted: Eligibility requirements exclude small businesses; Focus has shifted upmarket over time; US-centric.
- When should you not use Brex?
- Skip Brex if: You have more than two entities on Essentials; You need custom implementation services below Enterprise; You are outside Brex's eligibility criteria for business accounts.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.Yes
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.Yes
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.No
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.Yes
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Vendor pricing page verifiedReviewed: 2026-09-08
- Brex — Pricing ↗
Checked 2026-09-08 · Supports: Essentials $0/user/month: cards, up to two entities, accounting integrations, Premium $12/user/month: expense policies, approval chains, multi-entity, Enterprise custom: unlimited entities, local card issuance, dedicated manager
Limit: Vendor pricing page was reviewed by an editor on this date; this record is not a ToolCompare benchmark. Prices and limits change.
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