7 Brex Alternatives for Finance Teams That Need More Than Cards

In April 2026, Capital One completed its acquisition of Brex for roughly $5.15 billion, one of the largest bank-fintech deal to date. If you run your spend on Brex, or you were about to, the deal is worth a pause. Your provider is now part of a US bank.

That isn't a crisis, and Brex isn't going away. But ownership changes the questions worth asking. Will the product roadmap stay independent? How will underwriting and risk appetite shift under a bank? What happens to support and pricing once integration starts? For teams operating outside the US, or planning to, those questions carry more weight.

The acquisition is one reason finance leaders are looking around. The other is simpler and predates it: most teams outgrow Brex as they scale. Fast onboarding and easy card issuing are the right priorities early on. Once you are running multiple entities, tighter budgets, purchase orders, approvals, and accruals, a card-first tool starts to slow you down, and you end up stitching data together to close the books on time.

This guide covers seven Brex alternatives built for that next stage: what each does well, and where each falls short.

Why finance teams are revisiting Brex in 2026

Two things are driving the search for Brex alternatives in 2026.

The first is the acquisition. Capital One completed its acquisition of Brex in April 2026, combining Brex’s spend management platform with Capital One’s scale, underwriting capabilities, and banking infrastructure. Capital One reported $475.8 billion in deposits and $669 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2025.

For existing Brex customers, the question is not whether the product changes overnight. It is how the product, pricing, support, and underwriting model may evolve as Brex becomes part of a regulated US bank. Some finance teams may be comfortable waiting to see how the integration develops. Others, especially companies scaling internationally or relying on flexible, non-bank-led underwriting, may want to understand their options now.

The second driver is a shift in what finance teams expect from a spend platform. Reporting on spend after it happens is no longer enough. The goal is to set the rules first, so spend is approved, budgeted, and policy-checked before money moves, not reconciled and corrected after the fact.

That means card limits, approval routing, supplier checks, and budget controls should run upfront. Expense records should be created automatically from transactions where possible. Finance should review exceptions before export, instead of chasing receipts and correcting spend at month-end.

That is the lens to use when evaluating any Brex alternative: does it help you control spend before it happens across cards, expenses, invoices, reimbursements, and procurement, or does it mainly give you a faster way to record what already happened?

When Brex may not be the right fit for every finance team

As companies grow, so do their financial complexities. You need more than card issuing and surface-level spend-tracking to see progress. Brex was built card-first, and teams scaling into multi-entity operations, procurement, and complex approvals often find they need capabilities beyond its core.

• Card linking: Brex's best reward rates require it to be your exclusive corporate card, and it doesn't support linking your existing cards - so keeping an Amex or bank program isn't an option.
• Advanced spend policies: In G2 reviews, Brex's approval process is the most-cited complaint, and users ask for more granular role- and category-based policy control.
• Multi-entity controls: Brex offers multi-entity management on its Premium and Enterprise tiers. Teams running complex EU + US + UK structures on a single credit line should evaluate how mature that support is for their specific setup.
• Built-in subscription management: This solution offers no centralized way to manage subscriptions. So, recurring costs can fly under the radar and waste budgets. Next, users leave for Brex alternatives.
• Global capabilities: Brex is US-primary. Its EU Payment Institution license was acquired in 2025, so for companies headquartered in or expanding across Europe, Brex's local operations are still early-stage.
• AP and invoice depth: Brex's AP module exists but is less deep than some alternatives; teams managing higher invoice volumes and complex approvals should test it against their workflows.

The result?

Finance teams that can scrape by today but don't have the necessary tech to get where they want to be. And so the hunt for the best Brex alternatives begins.

7 Best Brex alternatives for scaleups and enterprises

Global teams, multiple entities, and complex reporting are no longer just enterprise-level challenges. They’re becoming the norm for modern finance teams. That’s why selecting the best-fit expense management solution for your scaling business is crucial. To help you decide, let’s explore some Brex alternatives.

Payhawk - One global platform for all your spend

If you’re ready to drop basic, fragmented tools for advanced solutions and end-to-end control, Payhawk makes it happen. Unlike Brex, which serves early-stage companies with lighter infrastructure, we merge the solutions you need to scale at any business stage on one unified platform. Below are some highlights of our platform that make it one of the top Brex alternatives:

• Corporate cards with built-in controls: Forget standalone cards that have you relying on hope for compliant spending. Our corporate cards embed into your budget controls and approval workflows. This feature means you can govern and reconcile every swipe with pre-set rules. These rules align with cost centers, roles, and limits, reducing spend and improving accountability. On top, you can bring your own existing cards and manage and reconcile card transactions as they happen.
• Real-time ERP connections: End manual uploads and reliance on third-party sync tools with our live, native integrations. We sync with ERPs like NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance. To drive data visibility and accurate, continuous reconciliation, we offer a two-way sync across transactions, approvals, and expense categories.
• Multi-entity support: Expanding across borders or managing subsidiaries doesn’t need to be stressful or unorganized. Stay in control with our multi-entity management solution. Pull spend reports, apply consistent policies, and manage compliance across regions. You can also create custom workflows for each entity.
• Built-in subscription and invoice management: Lost sight of recurring bills? Don't worry. Surface active subscriptions and keep tabs on every charge with our purpose-built solution. Your team can also simplify reconciliation with our automated invoice management solution. Together, these tools cut down on budget waste and improve cost forecasting.
• AI-driven categorization and custom policies: Don’t get bogged down with admin; let automation and AI handle it to ensure compliance without slowing down your team. For example, you can create spend rules for the department, team, or user level with our Workflow Designer. You can also auto-tag, flag anomalies, and accelerate processes with our AI-backed automation. 
• Procure-to-pay functionality: From PO creation to invoice payments, our solution weaves into every aspect of procurement. For instance, you can prepare the books effortlessly with three-way matching across invoice, PO, and receipt notes for physical goods and two-way matching for services. Track all purchases and financial obligations in one place. You can also automate approvals and pay suppliers with a few clicks. The payoff is reliable books and speedy financial closes.
• Intuitive web and mobile apps: Whether your team is in the field or the office, everyone can upload receipts, approve expenses, or view budgets fuss-free. The secret is our AI camera, OCR technology, optimiszed webpages, and sleek UX combo. Staff stay productive wherever they are. Your finance team gains live visibility into every transaction. Plus, you'll reduce manual errors and speed up reconciliation.
• Granular budget tracking: Monitor spending live with our customizable tracking solution for budgets. Managers get proactive alerts when they’re approaching limits. Finance teams get deeper insight into how spending aligns with broader strategic objectives. This technology helps you remove bottlenecks, reduce manual reviews, and enhance productivity.
• AI agents for finance ops: From extracting invoice data to forecasting trends, our AI agents take over repetitive tasks. For instance, smart automation flags potential issues, categorizes spend, and learns from historical data to boost accuracy. Your team gets hours back weekly. They can then focus on higher-impact tasks and drive smarter decision-making faster. These benefits make our solution one of the most powerful and innovative Brex alternatives.
• Seamless onboarding and migration: Switching from Brex? We offer full onboarding support to make the jump painless. You can expect data migration, ERP syncing, and system configuration help. Plus, in-depth training for your team. Our dedicated onboarding managers guide you through a tailored implementation plan. This approach ensures your platform is fully operational in weeks, not months, and minimizes disruption.

Global clarity and control: Undercurrent’s finance transformation

If the weight of basic tools and manual processes gets heavier each month, don’t fret. There’s relief on the horizon when you onboard a comprehensive spend management solution. Take Undercurrent’s journey, for example.

Undercurrent, a fast-growing creative agency, found itself navigating complexities in cross-border operations. With employees and contractors globally, ambitious growth plans, and an expanding client roster, their lean finance team was stuck. An endless loop of spreadsheets and following up was taking its toll.

The finance team also had little visibility into spending, chasing receipts, and approvals post-purchase. Expense reports spread across platforms were normal. Approvals fell behind business pace, and reporting required days of back and forth.

It was clear. Undercurrent had outgrown its finance tech. These headaches all went away when Undercurrent partnered with us. They used our expense management platform, direct ERP integration, and custom workflows to gain maximum control. For example, the finance team streamlined its global card program with our Corporate Cards. They also enforced consistent policy controls and slashed reconciliation and approval hours. Undercurrent now has a finance operation that scales with them without adding headcount.

The results are transformative. Undercurrent's finance team now:

• Saves five days of admin monthly by automating reconciliation, reporting, and approvals
• Leverages real-time visibility across all departments and cost centers to optimize spend
• Benefits from seamless accounting by replacing manual uploads with a native NetSuite integration 
• Has improved accountability and compliance with custom workflows and spend rules
• Has gained a scalable card program with embedded controls and approvals

Ramp - Automation-focused, but limited on a global scale

The right automation can help your team move faster, cut manual work, and stay focused on growth. This is how Ramp stands out as one of the Brex alternatives. Ramp makes automation and cohesiveness the priorities through a dedicated finance platform. For example, Ramp identifies duplicate subscriptions, flags vendor price increases, and simplifies approvals on autopilot. 

Ramp offers AI-backed controls, live spend insights, automatic receipt matching, and finance automation workflows. These features improve compliance, speed up financial close, and reduce manual reviews. With this anatomy and geographical focus, Ramp suits US-based startups that want to minimize overhead and maximize efficiency. 

However, Ramp's depth starts to taper off for more complex or global organizations. While its card infrastructure is strong, its ERP integration is still growing. Ramp has limited multi-entity, procurement, invoice management, and reimbursement support. Companies that operate across borders may stitch together spreadsheets or tools to get a full picture of finances. Ramp may feel like a short-term fix rather than a foundational system in such cases.

Airbase - Strong AP and card combo, with a steeper learning curve

Consolidating spend management and AP in one platform can streamline operations and give finance teams greater control. It’s Airbase’s strategy of choice, offering a more comprehensive feature set than some of its card-first competitors. The platform includes cards, strong AP functionality, reimbursements, and bill payments. Users can also access expense approval and PO workflows. This setup makes Airbase a solid choice for mid-market companies searching for Brex alternatives. 

But, Airbase isn’t the easiest to launch. Finance teams report a steeper learning curve, even for experienced ones. Some must seek extra onboarding support to get the most out of the platform. You also need to customize Airbase’s tools significantly for more complex workflows. So, setting up Airbase can be time-consuming and expensive.

Integrations with major ERPs exist but may need middleware or manual syncing. Airbase's reporting tools, while powerful, aren’t as intuitive as some newer platforms. That said, once you implement Airbase, it offers a reliable financial operations hub.

Spendesk - Ideal for EU-based teams

Spendesk is popular among finance teams in Europe and for good reason. It blends smart cards, invoice management, and reimbursements into one user-friendly platform. Spendesk includes built-in approval workflows to control spend before it happens. Automated VAT recovery saves finance teams time and money. Also, real-time budget tracking and customizable spending limits give finance teams tighter control without slowing employees down.

However, while Spendesk thrives in Europe, it has limited global capabilities. For example, US support is light. Also, its integrations with ERPs that US companies tend to use can be shallow or need workarounds. Larger finance teams may also find their reporting tools insufficient for in-depth analysis. Spendesk’s lack of scalability can become a bottleneck for companies with global ambitions or complex structures.

SAP Concur - Built for enterprise, not agility

A heavyweight in the expense management space, SAP Concur prioritizes established businesses with deep customization needs. This solution integrates with major ERPs and supports complex workflows. It also handles travel, expense, and invoice management all in one suite. 

SAP Concur also offers approval automation with powerful audit rules and compliance tools to help finance teams stay compliant. Plus, its mobile app lets employees submit expenses, book travel, and approve invoices on the go. This feature keeps processing moving even outside of the office hours.

However, for fast-moving finance teams, SAP Concur can feel over-engineered. Implementation is lengthy, and workflows need IT involvement. Also, users often complain about clunky interfaces and confusing processes.

While SAP Concur handles complexity, it doesn’t necessarily simplify it. For example, common friction points include delays and errors in ERP syncing when adopters don't use middleware. The expense report creation process has too many steps and confusing fields. Plus, receipt capture and matching often need manual corrections. 

So, while the SAP Concur solution is one of the best Brex alternatives, there’s a caveat. It’s only for scaling brands on the cusp of becoming enterprises and established companies like Fortune 500s.

Zoho Expense - Budget-friendly but basic

If you're bootstrapping or looking for a way to cut tech spend, Zoho Expense can help. It offers a low-cost, structured way to manage employee expenses. Users get expense tracking, mileage logs, and mobile receipt uploads in one place. The platform provides basic approval workflows and credit card reconciliation to keep small teams organized. Automated reminders and simple reporting dashboards help ensure nothing slips through the cracks. So, for startups with less than 50 employees, Zoho Expense is one of the better Brex alternatives. 

But while this solution covers the basics well, Zoho Expense doesn’t excel in managing complex spend operations. It has limited ERP integrations and basic reporting. Zoho Expense also lacks built-in, granular support for procurement and multi-entity management. Zoho Expense is only a temporary stepping stone for teams looking to grow beyond spreadsheets and manual approvals. So, it’s likely finance teams will outgrow this solution as they scale

Teampay - Purchase requests first, cards second

Tired of the same old setup for expense management? Teampay flips the script by focusing on purchase approvals before spend happens. Every request goes through a pre-approval flow, making it ideal for companies that want strong control over procurement. Teampay integrates directly with Slack and Microsoft Teams. This feature makes it easy for employees to submit requests using tools they already use.

Users can request physical cards. The solution also auto-generates virtual cards, giving finance teams greater control over budget consumption. Live tracking and built-in audit trails simplify reconciliation and compliance without dampening productivity.

However, Teampay lacks advanced card management capabilities beyond card issuing. The platform is more procurement-centric than spend-centric. Also, Teampay offers limited functionality for setting dynamic spend limits, advanced fraud controls, and department-specific card rules. Finance teams looking for deeper flexibility in managing cards, spend insights, and reporting may find the solution restrictive.

Build better with Payhawk

Scaling a business is a fight that requires dedication, consistency, and adaptability. So, your tech needs to be fit for battle. Knowing this, the basic, disconnected solutions and manual processes that got you here won’t get you to the next level. It’s time for an upgrade to one of the best Brex alternatives. Our expense management platform gives you the infrastructure, visibility, and control to scale confidently. Whether you’re expanding globally or trying to reduce month chaos, we’ll provide your team with everything they need to thrive. No more workarounds. No more limitations. Just one powerful expense management platform you can rely on.

Ready to scale smarter? Step into a new era of visibility, control, and flexibility in finance management with one of the elite Brex alternatives. Book a demo.