7 Brex Alternatives for Finance Teams That Need More Than Cards

In April 2026, Capital One completed its acquisition of Brex in a stock-and-cash deal valued at around $5.15 billion, which Brex's CEO described as the largest bank-fintech deal in history. 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 Capital One, a US bank holding company. 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 exclusivity: Brex's top rewards rates require it to be your exclusive corporate card, so companies that want to keep an existing Amex or bank card program alongside it may earn lower rewards.
• Advanced spend policies: On G2, approval issues are among the drawbacks reviewers mention most often, so teams with complex approval chains should test Brex's workflows against their own policies.
• Multi-entity controls: Brex's Essentials plan supports up to two entities, with broader multi-entity support on its Premium and Enterprise plans. Groups running US, EU and UK entities together should check how each plan handles local entities, currencies and card issuance.
• Subscription management: Brex's published plans don't list a dedicated subscription management feature, so teams that want a central view of recurring software spend should confirm how it's handled.
• Global capabilities: Brex onboards US-incorporated businesses and obtained an EU Payment Institution license in the Netherlands in August 2025, with a phased European rollout. Companies with entities outside the US should confirm local availability.
• AP and invoice depth: Brex offers bill pay with invoice capture, approvals and two-way purchase order matching. Teams that need three-way matching against goods receipts should check whether it meets their requirements.

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 is still rolling out outside the US, 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, US companies can link their existing Amex, Mastercard and Visa corporate cards and reconcile card transactions as they happen.
• Native ERP integrations: End manual uploads and reliance on third-party sync tools with our native integrations. We connect directly to ERPs like NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, automatically export reviewed expenses, and keep your chart of accounts, tax codes, suppliers and custom fields in sync with an automated nightly master data sync.
• 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 use our Workflow Designer to build approval rules by amount, team, expense category, supplier or custom field, and route them to specific approvers. AI-backed automation then suggests categories and helps you process expenses faster. 
• Procure-to-pay functionality: From PO creation to invoice payments, our solution weaves into every aspect of procurement. For instance, three-way matching checks the purchase order, receipt note and supplier invoice before payment, and where no receipt note is required, Payhawk runs a two-way match between the PO and the invoice. 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, optimized 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 real-time tracking for budgets. Budget owners are notified when a purchase request could push a budget into overspend. 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 flagging unusual spend, our AI agents take over repetitive tasks. For instance, the Financial Controller Agent reviews anomalies, monitors budget burn to forecast potential overspend, and chases missing documents. Your team gets hours back weekly. They can then focus on higher-impact tasks and drive smarter decision-making faster.
• Seamless onboarding and migration: Switching from Brex? A dedicated Implementation Manager guides your setup, from importing your chart of accounts, tax codes and custom fields to connecting your ERP, configuring approval workflows and issuing or linking cards, with training for your team along the way.

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 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
• Captures 100% of receipts 
• Has improved accountability and compliance with custom workflows and spend rules
• Has gained a scalable card program with embedded controls and approvals

Ramp - Automation-led spend management

Ramp is a US spend management platform that combines corporate cards, expense management with automatic receipt collection and matching, reimbursements, and bill pay. AI-powered policy checks can approve transactions automatically. Ramp also launched for UK businesses in September 2026.

Ramp's free plan includes QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations. Ramp Plus costs $15 per user per month plus a platform fee based on team size and adds support for multi-entity businesses, while Enterprise pricing is custom.

Where to check fit: procurement is an add-on to Ramp Plus or Enterprise, so teams that need purchase orders and matching, multiple entities or deeper ERP integrations should check which plan and add-ons they'd need.

Paylocity for Finance (formerly Airbase) - Spend management inside an HR platform

Paylocity acquired Airbase in 2024 and now sells its spend management tools as Paylocity for Finance, built into Paylocity's HR and payroll platform. It covers physical and virtual cards, expense requests and approvals, employee reimbursements, and AP automation from vendor onboarding and invoice processing to purchase order matching and payment.

Transactions sync to ERPs including NetSuite, Sage Intacct and QuickBooks.

Where to check fit: the finance tools sit within Paylocity's broader HCM suite, so teams should check how they're packaged and priced if they don't plan to use Paylocity for HR and payroll.

Spendesk - Spend management for European teams

Spendesk is a European spend management platform used by finance teams in more than 35 countries. It combines corporate cards, invoice management, employee reimbursements, built-in approval workflows and budget controls in one place. Direct integrations include NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and DATEV.

Where to check fit: Spendesk's payment services are available to companies in the EEA, UK and US, with US payment services provided through Sutton Bank. Subsidiaries in other countries can use the platform without payment features, so groups with entities elsewhere should confirm how card and payment coverage would work for each entity.

SAP Concur - Travel, expense and invoice for SAP-centered organizations

SAP Concur combines expense management (Concur Expense), travel booking (Concur Travel) and supplier invoice automation (Concur Invoice) in one product family, with Concur Request for pre-trip and pre-spend approvals. It connects directly with SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA, as well as NetSuite, QuickBooks and Xero. Its mobile app handles receipt capture, expense reports, approvals and travel booking, and its audit tools include AI-based review and an optional outsourced audit service.

Where to check fit: the modules are bought separately, so total cost depends on which ones you need. Concur doesn't issue payment cards, so companies run it alongside a corporate card program from a bank or card provider.

Zoho Expense - Low-cost expense management

Zoho Expense is a low-cost expense management tool, with a free plan for up to three users and low per-user pricing on paid plans. It offers AI receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, configurable multi-level approvals with reminders, and corporate card reconciliation through Visa, Mastercard and Amex feeds. Higher tiers add travel booking, trip and purchase request approvals, and multi-entity, multi-country expense management.

Where to check fit: native accounting integrations cover Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Accounting, while NetSuite is available through a third-party connector. Zoho Expense focuses on employee expenses and travel; Zoho doesn't issue its own cards, and full procurement and accounts payable sit in a separate Zoho Spend product.

Teampay by Paystand - Purchase requests first, cards second

Teampay, acquired by B2B payments company Paystand in 2024, focuses on approving purchases before money is spent. Employees request and track spend in Slack, Microsoft Teams or email, and every request goes through a pre-approval flow.

Finance can issue virtual cards for one-time and recurring online payments and physical cards for in-person spend, set spending limits by vendor, transaction or employee, and get real-time alerts on spend and budget variances.

Where to check fit: Teampay is now part of Paystand's payments platform, so teams should check its packaging, roadmap and how it covers AP, reimbursements and multi-entity needs alongside purchase requests.

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-end 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 Payhawk. Book a demo.