Ramp vs. Brex comparison: Which spend management platform is right for your business (2025)?

Key takeaways

• Ramp is built for finance teams focused on control, efficiency, and AI-powered savings. 

• Brex offers a flexible toolkit for startups and global teams. It combines cards, reimbursements, and rewards in one system.

• Airwallex provides a comprehensive global infrastructure. You get built-in cards, bill pay, FX, and real-time spend visibility across currencies, entities, and teams.

Your team is juggling expense reports, last-minute vendor payments, and end-of-month reconciliation. Now you’re choosing between Ramp and Brex. Both platforms promise better visibility and control over company spend. But which one fits your workflow?

Ramp is known for real-time policy enforcement, automation, and a no-fee pricing model that suits lean, efficiency-focused finance teams. Brex, meanwhile, combines spend management, cards, and travel into a single system designed with scaling startups in mind.

This guide directly compares Ramp and Brex. You’ll get a breakdown of features, fees, use cases, and where each provider shines.

We’ll also introduce a third option. Airwallex is becoming the go-to solution for companies that want to manage business expenses, cards, foreign exchange, and approvals in one place, without having to stitch together multiple tools.

What is Ramp?

Ramp is a US-based spend management platform founded in 2019 by Eric Glyman and Karim Atiyeh. It began as a corporate card provider and has since evolved into a comprehensive financial operations tool for modern finance teams.

The platform is built around automation, real-time visibility, and cost control. It’s popular with startups and mid-sized companies that want to manage spend more efficiently without paying monthly fees. Ramp helps you issue cards, enforce policies, and identify savings across departments, making it a fit for US businesses focused on simplicity and speed.

What is Brex?

Brex launched in 2017 with a bold pitch to startups: get access to corporate cards and financial tools without needing a personal guarantee. Since then, it has evolved into a comprehensive financial platform that enables businesses to manage spending, track budgets, and streamline cash management. 

The platform is designed for fast-moving teams that want more control over company spend. It’s often used by funded startups and mid-market companies that need to manage reimbursements, travel, global spend, and team budgets in one place. While Brex offers strong functionality, some features are only available behind paid plans, which may make it challenging for smaller businesses to qualify.

Ramp vs. Brex: a head-to-head comparison

Ramp vs. Brex: pricing and fees comparison

Ramp fees explained

Ramp offers a free core plan with unlimited cards, bill pay, access to its core platform, and use of expense and travel tools. For more advanced capabilities like multi-entity support, PO workflows, and local reimbursements, the Ramp Plus plan costs $15 per user per month plus a platform fee, with a 20 percent annual discount available. Note that there’s a flat $20 fee for international bill payments and a $10 fee per same-day ACH payment.

Brex fees explained

Brex’s Essentials plan is free and includes global card issuance, up to two entities, API access, and bill pay. The Premium tier includes advanced policy automation, live budgets, and multi-entity support for $12 per user per month. Enterprise pricing is custom. FX is handled at Mastercard’s rate with no extra markup, and there are no hidden fees for international transfers or travel bookings.

Ramp vs. Brex: features and services comparisons

Ramp focuses on simplicity and automation. You get unlimited virtual and physical cards, AI-powered receipt capture, and real-time spend notifications. The system enforces rules, flags policy breaches, and includes basic bill payments. However, it does not support holding multiple currencies, so FX is limited to USD-based expenses and payments.

Brex delivers a broader toolkit. Cards earn category-based points, and local currency options are available in over 20 countries. You get built-in bill pay, reimbursements, and travel booking in one platform. AI fills in memos from your calendar and flags duplicate or out‑of‑policy expenses. Spend controls are granular, and international transfers incur no additional fees, utilizing Mastercard FX.

Both platforms sync with major ERPs and accounting tools, giving you real-time dashboards and vendor insights. Ramp offers multi‑entity support in its Plus plan. Brex includes GL mapping and ERP integration from the free Essentials plan onward. Security is robust across both platforms, featuring encryption, 2FA, SOC 2 compliance, and instant card freezing.

Ramp vs. Brex: ideal use cases

Who is Ramp best for?

Ramp suits teams that want a powerful but cost-free spend platform. It’s ideal if you operate primarily in the US, need fast rollout of corporate cards, and want to cut expenses through real-time policy enforcement and automation. Lean finance teams and companies focused on cash back will appreciate Ramp’s simplicity and efficiency.

Who is Brex best for?

Brex works best for funded startups, mid-market companies, and businesses expanding globally. It offers features like local currency cards, travel tools, live budget tracking, and policy automation that support fast-growing teams. If you need zero markup on FX, point rewards, or work across multiple entities, Brex is a comprehensive choice, assuming you meet their eligibility criteria.

Beyond the basics: key differences between Ramp and Brex

At first glance, Ramp and Brex cover a lot of the same ground. Both offer corporate cards, automation, and integrated expense tools. However, upon closer examination, their differences begin to emerge. It comes down to what they prioritize, how they scale, and who they serve best.

Ramp leans into cost control and automation. It utilizes AI to flag duplicate spending, overpriced subscriptions, and purchases made outside of policy. Everything is designed to help you reduce burn, not just manage it. Ramp doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on USD card spend abroad, but it doesn’t support holding or paying in multiple currencies, so it’s less suited for teams with global vendors. Its tools are built around efficiency for finance teams, not perks for frequent flyers.

Brex, on the other hand, builds for scale. You receive category-based rewards, live budgeting, and support for global teams spending in over 40 currencies. Cards can be issued in local currencies, and Brex’s infrastructure supports complex multi-entity setups from day one. Its API-first design means you can embed spend controls, user management, or even reimbursements directly into your internal workflows. That level of flexibility can be powerful if you have the developer resources to make it work.

There are trade-offs. Ramp receives praise for its clean interface and automation; however, users have raised concerns about receipt timing, reimbursement tracking, and delays in customer support.²⁹ Brex scores well for breadth, but some users find the platform over-engineered for daily tasks like cash flow tracking or simple bill payments. Brex also doesn’t offer debit cards, and international wire transfers may require the use of third-party banks.³⁰

If you’re deciding between the two, it helps to consider how your team operates today and where you’re headed next. Ramp keeps things cost-efficient and straightforward, especially for US-based teams focused on compliance and control. Brex suits companies planning to scale quickly across borders, with teams that need local spend tools and global oversight. The choice comes down to whether you value automation above all or flexibility across markets.

Why Airwallex is a powerful alternative (and how we compare)

Ramp offers automation. Brex offers flexibility. However, if your business is expanding across multiple currencies, teams, or markets, you require more than just spend tracking and surface-level controls. Airwallex brings everything together. You can manage expenses, issue corporate cards, pay global vendors, and hold funds in multiple currencies, all from one platform that’s purpose-built for international businesses.

Airwallex provides access to multi-currency accounts in over 60 countries, allowing you to collect payments like a local and avoid unnecessary conversion fees. You can hold, convert, and pay in over 60 currencies, and transfer money to more than 200 countries using local rails. Interbank FX rates mean you avoid inflated margins, and most transfers arrive the same day. You also get multi-currency cards issued instantly in over 40 markets, with no foreign transaction fees, so your team can spend in local currencies without any friction.

Everything sits under one system. Cards, bill payments, reimbursements, and FX all connect to your Global Accounts and accounting tools in real time. You can automate approvals, track spend by entity or department, and reconcile expenses in platforms like NetSuite and QuickBooks. Airwallex also provides tailored onboarding and account support, so your team doesn’t have to go it alone. Whether you’re launching your second market or scaling into your tenth, Airwallex helps you stay in control from day one.

Consider Airwallex if:

• You collect or pay in multiple currencies and want to cut FX costs

• You need accounts in 60+ countries to operate like a local

• You want to issue multi-currency cards instantly across 40+ markets

• You’re managing complex team or entity structures

• You’re tired of juggling multiple tools for cards, bills, FX, and reimbursements

• You want a spend management platform built for global scale

Final verdict: choosing the right solution for your business

If you’re weighing up Ramp and Brex, the right choice comes down to how your finance team works today and what you’re preparing for next. Ramp gives you control and automation without the monthly fee, but it’s better suited to domestic teams with straightforward needs. Brex offers more flexibility for fast-growing startups, especially those expanding globally, although it may require more setup, and not every business will qualify.

Start by looking at how your team spends. Are you focused on tightening controls and cutting unnecessary costs? Or are you managing budgets across regions and want one system to handle cards, reimbursements, and travel? What works today might not scale as your business grows, so it’s worth thinking ahead.

Airwallex gives you a global infrastructure from day one. You can issue cards, manage approvals, pay international vendors, and track spend across currencies and entities. It’s not a workaround. It’s built for growth.

FAQs

What is the difference between Ramp and Brex?

Ramp focuses on automation, cost control, and real-time spend visibility for US-based teams. Brex offers a broader financial toolkit for startups and global companies, including category-based rewards, travel booking, and local currency card options in over 20 countries.

Does Ramp or Brex support international payments?

Brex supports global vendor payments in 40+ currencies at market FX rates, with no added fees. Ramp offers some international payment functionality but does not support holding or spending in multiple currencies.

Which platform is better for startups?

Brex is often the go-to for funded startups with global ambitions, especially those needing rewards, travel, and multi-entity support. Ramp may be a better fit for early-stage or lean teams that want strong spend controls without a monthly fee.

What’s a good alternative to Ramp or Brex?

Airwallex is a smart option if your business operates globally or plans to scale across regions. You can issue multi-currency cards, automate approvals, manage FX, and pay international vendors from one platform built for growth.

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