Ramp vs Brex vs Airbase Pricing 2026: Full Comparison

Ramp Free ($0/mo) and Brex Essentials ($0/mo) are the cheapest entry tiers; Airbase ($500-$2,000/mo custom) is the strongest mid-market option for full AP automation. Ramp added a $0.59 ACH fee on June 1, 2026 and moved cashback to a variable 0-1.5%. Brex now requires $50K minimum cash reserves. Airbase was acquired by Paylocity for $325M in October 2024.

Last verified: Sep 16, 2026.

At a glance

• Ramp Free: $0/mo, 0-1.5% variable cashback, $0.59 per ACH (added June 2026)
• Ramp Plus: $15/user/mo + platform fee
• Brex Essentials: $0/mo, requires $50K cash reserves, 7x rideshare rewards
• Brex Premium: $12/user/mo, multi-currency
• Airbase (Paylocity): $500-$2,000/mo mid-market, full AP automation
• Acquisition: Paylocity acquired Airbase for $325M in October 2024

Ramp 2026: what changed

Ramp introduced two meaningful changes in 2026. First, the cashback rate moved from a flat 1.5% to a variable 0-1.5% set per business based on Ramp's underwriting. Ramp told NerdWallet in June 2026 that the rate now ranges from 0-1.5% based on its assessment of each business — the exact rate is set per customer. Second, Ramp added a $0.59 per-transaction fee on standard ACH payments starting June 1, 2026, with a three-month grace period for existing accounts. The ACH fee is the first meaningful change to the Ramp Free tier (Ramp via NerdWallet, June 2026; ValueAddVC, August 2026).

The card product itself remains free: $0 annual fee, $0 card fees, and free expense management software for any team size. Ramp Plus adds HRIS sync, advanced approval chains, and custom spend policies for $15/user/mo plus a platform fee that scales with team size. Ramp's free tier still includes bill pay with three-way matching and accounting integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, and dozens of ERPs. Ramp Plus AI-powered savings detection has reportedly identified over $600M in savings across its 25,000+ customer base by flagging duplicate subscriptions, unused software licenses, and vendor pricing discrepancies.

Brex 2026: Capital One subsidiary, $50K minimum

Brex now requires at least $50,000 in cash reserves to qualify, marking a significant shift from the pre-2022 free-for-all approach. Brex is now a Capital One subsidiary, and the company has explicitly repositioned for VC-backed growth-stage companies. The Brex Essentials tier is free; Brex Premium is $12 per user per month; Brex Enterprise is custom. Brex sets credit limits based on institutional funding history and bank balance — a company with $5M raised typically qualifies for $300K-$600K in combined card limits, often 5-10x what a standard business card would offer (Brex pricing page, August 2026).

Brex rewards are more complex than Ramp's flat 1.5% — 7x on rideshare, 4x on travel, 3x on restaurants, 2x on software subscriptions, 1x on everything else. The Brex Business Account earns roughly 5% APY on idle cash, creating a unified finance platform. For companies with heavy travel and SaaS spend, Brex beats Ramp; for distributed spend patterns, Ramp wins.

Airbase 2026: Paylocity-owned, mid-market focus

Airbase was acquired by HR and payroll platform Paylocity for roughly $325M in a deal that closed in October 2024. The deal was widely and incorrectly reported as a Maxio acquisition. Under Paylocity, Airbase continues as a standalone spend management product with custom pricing for mid-market and enterprise customers. Pricing is not publicly listed; customers typically run $500-$2,000/mo mid-market contracts (ValueAddVC, August 2026).

The Airbase value proposition is the deepest AP automation in the comparison: full PO-to-payment workflow, vendor management, bill payments, expense reimbursements, and corporate cards in one system with unified approval workflow. For companies at $5M-$50M ARR where finance teams spend 20+ hours per week on manual AP processing, Airbase is the most comprehensive option. Airbase customers typically report 60-80% reduction in AP processing time after implementation. Airbase was named a Visionary in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for AP Applications.

Side-by-side comparison table

How to choose between Ramp, Brex, and Airbase

The decision hinges on three variables: company stage, spend mix, and international footprint.

1. Company stage. Pre-seed to Series A: Ramp Free or Brex Essentials. Series A: Brex if global/travel-heavy, Ramp if accounting automation is the priority. Series B+: Ramp Plus, Brex Premium, or Airbase depending on AP workflow needs.
2. Spend mix. Distributed spend (payroll, contractors, marketing, office): Ramp's flat 1.5% (variable 0-1.5% in 2026) wins. Travel and SaaS-heavy: Brex tiered rewards beat Ramp.
3. International footprint. Brex is the only one of the three with strong global payment rails, multi-currency accounts, and card issuing in 70+ countries. Ramp is growing internationally but still US-leaning. Airbase is US-focused under Paylocity.

Total cost of ownership for a 20-person SaaS company

Run the same workload through each platform and the gap is meaningful. A 20-person team processing 500 invoices a month: Ramp Plus is 20 x $15 x 12 = $3,600/year (ACH included). Brex Premium is 20 x $12 x 12 = $2,880/year, plus per-transaction fees. Bill.com Corporate equivalent is 20 x $89 x 12 = $21,360 in subscription alone, plus 500 x $0.59 x 12 = $3,540 in ACH fees, for roughly $24,900/year — about $21K more than Ramp Plus (Eightx, June 2026).

For pure spend management without AP automation, the comparison narrows. Ramp Plus at $3,600/year vs Brex Premium at $2,880/year is a $720/year difference — meaningful but not decisive. For a 50-person company at $5M+ ARR needing full AP automation, Airbase at $12,000-$24,000/year is the right tier, with the AP-automation ROI covering the premium over Ramp Plus within months of implementation.

What enterprise buyers should do next

Three actions for organizations evaluating Ramp vs Brex vs Airbase in 2026.

1. Run a 30-day billing-volume pilot. Both Ramp and Brex offer no-friction onboarding. Track your actual monthly ACH volume, card spend, and approval workflow time, then model the cost under each tier.
2. Negotiate the ramp on ACH fees and cashback rates. The June 2026 $0.59 Ramp ACH fee and 0-1.5% variable cashback are negotiable at the annual contract level. The headline rates are not the floor.
3. Pressure-test AP automation needs. If your finance team is spending 15+ hours/week on manual AP, the Airbase value proposition is real. If AP is a small part of finance ops, Ramp or Brex Free is sufficient.

What to watch next

Three near-term datapoints. First, the Airbase-Paylocity integration roadmap — when payroll and spend management unify, the all-in pricing structure could shift. Second, Capital One's Brex integration — the Capital One subsidiary status has implications for Brex's credit model, card-network positioning, and enterprise sales motion. Third, any expansion of the $0.59 Ramp ACH fee structure — Ramp is the first major spend platform to introduce a meaningful fee on the free tier, and the precedent could spread to Brex Essentials if interchange economics shift.