#1
Starting at $5/mo
Has a free plan (Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) doesn't)
Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) Alternatives
4 alternatives compared · Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) pricing starts at custom pricing · ✓ verified 39h ago
If Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) isn't the right fit for your expense management & corporate cards needs — whether the price (custom pricing) doesn't match your budget, the feature set is too thin, or you want to avoid vendor lock-in — there are 4 legitimate alternatives in this category. Below we rank them by our StackScore (a weighted blend of price, feature coverage, and free-tier value), with verified pricing pulled directly from each vendor's live page.
The top alternative right now is Expensify at $5/mo. Below that, you'll find 3 additional options ranging from free-plan options to premium tools — each linked to its full pricing breakdown plus a head-to-head comparison against Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management).
#2
Starting at $12/mo
Has a free plan (Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) doesn't)
#3
Starting at $12/mo
Has a free plan (Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) doesn't)
#4
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About the expense management & corporate cards category
Corporate card and expense management in 2026 has converged around 'free software, monetize the interchange' economics. Ramp and Brex both offer $0 base tiers because they earn interchange fees (1-2% of card spend paid by merchants to card networks, passed back to Ramp/Brex). For a company spending $500k/year on corporate cards, interchange revenue to Ramp is $5,000-10,000/year — more than subscription revenue would be at $5-15/user/month. The pricing structure reflects this: Ramp Free ($0) offers corporate cards + expense management + basic AP at no software cost; Brex Essentials similar. Paid tiers (Ramp Plus $15/user/month, Brex Premium $12/user/month) unlock AI features, advanced integrations, and dedicated support. Expensify, the traditional leader in pure expense reporting, charges $5-18/user/month depending on whether you use Expensify Card (cheaper with card) or not. Airbase was acquired by Paylocity in November 2023 — now positioned as Paylocity Spend Management with custom enterprise pricing. Rippling Spend is part of the Rippling HR/IT platform — requires Rippling for full integration, custom pricing typical. The 2024-2026 trend: AI-powered expense categorization, auto-coding line items, policy compliance detection, and automatic vendor management have become table stakes.
How to choose: buying criteria for expense management & corporate cards
First: do you want corporate cards or pure expense reporting? Corporate cards + expense (all-in-one): Ramp Free or Brex Essentials — best-in-category, zero software cost. Pure expense reporting without card issuance: Expensify Collect ($5/active-user/month annual with Expensify Card) integrates with your existing cards. Second: company stage and size? Pre-seed to Series A: Ramp or Brex Free tier — zero software cost + free corporate cards + integrated expense workflow. Series B+ (25-500 employees): Ramp Plus at $15/user/month or Brex Premium at $12/user/month for AI + advanced integrations. Enterprise (500+ employees): Rippling Spend (if on Rippling platform), Ramp Enterprise, or Airbase/Paylocity. Third: do you need AP automation (pay vendors, not just expense reports)? Ramp AP is included in Free tier; Brex has AP in Premium+; Airbase's 'all-in-one' positioning bundles AP with cards; Expensify has Bill Pay add-on. Fourth: accounting integration depth? NetSuite + Sage Intacct: Ramp Plus or Brex Premium required (Free tiers have basic QuickBooks/Xero only). Workday + Oracle Fusion Cloud: Ramp Enterprise or equivalents. Fifth: does HR integration matter? Rippling Spend if you're on Rippling (shared org chart, automatic employee provisioning); otherwise standalone options. Sixth: international? Brex supports international issuing and spend in 70+ countries; Ramp is US-focused (growing international); Airbase/Paylocity US-focused.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the best alternatives to Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) in 2026?
- The top alternative to Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management) is Expensify with a StackScore of 72/100. Other options include Ramp and Brex. All prices verified daily.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management)?
- Yes! Expensify starts at $5/mo, which is cheaper than Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management)'s custom pricing.
- Are there free alternatives to Airbase (Paylocity Spend Management)?
- Yes! Expensify, Ramp, Brex offer free plans you can use as an alternatives.