Expensify vs Airbase: Which should you choose?
Expense management software takes the manual work out of tracking, approving, and reconciling costs so finance teams can move faster. Among the top contenders in this space are Expensify and Airbase, both strong tools that fit very different business needs.
Airbase, now part of Paylocity, positions itself as an all-in-one spend management platform combining accounts payable, expense management, and corporate cards.
Expensify offers the same core capabilities of receipt scanning, corporate cards, approval workflows, AP automation, and accounting integrations, plus Bring Your Own Cards (BYOC), with a simpler setup, transparent pricing, and broader accounting compatibility including QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.
We'll compare both platforms across setup, pricing, AP automation, virtual cards, integrations, and mid-market fit.
Expensify vs Airbase: Key features comparison
The core difference is scope and independence. Expensify is a focused, card-flexible expense platform you can sign up for and run yourself. Airbase is an all-in-one finance suite, now part of Paylocity, built for mid-market teams that want procurement and AP in the same place as expenses. The table below breaks down how that plays out feature by feature.
| Expensify | Airbase (by Paylocity) | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate cards | Bring your own existing cards (BYOC) and keep your current rewards, or use the Expensify Visa® Commercial Card. No requirement to switch banks. | Works with its own corporate card program; less emphasis on bringing existing cards from any bank. |
| Expense automation | SmartScan captures receipts, auto-categorizes, and codes transactions in realtime so reports build themselves. | Automated expense submission, approvals, and reconciliation across the spend suite. |
| AI automation | Concierge AI agent creates, codes, and reviews expenses in realtime, and escalates exceptions to a human. | Touchless AI (rules + machine learning + generative AI) captures and categorizes expense details automatically. |
| Receipt capture | In-app camera, SmartScan, text-to-receipt, drag-and-drop, and batch scanning. | Mobile and web receipt upload with automated matching to transactions. |
| Approval workflows | Configurable approval workflows with transparent policy rules and soft approvals. | Multi-level, customizable approval workflows tied to the broader spend platform. |
| Bill pay | Bill pay and invoicing built in. | Bill pay / AP automation is a core part of the suite. |
| Procurement | Not a dedicated procurement tool. | Guided procurement and purchase order management included. |
| Integrations | Realtime sync with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Gusto, and more. | Integrates with major accounting systems; tightest fit with the Paylocity HR/payroll platform. |
| Travel booking | Expensify Travel for booking and managing trips (mid-market to enterprise). | No dedicated native travel booking product. |
| SMB + mid-market fit | Solopreneurs and small businesses through mid-market and enterprise. Fits companies of any size, including the 100–500 employee range where buyers often want flexibility over a heavy suite. | Mid-market finance teams; Airbase states a 100–5,000 employee focus, with real depth aimed at larger, more complex finance orgs. |
| Support | 24/7 in-app chat support included at no extra cost. | Support through Paylocity; varies by plan and tier. |
| Pricing transparency | Transparent, published: starts at $5 per member per month. 30-day trial, no free plan. | Quote-based / custom through Paylocity; not publicly listed. |
| Setup complexity | Self-serve, minutes to set up. | Implementation-heavy. |
| Choose if… | You’re an SMB/mid-market and want an independent, transparently priced tool that works with your existing cards and scales from one user to enterprise. | You are a mid-market finance team that wants expense, AP, cards, and procurement in one suite, ideally alongside Paylocity payroll. |
Expensify vs. Airbase: Similarities
Both tools are modern, automation-first platforms that pull expense management out of spreadsheets. They share more than a few core strengths.
Expense automation
Both automate receipt capture, categorization, and approval routing instead of manual data entry.
Both reduce the month-end scramble by keeping transactions and receipts matched as spending happens.
Spend visibility
Both give finance teams realtime visibility into company spending.
Both support policy rules and approval workflows to keep spend in line with budget.
Payment capabilities
Both offer corporate cards and reimbursement workflows.
Both handle bill pay, so vendor payments and employee expenses live in one system.
Expensify vs Airbase: Differences
For all they have in common, a handful of differences are what actually drive the decision.
Card requirements
Expensify leans on Bring Your Own Cards (BYOC), so teams keep the cards and rewards they already have and still get automated coding and reconciliation.
Airbase centers on its own corporate card program within the spend suite, with less focus on bringing in cards from any outside bank.
Company-size fit
Expensify scales from a single user up through enterprise, so it fits solopreneurs, small businesses, and mid-market and larger companies without changing platforms as you grow.
Airbase states a 100–5,000 employee focus, but its depth and implementation are built for larger, more complex finance orgs, which can feel heavy for smaller and lower-complexity teams.
All-in-one vs. standalone
Expensify is a focused expense and spend platform that integrates with the accounting and payroll tools you already use.
Airbase bundles expense, bill pay, cards, and procurement into one suite, which is more to adopt but more consolidated.
Pricing transparency
Expensify publishes its pricing, starting at $5 per member per month.
Airbase is quote-based through Paylocity, so buyers contact sales rather than reading a price off the site.
Expensify pricing vs Airbase pricing
As mentioned, Expensify’s pricing model is transparent and published. Plans start at $5 per member per month on the Collect plan, with a Control plan at $9 per member per month for teams that need more advanced controls. There’s also a 30-day free trial, so you can test it before committing without a sales call.
Airbase doesn’t publish standard pricing. Since the Paylocity acquisition, pricing is quote-based and tailored to each customer, which means buyers request a demo and a custom proposal rather than comparing list prices. That model can work well for larger finance teams that want a tailored package, but it makes upfront cost comparison harder for smaller buyers.
The contrast is as much about predictability as price. With Expensify, you can see the cost and sign up the same day. With Airbase, you start with a sales conversation, which suits a mid-market buying process more than a self-serve one.
Why choose Expensify?
As an alternative to Airbase, Expensify is built to make expenses fast, easy, and smart, without locking you into a bank, a card program, or a sales cycle.
Corporate Card flexibility
BYOC: Keep your existing cards and rewards and still get automatic transaction coding and reconciliation.
Expensify Visa® Commercial Card: An optional company card with automatic receipt matching and realtime sync for teams that want one. It’s not a credit card and settles from your bank account.
Smart receipt capture
SmartScan: Snap a receipt and Expensify reads the vendor, date, and amount automatically.
Multiple capture options: In-app camera, text-to-receipt (text to 47777, US numbers only), forward to receipts@expensify.com, drag-and-drop, and batch scanning.
AI-powered automation
Concierge: An AI agent that does more than answer questions. It creates and codes expenses, applies policy, flags out-of-policy spend, and knows when to loop in a human for a second look.
Realtime coding: Transactions are categorized as they happen, so reports build themselves instead of waiting for month-end cleanup.
Smarter over time: AI-driven categorization learns your policies and spend patterns, cutting the manual sorting finance teams usually eat.
Transparent policy control
Clear rules: Admins see exactly how policies are enforced rather than working around a black box.
Soft approvals: Flag issues without hard-blocking the whole workflow.
Integrations
Realtime sync: Live updates to QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, Sage Intacct, Gusto, and more.
No extra fees: Connecting your accounting or payroll tools is included.
Travel booking
Expensify Travel: Book and manage flights, hotels, and rail in the same place expenses live, built for mid-market to enterprise teams.
Built for everyone from SMBs to enterprise
Scales with you: One user to mid-market to enterprise, the same platform, with pricing you can read off the page.
Independence, transparent pricing, and card flexibility are the throughline. Expensify works the way you already work instead of asking you to switch banks or adopt an entire suite.
Why choose Airbase?
Airbase is a strong choice for the right buyer, and it earns genuine credit for the breadth of its suite.
All-in-one spend management
One platform: Expense management, bill pay / AP automation, corporate cards, and procurement in a single system.
Consolidated control: Finance teams managing many spend types can run them from one place rather than stitching tools together.
Touchless AI automation: Uses rules, machine learning, and generative AI to capture, categorize, and populate expense details automatically, so employees do not build reports by hand.
Depth for complex finance teams
Built for complexity: Designed for larger finance orgs that need deep procurement, PO matching, and multi-entity controls, the kind of complexity smaller teams rarely need.
Procurement included: Guided procurement and purchase order management come standard, which standalone expense tools often lack.
Paylocity integration
Single pane for spend and payroll: As part of Paylocity, Airbase can connect payroll and non-payroll spend, which is appealing if you already run Paylocity HR.
Important considerations
May not fit SMBs: The mid-market focus means smaller businesses can find it heavier than they need.
Now part of a larger suite: Airbase is folded into Paylocity's HR/payroll platform, so it is no longer an independent, standalone product.
Less pricing transparency: Pricing is quote-based, so there is no public list price to compare against before talking to sales.
Choosing between Expensify and Airbase
Here is an honest pros and cons view of both, grounded in each tool's best-fit buyer.
| Expensify | Airbase (by Paylocity) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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The short version: pick Expensify if you want an independent, transparently priced tool that flexes from a single user to enterprise and works with the cards you already have.
Pick Airbase if you are a mid-market finance team that wants expense, AP, cards, and procurement consolidated in one suite, especially alongside Paylocity payroll.
“Expensify makes expense management effortless. I love how easy it is to snap a photo of a receipt and have the details automatically extracted—no more manual entry! The intuitive interface and SmartScan feature save me time and reduce errors. Plus, the seamless integration with accounting tools keeps everything organized and efficient. It’s simple, fast, and perfect for staying on top of expenses whether I’m at my desk or on the go.”
— Donald B., Community Operations Manager, G2 Review
Other Expensify comparisons
Not just curious about Airbase vs Expensify, but weighing other platforms, too? These guides break down how Expensify stacks up against the rest:
Different buyers need different tools. Airbase fits mid-market finance teams that want one consolidated suite, while Expensify fits anyone who wants transparent pricing, card flexibility, and a platform that scales from a single user up. If that sounds like a fit, the fastest, easiest way to find out is to start a free trial and run a few real expenses through it.
FAQs about Expensify vs Airbase
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Airbase was acquired by Paylocity in 2024 and is now part of Paylocity's broader HR and payroll platform, branded Airbase by Paylocity. It still offers spend management, but as a component of the larger Paylocity suite rather than a fully independent product.
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Expensify is a strong Airbase alternative for small businesses because it scales down to a single user, publishes pricing starting at $5 per member per month, and offers self-serve setup with no sales call required.
Airbase's mid-market focus can feel heavy for smaller teams, while Expensify is built to fit any company size.
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Yes. Expensify's BYOC (Bring Your Own Cards) lets you connect the corporate cards you already use and keep your existing rewards, while still getting automatic transaction coding, receipt matching, and reconciliation. You are not required to switch banks or adopt a new card program.
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In the Airbase vs. Expensify decision for mid-market teams, it depends on what the team wants to consolidate.
Expensify suits mid-market teams that want transparent pricing, card flexibility, and a focused expense platform that integrates with their existing accounting and payroll tools.
Airbase suits mid-market teams that want expense, bill pay, cards, and procurement in one suite, especially alongside Paylocity payroll.
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Expensify publishes transparent pricing starting at $5 per member per month, with a 30-day trial and no free plan. Airbase pricing is quote-based through Paylocity and not listed publicly, so buyers request a custom proposal.
The main difference is predictability, as Expensify lets you see the price and start right away, while Airbase routes you through sales first.
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Expensify is best for small businesses, startups, and mid-market companies that need fast setup, transparent pricing, and flexible accounting integrations without committing to a larger HR or ERP ecosystem.
Airbase (Paylocity) is geared toward mid-market finance teams that prioritize procurement workflows, purchase order approvals, and companies already using or open to adopting Paylocity for HR.
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For most teams, yes. Expensify supports bill pay, invoice management, vendor payments, and multi-level approval workflows, covering the core AP automation use cases Airbase is known for, and adds receipt scanning, travel booking, mileage tracking, and corporate card management in the same platform, with direct integrations into QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.
Airbase's procurement module goes deeper on full procure-to-pay with purchase orders and enterprise vendor management, so the question is really whether you need that depth.
Most mid-market AP work centers on invoice approval and payment, and Expensify handles that end to end in one fast, simple platform.
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Yes. Expensify issues both physical and virtual corporate cards. Virtual cards can be issued instantly and assigned per employee, vendor, or project, with custom spend limits and merchant controls.
Both platforms offer virtual cards, so the real difference is BYOC (Bring Your Own Cards).
Expensify also lets teams connect existing corporate cards from any bank and still get full expense automation, which Airbase's card-based model does not support.
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Yes. Expensify supports bill pay, invoice capture, vendor payments, and multi-level approval routing, which are the core features of AP automation.
teams that need full procure-to-pay workflows with purchase orders and vendor management at enterprise scale, Airbase's procurement module goes deeper.
However, for the majority of mid-market teams whose AP needs center on invoice approval and payment, Expensify covers the full workflow.
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Yes. Expensify supports multi-level approval workflows that can be customized by employee, department, expense category, or spend threshold.
Finance teams can set rules such as "any expense over $500 requires CFO approval" or "all travel expenses route to the department manager first."
These workflows apply to both out-of-pocket reimbursements and corporate card transactions, covering the same approval automation Airbase is known for without requiring a procurement module or Paylocity subscription.
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Expensify offers direct, native integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Gusto, ADP, and Workday, covering one of the widest ranges of accounting and HR systems among expense platforms in its class.
Airbase (Paylocity) integrates well with NetSuite and Sage Intacct and fits naturally where Paylocity already runs payroll, though it has fewer out-of-the-box connectors for SMB accounting tools like QuickBooks and Xero.
For teams already on QuickBooks or Xero, Expensify is the easier fit; for teams standardizing on Paylocity, Airbase is the more natural one.
