Expensify vs. Brex: What you need to know for your business

Choosing the right expense management platform means understanding key differences: Will it work with your existing card program? Does it support your business size? Are there foreign transaction fees?

Expensify is card-agnostic, working with any corporate card: Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, or your current bank partner. It supports businesses of all sizes from freelancers to enterprises, with no foreign transaction fees on international purchases.

Brex takes a card-first approach, requiring their proprietary card and limiting who can join based on company size and revenue. Brex also charges foreign transaction fees on all international purchases.

Both platforms offer expense automation, but Expensify provides greater flexibility with Concierge AI, offline mode, realtime syncing to 30+ accounting systems, comprehensive travel booking, and free next-day reimbursements, all without locking you into a single card provider.

In this guide, we'll compare Expensify vs. Brex to help you make an informed decision.

Key features comparison

Expensify and Brex both handle expense management, but their approaches differ significantly. Expensify works with any card program and supports businesses of all sizes, while Brex requires their proprietary card and has eligibility restrictions. Here's how the platforms compare across key features:

Feature	Expensify	Brex
Card program flexibility (BYOC)	Works with ANY corporate card program—Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, or your existing bank partner. Keep your rewards, credit limits, and payment terms. Optional Expensify Visa Commercial Card available.	Card-first platform requiring Brex card for full functionality. Cannot use existing corporate card programs.
Foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees on international purchases with Expensify Card.	Charges foreign transaction fees on all international purchases.
Eligibility requirements	Open to all businesses—freelancers, solopreneurs, small businesses, mid-market, and enterprise customers.	Restrictions on who can join based on company size and revenue requirements. Not available for freelancers or very small businesses.
Expense reporting	Automated entry with SmartScan technology featuring live OCR preview for instant verification. Supports offline mode, batch scanning, drag-and-drop uploads, and text-to-expense commands via Concierge AI.	Automated expense categorization with receipt capture. Requires internet connectivity for most functions.
Receipt capture	Multiple options: in-app camera, text to 47777, drag-and-drop desktop, batch scanning for processing multiple receipts simultaneously. Live preview confirms accurate capture.	Mobile receipt capture with automated matching to Brex card transactions.
AI automation	Concierge AI auto-categorizes expenses, flags prohibited spend, responds to text commands, automatically submits reports, and detects duplicates.	Basic AI-powered expense coding and categorization.
Policy enforcement	Transparent policy engine with soft approvals, giving admins full visibility into enforcement logic and flexible rule configuration.	Automated policy enforcement with spending controls.
Offline capabilities	Submit, approve, and pay expenses without internet connectivity for uninterrupted productivity.	Requires internet connection for most functions.
Reimbursements	Free ACH reimbursements with next-day payment option available for direct deposit.	Uses Brex cash for reimbursements, which includes additional fees. No free reimbursement program.
Corporate cards	Expensify Visa Commercial Card available with instant virtual card provisioning, automatic receipt matching, realtime accounting sync, and up to 2% cash back on US purchases. Optional—use your own cards instead.	Brex card required for platform functionality. Virtual and physical cards available with spending controls.
Card reconciliation	Automatic receipt matching for ANY card program with one-click statement reconciliation and two-way sync.	Automatic reconciliation for Brex cards only.
Cash back rewards	Up to 2% cash back on US purchases with Expensify Card.	Cash back available on Brex card purchases.
Invoicing and bill pay	Streamlined invoicing capabilities with automated bill pay.	Bill pay integrated into platform.
Spend management	Detailed reporting with built-in spend controls, custom columns, and realtime visibility across all card programs.	Spend tracking and analytics focused on Brex card usage.
Travel	Comprehensive travel booking with NDC + Expedia + GDS inventory for flights, hotels, rental cars, and trains. Features 85% self-service flight changes, in-app alerts, automatic rewards program integration, built-in chat, and full rail support. Free integrated travel booking included.	Basic travel features available. Limited compared to comprehensive travel platforms.
Mileage tracking	Automatic mileage tracking included.	No automatic mileage tracking.
Integration sync	Realtime API sync to 30+ accounting systems and ERPs including NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, and Certinia with live data updates. Free integrations included. Robust two-way sync with automatic company card reconciliation.	Limited integrations compared to Expensify. Basic accounting connections available.
Custom export options	Custom export configurations available for tailored reporting and accounting needs.	Limited custom export options.
Audit trail	Complete audit trail for all expenses and transactions.	Limited audit trail capabilities.
Approval workflows	Highly customizable multi-level approvals with soft approvals, vacation delegates, and flexible routing options.	Approval workflows available with spending limit controls.
Multi-currency support	Full multi-currency support for international operations.	Primarily focused on US-based businesses with limited international support.
Third-party integrations	Wide variety of integrations including Uber and other travel apps, plus accounting, HR, and more.	Limited third-party integrations.
Support	24/7 in-app chat support with sub-minute response times, extensive self-help resources, and dedicated onboarding specialists. Always free.	Standard support available.
Pricing	Transparent pricing starting at $5 per user (Collect plan) with no hidden fees, transaction fees, or add-ons. Control plan available for advanced features.	Unlimited plan starts at $49/month.
All-in-one solution	Complete platform: expense management, invoicing, bills, travel booking, card program, and reimbursements in one place.	Corporate card with expense features layered on top.
Customer ratings	Average of 4.4 out of 5 stars with over 1,000 reviews on G2.	Positive user ratings.
Choose if…	You want card flexibility (BYOC), need to support all business sizes including freelancers, require no foreign transaction fees, need comprehensive travel booking, want free reimbursements, or need extensive integrations and customization.	You're a venture-backed startup comfortable committing exclusively to Brex's card program, don't need to support freelancers or very small teams, and can accept foreign transaction fees and limited integrations.

Similarities between Expensify and Brex

Both Expensify and Brex offer core expense management capabilities that help businesses track and control spending. Here's what they have in common:

Expense automation

• Receipt management and scanning with OCR technology

• Automated expense categorization and coding

• Multi-level approval workflows for expense reports

Spend visibility and control

• Realtime spend tracking across corporate cards

• Policy enforcement with spending limits and controls

• Detailed analytics and reporting on company spending patterns

Payment capabilities

• Corporate card programs with virtual and physical card options

• Online invoice creation and payment processing

• Integration with bank feeds for transaction synchronization

Financial tracking

• Foreign currency tracking and conversion for international transactions

• Time and expense tracking for project-based work

• Accounting reconciliation tools

Mobile functionality

• Mobile apps for iOS and Android

• Mileage tracking capabilities

• On-the-go expense management

Differences between Expensify and Brex

While both platforms handle expense management, they take fundamentally different approaches to corporate spending. Here are the key distinctions:

Card program requirements

• Expensify works with any corporate card program, allowing you to maintain existing banking relationships, rewards, and credit terms. The Expensify VisaⓇ Commercial Card is optional.

• Brex is a card-first solution requiring their proprietary card for full platform functionality.

Eligibility and accessibility

• Expensify serves members of all kinds: freelancers, solopreneurs, small businesses, mid-market, and enterprise teams.

• Brex has limitations on who can join based on company size and revenue requirements.

Foreign transaction fees

• Expensify charges no foreign transaction fees on international purchases with the Expensify Card.

• Brex charges foreign transaction fees for all international purchases.

International operations

• Expensify supports multi-currency and international card transactions, making it suitable for businesses with global operations.

• Brex is primarily focused on US-based businesses with limited international support.

Reimbursement programs

• Expensify offers free ACH reimbursements with next-day payment options.

• Brex doesn't offer a free reimbursement program. Instead, they use Brex cash, which includes additional fees.

Integration capabilities

• Expensify offers a wide range of integrations including accounting systems (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Certinia), HR platforms, and travel apps like Uber for Business with two-way sync and automatic card reconciliation.

• Brex has limited integrations compared to Expensify.

Travel management

• Expensify provides free integrated travel booking with comprehensive inventory (NDC + Expedia + GDS), 85% self-service changes, and full rail support.

• Brex offers basic travel features that are limited compared to comprehensive travel platforms.

Automation and AI

• Expensify's Concierge can automatically submit reports, detect duplicates, ensure expense accuracy, respond to text commands, and auto-categorize expenses with live OCR preview.

• Brex provides basic AI-powered expense coding and categorization.

Offline functionality

• Expensify allows users to submit, approve, and pay expenses without internet connectivity.

• Brex requires internet connection for most platform functions.

Advanced features

• Expensify includes audit trails, custom export options, and automatic mileage tracking.

• Brex lacks these features.

Cash back rewards

• Expensify offers up to 2% cash back on US purchases with the Expensify Card.

• Brex offers cash back on card purchases.

Platform approach

• Expensify is an all-in-one solution combining expense management, invoicing, bills, travel booking, card program, and reimbursements.

• Brex is primarily a corporate card with basic expense features layered on top.

Choosing between Expensify and Brex

Get the information you need to make a smart decision. Let's check out the pros and cons of Expensify and Brex.

Provider	Pros	Cons
Expensify	• Works with any corporate card program (BYOC)—keep your existing rewards, credit limits, and banking relationships • No foreign transaction fees on international purchases • Supports all business sizes—freelancers, solopreneurs, small businesses, and enterprises • SmartScan with live OCR preview for instant verification • Offline mode for uninterrupted productivity • Concierge AI with text commands, auto-submission, and duplicate detection • Comprehensive travel booking with 85% self-service changes • Free next-day reimbursements with no additional fees • Realtime API integrations to 30+ ERPs at no extra cost • Automatic mileage tracking included • Audit trail and custom export options • 24/7 free in-app chat support • Affordable pricing starting at $5 per user	• Customization limitations for highly specific workflows
Brex	• Integrated card-and-expense platform • AI-powered expense coding • Spending controls and policy enforcement	• Requires using Brex card exclusively—cannot use existing corporate card programs • Must abandon established banking relationships and negotiated card benefits • Charges foreign transaction fees on all international purchases • Eligibility restrictions based on company size and revenue—does not support freelancers or very small businesses • Uses Brex cash for reimbursements with additional fees—no free reimbursement program • Primarily US-focused with limited international support • No offline mode—requires internet connectivity • Limited integrations compared to Expensify • No automatic mileage tracking • No audit trail or custom export options • Higher pricing at $49/month for unlimited plan

Expensify vs. Brex: pricing

If you're comparing Expensify and Brex, cost transparency matters. Brex's unlimited plan starts at $49/month, while Expensify's Collect plan starts at just $5 per member/month, with no hidden fees, foreign transaction fees, or complicated pricing tiers.

Expensify gives you more value right out of the gate, including advanced expense management, built-in chat, unlimited corporate cards, travel booking, free reimbursements, invoicing, bill pay, and more—all in one platform. Plus, you're not locked into using only Expensify cards; bring your own card (BYOC) and keep your existing rewards and banking relationships.

For growing teams that need extra control and customization, the Control plan offers additional configuration options, approval workflows, and export features.

Want to see how it all stacks up? Check out Expensify’s pricing plans for a full breakdown.

Why people choose Expensify

Here's what Expensify users have to say about their experience:

“What I appreciate most about Expensify is how straightforward and intuitive it makes the process of expense reporting and reimbursement. The automatic receipt scanning, expense categorization, and direct syncing with accounting systems such as QuickBooks or NetSuite save significant time and help minimize manual mistakes.

“I also find it very convenient that the mobile app functions smoothly, enabling users to submit or approve expenses while on the move. This feature truly enhances efficiency for both employees and managers.”

— Jahn M., Operations Manager, G2 Review

Bottom line: Expensify is better for expense management

Expensify is the best Brex alternative for businesses that want card flexibility, no foreign transaction fees, and an open-door policy for all business sizes. With lower pricing starting at $5 per user, comprehensive features including free reimbursements and travel booking, and the ability to work with any corporate card program, Expensify delivers expense management without the restrictions.

Comparing other platforms? See how Expensify stacks up: 

• Expensify vs. Divvy

• Expensify vs. Ramp

• Expensify vs. Concur

FAQs about Expensify vs. Brex

• What is the main difference between Expensify and Brex?

  Expensify is a full expense, travel, and card platform built for realtime expense automation, reimbursements, and policy enforcement, even if teams use multiple card providers.

  Brex is primarily a corporate card with basic expense features layered on top.

• Why do businesses choose Expensify over Brex?

  Businesses choose Expensify when they want more than a card. Expensify supports reimbursements, travel booking, global teams, third-party cards, and flexible policies without forcing companies to run all spend through a single card program.

• Does Brex integrate with Expensify?

  Brex does have an integration with Expensify, meaning even Brex customers can take advantage of some of the features of Expensify. In addition, you can import your Brex credit card into Expensify.

• How do I connect Brex to Expensify?

  You can connect your Brex card to Expensify by following these steps:

  1. Navigate to “Settings” and then select “Domain.”

  2. Select “Company Cards” on the left-hand side navigation bar.

  3. Choose “Brex” from the drop-down.

  4. Enter your information into the Brex login popup.

  5. Select “Allow Access” to confirm the connection.

  6. Expensify will now automatically import transactions on your Brex card.

• Is Expensify or Brex better for growing teams?

  Expensify is designed to scale with teams as they grow — from a handful of employees to hundreds — without changing tools or rebuilding workflows. Brex works best for card-centric startups but becomes limiting as expense needs expand beyond card spend.

• Which platform offers better expense automation

  Expensify offers deeper automation through SmartScan receipt capture, realtime policy checks, automatic reimbursements, and chat-based approvals. Brex focuses mainly on controlling card spend, with fewer automation options for non-card expenses.

• Is Expensify a good alternative to Brex for expense management?

  Yes. Many companies use Expensify as a more flexible alternative to Brex when they need reimbursements, travel management, international support, or the ability to use multiple corporate cards without friction.