Ramp vs Brex
Both are American card programmes with a free tier and a paid per-user tier, and both require a US-registered business. Ramp leads on automation of the finance close and asks for $25,000 in the bank. Brex targets funded startups and larger companies, and lists local-currency cards in more countries. Automation-minded companies choose Ramp; funded startups with international spend choose Brex.
Hannah ReiterSenior Analyst, Business Applications
Elena Marchetti
Niels AbrahamsenVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Ramp ifyou are a US company that wants policy enforcement, receipt matching and accounting sync on a free plan, you are not venture funded, and nearly all your entities and spend sit inside the United States.
Choose Brex ifyou are a venture-backed company with cash on the balance sheet but little credit history, need high card limits, and have spend or people outside the United States.
Ramp and Brex side by side
| Ramp | Brex | |
|---|---|---|
| Our expense management rank | #9 of 14 | #11 of 14 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Free plan; Plus $15 per user per month plus a platform fee, published; Enterprise custom | Free tier; Premium $12 per user per month, published; Enterprise custom |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Free plan $0; Plus $15 per user per month plus a platform fee based on team size | Essentials $0 per user per month; Premium $12 per user per month |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A US company that wants strong automation on a free plan | A venture-backed company with cash on the balance sheet |
| Not for | A European employer | A bootstrapped small business |
Both are reviewed in full in our expense management ranking: Ramp and Brex.
Where they differ
Ramp 1 · Brex 1 · open 2- 01
What the software costs
Both start at nothing and charge per user above that. Ramp's Free plan costs $0, Plus is $15 per user a month plus a platform fee based on team size, with 20% off on an annual commitment, and Enterprise is custom. Brex lists Essentials at $0 per user and Premium at $12 per user a month, with Enterprise custom. Which paid tier you need decides the bill.
Depends on the buyer
- 02
How your limit is set
Neither relies on a founder's personal credit history. Ramp sets the card limit as a percentage of the cash in linked business bank accounts. Brex uses cash-based or revenue-based underwriting, looking at cash balance, cash flow and financial statements, and accepts uploaded bank statements in place of a live connection. A company with revenue but modest cash has the more flexible route at Brex.
Depends on the buyer
- 03
Spend outside the United States
Brex lists local-currency cards in more than 50 countries and pays reimbursements in local currency on every plan, with non-US entity setup and local billing on Enterprise. Ramp lists local-currency card issuing in more than 30 countries on Plus and Enterprise, and locally funded reimbursements on Enterprise only. Both still require a US company, but Brex reaches further at lower tiers.
Edge: Brex
- 04
Who gets through the door
Ramp asks for a US-registered corporation, LLC or LP with at least $25,000 in a US business bank account, and turns away sole proprietors. Brex asks for equity funding of any amount or more than $500,000 in yearly revenue, and a $50,000 cash balance for funded startups, and it has changed who it serves before. For a small unfunded business, Ramp's bar is lower.
Edge: Ramp
When neither fits
If the legal entity is European, neither American programme fits: Ramp requires a business registered in the United States and Brex a US incorporation and tax number. Payhawk issues its own cards with multi-entity handling across countries, and Pleo offers wide EU coverage with the easiest employee experience.
Ramp or Brex: questions
4 answersIs Ramp or Brex better for a startup?
For a venture-backed startup, Brex is built for that case: equity funding of any amount qualifies, with a $50,000 cash balance expected.
For a bootstrapped business, Brex asks for more than $500,000 in annual revenue, while Ramp asks for $25,000 in a US business bank account, so Ramp is the easier route.
Are Ramp and Brex really free?
Each has a plan at $0: Ramp Free and Brex Essentials.
Paid tiers sit above both, Ramp Plus at $15 per user a month plus a platform fee and Brex Premium at $12 per user a month, and they hold features such as local-currency cards at Ramp and multi-entity support.
Can Ramp or Brex be used by a company outside the United States?
Not as the applicant. Ramp requires a business registered in the United States with a US physical address and most operations there.
Brex requires a US tax number, US incorporation, US operations and a US address. Both then support international spend, with local-currency cards in 30 or more countries.
What accounting systems does Ramp connect to on each plan?
Ramp's Free plan lists QuickBooks Online and Xero. Plus adds NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Enterprise adds Workday and Oracle Fusion Cloud. A company on NetSuite should therefore price Ramp Plus, not the free plan, when comparing it with Brex.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- Ramp pricing page: Ramp plan prices, accounting integrations per plan and local-currency features per plan.
- Ramp support: qualifications to apply: US registration, entity types, $25,000 cash requirement and limit set from linked cash.
- Brex pricing page: Brex plan prices, local-currency cards in 50+ countries, entity and reimbursement terms per plan.
- Brex support: account requirements: US EIN and incorporation requirement, funding or revenue criteria and $50,000 cash balance.
- Brex support: how credit limits work: cash-based and revenue-based underwriting and bank statement uploads.