Brex vs FreeAgent (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Brex is our pick, scoring 7.5/10 against 6.4/10 for FreeAgent on our Finance Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 3/10). Only Brex has a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Brex
7.5/10
Brex is a corporate card, expense management, bill pay and business banking platform for startups, mid-sized companies and global enterprises, and is now owned by Capital One.
FreeAgent
6.4/10
FreeAgent is UK cloud accounting software for sole traders, limited companies, partnerships, and landlords. It covers invoicing, banking, payroll, and Making Tax Digital filing.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.5/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $12/user/mo Premium | £10/mo Landlord |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Essentials | £10/mo Landlord |
| Features | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Brex vs FreeAgent cost by team size
| Team size | Brex | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeEssentials | £10/moLandlord |
| 5 users | FreeEssentials | £10/moLandlord |
| 10 users | FreeEssentials | £10/moLandlord |
| 25 users | FreeEssentials | £10/moLandlord |
| 50 users | FreeEssentials | £10/moLandlord |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Brex and FreeAgent suit
Brex fits enterprise better; FreeAgent fits small business better.
| Audience | Brex | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | 7/10Enterprise offers unlimited global entities, local card issuance and a named account manager, and Brex has focused on enterprise customers since 2022. | 1/10It has no multi-entity or enterprise controls. |
| Small Business | 4/10Brex exited the small-business market in 2022, and reviewers report account closures for businesses below revenue thresholds. | 8/10It suits UK micro-businesses and limited companies well but has few advanced features for larger teams. |
| Accountants and Bookkeepers | Not rated | 7/10Accountants get a free Practice Dashboard, discounted client licences, and integrations with accounts production tools. |
| Consultancies | Not rated | 8/10Projects, time tracking, and invoicing from tracked time suit small consulting firms. |
| Finance Teams | 8/10AI expense coding, ERP validation rules and journal export features are built to cut month-end close work. | Not rated |
| Freelancers | Not rated | 10/10FreeAgent was built for freelancers and contractors from the start, and it has a dedicated sole trader plan with Self Assessment. |
| Mid-Market | 8/10Premium adds multi-entity support, custom ERP and HRIS integrations, advanced approvals and live budgets for mid-sized companies. | Not rated |
| Real Estate | Not rated | 6/10A landlord plan tracks income and costs per property for unincorporated landlords. |
| SaaS Companies | 8/10Card rewards multipliers on software and ads spend, plus the startup-focused underwriting, fit tech companies. | Not rated |
| Startups | 9/10The free Essentials tier and card underwriting based on cash balance, with no personal guarantee, are aimed at venture-backed startups. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Brex
- Has a free plan (FreeAgent does not)
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 1/10)
Why choose FreeAgent
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes General Ledger, which Brex lacks
Pros & Cons
Brex
Pros
- The Essentials tier is free and includes cards, bill pay, reimbursements, travel booking, API access and accounting integrations.
- Card limits are underwritten on cash balance and revenue rather than a founder's personal guarantee, which helps startups without a credit history.
- Direct ERP syncs cover NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct, Business Central and newer AI-native ERPs such as Rillet and Campfire, and a two-way Accounting API launched in January 2026.
- Brex holds SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II attestations, is PCI-DSS compliant and supports SAML or OIDC single sign-on.
- Brex releases updates often. The September 2026 release alone added more than 30 features, including passkeys, p-card policy rules and access to Brex data from ChatGPT, Claude and Slack.
- Pricing is published at 12 USD per user per month for Premium, and G2 reviewers rate the product highly, at about 4.8 out of 5.
Cons
- Brex has a history of abrupt account closures and eligibility changes, and it left the small-business market in 2022.
- Credit limits move with the company's cash balance, which some reviewers find unpredictable.
- Card purchases that need currency conversion carry an FX markup of up to 3 percent, built into the exchange rate.
- It is not a general ledger. Bookkeeping and financial statements still need a separate ERP or accounting system.
- Some support and setup experiences are poor, including a clunky HRIS integration setup reported on Gartner Peer Insights.
- The Capital One acquisition could slow feature shipping during integration, according to industry commentary.
FreeAgent
Pros
- Free for customers with a NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or qualifying Mettle business account.
- Built-in HMRC filing covers MTD VAT, Self Assessment, and MTD for Income Tax, and the limited company plan adds end-of-year filing.
- Reviewers often praise its UK-based phone and chat support.
- Every plan includes time tracking, projects, and invoicing, which suits freelancers who bill by the hour.
- Multi-currency invoicing and foreign-currency bank accounts are supported, with realised and unrealised gains and losses calculated automatically.
Cons
- Reviewers describe invoice templates as basic and say custom reporting is limited.
- Payroll suits only director-only setups or very small teams.
- Its integration ecosystem is smaller than those of Xero or QuickBooks.
- It has no multi-entity consolidation or advanced controls, so it does not scale to larger firms.
- Some users report out-of-date help articles.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Brex scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7.5/10 against 6.4/10 for FreeAgent. The largest gap is in Scalability: 8/10 for Brex and 3/10 for FreeAgent.
Brex has a free plan; FreeAgent does not list one.
Brex is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 1/10 for FreeAgent.
FreeAgent has General Ledger, which Brex lacks.
