Brex vs Pennylane (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Brex is our pick, scoring 7.5/10 against 6.4/10 for Pennylane on our Finance Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10). 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.
Pennylane
6.4/10
French accounting, invoicing, cash management and business account platform for freelancers, small businesses, SMEs and the accounting firms that serve them.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.5/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $12/user/mo Premium | €7/mo Starter (freelancer) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Essentials | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Accounts Payable | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Brex vs Pennylane cost by team size
| Team size | Brex | Pennylane |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeEssentials | €7/moStarter (freelancer) |
| 5 users | FreeEssentials | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeEssentials | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeEssentials | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeEssentials | Contact for pricing |
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 Pennylane suit
Brex fits enterprise and startups better; Pennylane fits small business better.
| Audience | Brex | Pennylane |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 4/10Brex exited the small-business market in 2022, and reviewers report account closures for businesses below revenue thresholds. | 9/10The plans and the included business account are built for very small companies and SMEs in France. |
| Enterprise | 7/10Enterprise offers unlimited global entities, local card issuance and a named account manager, and Brex has focused on enterprise customers since 2022. | 3/10Reviewers found nothing on multi-entity consolidation, and the product focuses on French SMEs. |
| Startups | 9/10The free Essentials tier and card underwriting based on cash balance, with no personal guarantee, are aimed at venture-backed startups. | 7/10Reviewers recommend it to startups for cash forecasting, the runway indicator and bundled banking. |
| Accountants and Bookkeepers | Not rated | 9/10Accountants work in the same shared workspace as their clients, and Pennylane reports thousands of partner accounting 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 | 8/10There is a dedicated freelancer pricing track that starts at 7 euros a month. |
| Mid-Market | 8/10Premium adds multi-entity support, custom ERP and HRIS integrations, advanced approvals and live budgets for mid-sized companies. | Not rated |
| SaaS Companies | 8/10Card rewards multipliers on software and ads spend, plus the startup-focused underwriting, fit tech companies. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Brex
- Has a free plan (Pennylane does not)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for startups (9/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Pennylane
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 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.
Pennylane
Pros
- Accountants and clients work in the same shared space, which reviewers call its main strength.
- Bank transactions are categorised and reconciled automatically, based on past categorisations.
- A business account with an IBAN and employee cards is included even on the entry plan.
- It is approved for French e-invoicing, and Premium adds electronic filing of VAT and tax returns.
- A 15-day free trial and cancel-anytime billing mean there is no long-term commitment.
Cons
- Reviewers consider it fairly expensive, and there is no free plan.
- Full accounting reports and tax filing are limited to Premium.
- No payroll or CRM of its own; it relies on Payfit, Silae and CRM integrations.
- Users report slow support on complex issues, occasional bugs, and a multi-currency feature that still needs work.
- Pricing for companies with employees is quote-based on the vendor site.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Brex scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7.5/10 against 6.4/10 for Pennylane. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for Brex and 5/10 for Pennylane.
Brex has a free plan; Pennylane does not list one.
Pennylane is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 4/10 for Brex.
Pennylane has General Ledger, which Brex lacks.
