Airwallex vs Brex

Airwallex is a global finance platform built for businesses that operate internationally. It helps companies collect payments, send payouts, and manage money across multiple currencies without relying on traditional banks. The biggest advantage is that you can receive payments in local currencies and keep those funds in that currency. That means no forced conversions and fewer FX fees when paying global vendors or contractors.

Airwallex is a great fit for global businesses like ecommerce brands selling internationally, marketplaces handling payouts, or any company paying overseas contractors.

But if your business only operates domestically and rarely deals with foreign currencies, Airwallex is probably more than you need.

• Multi-currency accounts with local bank details
• Global payouts to 200+ countries in 60+ currencies
• Competitive FX rates compared to traditional banks
• Built-in corporate cards and expense controls that work globally
• Integrations with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Xero, and QuickBooks
• Free business account

• Overkill for businesses operating in a single currency
• Some advanced features geared toward global teams

Airwallex lets businesses create local bank accounts in multiple currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, and AUD. This allows companies to collect payments like a local business in different countries and hold those funds without immediate conversion.

Businesses can send payments to vendors and contractors in 200+ countries using local payment rails. This usually means faster transfers and lower fees compared to traditional international wires.

Airwallex includes virtual and physical corporate cards. They make things like spend control, budgeting, and expense tracking so much easier.

But what's really cool is that you can spend directly from foreign currency balances with Airwallex. So get paid $10k in USD and pay your US vendors in USD without ever converting the funds.

Airwallex offers a free business account, so it's super easy to get started without up-front costs. (A no-brainer!)

• Explore: Free. Best for startups and small businesses that want multi-currency accounts, global transfers, and corporate cards without paying a monthly fee.
• Grow: Paid plan designed for scaling businesses that need more advanced spend controls, expense management, and financial automation tools.
• Accelerate: Higher-tier plan built for larger companies with complex financial operations and higher transaction volumes.

In addition to subscription tiers, Airwallex charges transaction-based fees depending on how you use the platform. FX conversions typically include a tiny markup above the interbank rate, which is still significantly cheaper than most traditional banks.

Brex a spend management platform for venture-backed startups and large teams. They also have a lightweight banking product called Brex Cash that functions as a simple business checking account.

We evaluated Brex years ago while comparing corporate card platforms. At the time it looked promising, and a lot of startups were using it for business banking. But the reality is Brex isn’t really designed to be your primary business bank, it's much more of an expense management platform built for startups that have raised serious venture capital.

The product has taken a strange turn over the past few years. After onboarding a large number of small and mid-sized businesses, Brex abruptly shut down access for many of those smaller accounts (including ours! I guess we weren't "startup" enough) and repositioned the platform almost entirely toward venture-backed startups or companies doing roughly $400K+ in monthly revenue.

For that reason, Brex isn't going to be something we recommend. But even if that weren't the case, when you compare the actual day-to-day experience, especially things like UI/UX and automated expense reconciliation, newer platforms like Ramp and BILL Spend & Expense have pulled ahead for most modern SMBs.

• Designed specifically for venture-backed startups
• Virtual cards and spend controls are easy to set up
• Startup perks and partnerships (especially through YC)

• Not available to most small businesses anymore
• Accounts have historically been closed or restricted unexpectedly
• UI/UX and accounting automation lag behind competitors
• Banking features are limited compared to dedicated business banks

Brex provides corporate cards designed for startups and larger teams. Their core offering is pretty much the same as competitors': issue virtual cards, set spending limits, and control how funds are used across different departments.

Transactions from Brex cards feed into expense reports, where AI categorizes purchases, matches receipts, and enforces company policies. Employees can capture receipts through the mobile app, while finance teams get instant visibility into budgets and spending across teams or projects.

Brex Cash is their lightweight banking product that acts like a checking account where teams can store funds and manage company spending. It works well enough for simple use cases, but it’s fairly barebones compared to dedicated business banking platforms like Mercury, which offer much deeper banking features and integrations.

Essentials: Free. Best for startups and small teams that want Brex corporate cards, basic expense controls, accounting integrations, and bill pay.

Premium: $12 per user/month. Best for mid-sized companies that need more advanced expense policies, approval workflows, multi-entity support, and deeper ERP or HRIS integrations.

Enterprise: Custom pricing. Designed for large global organizations that need unlimited entities, advanced implementation support, and a dedicated account manager.

Note: Brex is primarily available to venture-backed startups or companies generating roughly $400K+ in monthly revenue. Many smaller businesses will not qualify for approval.