# Brex

Brex is a corporate card and spend management platform rated 4.5/5 on G2 (400+ reviews). Profile: pricing, funding, compliance, and who it's best for.

**Category:** Corporate card / spend management platform  
**Vendor:** Brex Inc.  
**Founded:** 2017  
**HQ:** San Francisco, California, US  
**Website:** https://www.brex.com  


## About

Brex is a financial technology platform that offers corporate cards, business accounts, expense management, and travel booking built specifically for startups and high-growth technology companies. It was founded in 2017 in San Francisco by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, two Brazilian entrepreneurs who previously built Pagar.me, a payments company in Brazil. Brex's original insight was that traditional corporate card underwriting (based on personal credit checks) locked out venture-backed startups that had funding but no revenue history, and it replaced that model with underwriting based on bank balance and investor backing. The company expanded from cards into a broader spend platform covering reimbursements, bill pay, travel, and AI-powered expense categorization. As of 2025, Brex serves tens of thousands of companies and has processed hundreds of billions in payments.

## Ratings

| Source | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| G2 | 4.5/5 | 437 |
| Capterra | 4.4/5 | 118 |
| Gartner Peer Insights | 4.3/5 | 52 |
| TrustRadius | 8.5/10 | 89 |

## Funding

~$1.5B across multiple rounds (2018 through 2021)

| Round | Amount | Date | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | $57M | Apr 2018 | Ribbit Capital, DST Global, Peter Thiel |
| Series B | $125M | Oct 2018 | Kleiner Perkins (with existing investors) |
| Series C | $150M | Apr 2020 | TCV (with GreenOaks Capital, Ribbit Capital) |
| Series D | $425M | Apr 2021 | Tiger Global Management (at $7.4B valuation) |
| Series D-2 | $300M | Oct 2021 | Insight Partners, TCV (at $12.3B valuation) |

## Viability

Low risk for the core product, with normal startup caveats. Brex has raised approximately $1.5 billion in total funding from top-tier investors including Kleiner Perkins, Tiger Global, and Ribbit Capital, and was last valued at $12.3 billion in 2021. The company made headlines in 2022 for exiting the SMB market to focus exclusively on startups and mid-market tech companies, which initially disrupted some small-business customers but sharpened the product focus. As a private fintech in a competitive space that includes Ramp, Airbase, and American Express, the main risks are valuation reset in a down market and the ongoing Ramp rivalry. For its target customer (VC-backed startups and growth-stage tech), Brex is well-capitalized and deeply embedded in the tech ecosystem.

## Pricing

Brex's Essentials plan is genuinely free and includes cards, spend tracking, and basic controls for most startups. The Premium tier at $12 per user per month unlocks advanced policy enforcement, custom approval workflows, and deeper ERP sync, which most finance teams at 30-plus employees will want. Enterprise pricing is custom and typically includes a dedicated account manager, custom integrations, and global card features. Watch out for foreign transaction fees on the card itself, which add up for teams with heavy international spend, and verify the current deposit or funding minimums for the free tier before signing.

| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $0 | Early-stage startups needing corporate cards, basic spend tracking, and receipt capture with no monthly fee |
| Premium | $12/user/mo | Growth-stage teams needing advanced policy controls, custom approval chains, and deeper accounting sync |
| Enterprise | Custom | Mid-market and enterprise tech companies needing global cards, custom ERP integrations, dedicated support, and SAML SSO |

## What reviewers say

_437 G2 reviews at 4.5/5 and 118 Capterra reviews at 4.4/5 (91% positive sentiment), plus Gartner and TrustRadius_

**Praised:**
- Startup-friendly underwriting is the most-cited strength: no personal guarantee, no credit check, approval based on bank balance and investor backing, which is exactly what new ventures need
- Real-time visibility and card controls receive consistent praise; finance teams highlight the ability to set per-employee spend limits, require receipts, and enforce policies before a charge posts rather than after
- Accounting integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Xero are called out repeatedly as smooth, with reviewers noting that month-end close is meaningfully faster than with legacy expense tools

**Complaints:**
- Customer support response times draw complaints, particularly for account issues, disputed charges, and onboarding questions where users expected faster resolution
- Brex's 2022 decision to drop SMB customers (those without VC backing or over $50K in deposits) still surfaces in reviews, with some teams caught off guard mid-contract
- Premium and Enterprise tiers price out early-stage teams once they scale; several reviewers note Ramp as a direct comparison where pricing is more favorable at similar feature sets

## Compliance

- **SOC 2:** Yes (SOC 2 Type II)
- **GDPR:** Yes
- **HIPAA:** No
- **SSO:** Yes (SAML SSO on Enterprise)

## Integrations

- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- NetSuite
- Sage Intacct
- Slack
- Gusto
- Rippling
- Workday
- Salesforce
- Zapier

## FAQs

### Who is Brex best for?

Brex is built for VC-backed startups and high-growth technology companies. It replaced personal-guarantee underwriting with a model based on bank balance and funding, so it works well for companies that have investment capital but limited credit history. Post-2022, Brex formally exited the self-funded SMB market, so bootstrapped businesses with under $50K in deposits are typically directed to alternatives.

### Is Brex free?

The Essentials plan is free and includes corporate cards, basic spend controls, and receipt capture. Premium costs $12 per user per month and adds advanced approval workflows and deeper integrations. Enterprise is custom-quoted. The card itself may carry foreign transaction fees, so read the card terms alongside the platform pricing.

### How does Brex underwriting work?

Brex does not run a personal credit check on founders. Instead it evaluates the company's bank balance, investor backing, and business financials. Approval is typically fast (sometimes same-day) for venture-backed startups. Credit limits are set based on deposits and funding history rather than personal FICO scores.

### Is Brex SOC 2 certified?

Yes. Brex maintains SOC 2 Type II certification. SAML-based single sign-on is available on the Enterprise tier. HIPAA coverage is not part of Brex's standard compliance scope, which is relevant if the company handles protected health information.

### How does Brex compare to Ramp?

Both are startup-focused corporate card platforms with similar core features: no personal guarantee, real-time controls, and accounting integrations. Ramp is often cited as cheaper (it does not charge a per-user fee on its standard plan) while Brex has historically had higher credit limits and broader travel features. The right choice depends on your average spend per employee and which accounting systems you run.


## Sources

- [G2: Brex reviews](https://www.g2.com/products/brex/reviews): rating 4.5/5, 437 reviews, read
- [Capterra: Brex](https://www.capterra.com/p/198506/Brex/): rating 4.4/5, 118 reviews, sub-scores
- [TrustRadius: Brex](https://www.trustradius.com/products/brex/reviews): score 8.5/10, 89 reviews
- [Crunchbase: Brex](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/brex): ~$1.5B total funding, Series D-2 at $12.3B valuation, investor list
- [Wikipedia: Brex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brex): founding story, founders, HQ, 2022 SMB exit
- [LinkedIn: Brex company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/brexhq/about/): industry, HQ, employee count, specialties
- [Brex: pricing page](https://www.brex.com/pricing): Essentials free, Premium $12/user/mo, Enterprise custom
- [Brex: security and compliance](https://www.brex.com/legal/security): SOC 2 Type II, SAML SSO, data handling