Brex vs Ramp: which corporate card can your startup actually get?

Brex and Ramp changed what a startup can expect from a company card. Both offer corporate cards with no personal guarantee, unlimited virtual cards, and expense software good enough that many companies use it instead of a separate tool. Both have a free plan. On features alone, a small company would be happy with either.

The real difference is the door. Each one decides whether to approve you mainly on how much cash your company holds, and the bars aren't the same. For most young companies, that settles the question before any feature does.

Eligibility, side by side

This is the table that matters most. Requirements are from each company's own support pages on the day we checked.

How these cards work

Brex and Ramp issue corporate charge cards rather than traditional credit cards. Your limit is based on your company's cash and financial health, not your personal credit score, and the balance is paid in full on a schedule rather than carried with interest. That's why both ask about your bank balance and connect to your bank account during the application.

The upside is clear for founders: no personal guarantee, so the card debt belongs to the company, and limits that grow as your balance grows. The trade-off is that a company with little cash in the bank gets a low limit, or isn't approved at all.

Ramp

Ramp's free plan is unusually complete. It includes the corporate card with unlimited cards, travel and expense management, bill payment with automatic invoice reading, accounts receivable tools, basic accounting automation, and integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero. It also offers a treasury account, which Ramp lists at 2% APY on an FDIC-insured account at the time we checked.

Ramp Plus costs $15 per user a month, plus a platform fee based on team size, with 20% off for annual billing. It adds AI-driven expense reviews, cards that lock automatically when policy isn't followed, more advanced bill payment, NetSuite and Sage Intacct integrations, support for several entities and custom user roles. An enterprise plan adds dedicated support and deeper ERP integrations at custom pricing.

To qualify, your business must be a corporation, LLC or LP registered in the US, with most of its operations and spending in the US and at least $25,000 in a business bank account. Ramp doesn't accept sole proprietors.

Best for: small and growing companies with $25,000 or more that want a complete expense system for free. Watch for: the per-user cost on Plus as your team grows.

Brex

Brex positions itself for startups and scaling companies, and its plans reflect that. Essentials, its free plan, includes the card with global acceptance, custom spending rules, accounting integrations and real-time reporting. Premium, at $12 per user a month, adds multiple expense policies and review chains for mid-sized companies. Enterprise adds unlimited US or global entities and a named account manager at custom pricing.

Brex is stricter about who it accepts. Every applicant needs a US EIN, a valid US incorporation, US operations and a US physical address. Funded startups need at least $50,000 in cash, though certain partner referrals can lower that. Businesses that aren't venture-backed generally need more than $500,000 in annual revenue, and Brex says it isn't designed for small local businesses or sole proprietors.

Best for: venture-funded startups and fast-growing companies that expect to add entities and complex policies. Watch for: the higher bar to qualify.

Features that matter to a small company

At five to twenty people, a few features decide whether the software makes life easier.

• Virtual cards per vendor. Both let you create a card for each software subscription, with its own limit, so a canceled tool can't keep charging you.
• Receipt capture. Both collect receipts by text, email or app, and match them to transactions, which saves a monthly chase.
• Spending rules. Both let you set limits and rules by person, team or category. Ramp's free plan covers most small-team needs, and both put more advanced policies in their paid plans.
• Accounting sync. Both connect to QuickBooks and Xero, and push categorized transactions with receipts attached.
• Bill payment. Ramp's free plan includes bill payment with automatic invoice reading. If you pay many vendors, that alone can replace a separate tool.

What the paid plans cost as you grow

Most small companies never need to leave the free plans. If you do, the paid tiers are priced per user, so the cost follows your headcount.

• 3 users: Brex Premium costs $36 a month. Ramp Plus costs $45 a month plus its platform fee.
• 10 users: Brex Premium costs $120 a month. Ramp Plus costs $150 a month plus the platform fee.
• 25 users: Brex Premium costs $300 a month. Ramp Plus costs $375 a month plus the platform fee, less 20% with annual billing.

Ramp's platform fee depends on team size and isn't listed as a fixed number, so ask for a quote. In practice, the question isn't which is cheaper per user, it's whether your team needs the paid features at all: multiple entities, custom roles, advanced approvals and ERP integrations.

The trade-off with a traditional business card

Founders sometimes ask why they shouldn't just use a familiar business credit card from a big bank. There are good reasons to, and good reasons not to.

A traditional card usually asks for a personal guarantee, so if the business can't pay, you can. It looks at your personal credit, which a new founder may not want tied to the company. In return, it's available to almost anyone, including sole proprietors and businesses with little cash, and it lets you carry a balance, at interest.

A corporate card like Brex or Ramp puts the liability on the company and bases the limit on its cash. The balance has to be paid in full, which enforces a discipline many founders welcome. The cost is the cash requirement to get in.

Many companies end up with both: a corporate card for the team's everyday spending, and a traditional card kept as a backup line for the occasional large purchase.

Setting it up well

Whichever you choose, the first hour of setup decides how much it saves you.

1. Connect your bank account and accounting software before you issue any cards, so every transaction syncs from day one.
2. Create one virtual card per subscription, with a monthly limit a little above the expected charge. When you cancel a tool, freeze its card.
3. Set simple rules by person or category: a limit for travel, another for software, and receipts required above a set amount.
4. Issue physical cards only to people who travel or buy in person.
5. Review once a month, close unused cards and check that categories are flowing correctly into your books. Fifteen minutes is usually enough.

Rewards

Both companies advertise card rewards, but neither listed specific reward rates on its pricing page when we checked, and rates and redemption options change. If rewards matter to you, check the current terms on each company's card page before applying. For most small companies, the time saved on expenses is worth far more than the rewards.

If you don't qualify for either

Plenty of new businesses won't meet a $25,000 balance requirement, and sole proprietors aren't eligible. You still have good options.

• A traditional business credit card from a major issuer. These usually require a personal guarantee and look at your personal credit, but they're available to sole proprietors and new businesses.
• Your business bank's card. Online business banks often offer debit cards, and some offer charge or credit cards to their own customers once you've banked with them for a while.
• Wait and reapply. If you're raising money or expect revenue to grow, apply once your balance passes the threshold. Ask each company how soon you can reapply after a decline.

Brex vs Ramp: how to choose

1. Is the company a corporation, LLC or LP in the US? If not, neither will accept you.
2. Do you have $25,000 or more in the bank? If not, use a traditional business card for now.
3. Do you have $50,000 or more and venture funding? Either works. Compare the free plans side by side and pick the software your team prefers.
4. Between $25,000 and $50,000 without venture funding? Ramp.
5. Planning several entities or international teams soon? Look at both companies' paid plans, since that's where multi-entity support sits.

If you're still setting up the company's banking, our guide to opening a business bank account covers that first step, and our comparison of Mercury, Relay and Bluevine covers the accounts these cards draw on.