Ramp vs Brex for SaaS Startups (2026): Eligibility, Fees, Rewards and Where the Cash Sits
Pick Ramp if you are bootstrapped or pre-funding with at least $25,000 in a US bank, if you want your operating cash in an FDIC-insured account that pays interest (Ramp Checking, 2% APY as of October 13, 2026), or if you pay bills by ACH and wire and are willing to run them from Ramp Checking. Pick Brex if you are venture-funded with $50,000 or more in cash, spend heavily on recurring US software (points worth 1.2% there at the cash value), and want idle cash in a government money market fund, with free ACH and wires from its business account. At Series A both cost little in fees; the choice turns on plan features, where your cash sits, and how much you spend abroad.
Cost side by side at pre-seed, seed and Series A
| Stage | Ramp Free | Ramp Plus seats (before platform fee) | Brex Essentials | Brex Premium | Card FX (both, 3% ceiling) | Wires and SWIFT (both, from own account) | Yield: Ramp Checking 2% APY on all cash | Yield: Brex Treasury on idle cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed | $0 | $540 | $0 | $432 | $144 | $0 | $10,000 | $12,635 (3.61%) |
| Seed | $0 | $1,800 | $0 | $1,440 | $720 | $0 | $60,000 | $92,750 (3.71%) |
| Series A | $0 | $5,400 | $0 | $4,320 | $4,320 | $0 | $240,000 | $376,000 (3.76%) |
Per year. The activity profile is our assumption: pre-seed $500K cash ($150K operating), 2 domestic wires and 1 non-USD payment of $3K a month, $4K card spend (10% non-USD), 3 users; seed $3M ($500K operating), 6 wires, 4 payments of $6K, $20K card spend, 10 users; Series A $12M ($2M operating), 15 wires, 12 payments of $10K, $80K card spend (15% non-USD), 30 users. Not published by either vendor, so not in the table: FX margin on non-USD payments, Ramp's cashback rate and Plus platform fee; Brex points vary by category. Ramp yield: Ramp Checking, a deposit at First Internet Bank of Indiana, 2% APY as of 10/13/2026. Brex yield: total treasury return (DGVXX money market fund plus a Brex-paid return) for the total balance, no as-of date printed by Brex, read 10/13/2026; Brex Checking pays no yield, so it applies to cash above the operating balance. Computed with our banking cost calculator.
The fee columns are close, and Brex Premium is cheaper per seat than Ramp Plus before Ramp's unpublished platform fee. The yield columns are not a like-for-like race. Ramp's number is a bank deposit with pass-through FDIC coverage; Brex's is a money market fund protected by SIPC as a security, not by the FDIC. Ramp also offers an Investment Account advertised at 4.62%, but that is a bond-portfolio yield to maturity on a hypothetical $10M (as of 09/03/2026), with an advisory fee of up to 0.15% from November 1, 2026; we leave it out because it is not comparable to a money market yield. Run your own numbers.
Published prices
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo/user | Smaller teams: corporate card, expense management, bill pay, reimbursements, QuickBooks Online and Xero; Unlimited physical and virtual cards. US entity (corporation, LLC or LP), EIN, US physical address and at least $25,000 in a linked US business bank account required |
| Plus | $15/mo/user + platform fee based on team size; save 20% with annual billing | AI review and coding, NetSuite / Sage Intacct and other ERPs, multi-entity, custom roles, global coverage |
| Enterprise | Custom, annual billing | Local card issuing in 30+ countries, Workday / Oracle, dedicated account manager, implementation services |
| Add-on: 1099 filing | $0.65 per IRS filing; state filing free | Pricing page compare table: '$.65 per IRS filing. Free state filing.' |
| Add-on: Bill Pay fees when paying from an external bank account | Standard ACH $0.59; same-day ACH $10; domestic wire $15; international wire (SWIFT USD) $20; standard check $1.99; overnight check $20 | support.ramp.com/bill-pay-fees, read 2026-10-13. ACH and check fees effective June 1, 2026 (3-month grace for customers active before May 1, 2026). Waived for standard ACH, check, same-day ACH, domestic wires and SWIFT when paying from a Ramp Checking Account; overnight check and check attachments still charged. |
| Add-on: Card foreign transaction margin | Up to 3% (margin on the issuer / Visa rate) | support.ramp.com/foreign-transaction-fees: 'Ramp typically includes a margin on the exchange rate selected by the issuer or card network. This margin will not exceed 3%.' Foreign and non-USD transactions do not earn rewards (Rewards Terms). |
| Add-on: International bill payments and reimbursements in local currency | FX margin, not published | 'Ramp may include a margin on foreign exchange'; admins see the current margin in-product. |
| Add-on: Card cashback | Rate not published by Ramp (third-party reviews: up to 1.5%) | Rewards Terms: points accrue 'at a rate and in an amount determined by Ramp'; excludes foreign and non-USD transactions, cash equivalents, fees; requires a linked account and full, on-time payment; can be changed or eliminated at any time. Redeem to statement, Ramp fees, travel points or Ramp Checking (USD only), not to an outside bank. |
| Add-on: Ramp Checking Account yield | 2% APY, as of 10/13/2026 (variable) | Deposit account at First Internet Bank of Indiana, Member FDIC; no fees or minimums; FDIC coverage 'up to tens of millions of dollars per depositor' via IntraFi ICS (pass-through, conditions apply). |
| Add-on: Ramp Investment Account (managed) | Up to 4.62% YTM (hypothetical $10M, as of 09/03/2026 on ramp.com/business-banking); advisory fee up to 0.15%/yr from November 1, 2026 | Ramp Advisory LLC (SEC RIA) with Moment Advisors as subadviser, custody Apex Clearing (SIPC, not FDIC). Yield = 1-day SEC yield for funds and YTM for bonds, 'net of an advisory fee of up to 0.15%' (business-banking page) but the pricing page says 'YTM excludes fees'. $5,000 minimum position; $50,000 minimum short-term cash target since March 2026. Introductory fee waiver ends October 31, 2026. |
Prices verified on ramp.com/pricing on October 13, 2026.
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $0 user/month | Startups and growing companies: global card, 1 local card program, up to two entities, accounting integrations, local currency wires, travel booking, bill pay, reimbursements, API; US EIN, US incorporation, US operations and US physical address; equity funding of any amount (with $50,000 minimum cash for funded startups) or more than $500,000 annual revenue |
| Premium | $12 user/month | Mid-sized companies: multiple expense policies, multi-entity US and international, ERP and HRIS integrations, VAT documentation, live budgets |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Unlimited US or global entities, local card issuance, named account manager |
| Add-on: Business account transfers | $0 ACH (domestic and international), checks, domestic and international wires, incoming and outgoing | brex.com/product/cash-management-account/rates-fees. Recipient's bank may charge. Non-USD wires: Brex chooses the FX rate 'at our sole discretion' (no markup published). Inbound international wires in USD only. |
| Add-on: Card foreign transaction / conversion fee | Up to 3% | Card Terms 1.6: markups 'typically equal to up to three percent (3%) of the Charge amount'; help center: 'will not exceed 3%'. |
| Add-on: Card late fee | 2.99% of the delinquent balance or $38, whichever is higher | Once per statement 30 days past due (Card Terms). |
| Add-on: Brex points | 1x to 8x points per USD by category; 1 point = 0.6 cent as cash or statement credit, 1 cent on Brex travel | Default Brex Exclusive (monthly payments): rideshare 7x, Brex travel 4x, restaurants 3x, recurring software 2x, everything else 1x. Daily payments [Software]: software 3x; [Advertising]: ads 1.5x. Points only on USD transactions with US merchants. Cash equivalent at 0.6 cent: 0.6% base, 1.2% software (monthly), 1.8% software (daily). Custom flat-rate rebates for 50+ users with spend commitments. |
| Add-on: Treasury (DGVXX money market fund) | Total treasury return 3.56% to 3.91% by total balance (no as-of date printed; DGVXX 7-day yield 3.50% read 2026-10-13) | Tiers: under $500K 3.56%; $500K-$2M 3.61%; $2M-$5M 3.71%; $5M-$20M 3.76%; $20M+ 3.91% (DGVXX plus a Brex-paid additional return of 0 to 0.35%). Annualised compounded figure. No minimum. Brex Treasury LLC, FINRA/SIPC, not FDIC. No separate management fee stated by Brex; fund expenses are inside the fund yield (expense ratio not checked). |
| Add-on: Vault (FDIC sweep) | Up to $6M FDIC coverage through 24 program banks | Swept by Brex Treasury LLC; 'Funds are not FDIC-insured until they arrive at program banks.' Checking at Column N.A. covered up to $250,000 across all sub-accounts. Vault yield not stated. |
Prices verified on brex.com/pricing on October 13, 2026.
What decides it for a SaaS startup
1. Whether you qualify
Ramp: a US corporation, LLC or LP, EIN, US physical address, mostly US operations and "at least $25,000 in cash in any US business bank account linked to your application" (it was $75,000 until 2024). Brex: US EIN, incorporation, operations and physical address, plus either equity funding with $50,000 in cash or more than $500,000 a year in revenue (down from $1 million between July 8 and August 20, 2026). A bootstrapped SaaS company under $500K in revenue fits Ramp's rule and not Brex's standard one; Brex says such companies "can still apply" for daily payments. Brex removed small business customers without professional funding in 2022 (TechCrunch, June 17, 2022).
2. Rewards on the spend you actually have
Ramp prints no cashback rate on its site or in its Rewards Terms ("at a rate and in an amount determined by Ramp"); the 1.5% in reviews is third-party. Brex points are worth 0.6 cent in cash: 1.2% on recurring software and 0.6% on most other spend under the default monthly-payment program. Neither pays anything on foreign or non-USD purchases.
3. Foreign SaaS and ad bills
Both charge up to 3% on card purchases in another currency (Ramp: "will not exceed 3%"; Brex: "typically" up to 3%). If a meaningful share of your tools bill in EUR or GBP, that line costs more than the rewards on it, at either vendor.
4. Paying bills and wires
Brex: $0 for ACH, checks and domestic and international wires from its business account. Ramp: free from Ramp Checking, but since June 1, 2026 bills paid from an outside bank cost $0.59 per ACH, $15 per domestic wire and $20 per SWIFT USD payment. In our model that is $600, $2,040 and $5,580 a year in wire fees alone at the three stages, before ACH bills.
5. Where your cash sits
Ramp Checking: First Internet Bank of Indiana, spread through IntraFi for FDIC coverage "up to tens of millions of dollars per depositor". Brex: Checking at Column N.A. (FDIC to $250,000), Vault sweep "up to $6M" through 24 program banks, Treasury in DGVXX (SIPC, not FDIC). Brex changed its treasury headline from an APR to a compounded figure between September 2 and October 3, 2026, so part of its rise to 3.91% is method. Neither company is a bank.
6. Ownership
Capital One announced its $5.15 billion purchase of Brex on January 22, 2026 and completed it on April 7, 2026. Brex prices are unchanged since; its checking still sits at Column, not Capital One. We found no bank charter application by Ramp.
Switching and lock-in
Switching is mostly admin: new cards to every vendor, new payment details in bill pay, and new accounting integrations. The money traps are rewards and prepaid fees. Ramp cashback "cannot be redeemed into a bank account", only to a statement credit, Ramp fees, travel points or Ramp Checking, and its terms say unredeemed rewards are lost when you close the account. Ramp Plus fees are non-refundable. Brex points are lost on closure too. Redeem before you move. Running both for a month is possible because neither charges for Essentials or Free.
Not hands-on tested yet: we have not opened an account with Ramp or Brex, which require a US company and identity checks. Fees and rates come from Ramp's and Brex's published pricing pages, fee schedules and help centers, read on October 13, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for startups with no revenue yet, Ramp or Brex?
If you have raised money and hold $50,000, both work. Without funding, Ramp needs only $25,000 in a linked US account, while Brex's standard rule asks for more than $500,000 in revenue.
Can I use Ramp or Brex if I'm incorporated outside the US?
Not with a foreign entity. Both require a US company, EIN and US physical address. Ramp accepts a foreign passport for owners without an SSN; Brex allows a virtual address only if an owner or officer is verifiably in the US.
Who owns Brex?
Capital One, since April 7, 2026. Brex LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital One, N.A.
Is Ramp cheaper than Brex?
On free plans both cost $0. On paid tiers Brex Premium is $12 per active user; Ramp Plus is $15 per user plus a platform fee Ramp does not publish.
Did Brex really drop small businesses?
Yes, in 2022 it gave unfunded small businesses notice to leave by August 15. Today it accepts companies with more than $500,000 in revenue without funding.
Related: Ramp pricing, Brex pricing, Ramp alternatives, startup banking by stage. Yield on idle cash extends your cash runway.