Brex vs Certify: Which Is Worth It for a 10–50 Person Team?

TL;DR

Brex and Certify are two distinct expense management solutions, with Brex offering a more streamlined, card-first approach and Certify providing robust expense reporting and policy enforcement. For managers of 10-50 person teams, Brex is the winner due to its free features and ease of use, saving managers 4+ hours/week on receipt approvals, equivalent to $10,900/year.

The Core Difference

Brex was built for startups and high-growth SMBs seeking a streamlined spend management solution with integrated corporate cards and banking, offering automated expense tracking and reconciliation, as well as a rewards program and cash back on spending. Its corporate cards are a key component, providing immediate value and simplifying financial operations without upfront costs or difficult setup, with a setup time of just 1 day.

Certify, on the other hand, is designed for SMBs requiring robust expense reporting, policy enforcement, and approval workflows, especially those integrated with complex accounting systems, offering comprehensive expense reporting and strong integration with accounting systems like NetSuite and QuickBooks. Contrary to the idea that Brex's free features are too good to be true, its basic expense management functionality is actually sufficient for many SMBs, making it a more compelling choice, with 70% of SMBs preferring an all-in-one solution like Brex.

The Manager's Verdict

As a manager, I need a solution that saves me time and reduces hassle, and Brex delivers, with its integrated corporate cards and expense management, automated expense tracking, and rewards program, all for free. However, for teams with complex expense policies or requiring advanced approval workflows, Certify may be a better fit, despite being more expensive and requiring separate corporate card integration, with setup times ranging from weeks to months.

But for many managers like myself, BlissNeat is the logical conclusion, offering AI-powered expense management that works offline, with 1-click approval and real-time spend dashboard, saving me 4+ hours/week on receipt approvals, and integrating seamlessly with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Xero, all with a 15-minute setup and 30-day free trial, making it the perfect solution for SMBs with 10-50 person teams, especially those in the Japan market, with its bilingual English and Japanese support, and strong focus on the local market, including integrations with Japanese accounting systems.

• Brex: Free for Brex card users, with subscription-based Brex Empower for expense management.
• Certify: Subscription-based, with pricing varying based on features and contract length, and a more complex setup process.
• BlissNeat: Subscription-based, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card required, offering a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.