Softwr

Software · head to head

AI21 Labs vs Airbase

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

Software

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Airbase logo

Airbase

Software

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only AI21 Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Airbase airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Airbase covers Corporate cards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Airbase actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Airbase differ
AttributeAI21 LabsAirbase
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, CloudWeb, Ios, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2017).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • REST API
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms
  • Api support

Only in Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Bill payments
  • Expense management
  • Procurement
  • Approvals
  • NetSuite
  • Sage Intacct
  • QuickBooks

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Airbase
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Airbase
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Airbase
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Airbase

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot AI21 Labs
  • Expense reportingnot AI21 Labs
  • Vendor paymentsnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Airbase

  • Airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Limited usage
    • API access
  • Jamba$0.2/per-million-input-tokens
    • 256K context
    • Hybrid architecture

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.
AI21 Labs review

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want bill payments.
Airbase review

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Airbase better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Airbase at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Airbase?
AI21 Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for AI21 Labs and $29/month for Airbase.
Does AI21 Labs or Airbase run on more platforms?
AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud. Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Yes. AI21 Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbase starts at $29/month.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Airbase is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Airbase cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on AI21 Labs

More on Airbase

Keep looking

Other head to heads