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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Airbase vs Navan

Airbase logo

Airbase

Accounting & Finance

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Navan logo

Navan

Accounting & Finance

AI-powered corporate travel and expense management with integrated corporate card

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Navan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Navan enterprise pricing requires quote request; no transparency on true per-user or per-transaction costs

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Navan actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Navan differ
AttributeAirbaseNavan
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, API
CategoryAccounting & FinanceUnknown
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Airbase

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

Only in Navan

Nothing recorded that Airbase does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot Navan
  • Expense reportingnot Navan
  • Vendor paymentsnot Navan

Navan

  • Mid-market and enterprise companies automating travel and expense workflowsnot Airbase
  • Organisations seeking to reduce travel costs through policy enforcement and AI-driven discountsnot Airbase
  • Teams utilising corporate card programmes for spend tracking without receipt capture overheadnot Airbase
  • Global enterprises requiring multi-currency support and ERP integrationnot Airbase
  • Companies where employee autonomy is prioritised; AI assistant enables self-service booking and policy compliancenot Airbase

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Navan

  • Enterprise pricing requires quote request; no transparency on true per-user or per-transaction costs
  • Expense management charges apply beyond 5 users, increasing per-user costs for larger teams
  • Corporate card programmes (Navan Card, Connect) complicate adoption by requiring banking integration
  • AI assistant (Navan Edge) lacks transparency on data handling; unclear whether conversation data is retained for model training
  • Limited EMEA coverage; emerging market travel inventory less comprehensive than global GDS systems

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Navan

Free
  • Navan BusinessFree
    • Unlimited flight, hotel, train, rental car bookings
    • Global inventory across 178+ countries
    • 24/7 travel support
  • Navan Business (Expense add-on)$15/month
    • Additional expense management users (beyond 5 free)
    • Receipt scanning and categorisation
    • ERP integration (30+ connectors)
  • Navan EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated account management
    • Negotiated corporate rates

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

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

Choose Navan if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Navan review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Navan better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Navan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Navan?
Navan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Airbase and Free for Navan.
Does Airbase or Navan run on more platforms?
Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android. Navan runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Navan for free?
Yes. Navan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbase starts at $29/month.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for spend management, expense reporting, vendor payments. Of those, spend management and expense reporting are not what Navan is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Navan cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Navan: Is Navan's travel booking free?

Yes. Navan Business travel bookings are free, supported by supplier commissions. Expense management is free for the first 5 users monthly; additional users cost £15/month each.

Source
Navan: What is Navan Edge?

Navan Edge is an AI travel assistant integrated into chat that handles flight, hotel, and restaurant enquiries, provides recommendations, processes cancellations and rebookings, and escalates to human support 24/7.

Source
Navan: Does Navan integrate with our ERP system?

Yes. Navan provides 30+ pre-built ERP connectors (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, etc.) and REST APIs for real-time spend sync and invoice reconciliation.

Source
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