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Software · head to head

Airbase vs Paddle

Airbase logo

Airbase

Software

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paddle logo

Paddle

Software

The complete payments infrastructure for SaaS

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Paddle paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, Paddle covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Paddle actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Paddle differ
AttributeAirbasePaddle
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Api
Founded20172012

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Paddle

  • Payment processing
  • Sales tax handling
  • Subscription management
  • Checkout
  • Revenue metrics
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Various

Both cover

  • PCI DSS
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot Paddle
  • Expense reportingnot Paddle
  • Vendor paymentsnot Paddle

Paddle

  • Selling SaaS or digital products with a merchant of record handling taxnot Airbase
  • Global subscription billing and checkoutnot Airbase
  • Offloading sales tax and VAT compliance for cross border salesnot 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.

Paddle

  • Paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
  • The 50 cent fixed component falls heavily on low value sales, and products under $10 require custom pricing agreed with sales
  • Invoicing is not covered by the published rate and requires custom pricing
  • As a merchant of record Paddle sits between the seller and the customer, so payouts and tax handling run through Paddle rather than the seller's own processor

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

Paddle

$29/month
  • Standard$5/transaction
    • Payment processing
    • Tax compliance
    • Billing

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 Paddle if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want sales tax handling.
Paddle review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Paddle better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Paddle at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Paddle?
Airbase starts at $29/month and Paddle at $29/month.
Does Airbase or Paddle run on more platforms?
Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android. Paddle runs on Web, Api.
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 Paddle is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Paddle cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement. Paddle covers Payment processing, Sales tax handling, Subscription management, Checkout. Both handle PCI DSS, Web support.
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