Accounting · head to head
Airwallex vs Conta Azul

Airwallex
Accounting
Multi currency business accounts, international payments and card issuing from a licensed payments firm rather than a bank
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Conta Azul
Accounting
Brazilian cloud system for small business finance, invoicing and sharing the books with the accountant
- From
- 239.9/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Airwallex has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Airwallex airwallex is a licensed payments firm rather than a bank, so balances sit in safeguarding accounts at partner banks and are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes, which means a treasury policy that requires insured deposits cannot hold operating cash there.; Conta Azul it is a Brazilian product with Brazilian fiscal logic, so it is of no use to an entity filing anywhere else, and a foreign group with a Brazilian subsidiary runs it as a local island alongside whatever the group reports in.
- They diverge on capability: Airwallex covers Multi currency balances, Conta Azul covers Electronic invoice issuance.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Airwallex and Conta Azul actually diverge.
| Attribute | Airwallex | Conta Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | 239.9/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).
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 Airwallex
- Multi currency balances
- Local receiving accounts
- Foreign exchange conversion
- International payouts
- Card issuing
- Expense management
- Bill pay
- Payments gateway
Only in Conta Azul
- Electronic invoice issuance
- Receivables and payables
- Bank reconciliation
- Boleto collection
- Customer and supplier records
- Sales orders and quotations
- Stock control
- Accountant access
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Airwallex
- An exporter invoicing customers in United States dollars and euros who wants to be paid into local details rather than receive wires with correspondent deductionsnot Conta Azul
- An agency or software company paying contractors across several countries every month and losing money on bank foreign exchange spreadsnot Conta Azul
- An e-commerce seller collecting on multiple marketplaces in different currencies who wants to hold rather than convert on every settlementnot Conta Azul
- A startup that needs virtual cards with per subscription limits and cannot get a workable card programme from its local banknot Conta Azul
Conta Azul
- A Brazilian micro or small business under the simplified tax regime that runs receivables in a spreadsheet and wants control of cash flownot Airwallex
- A service company that needs to issue municipal service invoices and reconcile boleto collections without manual matchingnot Airwallex
- A business whose accountant asks for organised records each month instead of a folder of documentsnot Airwallex
- A small retailer or distributor needing basic stock control tied to the documents it already has to issuenot Airwallex
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Airwallex
- Airwallex is a licensed payments firm rather than a bank, so balances sit in safeguarding accounts at partner banks and are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes, which means a treasury policy that requires insured deposits cannot hold operating cash there.
- Available currencies, local account details, card programmes and product features differ by the entity you contract with, so a feature demonstrated to a customer in Australia or Singapore may simply not exist for the same company registered in another country.
- Onboarding is subject to compliance review and whole categories of business are declined or later offboarded, and because the account may hold operating cash, a compliance freeze during a review is a business interruption rather than an inconvenience.
- Foreign exchange is quoted as interbank plus a markup, which is cheaper than a high street bank but is still a spread that widens on less liquid pairs and on smaller amounts, so the saving assumed in the business case should be checked against the pairs you actually trade.
- Support is largely ticket and chat based with account management reserved for larger customers, so when a payment is stuck the resolution path is a queue rather than a named person, which is a poor fit for time critical settlement.
Conta Azul
- It is a Brazilian product with Brazilian fiscal logic, so it is of no use to an entity filing anywhere else, and a foreign group with a Brazilian subsidiary runs it as a local island alongside whatever the group reports in.
- Plans are scoped by revenue band, so a company that crosses a threshold pays more without necessarily using more of the product, and budgeting the software cost means forecasting turnover rather than usage.
- It is not a tax calculation and filing engine, so the accountant still prepares the statutory obligations, and a business that expects the subscription to cover its Brazilian tax compliance has misread what it is buying.
- Municipal service invoice coverage varies by city because each municipality runs its own system, so a business in a smaller or unusual municipality may find its service invoices still have to be issued on the city portal by hand.
- The product targets micro and small companies under the simplified regime, so a business that grows into the more complex Brazilian tax regimes will outgrow it and face a migration at exactly the moment its accounting is becoming harder.
Pricing, plan by plan
Airwallex
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Airwallex review.
Conta Azul
239.9/month- Essencial (MEI)$239.9/month
- 1 user access
- Financial management
- Invoicing
- Controle (ME)$449.9/month
- 2 user accesses
- Financial management
- Invoicing
- Avançado$519.9/month
- 5 user accesses
- Financial management
- Invoicing
- Performance$839.9/month
- 15 user accesses
- Financial management
- Invoicing
Which should you pick?
Choose Airwallex if
- You need multi currency balances.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want local receiving accounts.
Choose Conta Azul if
- You need electronic invoice issuance.
- You also want receivables and payables.
Questions people ask
- Is Airwallex or Conta Azul better?
- Neither clearly leads. Airwallex starts at Free and Conta Azul at 239.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Airwallex or Conta Azul?
- Airwallex has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airwallex and 239.9/month for Conta Azul.
- Does Airwallex or Conta Azul run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Airwallex for free?
- Yes. Airwallex has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Conta Azul starts at 239.9/month.
- What is Airwallex best used for?
- Airwallex is most often used for an exporter invoicing customers in united states dollars and euros who wants to be paid into local details rather than receive wires with correspondent deductions, an agency or software company paying contractors across several countries every month and losing money on bank foreign exchange spreads, an e-commerce seller collecting on multiple marketplaces in different currencies who wants to hold rather than convert on every settlement, a startup that needs virtual cards with per subscription limits and cannot get a workable card programme from its local bank. Of those, an exporter invoicing customers in united states dollars and euros who wants to be paid into local details rather than receive wires with correspondent deductions and an agency or software company paying contractors across several countries every month and losing money on bank foreign exchange spreads are not what Conta Azul is typically brought in for.
- What can Airwallex do that Conta Azul cannot?
- Airwallex covers Multi currency balances, Local receiving accounts, Foreign exchange conversion, International payouts. Conta Azul covers Electronic invoice issuance, Receivables and payables, Bank reconciliation, Boleto collection.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Airwallex: Is Airwallex a bank?
No. It holds payment institution, electronic money or equivalent licences in the markets it serves. Funds are safeguarded at partner banks rather than being deposits, and deposit insurance schemes do not apply.
Conta Azul: Does Conta Azul do my tax filings?
No. It organises the operational and financial records and shares them with your accountant, who prepares and files the tax obligations. It is the record keeping layer, not the compliance filer.
Airwallex: Can it replace my business bank account?
For many operating flows it can, but consider what you lose: no deposit protection, no lending relationship, no cash or cheque handling, and some counterparties and government bodies still expect a conventional bank account. Most users run it alongside a bank rather than instead of one.
Conta Azul: Can it issue service invoices for my city?
Coverage depends on your municipality, because each runs its own service invoice system. Check your specific city before subscribing, since a gap there is the difference between automation and manual issuance.
Airwallex: Which countries can open an account?
It serves entities registered in a defined list of markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and North America, and the list changes. Check for your specific country of incorporation, because the answer determines both eligibility and feature set.
Conta Azul: Why does the price depend on my revenue?
Plans are banded by turnover rather than purely by features or users. It keeps the entry price low for very small companies, but it means growth triggers a price change independent of how much of the product you use.
Airwallex: Does it connect to my accounting software?
It integrates with the mainstream cloud ledgers so transactions feed through rather than being imported by hand. Confirm the integration covers all the currencies you hold, since multi currency handling in the ledger is a separate question.
Conta Azul: Will my accountant work in it?
Many Brazilian practices already do, and there is a dedicated accountant role. Ask your accountant before subscribing; if they work in a different product, the friction of running two systems usually falls on you.
Airwallex: How does the foreign exchange rate compare with a bank?
Materially better than a typical business bank's retail rate on major pairs, because it is quoted as interbank plus a stated markup. The gap narrows on thin currency pairs and small amounts, so test with your real volumes.
Conta Azul: Is it suitable if I leave the simplified tax regime?
It is built around smaller companies and the simplified regime. As the tax treatment becomes more complex, expect to outgrow it and to face a migration alongside a change of accounting complexity.
Airwallex: Are the cards accepted everywhere?
They are issued on the major networks and behave like ordinary company cards for most spend. Some merchants, particularly for deposits and car hire, treat prepaid style issuance differently, so do not assume parity with a bank credit card.
Conta Azul: Is there an English interface?
It is a Brazilian product in Portuguese, aimed at Brazilian owners and accountants. Plan for Portuguese language operation.
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