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Software · head to head

Brex vs FastSpring

Brex logo

Brex

Software

The financial stack for growing businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FastSpring logo

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brex the free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities; FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • They diverge on capability: Brex covers Corporate cards, FastSpring covers Global online payments.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brex and FastSpring actually diverge.

Attributes where Brex and FastSpring differ
AttributeBrexFastSpring
Starting price$29/monthOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumtransaction
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Androidweb, api
Founded20172006

Identical on both: 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 Brex

  • Corporate cards
  • Business accounts
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Travel
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Xero

Only in FastSpring

  • Global online payments
  • Subscription billing
  • Branded checkout
  • Tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Digital invoicing and quotes

What people use each for

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

Brex

  • Corporate cards with spend controls for startupsnot FastSpring
  • Expense management and reimbursementsnot FastSpring
  • Travel booking inside the spend platformnot FastSpring
  • Bill pay and accounting system syncnot FastSpring
  • Multi-entity spend management on the paid tiersnot FastSpring

FastSpring

  • Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Brex
  • B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Brex
  • Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Brex
  • Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Brex

Where each one falls short

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

Brex

  • The free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities
  • Premium is $12 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount using the card
  • Enterprise and Smart Card pricing is not published
  • Eligibility criteria are not stated anywhere on the pricing page, which matters for a product that extends credit

FastSpring

  • Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
  • Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
  • Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Pricing, plan by plan

Brex

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense management
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$12/month
    • Advanced controls
    • Custom approvals
    • Travel booking

FastSpring

On request
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
    • No subscription fees or per-feature charges
    • Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Which should you pick?

Choose Brex if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.
Brex review

Choose FastSpring if

  • You need global online payments.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription billing.
FastSpring review

Questions people ask

Is Brex or FastSpring better?
Neither clearly leads. Brex starts at $29/month and FastSpring at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brex or FastSpring?
Brex starts at $29/month and FastSpring at On request.
Does Brex or FastSpring run on more platforms?
Brex runs on Web, Ios, Android. FastSpring runs on web, api.
What is Brex best used for?
Brex is most often used for corporate cards with spend controls for startups, expense management and reimbursements, travel booking inside the spend platform, bill pay and accounting system sync. Of those, corporate cards with spend controls for startups and expense management and reimbursements are not what FastSpring is typically brought in for.
What can Brex do that FastSpring cannot?
Brex covers Corporate cards, Business accounts, Expense management, Bill pay. FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source
FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source
FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source
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