Software · head to head
Brex vs Mercury
The short version
- Only Mercury has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Brex the free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities; Mercury treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
- They diverge on capability: Brex covers Corporate cards, Mercury covers Business checking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Brex and Mercury actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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
- NetSuite
- PCI DSS
Only in Mercury
- Business checking
- Savings accounts
- Virtual cards
- Team management
- API access
- Stripe
Both cover
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- SOC 2
- FDIC insured
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Brex
- Corporate cards with spend controls for startupsnot Mercury
- Expense management and reimbursementsnot Mercury
- Travel booking inside the spend platformnot Mercury
- Bill pay and accounting system syncnot Mercury
- Multi-entity spend management on the paid tiersnot Mercury
Mercury
- Business banking and payments for startupsnot Brex
- Managing treasury, invoicing and corporate cards from one accountnot 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
Mercury
- Treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
- Non USD international wires carry a 1% conversion fee
- Choosing OUR wire coding, which covers intermediary bank charges, costs $15 per wire
- ACH invoicing is $1 per transaction on Mercury Plus and only free on the $299 a month Pro plan
- Advanced and recurring invoicing require Mercury Plus at $29.90 a month
Pricing, plan by plan
Brex
$29/month- EssentialsFree
- Corporate cards
- Expense management
- Bill pay
- Premium$12/month
- Advanced controls
- Custom approvals
- Travel booking
Mercury
Free- FreeFree
- Checking account
- Debit cards
- Integrations
Which should you pick?
Choose Brex if
- You need corporate cards.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want business accounts.
Choose Mercury if
- You need business checking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want savings accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Brex or Mercury better?
- Neither clearly leads. Brex starts at $29/month and Mercury at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Brex or Mercury?
- Mercury has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Brex and Free for Mercury.
- Does Brex or Mercury run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Mercury for free?
- Yes. Mercury has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Brex starts at $29/month.
- 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 Mercury is typically brought in for.
- What can Brex do that Mercury cannot?
- Brex covers Corporate cards, Business accounts, Expense management, Bill pay. Mercury covers Business checking, Savings accounts, Virtual cards, Team management. Both handle QuickBooks, Xero, SOC 2, FDIC insured.