Is Extend or Lithic better?

Neither clearly leads. Extend starts at Free and Lithic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Extend or Lithic?

Extend has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Extend and On request for Lithic.

Does Extend or Lithic run on more platforms?

Extend runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lithic runs on Web, API.

Can I use Extend for free?

Yes. Extend has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lithic starts at On request.

What is Extend best used for?

Extend is most often used for a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme, a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits, a finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend management, a larger business wanting api-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationship. Of those, a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme and a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits are not what Lithic is typically brought in for.

What can Extend do that Lithic cannot?

Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Per-card spend controls, Approval workflows, Receipt auto-matching. Lithic covers Direct network connections, Processor Client mode, Lithic Program Management, Card lifecycle APIs.

Payroll · head to head

Extend vs Lithic

Extend

Payroll

Virtual card issuing and spend controls layered onto existing business credit cards

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Lithic

APIs

API-first card issuing platform with direct Visa, Mastercard and Amex network connections

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Extend has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Extend it depends on an existing business credit card relationship, so a company without a qualifying Amex, Visa or Mastercard business card cannot use it as a standalone card issuer.; Lithic pricing is entirely undisclosed, so a company cannot compare total cost against Marqeta, Galileo or Highnote without a sales conversation.
They diverge on capability: Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Lithic covers Direct network connections.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Extend and Lithic actually diverge.

Attributes where Extend and Lithic differ
Attribute	Extend	Lithic
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	Per user per month, free starter tier	quote
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, API
Category	Payroll	APIs

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 Extend

Virtual card issuing
Per-card spend controls
Approval workflows
Receipt auto-matching
ERP integrations
API access

Only in Lithic

Direct network connections
Processor Client mode
Lithic Program Management
Card lifecycle APIs
Sandbox environment
Real-time authorization controls

What people use each for

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

Extend

A small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programmenot Lithic
A company with an existing Amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limitsnot Lithic
A finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend managementnot Lithic
A larger business wanting API-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationshipnot Lithic

Lithic

A fintech wanting direct Visa or Mastercard network access rather than routing through a third-party processornot Extend
A company that already holds its own issuing licence and wants API access without full programme managementnot Extend
A neobank or expense platform wanting Lithic to manage bank and network relationships end to endnot Extend
A product team prototyping a card programme in sandbox before committing to a launchnot Extend

Where each one falls short

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

Extend

It depends on an existing business credit card relationship, so a company without a qualifying Amex, Visa or Mastercard business card cannot use it as a standalone card issuer.
The free Starter plan is capped at five users and 100 cards a month, which small but growing teams will outgrow quickly and need to upgrade past.
The Pro plan enforces a ten-user minimum, so a company with only two or three people who need virtual cards pays for unused seats.
Rewards, credit terms and dispute resolution still run through the underlying card issuer, so Extend cannot improve or change those terms; it only adds a control layer on top.
Deeper ERP integrations such as NetSuite and Dynamics 365 are reserved for the custom-quoted Enterprise tier, so companies needing them lose the pricing transparency of the published Starter and Pro plans.

Lithic

Pricing is entirely undisclosed, so a company cannot compare total cost against Marqeta, Galileo or Highnote without a sales conversation.
Choosing Processor Client mode still leaves the company responsible for holding its own issuing licence and managing the regulatory relationship, which is a substantial undertaking many teams underestimate.
As with any card infrastructure provider, an outage or network issue at Lithic becomes a direct outage for every card programme built on it, and a customer has limited visibility into root cause during an incident.
Building a card programme on API infrastructure requires real engineering investment; it is not a plug-and-play product for a non-technical team.
Switching card infrastructure providers after launch is a major undertaking involving card reissuance and programme migration, so the initial choice carries lasting lock-in.

Pricing, plan by plan

Extend

Free

StarterFree
- Up to 5 users and 10 guests
- Up to 100 virtual cards per month
- One expense category
Pro$11.99/month
- 10 user minimum
- Up to 500 virtual cards per month
- Custom approval workflows and QuickBooks Online integration
Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited users and virtual cards
- API access for automated card issuance
- NetSuite and Dynamics 365 integration, dedicated account manager

Lithic

On request

Lithic$undefined/year
- Volume and interchange-based pricing, not published
- Separate Processor Client and Program Management pricing tracks
- Custom quote required via sales

Which should you pick?

Choose Extend if

You need virtual card issuing.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want per-card spend controls.

Extend review

Choose Lithic if

You need direct network connections.
You work on Web, API.
You also want processor client mode.

Lithic review

Questions people ask

Is Extend or Lithic better?: Neither clearly leads. Extend starts at Free and Lithic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Extend or Lithic?: Extend has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Extend and On request for Lithic.
Does Extend or Lithic run on more platforms?: Extend runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lithic runs on Web, API.
Can I use Extend for free?: Yes. Extend has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lithic starts at On request.
What is Extend best used for?: Extend is most often used for a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme, a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits, a finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend management, a larger business wanting api-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationship. Of those, a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme and a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits are not what Lithic is typically brought in for.
What can Extend do that Lithic cannot?: Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Per-card spend controls, Approval workflows, Receipt auto-matching. Lithic covers Direct network connections, Processor Client mode, Lithic Program Management, Card lifecycle APIs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Extend: Does Extend replace our business credit card?

No, it issues virtual cards against an existing American Express, Visa or Mastercard business credit line rather than opening a new card programme.

Lithic: Does Lithic publish pricing?

No, pricing is volume-based and requires a sales conversation.

Extend: Is there really a free plan?

Yes, the Starter plan is free for up to five users, ten guests and 100 virtual cards a month.

Lithic: What is the difference between Processor Client and Program Management?

Processor Client suits companies with their own issuing licence and bank relationships; Program Management is for companies wanting Lithic to coordinate those relationships on their behalf.

Extend: What does Pro cost?

11.99 dollars per user per month billed annually, or 12 dollars monthly, with a ten-user minimum.

Lithic: Which networks does it connect to?

Visa, Mastercard and American Express directly.

Extend vs Lithic

Extend

Lithic

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Extend

Only in Lithic

What people use each for

Extend

Lithic

Where each one falls short

Extend

Lithic

Pricing, plan by plan

Extend

Lithic

Which should you pick?

Choose Extend if

Choose Lithic if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Extend

More on Lithic

Keep looking

Other head to heads