Software · head to head
Navan vs Airwallex
Navan
Software
AI-powered corporate travel and expense management with integrated corporate card
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Navan enterprise pricing requires quote request; no transparency on true per-user or per-transaction costs; Airwallex international card payments carry a $0.30 fee per transaction on top of FX charges, separate from the free tier
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Navan and Airwallex actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Navan
- Mid-market and enterprise companies automating travel and expense workflowsnot Airwallex
- Organisations seeking to reduce travel costs through policy enforcement and AI-driven discountsnot Airwallex
- Teams utilising corporate card programmes for spend tracking without receipt capture overheadnot Airwallex
- Global enterprises requiring multi-currency support and ERP integrationnot Airwallex
- Companies where employee autonomy is prioritised; AI assistant enables self-service booking and policy compliancenot Airwallex
Airwallex
No use cases recorded yet. See the Airwallex review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Navan
- Enterprise pricing requires quote request; no transparency on true per-user or per-transaction costs
- Expense management charges apply beyond 5 users, increasing per-user costs for larger teams
- Corporate card programmes (Navan Card, Connect) complicate adoption by requiring banking integration
- AI assistant (Navan Edge) lacks transparency on data handling; unclear whether conversation data is retained for model training
- Limited EMEA coverage; emerging market travel inventory less comprehensive than global GDS systems
Airwallex
- International card payments carry a $0.30 fee per transaction on top of FX charges, separate from the free tier
Pricing, plan by plan
Navan
Free- Navan BusinessFree
- Unlimited flight, hotel, train, rental car bookings
- Global inventory across 178+ countries
- 24/7 travel support
- Navan Business (Expense add-on)$15/month
- Additional expense management users (beyond 5 free)
- Receipt scanning and categorisation
- ERP integration (30+ connectors)
- Navan EnterpriseFree
- Custom pricing
- Dedicated account management
- Negotiated corporate rates
Airwallex
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Airwallex review.
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Navan or Airwallex better?
- Neither clearly leads. Navan starts at Free and Airwallex at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Navan or Airwallex?
- Navan starts at Free and Airwallex at Free.
- Does Navan or Airwallex run on more platforms?
- Navan runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Airwallex runs on Web.
- Can I use Navan for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Navan best used for?
- Navan is most often used for mid-market and enterprise companies automating travel and expense workflows, organisations seeking to reduce travel costs through policy enforcement and ai-driven discounts, teams utilising corporate card programmes for spend tracking without receipt capture overhead, global enterprises requiring multi-currency support and erp integration. Of those, mid-market and enterprise companies automating travel and expense workflows and organisations seeking to reduce travel costs through policy enforcement and ai-driven discounts are not what Airwallex is typically brought in for.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Navan: Is Navan's travel booking free?
Yes. Navan Business travel bookings are free, supported by supplier commissions. Expense management is free for the first 5 users monthly; additional users cost £15/month each.
SourceNavan: What is Navan Edge?
Navan Edge is an AI travel assistant integrated into chat that handles flight, hotel, and restaurant enquiries, provides recommendations, processes cancellations and rebookings, and escalates to human support 24/7.
SourceNavan: Does Navan integrate with our ERP system?
Yes. Navan provides 30+ pre-built ERP connectors (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, etc.) and REST APIs for real-time spend sync and invoice reconciliation.
Source