Software · head to head
Navan vs Karbon
Navan
Software
AI-powered corporate travel and expense management with integrated corporate card
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Navan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Navan enterprise pricing requires quote request; no transparency on true per-user or per-transaction costs; Karbon sold as an annual per-user subscription aimed at firms rather than solo practitioners, with no monthly billing option published on the pricing page
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Navan and Karbon actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Karbon
- Organisations seeking to reduce travel costs through policy enforcement and AI-driven discountsnot Karbon
- Teams utilising corporate card programmes for spend tracking without receipt capture overheadnot Karbon
- Global enterprises requiring multi-currency support and ERP integrationnot Karbon
- Companies where employee autonomy is prioritised; AI assistant enables self-service booking and policy compliancenot Karbon
Karbon
No use cases recorded yet. See the Karbon 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
Karbon
- Sold as an annual per-user subscription aimed at firms rather than solo practitioners, with no monthly billing option published on the pricing page
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
Karbon
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Karbon review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Karbon if
Nothing in the data separates Karbon from Navan on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Navan or Karbon better?
- Neither clearly leads. Navan starts at Free and Karbon at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Navan or Karbon?
- Navan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Navan and On request for Karbon.
- Does Navan or Karbon run on more platforms?
- Navan runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Karbon runs on Web.
- Can I use Navan for free?
- Yes. Navan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Karbon starts at On request.
- 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 Karbon 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