Software · head to head
Paddle vs Brex
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Paddle paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate; Brex the free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities
- They diverge on capability: Paddle covers Payment processing, Brex covers Corporate cards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paddle and Brex actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), 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 Paddle
- Payment processing
- Sales tax handling
- Subscription management
- Checkout
- Revenue metrics
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Various
Only in Brex
- Corporate cards
- Business accounts
- Expense management
- Bill pay
- Travel
- QuickBooks
- NetSuite
- Xero
Both cover
- PCI DSS
- SOC 2
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Paddle
- Selling SaaS or digital products with a merchant of record handling taxnot Brex
- Global subscription billing and checkoutnot Brex
- Offloading sales tax and VAT compliance for cross border salesnot Brex
Brex
- Corporate cards with spend controls for startupsnot Paddle
- Expense management and reimbursementsnot Paddle
- Travel booking inside the spend platformnot Paddle
- Bill pay and accounting system syncnot Paddle
- Multi-entity spend management on the paid tiersnot Paddle
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Paddle
- Paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
- The 50 cent fixed component falls heavily on low value sales, and products under $10 require custom pricing agreed with sales
- Invoicing is not covered by the published rate and requires custom pricing
- As a merchant of record Paddle sits between the seller and the customer, so payouts and tax handling run through Paddle rather than the seller's own processor
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Paddle
$29/month- Standard$5/transaction
- Payment processing
- Tax compliance
- Billing
Brex
$29/month- EssentialsFree
- Corporate cards
- Expense management
- Bill pay
- Premium$12/month
- Advanced controls
- Custom approvals
- Travel booking
Which should you pick?
Choose Paddle if
- You need payment processing.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want sales tax handling.
Choose Brex if
- You need corporate cards.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want business accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Paddle or Brex better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paddle starts at $29/month and Brex at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paddle or Brex?
- Paddle starts at $29/month and Brex at $29/month.
- Does Paddle or Brex run on more platforms?
- Paddle runs on Web, Api. Brex runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What is Paddle best used for?
- Paddle is most often used for selling saas or digital products with a merchant of record handling tax, global subscription billing and checkout, offloading sales tax and vat compliance for cross border sales. Of those, selling saas or digital products with a merchant of record handling tax and global subscription billing and checkout are not what Brex is typically brought in for.
- What can Paddle do that Brex cannot?
- Paddle covers Payment processing, Sales tax handling, Subscription management, Checkout. Brex covers Corporate cards, Business accounts, Expense management, Bill pay. Both handle PCI DSS, SOC 2, Web support.