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Payroll · head to head

Extend vs Payhawk

Extend logo

Extend

Payroll

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Payhawk logo

Payhawk

Payroll

Modular spend management combining corporate cards, accounts payable, procurement and travel

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; Payhawk buying the full stack of Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Procurement separately costs more than a single suite price, since each module carries its own flat monthly fee.
  • They diverge on capability: Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Payhawk covers Corporate cards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Extend and Payhawk actually diverge.

Attributes where Extend and Payhawk differ
AttributeExtendPayhawk
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per month, free starter tierPer module per month
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

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
  • API access

Only in Payhawk

  • Corporate cards
  • Accounts payable automation
  • Procurement module
  • Travel booking
  • Multi-entity consolidation

Both cover

  • ERP integrations

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 Payhawk
  • A company with an existing Amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limitsnot Payhawk
  • A finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend managementnot Payhawk
  • A larger business wanting API-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationshipnot Payhawk

Payhawk

  • A multi-entity European business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currenciesnot Extend
  • A finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blindnot Extend
  • A company wanting only accounts payable automation without paying for card issuing it does not neednot Extend
  • A mid-market business standardising ERP-integrated expense reporting ahead of a fundraise or auditnot 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.

Payhawk

  • Buying the full stack of Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Procurement separately costs more than a single suite price, since each module carries its own flat monthly fee.
  • The unlimited-seats model is a poor fit for a company issuing cards to only a handful of employees, since the fixed module price does not scale down.
  • Card issuing depends on Payhawk's own banking partners rather than a company's existing bank, so switching away later means reissuing cards and re-training staff on a new tool.
  • Procurement is a separate paid module rather than a built-in feature, so a company evaluating "Payhawk" from marketing material may be looking at capability it has not actually bought.
  • International card acceptance and FX handling vary by market, and companies with material spend outside Europe report gaps compared to global card issuers.

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

Payhawk

On request
  • Travel$299/month
    • Integrated travel booking
    • Unlimited employee seats
  • Accounts Payable$349/month
    • Invoice capture and approval routing
    • Unlimited document processing
  • Cards and Expenses$449/month
    • Unlimited card transactions
    • Multi-entity expense management
  • Procurement$499/month
    • Purchase request and approval workflow
    • Vendor management

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 Payhawk if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want accounts payable automation.
Payhawk review

Questions people ask

Is Extend or Payhawk better?
Neither clearly leads. Extend starts at Free and Payhawk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Extend or Payhawk?
Extend has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Extend and On request for Payhawk.
Does Extend or Payhawk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Extend for free?
Yes. Extend has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Payhawk 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 Payhawk is typically brought in for.
What can Extend do that Payhawk cannot?
Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Per-card spend controls, Approval workflows, Receipt auto-matching. Payhawk covers Corporate cards, Accounts payable automation, Procurement module, Travel booking. Both handle ERP integrations.

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.

Payhawk: Is Payhawk pricing really public?

Yes, module pricing (Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Expenses, Procurement) is published starting at 299 to 499 dollars a month per module, or bundled as Payhawk Complete.

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.

Payhawk: Does it charge per seat?

No, each module includes unlimited employee seats; the fixed monthly fee does not increase with headcount.

Extend: What does Pro cost?

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

Payhawk: Can we buy just one module?

Yes, modules are sold separately, so a company can buy Accounts Payable without Cards or Procurement.

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