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Payroll · head to head

Payhawk vs Spendbase

Payhawk logo

Payhawk

Payroll

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendbase logo

Spendbase

Accounting

SaaS and cloud spend management that charges a share of the savings it finds rather than a licence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spendbase has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Spendbase charging a share of savings gives the vendor an interest in defining savings generously, and the customer cannot verify a counterfactual price it never saw.
  • They diverge on capability: Payhawk covers Corporate cards, Spendbase covers Subscription visibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Payhawk and Spendbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Payhawk and Spendbase differ
AttributePayhawkSpendbase
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer module per monthFree card tier, plus a share of savings on the managed plan
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryPayrollAccounting

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 Payhawk

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

Only in Spendbase

  • Subscription visibility
  • Discount marketplace
  • Virtual cards
  • Cashback
  • Renewal management
  • Savings-share billing

What people use each for

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

Payhawk

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

Spendbase

  • A startup with no procurement function that wants renewal dates and subscription owners in one placenot Payhawk
  • A company with heavy Azure or cloud spend that can use pre-negotiated credit allocationsnot Payhawk
  • Issuing virtual cards per subscription so a forgotten trial cannot renew silentlynot Payhawk
  • A finance lead who wants software cost reduction without hiring anyone to do itnot Payhawk

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Spendbase

  • Charging a share of savings gives the vendor an interest in defining savings generously, and the customer cannot verify a counterfactual price it never saw.
  • The savings share is reported at around 25 percent but is not published on the pricing page, so the actual commercial terms only appear in a contract.
  • Spendbase is both a banking provider and your software negotiator, so a company using both concentrates operating cash and vendor relationships in one small, young company.
  • Banking is delivered through partners rather than held directly, meaning deposit protection and service continuity depend on those partners rather than on Spendbase.
  • It is scoped for startups and small companies, so organisations needing approval workflows, purchase orders or ERP integration will find it thin against a real procurement platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Spendbase

Free
  • Digital bankingFree
    • No monthly fee per user
    • Up to 100 virtual cards
    • EUR and GBP account details
  • Spend management$undefined/year
    • Everything in the free tier
    • Reported share of roughly 25 percent of savings achieved
    • 200 percent return guarantee against a deposit

Which should you pick?

Choose Payhawk if

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

Choose Spendbase if

  • You need subscription visibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want discount marketplace.
Spendbase review

Questions people ask

Is Payhawk or Spendbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Payhawk starts at On request and Spendbase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Payhawk or Spendbase?
Spendbase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Payhawk and Free for Spendbase.
Does Payhawk or Spendbase run on more platforms?
Payhawk runs on Web, iOS, Android. Spendbase runs on Web.
Can I use Spendbase for free?
Yes. Spendbase has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Payhawk starts at On request.
What is Payhawk best used for?
Payhawk is most often used for a multi-entity european business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currencies, a finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blind, a company wanting only accounts payable automation without paying for card issuing it does not need, a mid-market business standardising erp-integrated expense reporting ahead of a fundraise or audit. Of those, a multi-entity european business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currencies and a finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blind are not what Spendbase is typically brought in for.
What can Payhawk do that Spendbase cannot?
Payhawk covers Corporate cards, Accounts payable automation, Procurement module, Travel booking. Spendbase covers Subscription visibility, Discount marketplace, Virtual cards, Cashback.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Spendbase: Is Spendbase free?

The card and banking tier is genuinely free with no per-user fee. The spend management service is paid from a share of the savings it finds, reported at around 25 percent.

Payhawk: Does it charge per seat?

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

Spendbase: How is a saving calculated?

The methodology is not published. Agree the baseline, the measurement period and what counts as a saving in writing before signing.

Payhawk: Can we buy just one module?

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

Spendbase: Does Spendbase hold my money?

Banking is provided through regulated partners including Moorwand in the UK and EEA and Sutton Bank in the US, with Mastercard issuing the cards.

Spendbase: Is it suitable for an enterprise?

No. There are no purchase orders, approval hierarchies or ERP integration; it is built for startups.

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