Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Airbase vs Stampli

Airbase logo

Airbase

Accounting

Spend management combining corporate cards, bill payment and expense claims, now part of Paylocity

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stampli logo

Stampli

Accounting

AI-powered accounts payable automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbase card issuing and bill payment are built around United States entities and United States bank accounts, so a group with subsidiaries abroad keeps running local card and payment processes alongside and does not get the single ledger of spend that justified the purchase.; Stampli no transparent pricing published; quote-based model required
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, Stampli covers AI invoice processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Stampli actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Stampli differ
AttributeAirbaseStampli
Founded20172014

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

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 Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Virtual cards per vendor
  • Bill payment
  • Expense reimbursement
  • Unified approval policy
  • Purchase intake and procurement
  • Automated coding
  • Receipt collection

Only in Stampli

  • AI invoice processing
  • Approval workflows
  • Payment processing
  • Audit trails
  • NetSuite
  • Sage Intacct
  • QuickBooks
  • Microsoft Dynamics

Both cover

  • Vendor management

What people use each for

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

Airbase

  • A company that has outgrown one shared company card and needs per person and per subscription cards with real limitsnot Stampli
  • A finance team where supplier invoices arrive in an inbox and approval is whoever replies, with no record afterwardsnot Stampli
  • A controller trying to close the month without rebuilding card and expense coding from statements every timenot Stampli
  • An organisation that wants spend approved before it is committed rather than discovered when the invoice arrivesnot Stampli

Stampli

  • Accounts payable automationnot Airbase
  • Invoice processing and capturenot Airbase
  • Vendor managementnot Airbase
  • Expense management and procurementnot Airbase

Where each one falls short

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

Airbase

  • Card issuing and bill payment are built around United States entities and United States bank accounts, so a group with subsidiaries abroad keeps running local card and payment processes alongside and does not get the single ledger of spend that justified the purchase.
  • The value depends on nearly all spend flowing through the platform, which makes partial adoption almost worthless and means the rollout is a change management exercise across every budget holder rather than a finance department deployment.
  • Paylocity's acquisition in 2024 reorients the roadmap towards a human capital management suite, so expense reimbursement is likely to be well served while procurement and the more finance specific features compete for attention with payroll and HR priorities.
  • Pricing combines a platform fee with tiering on features and users, and part of the economics rests on interchange rebates from card spend, so a company that puts most of its spend on transfers rather than cards pays the fee without earning the offset.
  • The general ledger sync is a mapping you own, so a chart of accounts change, a new department dimension or a ledger migration means reworking the coding rules, and a bad mapping quietly posts correct approvals to the wrong accounts.

Stampli

  • No transparent pricing published; quote-based model required
  • Specific pricing for individual modules or add-ons not available on pricing page
  • Cost varies based on invoice volume, complexity, and customization needs

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Stampli

$29/month
  • Essential$undefined/month
    • Invoice processing
    • Basic approvals
    • Email notifications
  • Professional$undefined/month
    • AI-powered coding
    • Advanced workflows
    • ERP integrations
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want virtual cards per vendor.
Airbase review

Choose Stampli if

  • You need ai invoice processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want approval workflows.
Stampli review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Stampli better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Stampli at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Stampli?
Airbase starts at $29/month and Stampli at $29/month.
Does Airbase or Stampli run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for a company that has outgrown one shared company card and needs per person and per subscription cards with real limits, a finance team where supplier invoices arrive in an inbox and approval is whoever replies, with no record afterwards, a controller trying to close the month without rebuilding card and expense coding from statements every time, an organisation that wants spend approved before it is committed rather than discovered when the invoice arrives. Of those, a company that has outgrown one shared company card and needs per person and per subscription cards with real limits and a finance team where supplier invoices arrive in an inbox and approval is whoever replies, with no record afterwards are not what Stampli is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Stampli cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Virtual cards per vendor, Bill payment, Expense reimbursement. Stampli covers AI invoice processing, Approval workflows, Payment processing, Audit trails. Both handle Vendor management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Airbase: Does it work for companies outside the United States?

Partially. Some international spend and reimbursement is supported, but card issuing and the payment rails are strongest for United States entities. Confirm coverage for each country you operate in before assuming it replaces local processes.

Stampli: What does Stampli cost?

Stampli does not publish fixed pricing. The company uses a custom quote-based model. Visitors are directed to 'Request a Quote' and meet with an AP expert to discuss pricing based on their specific invoice volume and requirements.

Source
Airbase: Does Airbase replace our accounting system?

No. It manages spend and pushes coded transactions into the ledger. QuickBooks, NetSuite or whatever else you use stays.

Stampli: What is included in Stampli's standard offering?

Stampli's core accounts payable solution includes unlimited invoice capture, entities/locations, vendors, and PO matching; automated processing via Stampli Cognitive AI; 12 pre-built reports; interactive dashboards; a dedicated Customer Success Manager; and support with under 90-second response time.

Source
Airbase: What changed after the Paylocity acquisition?

Ownership and roadmap direction. The product continues, now positioned alongside Paylocity's payroll and HR products. If procurement is your main reason to buy, ask directly about investment in that module.

Stampli: How long does it take to implement Stampli?

Stampli uses a 'fulfillment-first' implementation approach and deploys in weeks versus competitors requiring months or longer.

Source
Airbase: How is it priced?

A platform subscription with tiers, plus usage and user dimensions, partly offset by rebates on card spend. Because the rebate depends on card volume, model your own mix of card versus transfer spend before accepting a payback figure.

Stampli: What add-on modules are available with Stampli?

Optional modules include Procurement, Direct Pay functionality, credit card programs, advanced vendor management, and expense management. Pricing for add-ons requires requesting a custom quote.

Source
Airbase: Can we use it for accounts payable only?

You can, but the approval consistency argument weakens considerably. Most of the reported benefit comes from cards, bills and reimbursements sharing one policy and one coding process.

Airbase: Will our auditors accept the approval records?

The per transaction record of approver, receipt and coding is generally what auditors want to see for spend testing. Agree the sampling approach with them early, particularly around any spend that still happens outside the platform.

Share

Related pages

More on Airbase

More on Stampli

Keep looking

Other head to heads