| Functionality | 10 <p>Brex stands out for its comprehensive functionality – it’s not just expense management, but a full finance platform. From corporate credit cards with rewards to built-in travel booking, expense reimbursement, bill pay, and even a business bank account, Brex covers an enormous scope. This breadth means companies can consolidate cards, travel, and accounts payable in one tool</p> | 7 <p>Pleo started as a smart company card solution and has grown into a broader expense management platform. It offers prepaid company cards with individual spending limits, real-time expense tracking with receipt capture, and basic reimbursement workflows for out-of-pocket spends. It may not venture into complex AP automation, but it thoroughly covers everyday corporate spending needs, from lunches and software subscriptions to employee mileage claims.</p> |
| Ease of Use | 7 <p>Brex is fairly intuitive, but not the simplest in the market due to its enterprise-grade capabilities. Employees find it straightforward to snap photos of receipts or use the mobile app for expenses, and real-time transaction alerts help keep everyone on track. Finance teams get powerful dashboards and controls, though navigating the breadth of options (travel, credit, reimbursements, etc.) can be a bit overwhelming until you’re familiar with the system.</p> | 8 <p>Pleo is built with simplicity in mind, making it extremely intuitive for end users. Employees simply pay with their Pleo card, snap a photo of the receipt, and the expense is essentially done – the app notifies them if anything’s missing, so compliance is high. Finance teams find Pleo easy to navigate as well, with a tidy dashboard for approvals and exports. </p> |
| Look and feel | 7 <p>Brex’s interface is polished and professional, albeit a bit more dense given the platform’s wide scope. The design is clean and modern, but navigating so many features can occasionally feel complex. Overall UI responsiveness and aesthetics are solid, but it doesn’t always have the immediate simplicity that some newer competitors boast.</p> | 9 <p>Pleo’s design is stylish, friendly, and clear. The mobile app and web interface are cleanly laid out, using intuitive icons and plain language that make expense tasks almost enjoyable. Information is presented without clutter, and the platform’s speed and polish (along with a bit of Pleo’s signature playful branding) give it a modern, approachable vibe.</p> |
| Customisability | 9 <p>Brex offers a high degree of customizability to fit complex business needs. Finance admins can configure detailed expense policies, multi-level approval workflows, and custom categories that map to their accounting. The tool supports setting spend limits by card or department, and global policy rules (for travel, per diems, etc.), making it adaptable for both startups and large enterprises – though with so many knobs to turn, it requires careful setup to get just right.</p> | 5 <p>Pleo focuses on a standardized, easy experience, which means slightly fewer levers to pull for custom setups. You can configure expense categories to match your accounts, set individual spend limits or monthly budgets, and define basic approval rules (like require manager approval over X amount). However, it doesn’t offer deep customization of workflows or complex policy rules – the philosophy is “sensible defaults” that fit most small businesses.</p> |
| Ease of Setup | 6 <p>Setting up Brex is relatively quick for eligible companies, especially startups that meet its requirements. The onboarding process is guided and the Brex team assists in linking bank accounts and setting up cards. However, because Brex offers advanced features (like ERP integrations and multi-entity support), fully configuring those can take more time and expertise, making the initial setup slightly involved for larger organizations.</p> | 8 <p>Getting up and running with Pleo is quick and hassle-free. Small and mid-sized businesses can sign up online, and within a very short time they can issue virtual cards to employees and start capturing expenses. The onboarding process is guided and doesn’t demand heavy IT involvement.</p> |
| Customer Support | 7 <p>Brex provides strong customer support with dedicated representatives and fast response times. When tested, we praise the support team’s knowledge and willingness to help with everything from technical setup to stopping fraudulent charges.</p> | 7 <p>Pleo provides responsive, helpful customer support. Support agents are available via chat and email. When tested, we found them ready to assist with everything from onboarding questions to troubleshooting issues, and they often respond quickly (<2 hrs) despite Pleo’s large customer pool. The company also supplies a wealth of self-service resources and an active community.</p> |
| Integratability | 9 <p>Integrations are a Brex forte – the platform connects with popular accounting packages (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, etc.), HR/payroll systems, and even travel tools.</p> | 7 <p>Pleo connects with a variety of accounting systems and business tools to streamline your workflow. It has direct integrations with popular software like Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage, enabling one-click export of expenses with all receipts attached. It also offers open APIs and supports exporting data for systems it doesn’t directly integrate with.</p> |
| Ease of Migration | 8 <p>Brex makes it easy to get your data out, whether via automatic sync or manual export. Detailed expense reports, receipts, and transaction logs can be exported to CSV or PDF on demand, which is great for audits or custom analysis.</p> | 7 <p>Exporting data from Pleo is straightforward, albeit rarely needed extensively due to its integrations. Finance teams can export expense data (with all receipt images) in formats like PDF or CSV for external reporting or audits. Pleo also allows one-click export to accounting systems, which is its primary method of data transfer.</p> |
