Airbase
Airbase is a comprehensive spend management platform that combines accounts payable automation, corporate cards, and employee expense reimbursements into a single integrated solution to simplify your entire business spending process.
Navan
Navan is an all-in-one travel and expense management software that combines online booking, corporate cards, and automated expense reporting to help you control costs and simplify business travel.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Airbase | Navan |
|---|---|---|
| Website | airbase.com | navan.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2017 | 2015 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Palo Alto, USA |
Overview
Airbase
Airbase gives you a single place to manage every dollar your company spends. Instead of jumping between different tools for credit cards, invoices, and employee reimbursements, you can handle everything from one dashboard. You can set up automated approval workflows that ensure every purchase follows your company policy before the money is even spent.
The platform helps you close your books faster by syncing every transaction directly with your accounting software in real-time. Whether you are a growing startup or a mid-market company, you can eliminate manual data entry and gain total visibility into your department budgets. It replaces fragmented systems with a unified workflow that saves your finance team hours of manual work every month.
Navan
Navan simplifies how you handle company spending and business travel by putting everything in one place. You can book flights, hotels, and rental cars through a consumer-grade interface while the system automatically applies your company's travel policies. This eliminates the need for manual expense reports, as the platform captures receipts and categorizes transactions in real-time when you use Navan corporate cards.
You can manage your entire team's spend with granular controls and get instant visibility into company finances. The platform also offers a personal travel mode, allowing you to book private trips using the same high-end interface while keeping your personal and professional expenses completely separate. It scales from small startups to global enterprises, helping you save time on administrative tasks and reduce overall travel spend.
Overview
Airbase Features
- Guided Procurement Direct your employees through a simple intake process that automatically routes requests to the right stakeholders for approval.
- AP Automation Scan invoices with OCR technology and automate your entire accounts payable workflow from bill creation to final payment.
- Corporate Cards Issue physical or virtual cards with built-in spend limits and automated receipt collection to prevent overspending.
- Expense Reimbursements Manage out-of-pocket employee expenses globally and sync them directly to your accounting system for faster payouts.
- Real-time Sync Connect your GL and sync transactions automatically, ensuring your financial data is always accurate and up to date.
- Automated Tax Mapping Categorize your spending automatically based on your chart of accounts to simplify your month-end close process.
Navan Features
- Global Travel Booking. Book flights, hotels, and rail from a massive inventory with a simple interface that feels like your favorite consumer apps.
- Automated Expense Reporting. Eliminate manual data entry as the system automatically captures receipts and categorizes your business expenses in real-time.
- Smart Corporate Cards. Issue physical or virtual cards with built-in spend limits and policy controls to prevent out-of-policy purchases before they happen.
- Real-time Spend Visibility. Monitor company spending as it happens with live dashboards that show you exactly where your budget is going.
- Personal Travel Mode. Book your own vacations using the same platform and corporate discounts while keeping personal payments entirely separate.
- Automated Reimbursements. Get your employees paid back faster with automated direct deposits for out-of-pocket expenses and mileage claims.
- Sustainability Tracking. Measure and offset your carbon footprint with detailed reports on the environmental impact of your business travel.
- 24/7 Travel Support. Access expert travel agents via chat or phone whenever you need help with rebooking or travel disruptions.
Pricing Comparison
Airbase Pricing
- Bill Pay functionality
- Corporate card access
- Basic approval workflows
- Standard accounting sync
- Email support
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Advanced procurement intake
- Purchase order management
- Multi-subsidiary support
- Custom approval routing
- Dedicated account manager
Navan Pricing
- Free for up to 100 users
- Use your existing corporate cards
- Automated expense categorization
- Real-time spend visibility
- Mobile receipt capture
- Basic policy enforcement
- Everything in Connect, plus:
- Full travel booking access
- 24/7 global travel support
- Advanced policy controls
- Unused ticket management
- Global reimbursement engine
Pros & Cons
Airbase
Pros
- Consolidates multiple finance tools into one platform
- Deep integration with NetSuite and Sage Intacct
- Virtual cards make managing SaaS subscriptions easy
- Significantly reduces time spent on month-end close
Cons
- Initial implementation requires significant time investment
- Mobile app has fewer features than desktop
- Custom pricing can be high for smaller teams
Navan
Pros
- Extremely user-friendly mobile app for travelers
- Real-time expense tracking eliminates end-of-month stress
- Excellent 24/7 support for travel disruptions
- Seamless integration with major accounting software
- Significant time savings on manual data entry
Cons
- Inventory for some boutique hotels can be limited
- Support response times can vary during global events
- Learning curve for complex multi-national policy setups