Airbase — Smart spend management for modern finance teams. Best for Mid-market companies using Paylocity that want unified HR and finance spend management, Finance teams needing real-time visibility into both payroll and non-payroll expenses, Organizations looking to automate procurement and vendor payment workflows. Contact Sales pricing.
Mid-market companies using Paylocity that want unified HR and finance spend managementFinance teams needing real-time visibility into both payroll and non-payroll expensesOrganizations looking to automate procurement and vendor payment workflowsCFOs seeking better financial planning and cost control across departments
Not ideal for
Small businesses with simple expense needs and limited budgetCompanies that prefer lightweight, best-of-breed spend management toolsOrganizations not ready to integrate HCM and finance systemsTeams that require transparent, self-serve pricing without contacting sales
Best for mid-market finance teams that want to unify payroll and non-payroll spend. Integration with Paylocity's HCM is a standout. However, small businesses may find the feature set excessive. Evaluate if you already use Paylocity for HR.
Airbase positions itself as a holistic spend management solution, now supercharged by Paylocity's ecosystem. If you are a mid-to-large company already using Paylocity for HR and payroll, this integration is a no-brainer: you get a single platform for all workforce-related expenses, from salaries to software subscriptions. Real-time visibility into both payroll and non-payroll spend is a key differentiator, enabling better financial planning and fraud prevention. However, if you are a small business or prefer best-of-breed point solutions, Airbase's breadth might feel overwhelming. Competitors like Brex or Ramp offer similar spend management with a leaner approach, but lack the deep HCM tie-in. A real-world caveat: migrating from a legacy system to Airbase may require dedicated onboarding, especially if you're not already a Paylocity customer. Also, its pricing is not public, so you'll need to contact sales, which may be a barrier for smaller teams. Overall, Airbase is a powerful tool for finance teams looking to consolidate spend management and HR data.
Skip Airbase if Skip Airbase if you need transparent, self-serve pricing or run a small team with simple AP needs.
How likely is Airbase to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 6 signals including funding, development activity, and platform risk.
funding runway
60
website health
90
github activity
50
category mortality
70
wrapper dependency
100
hyperscaler overlap
80
About Airbase
Airbase, now part of Paylocity, is a comprehensive spend management platform that gives finance teams real-time visibility and control over all company spending. By combining advanced spend management with Paylocity's HCM platform, Airbase enables unified management of both payroll and non-payroll expenses. Key features include real-time expense tracking, automated approval workflows, and seamless integration with existing financial systems. Perfect for CFOs and finance leaders seeking to streamline procurement, expense reporting, and vendor payments. Airbase differentiates itself by bridging spend management with HR and payroll, offering a single source of truth for total workforce costs.
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Key Features
Real-time expense visibility
Automated approval workflows
Unified payroll and non-payroll spend management
Seamless integration with Paylocity HCM
Vendor payment management
Financial planning and analysis tools
Corporate card program management
Procurement automation
Budget control and alerts
Multi-entity support
Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Airbase actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
AP Manager at a mid-sized company
Receives 500 invoices per month via email and mail. Airbase's AI captures invoice data, matches against purchase orders, and routes for approval.
Outcome: Invoice processing time reduced by 70%; duplicate payments eliminated.
CFO at a company using Paylocity
Wants to see total workforce cost (payroll + non-payroll expenses) in one dashboard.
Outcome: Unified view of spend across categories, enabling better budget forecasting and policy enforcement.
Integrate spend data with payroll for total workforce cost analysis.
Limitations
Pricing is only available via sales contact, which may be a barrier for smaller teams. The platform is deeply tied to Paylocity post-acquisition, so standalone use may feel less supported. Offline access is limited, and some advanced features (e.g., AI recommendations) may require higher-tier plans.
What the public pricing page doesn't put in bold. Captured from pricing-page footnotes, contract terms, and recurring complaints.
•Contact sales for pricing; no public tiers to compare.
•Implementation fees may apply for enterprise onboarding.
•Premium integrations (e.g., ERP connectors) could cost extra.
•Overage charges for card transaction volumes beyond plan limits (details undisclosed).
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Airbase's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Airbase targets mid-to-large enterprises with a contact-only pricing model, likely $10K+/year. For smaller teams, Brex and Ramp offer free tiers with transparent pricing. The value proposition is strongest for Paylocity HR customers who can consolidate spend management without additional manual integration.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Airbase — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
For a mid-sized company with existing accounting software, initial setup (data migration, chart of accounts mapping, approval flow configuration) takes 2–4 weeks. Card issuance and employee onboarding can be done in days once platform is configured.
Switching to or from Airbase
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
Migrating in
→From spreadsheets or manual AP: Import vendor list and open invoices via CSV.
→From Expensify or SAP Concur: Migrate expense reports and policies through API or CSV export.
→From legacy ERP (e.g., NetSuite, QuickBooks): Sync via native integration after setup.
Migrating out
↗To Brex or Ramp: Export transaction history as CSV; close cards and cancel contracts.
↗To Bill.com or Tipalti: Export vendor payment data and reconciliation reports.
Recent material changes
Pricing, brand, ownership, or deprecation changes worth knowing before you commit. Most-recent first.
•Acquired by Paylocity in 2024, now operates as Paylocity for Finance; deeper HR-integration features added.
