Founders often compare Ramp, Brex, and a traditional American Express corporate card to choose a spend solution. The quick answer is that all three issue cards and handle expenses, yet they differ in automation, rewards, and how they connect to your broader finance stack. If your goal is to reduce tool sprawl and run banking, cards, bill pay, and cash yield in one place, there is a fourth option to consider. Rho brings banking, corporate cards, accounts payable, and treasury into a single platform so you can see cash, spending, and payables in one dashboard with fewer syncs and fewer surprises.
Why an integrated alternative matters as you scale
Using a separate bank portal, a standalone card platform, and an external payables tool can work early on. As the team grows, finance ends up stitching data from multiple systems, closing the books more slowly, and making decisions on delayed numbers. An integrated approach helps by keeping the core money flows together. Rho unifies operating accounts, corporate cards, and AP, then layers in treasury for idle cash so you can keep liquidity and still earn yield without juggling extra accounts.
Rho at a glance
Rho is a finance platform that combines business banking, corporate cards, expense management, and bill pay in one system, with treasury options for idle cash. Data stays in one place, which improves real time visibility and reduces manual work. Accounting integrations help shorten the close, and support is available around the clock for all customers.
- Banking, cards, and payables in one platform
- Real time cash and spend visibility, fewer exports and fewer sync delays
- AP with built in approvals and payments
- Accounting integrations for NetSuite and QuickBooks
- Treasury options for idle cash while maintaining operating liquidity
- 24 by 7 human support
Ramp at a glance
Ramp focuses on controls, automation, and savings insights. It offers unlimited cards, granular limits, and strong expense workflows. Banking is not included, so you still connect external bank accounts and manage payables through integrations or add ons.
Brex at a glance
Brex positions itself as a broad financial operating system with cards, spend controls, bill pay, travel, and a cash account. It provides strong rewards and a wide partner ecosystem. Live visibility depends more on multi module syncs and partner connections than a single native system.
Traditional Amex at a glance
Amex brings a trusted brand, global acceptance, and premium travel perks. Expense automation is more limited than fintech options, and there is no integrated banking, AP, or treasury. It fits later stage teams that value rewards and brand credibility over a unified finance stack.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Rho | Ramp | Brex | Amex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking included | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Corporate cards | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Accounts payable and bill pay | Built in | Via integrations or add ons | Built in | No |
| Expense automation | Strong, native | Strong | Strong | Basic to moderate |
| Treasury or idle cash yield | Yes, T Bills or MMFs, keep operating liquidity | No | Cash account with pooled MMFs | No |
| Accounting integrations | NetSuite, QuickBooks, native syncs | NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero | NetSuite, QuickBooks, others | Limited |
| Support model | 24 by 7 human support for all | Extended hours, tickets | Tiered support by plan | Business hours |
| Best fit summary | Startups that want one platform for banking, cards, AP, and treasury | Teams focused on spend controls and automation | Rewards heavy programs and broad partner ecosystem | Later stage teams prioritizing brand and travel perks |
How to choose for a startup
If you want to keep your bank separate and mainly tighten expense controls, Ramp is a strong fit. If rewards, travel, and partner perks are your priority, Brex delivers. If you prefer a traditional card with global brand presence and can live without deeper automation, Amex works. If your goal is a single system that handles banking, cards, bill pay, and idle cash yield, Rho is the most direct path. You get one dashboard for cash, spending, and payables, fewer manual exports, and faster closes with native accounting syncs.
Bottom line
Ramp, Brex, and Amex each solve parts of the startup finance puzzle. Rho solves the whole picture for teams that want fewer systems, real time visibility, and a cleaner close. That is why many scaling startups add Rho as the integrated alternative when a card only approach starts to slow them down.