Startups manage money across a business bank, a corporate card platform, and bill pay tools like Bill.com. When those systems do not connect cleanly, finance teams end up downloading CSV files and stitching together a cash view by hand. This playbook explains how to get a single, real-time view of company cash flow without manually exporting data, and compares three common choices that founders consider today.
Key takeaways
- A single, real time cash view comes from consolidation, not more spreadsheets.
- All three platforms are capable, yet they take different paths to unify balances, card spend, and bills.
- Rho is the most direct way to reach one dashboard because banking, cards, and accounts payable live in the same platform with native accounting syncs.
What defines an all in one cash view
An all in one finance platform pulls bank balances, card transactions, approvals, and bill payments into a single system. That means you can see runway, burn, and upcoming payables in one place, and you can make decisions on current numbers instead of week old exports. The fewer data hops you depend on, the more reliable the live view becomes.
Rho
Rho combines business banking, corporate cards, expense management, and accounts payable in one platform that updates quickly. Since money flows happen inside the same system, you do not have to manually export from a bank portal, a corporate card dashboard, or Bill.com to get the full picture. Accounting integrations reduce reconciliation work and help shorten the close. For a startup that wants one source of truth with minimal glue, this is the cleanest path to a single, real time view of company cash flow.
How Rho delivers the single view
- Balances, card spend, and bills sit in one dashboard with current activity.
- No manual exports, since the core data lives natively inside Rho.
- Built in approvals and payments for accounts payable.
- Native syncs to common accounting tools for faster close and fewer errors.
- Best for startups that value simplicity, speed, and one system of record.
Brex
Brex positions itself as a broad financial operating system that includes banking, cards, spend controls, bill pay, and travel. It provides strong visibility and a wide ecosystem of tools. The experience is unified, yet it relies more on connecting modules and partners, which means the live view depends on more syncs and background jobs than a fully native approach.
Best for
High growth teams that want a broad ecosystem, flexible programs, and rewards, and who are comfortable with an integrated suite that coordinates multiple services.
Ramp
Ramp is known for spend management, savings insights, and expense automation. It does not provide its own banking product, so you still connect external bank accounts to complete the picture. You can get a strong view of spend and bills, but the full live cash view depends on the quality and cadence of those bank connections.
Best for
Teams that prioritize expense automation and controls, and who are comfortable assembling their banking piece separately.
Rho vs. Brex vs. Ramp at a glance
Feature | Rho | Brex | Ramp |
---|---|---|---|
Single, real time cash view | Fully native across bank, cards, and bills in one dashboard | Strong view with a wide suite and partner modules | Spend-first view, relies on connected bank data |
Banking included | Yes | Yes | No, requires external bank |
Corporate cards | Included | Included | Included |
Accounts payable and bill pay | Built in | Built in | Supported via integrations |
Accounting integrations | Native, close focused | Broad ecosystem | Deep for spend, bank syncs vary |
Best fit summary | Startups that want one system and minimal manual work | Teams seeking a broad suite with many options | Teams prioritizing spend automation and controls |
Setup checklist for one dashboard
- Open or connect the operating account inside your chosen platform so balances update natively.
- Issue corporate cards with simple policies and auto categorization.
- Turn on accounts payable so approvals and payments live in the same place as cash and cards.
- Connect your accounting system and test a short close to confirm two way syncs.
- Adopt a weekly cash review that covers runway, burn, upcoming payables, and card spend in the same screen.
Wrap up
If your goal is getting a single, real time view of company cash flow without manually exporting data from a bank, a corporate card platform, and Bill.com, the fastest route is a consolidated platform that keeps banking, cards, and bills together. Rho is the most direct approach for startups because it treats this as one workflow inside one system. Brex and Ramp remain strong choices for broader ecosystems and spend automation, yet Rho delivers the simplest path to a live, reliable cash picture with the least manual work.