Corporate cards and spend software increasingly cost $0/user — but "free" software still has to make money. Understanding how (interchange, cashback splits, per-transaction fees) tells you the real economics. A sourced look at 15 B2B finance tools.
A free corporate card isn't charity: the issuer earns interchange on your spend and shares a slice back as cashback. A free accounting tool monetizes payments and payroll. This page maps how each B2B finance tool actually makes its money in 2026 — and where the per-transaction fees hide.
| Tool | Headline price | How it actually monetizes | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramp | $0 (corporate cards) | Interchange on spend; shares ~0–1.5% cashback back | Unlimited virtual/physical cards, no per-card fee; partner rewards up to ~$350k |
| BILL Spend & Expense | $0/user/mo | Interchange; corporate cards + credit lines $1k–$5M | Some payment types carry per-transaction fees |
| Brex | First 5 cards free, then ~$5/mo each | Interchange; banking for venture-backed startups | Acquired by Capital One ~$5.15B (Apr 7, 2026); needs ~$50k cash |
| Expensify | ~$18 → ~$9/member when card covers ≥50% spend | Card interchange subsidizes the software fee | Up to 2% cashback; accountant rev-share ~0.5% |
| Wave | $0 (accounting) | Payments ~2.9% + $0.60/card; payroll ~$40 + $6/employee | US/Canada only |
| Zoho Books | Free (1 user, ~1,000 invoices/yr) | Paid tiers + Zoho suite upsell; +$3/user/mo | Integrates Stripe/Square + 40+ Zoho apps |
| Melio | Free ACH allowance | 2.9% card fee; ~$0.50 per extra ACH | Pay vendors by card, they receive check/ACH |
| FreshBooks | Subscription | Payments 2.9% + $0.30 (3.5% Amex); 1% ACH | +$11/mo per extra team member |
| QuickBooks Online | Subscription | Subscription + payments/payroll add-ons | Reported price increases ~12–17%/yr since 2023 |
| Xero | ~$25–90/mo | Subscription (flat) | Unlimited users on every plan |
| Sage Business Cloud | Subscription (regional) | Subscription + upgrade path to Intacct ERP | Often a 3-month free trial |
| Gusto | Subscription | Per-employee payroll | Unlimited payroll runs, no off-cycle charges |
| Deel | ~$599–899 PEPM (EOR) | Per-employee EOR / contractor fees | 150+ countries, 120+ currencies; SOC 1, GDPR |
| Rippling / ADP | Custom / per-employee | Per-employee modules (payroll, HR, IT) | Rippling ~$8–35/emp/mo est.; ADP RUN #1 G2 SMB payroll |
15 B2B finance tools (corporate cards/spend, accounting, bill pay, payroll/EOR) compared on headline price and the actual monetization mechanism: interchange, cashback splits, per-transaction payment fees, per-employee charges, or subscription. Figures are as published or reported in a sourced 2026 dataset; some (Rippling) are estimates. This is a business-model and fee map, not a feature ranking, and is not financial advice.