Top 8 financial management tools for your software stack (June 2025)

Financial management tools are solutions designed to help businesses track, analyze, and control their financial operations. These platforms provide real-time visibility into financial performance and enable better decision-making across all levels of an organization.

Modern financial management software goes beyond basic bookkeeping to integrate with various business functions to create a comprehensive view of your company's financial health. They help you manage cash flow, control expenses, ensure compliance, and plan for future growth while reducing the manual work and oversight that traditionally consumes finance teams' time.

Modern financial management encompasses comprehensive spend control, automated workflows, and strategic planning capabilities that drive business success. The following categories of financial tools work together to create integrated systems that support both day-to-day operations and long-term business objectives.

Expense management

Expense management tools enable businesses to track and control expenses through robust automations and real-time budgeting. These platforms can vary widely in functionality, but modern expense management software gives businesses a unified platform to control all spend, from employee expenses to SaaS subscriptions to supplier and vendor payments. These platforms typically include features for travel and expense management as well as automated bill pay, accounting automation, and expense reimbursements.

Corporate credit card

Corporate credit cards are crucial financial tools that allow businesses to access credit and cover necessary business expenses. Although corporate cards can be accessed as a standalone product, the top business credit cards are often offered by expense management software providers. This integration with other spend management tools can help simplify and unify your financial stack, giving your business additional control over and visibility into spending.

Accounting

Accounting software allows businesses to manage and monitor financial operations, including accounts payable and receivable, inventory, and expenses. Most importantly, accounting software allows businesses to manage their general ledger (GL), which serves as a record of all financial activity. Accounting software can also help businesses create financial documents like profit and loss statements and balance sheets.

Enterprise resource planning

ERP systems integrate financial management with other business processes like inventory management, human resources, and customer relationship management. These platforms provide a single source of truth for all business data and enable more sophisticated financial planning and analysis. While traditionally associated with large enterprises, modern cloud-based ERP solutions are increasingly accessible to mid-sized companies.

Human resource information systems

Human resource information systems (HRIS) allow businesses to manage their workforce, including onboarding and offboarding, payroll, benefits, talent management, and other features. Advanced HRIS platforms offer more functionality and better insights into your workforce, including creating models for compensation scenarios and benefits cost increases. The best platforms integrate seamlessly with accounting and ERP software to effectively track and control labor costs.

Payment processing

A payment processing solution allows businesses to receive customer payments through credit and debit cards, ACH transfers, wires, and digital wallets. Yet, these platforms do more than just accept payments — they can also request authorizations and prevent fraud by verifying customers’ identities and monitoring transactions for fraudulent activity.

Choosing the right financial management tools for your business requires careful consideration of several factors. The right tools can not only save your business time and money but also meaningfully accelerate business growth.

Functionality

Each financial management tool serves a specific purpose, and understanding the “why” for each is important for “how” you build an effective software stack. To start the process of finding the right tools for your business, map your current financial processes and identify pain points where automation could provide the most value.

Another important consideration is your industry and its requirements. For instance, a manufacturing company typically requires different financial management tools to a professional services firm. Manufacturing businesses might prioritize inventory management and procurement tools, while service companies might focus more on time tracking and project-based billing solutions.

Given the wide range of tools available and their unique functions, prioritize the areas where improved financial management tools will have the most immediate impact on your business. This might be expense management if you're struggling with reimbursement processes, or accounts payable automation software if you're drowning in manual invoice processing.

Features

Tools with similar functionality can have different features, making it important to deeply consider the features your business demands. For instance, some tools offer more advanced and refined automation capabilities, which can significantly reduce manual work and improve accuracy. While basic functionality can be sufficient, advanced features can transform how your finance team — and business — operates.

Look for tools that offer modern automation capabilities, as these can significantly reduce manual work and improve accuracy. For instance, if your business is comparing accounting software, basic platforms can provide bookkeeping functions such as invoicing, business expense tracking, and basic reporting. More advanced platforms, meanwhile, add inventory management and predictive analytics. These capabilities can save time and provide valuable insights that would be difficult to uncover manually.

Cost

Most tools charge monthly subscription fees, which can be straightforward to compare between providers. Nonetheless, cost evaluation goes beyond monthly fees. Consider the total cost of ownership, including implementation, training, integration, and ongoing maintenance costs. If possible, factor in the value of time savings and error reduction when calculating your return on investment.

Pricing models can also vary between platforms, and this can help your business narrow down options. For instance, some platforms offer per user pricing, while others offer transaction-based pricing or usage-based pricing.

Integrations

Integration capabilities between each financial management tool will often determine the utility of your financial stack. Tools that don't integrate well create data silos, require manual data entry, and reduce overall operational efficiency.

Look for tools that offer robust APIs and pre-built integrations with the systems you already use. Common integration points include your accounting, ERP, banking systems, payment solutions, and productivity tools. The goal is to create a seamless flow of financial data across all your company’s financial platforms.

Be sure to consider future integration needs as well, since your software stack will evolve over time. Choosing tools that offer flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing requirements can simplify any additions to your financial stack. Open architecture and strong developer ecosystems are good indicators of long-term integration viability.

1. Brex

Brex is an AI-powered expense management software with robust spend controls and cash flow management. With integrated corporate cards, business banking, accounting automation software, travel and expense management, and bill pay, Brex delivers a unified platform to manage and control all business spending, from employee reimbursements to vendor payments.

Key features

• Spend controls: Brex enables businesses to embed custom spend controls right in the Brex corporate card. Expense policies can limit spending using nearly any parameter, including by employee, department, category, or amount, and real-time enforcement prevents policy violations before they happen. Spend policies can also require receipts for expenses over a certain amount or that specific expenses be routed through predetermined approval flows.
• Automatic receipt generation: Brex generates digital receipts automatically for most corporate card transactions, eliminating the need to chase down paper business receipts. When a receipt does need to be photographed for reimbursement or an expense, optical character recognition (OCR) captures all of the receipt details and automatically uploads them into the Brex platform.
• Automated expense reporting: With Brex, employees no longer need to manually create and submit expense reports. As employees use their Brex cards, Brex AI automatically matches each expense with a receipt. In-policy spending is automatically approved, while unusual or unapproved expenses are flagged for manual review.
• Integrated corporate card: The Brex corporate card is seamlessly integrated into its expense management software, allowing businesses to control and monitor spend in one platform. Brex allows businesses to issue both physical and virtual corporate cards for nearly any purpose and use, including business purchase cards, T&E cards, fleet cards, stipends, and vendor cards. With Brex, businesses can access credit limits that are 10-20x higher than traditional business credit cards.
• Business banking: Brex offers integrated business banking as part of its financial platform. Businesses can send and receive wires with no additional fees, earn industry-leading yield with same-hour liquidity, and receive up to $6 million in FDIC insurance. Integrated business banking gives companies comprehensive visibility into their cash flow.
• Streamlined invoice management: When you receive an invoice from a vendor, it can be forwarded, emailed, or uploaded to Brex, and the rest of the process is then automated. Invoice details are automatically uploaded into the Brex platform, and the invoice is matched with an outstanding purchase order, ensuring all of the details match. Brex then automatically drafts a payment and routes it to the correct approvers.

Key benefits for business leaders

• Accelerate month-end close: With Brex, the month-end close is a streamlined process rather than an onerous and time-consuming task. Brex automates receipt capture and categorization, and real-time expense tracking and reconciliation allow teams to catch issues sooner rather than later. And since Brex directly integrates with leading ERPs such as NetSuite and Sage Intacct, data syncs are automatic, eliminating manual imports and exports.
• Automated compliance: Embedded expense policies and automated expense reviews dramatically simplify employee compliance and increase accuracy. Plus, Brex enables businesses to embed policies directly into its travel and expense management software, ensuring compliance whenever an employee travels. SeatGeek reports a 99% employee compliance rate due to Brex’s built-in automations and reminders.
• Spend visibility: Finance teams get real-time visibility into how cash is being spent with Brex’s real-time spend limits. Finance teams and department heads can easily monitor budgets vs. actuals and reallocate funds toward higher-impact initiatives.
• 24/7 support: All Brex customers get access to 24/7 support via call, text message, email, WhatsApp, or chat.
• Seamless integrations: Brex supports a wide range of integrations, ensuring that Brex interoperates seamlessly with the rest of your financial stack, regardless of how it changes. With Brex, you can connect popular accounting software, ERP systems, and business tools through native integrations and robust APIs that eliminate manual data entry.

Price

Brex structures its pricing across three packages: Essentials, Premium, and Enterprise. The Essentials package is free and offers core spend management functionality, including corporate cards, AI-driven expense rules, travel management, real-time analytics, invoice processing, and employee expense reimbursement.

The Premium package includes advanced capabilities such as multi-layered expense policies, flexible approval workflows, multi-entity management, and dynamic budget tracking at $12 per user per month. Large organizations with global operations can access the Enterprise package for unlimited entity support across U.S. and international markets, regional card programs, and custom implementation support.

2. NetSuite

NetSuite is a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution that integrates financial management with CRM, human resources, accounting, and inventory management. NetSuite provides businesses with a unified database of all business operations, ensuring teams are working with updated data across departments. NetSuite ERP is suited for high-growth and enterprise businesses and offers industry-specific solutions for manufacturing, retailers, professional services, and wholesale distribution.

Key features

• Financial management and accounting
• Inventory and supply chain management
• Revenue management
• Reporting and analytics
• Customization and workflow automation

Key benefits for business leaders

• Unified source of truth for all business operations
• Real-time insights into business processes and performance
• Maintain compliance across global operations
• Streamlined integration with platforms such as Brex

Pricing

NetSuite employs a flexible pricing model that fluctuates based on several key factors, including the specific modules your organization requires, your user count, and any custom development or third-party integrations needed. Small businesses can expect entry-level licensing to begin at approximately $999 monthly, while organizations seeking comprehensive functionality should budget from $2,499 per month for enhanced capabilities. Beyond subscription fees, businesses must also account for substantial upfront implementation costs ranging between $10,000 and $150,000, plus considerable ongoing expenses related to user training, technical support, and system integrations that can accumulate over time.

3. SAP Concur

SAP Concur is a popular expense management tool commonly used by enterprise companies. SAP Concur provides a unified platform for expense tracking, employee reimbursements, vendor payments, and corporate travel booking, with seamless integration into existing SAP ERP systems. The platform enables companies to manage and approve employee expenses through customizable workflows that enforce policy compliance and streamline approval processes.

Key features

• Can handle employee reimbursements
• Offers a mobile application
• Reliable, legacy platform
• Integrates with the SAP ERP

Key benefits for business leaders

• Track and monitor expenses
• Can handle complex approvals
• Can use third-party cards

Pricing

Concur offers a custom pricing model without published rates, requiring businesses to request quotes to understand total costs. This differs from Concur competitors.

4. Workday

Workday is a cloud-based HRIS platform, and Workday Financials is an ERP, enabling companies to manage employees and financials in one platform, from talent acquisition and management to general ledger functionality. Workday’s platform helps eliminate data silos and improve data accuracy across the organization.

Key features

• Manage general ledger
• Workforce planning and forecasting
• Global payroll processing
• Financial reporting and analytics

Key benefits for business leaders

• Unified platform for HR and financial management
• Cloud-based software allows for scalability, automatic updates and global accessibility
• Real-time financial and HR data insights
• Seamless integration with expense management software like Brex

Pricing

Workday requires businesses to request a quote to receive pricing.

5. Coupa

Coupa is a purchasing and payment tool designed to give businesses control over the procurement process, from invoicing to supply chain management and optimization. Coupa offers a complete procure-to-pay solution that streamlines purchasing from end to end, as well as supply chain planning features that allow businesses to refine sourcing through demand modelling, inventory optimization, and transportation optimization.

Key features

• Manage the entire procurement workflow in one platform
• AI-powered supplier risk and performance evaluation
• Automated invoicing and payments
• Provision Brex cards for approved purchase orders and invoices

Key benefits for business leaders

• Streamlined supply chain management
• Control spend with procure-to-pay
• Optimize supply chain design, from inventory to network

Pricing

Coupa offers four different pricing plans, ranging from a free plan to its Advanced plan for $4,800 per year. However, companies looking to use Coupa’s software for procurement and supply chain management typically need to pay for the Advanced plan.

6. Navan

Navan (formerly TripActions) is a modern travel and expense management platform that combines corporate travel booking with expense management. The platform is designed for companies that want to provide employees with an intuitive travel booking experience while maintaining corporate control and visibility over travel spend.

Key features

• Integrated travel booking
• Real-time travel expense tracking
• Integrated corporate travel policy enforcement
• Virtual cards and 100% global reconciliation with BrexPay for Navan

Key benefits for business leaders

• Control and monitor travel costs
• Reduce the administrative burden for employee travel
• Automate travel policy compliance

Pricing

Navan offers straightforward pricing: Navan Business is a free plan for up to 200 employees. Navan Enterprise for larger companies requires a quote for pricing, but gives businesses access to its travel booking platform and the ability to implement travel policies, as well as customizable reports and integration with HRIS platforms. Navan Enterprise allows businesses to add unlimited users, access custom implementation and corporate rates, among other features.

7. Intuit QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a cloud-based platform that enables growing businesses to manage their finances, from basic bookkeeping and invoicing to advanced inventory management and payroll processing. QuickBooks is particularly suited for small to medium-sized businesses that need professional-grade accounting features without the complexity of enterprise ERP software.

Key features

• Generate financial statements such as balance sheets
• Organize tax data for streamlined filing
• Budget and forecast financial performance
• Seamless integration with Brex’s expense management software

Key benefits for business leaders

• Streamlined setup allows for easy adoption
• Time savings through robust automations
• Increased visibility into financial health

Pricing

Intuit QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial. Once that ends, customers can choose one of four plans that start at $35 per month. The most basic plan, Simple Start, includes basic accounting functions like invoicing, income and expense tracking, and basic reporting. The Advanced plan, which costs $235 per month, offers workflow automation, batch invoicing, and predictive insights, among other features.

8. Stripe

Stripe is an online payment processor that provides financial infrastructure to online businesses, allowing them to accept global payments from customers while helping to prevent fraud. Stripe has a developer-centric approach and comprehensive API documentation, making it particularly popular among tech companies and businesses with custom payment requirements.

Key features

• Accept major forms of payment in 135+ currencies
• Infrastructure allows for custom payment experiences
• Built-in fraud detection and subscription management
• Offers financing options to businesses

Key benefits for business leaders

• Technical flexibility with implementation
• Streamlined and quick deployment
• View financial data in one platform

Pricing

Stripe offers customers a pay-as-you-go pricing model for its Payments plan, with fees starting at 2.9% plus $0.30 for each domestic card transaction. Stripe also offers separate plans, including Tax and Billing, which charge a base fee starting at $90 and $620, respectively, plus additional usage fees.

As a CFO or startup founder, choosing the right financial management tools can accelerate and solidify growth or stall your business. Before moving forward, consider implementation, business needs, and automation opportunities as you consider the right tools to add to your financial stack.

Ease of implementation

Implementation complexity can make or break your financial management tool selection. Some platforms like QuickBooks Online can be operational in days with minimal setup, while enterprise solutions like Workday or NetSuite may require anywhere from 3 to 18 months of implementation with significant professional services costs.

Outside of the cost of licensing, consider the other costs associated with implementation. Custom integrations, data migration, user training, and change management can easily double or triple your initial investment. Platforms with pre-built integrations and intuitive interfaces often require less training and see higher user adoption rates, while highly customizable solutions may offer more flexibility but demand more resources to deploy effectively.

Finance leaders need to assess bandwidth and technical capabilities before committing to complex deployments, while also balancing the potential future needs of a growing business.

Current and future business needs

Ideally, your financial management stack will serve both today's requirements and tomorrow's growth trajectory. A startup might initially only need basic tools like QuickBooks and Expensify, but companies can outgrow these solutions within a year or two, forcing costly migrations to more robust platforms. Evaluate tools based on your projected business size, transaction volumes, and operational complexity over the next three to five years rather than just current needs.

It’s also useful to consider industry-specific requirements. For example, retail companies need sophisticated inventory management, multi-location reporting, and seasonal cash flow planning capabilities, while subscription businesses require revenue recognition automation, churn analysis, and dunning management features. Beyond that, international expansion plans should drive early adoption of multi-currency and global compliance capabilities.

Opportunities for automation

Automation potential varies across tools, making it important to evaluate how your business can leverage the automation capabilities each tool offers. Look for more than basic features to identify processes that consume significant manual effort, such as expense report processing, invoice approvals, and month-end close. Tools with machine learning capabilities can automatically categorize transactions, flag anomalies, and predict cash flow patterns.

Evaluate automation not just within individual tools but across your entire financial stack. The most significant efficiency gains come from integrated workflows where data flows seamlessly between systems without manual intervention. For example, corporate cards that automatically sync with expense management platforms and accounting software can eliminate hours of manual expense reconciliation work each month.

Building an effective financial management tool stack can be challenging. Evaluating which tools your business actually needs while comparing features, costs, and integration capabilities across dozens of platforms can feel overwhelming, especially when each vendor claims to be the ultimate solution. The process requires substantial time investment to research options, but there’s a substantial payoff for getting your financial management stack right.

The right tools can improve operational efficiency, reporting accuracy, and strategic decision-making capabilities. With the right combination of platforms, implementation becomes streamlined through pre-built integrations, growth is supported through scalable architecture, and routine financial tasks become automated. Successful finance teams prioritize a comprehensive platform that improves multiple workflows while maintaining strong integration capabilities with existing software.

That's why 30,000+ global businesses trust Brex’s modern finance platform. With Brex, businesses get AI-powered expense management, integrated corporate cards with customizable spend controls, bill pay, corporate travel, accounting automation, and business banking in one platform that seamlessly integrates with popular solutions like NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Workday. This approach increases financial visibility, improves cash flow management, and helps modern businesses spend smarter and move faster.

Brex's AI-powered automation capabilities eliminate many of the manual processes that consume valuable time. With automatic receipt matching and expense categorization, automated GL coding, and streamlined approval workflows, your team can focus on strategic analysis and business growth rather than tracking down missing receipts and manually categorizing expenses. With Brex, 66% of all expenses are prepared entirely with automations, saving the average company hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars a year. The result? The average accounting team closes its month-end books 3x faster on Brex.

Sign up for Brex today to start building your financial management tool stack.