Brex and Chase get compared as if they're two versions of the same thing—a business bank account. They aren't, and in 2026 the difference matters more than ever. Brex is a finance platform for venture-backed startups that stopped serving traditional small businesses in 2022, and it's now owned by Capital One. Chase is a traditional national bank that serves businesses of every size but prices for its branch network. Which one fits depends less on features and more on whether your business is the kind either one is built for.
What is Brex?
Brex is a financial platform for funded startups—corporate cards, a business account, treasury, bill pay, and travel—not a bank, and not built for the average small business. In January 2026 Capital One agreed to acquire Brex for $5.15 billion, and the deal closed on April 7, 2026—so Brex now operates as a Capital One company.
To open a Brex account today, a business generally has to be professionally funded or sizable—Brex evaluates for any of the following:
Equity backing from an accelerator, angel, VC, or similar investor
Roughly $400K/month in revenue (about $4.8M/year) for non-funded, mid-market businesses
A U.S. EIN and U.S. incorporation, plus (for funded startups) around $50K in cash
Brex helps fast-growing, funded businesses spend on corporate cards while giving finance teams spending controls to track expenses.
Is Brex still available for small businesses?
For most small businesses, no. Brex stopped onboarding traditional small businesses in 2022 and today accepts only professionally funded companies—venture- or accelerator-backed startups, or mid-market businesses around $400K/month in revenue. A bootstrapped freelancer, contractor, or local business won't qualify. Capital One's April 2026 acquisition hasn't reopened eligibility to small businesses, and no such change has been announced—so if you're a typical SMB, Brex isn't an option you can act on regardless of how its features look on paper.
Is Brex a bank?
No. Brex is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Its business-account checking is provided by Column N.A., Member FDIC, and its treasury/vault product runs through Brex Treasury LLC—now branded "a Capital One company, Member FINRA/SIPC." Vault balances sweep to partner banks for expanded FDIC coverage, while the treasury money-market option isn't FDIC-insured. The practical point for a comparison: "Brex vs Chase" isn't bank vs bank—it's a funded-startup finance platform vs a traditional bank.
What is Chase?
JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the U.S., and Chase Bank is its business and consumer banking division.
Like other traditional banks, Chase runs a large branch network—roughly 4,700 locations—for in-person banking, cash handling, and lending. That footprint is the draw: broad access to services, small business credit cards, lines of credit, and business loans that many growing businesses rely on. The tradeoff is that a branch network is expensive to run, and Chase's business checking prices reflect it—monthly fees, transaction caps, and cash-deposit limits.
Chase is known for its accounts, but it also offers popular credit cards like the Ink Business line, a direct competitor to American Express and Capital One's Spark cards.
How do you avoid Chase's monthly fee?
Chase Business Complete Banking charges $15/month, waived in any statement cycle you meet one of these: a $2,000 minimum daily balance; $2,000 in Chase Payment Solutions (QuickAccept) deposits; $2,000 in purchases on a Chase business credit card; a linked qualifying Chase premium personal checking account; or qualifying military status. Chase is also running a new-account bonus—up to $500 for depositing $10,000 in new money (or $400 for $2,000), holding it 60 days, and completing five qualifying transactions within 90 days (offer terms change often; verify current terms before applying).
Brex vs Chase: what is the difference?
The core difference is who each one serves. Brex is a finance platform for funded startups and mid-market companies—if your business isn't venture-backed or sizable, you can't use it. Chase is a traditional bank open to businesses of any size, but it charges for the branch, cash, and wire services that footprint provides.
Because Brex is digital-only and aimed at funded companies, it leans on corporate cards, automated expense management, and accounting integrations rather than everyday banking. Chase covers the full range—checking, savings, cards, lending, in-person cash—but as a traditional bank it attaches fees to many transactions.
Brex vs Chase comparison chart
Here's how the two stack up in 2026:
Feature | Brex | Chase (Business Complete Banking) |
|---|---|---|
Who can open an account | Funded startups / ~$400K-mo revenue only | Businesses of any size |
Is it a bank? | No—fintech (Column N.A.; Brex Treasury, a Capital One company) | Yes—national bank |
Monthly fee | No monthly account fee | $15/mo (waivable five ways) |
New-account bonus | None | Up to $500 (terms apply) |
Domestic wires | Included | ~$25 online / $35 in-branch |
International wires | Included | Up to $50 per transfer |
Free transactions | Card-based (n/a) | 20 per cycle, then a fee |
Cash deposits | Not supported | $5,000/cycle free, then a fee |
Corporate cards + spend controls | Yes (built-in) | On Chase Ink cards (separate product) |
Accounting integrations (QuickBooks, Xero) | Yes | Limited on small-business checking |
ATM / branch access | No | Yes (~4,700 branches) |
If neither profile fits—you're a small business that wants modern banking without Brex's funding bar or Chase's fees—Relay is built for exactly that gap.
Qualifying for an account
Qualifying looks very different at each. As you'd expect from a large bank, Chase serves virtually every size of business, from sole proprietorships to large corporations, with clear requirements and online applications (you'll provide a personal SSN for business accounts). Its lowest balance threshold to waive fees is $2,000.
Brex evaluates each application against its funding and revenue criteria, so most small businesses won't qualify at all. Its onboarding reviews spending, balances, and other aspects of the business to decide fit.
Banking collaboration with accountants
This is an area where Brex has an edge: it integrates with major accounting platforms and lets owners grant read-only access to accountants and bookkeepers. Chase reserves most accounting integrations and collaborative tools for its commercial (larger-business) offerings, so smaller accounts often move data by file.
Cashback and rewards
Chase and Brex both reward card spend. Chase does it through its Ink business credit cards, with rewards varying by card—travel, cash back, and points redeemable for cash, travel, dining, and partner merchandise, often with an intro-APR offer and a sign-up statement credit when you meet spend criteria.
Brex uses a points program weighted toward startup spend, with elevated multipliers on categories like rideshare, Brex travel, and software subscriptions, plus discounts on business apps and software.
Accounting features
With Brex, funded companies can set employee expense policies, issue vendor-specific cards, and manage limits; it doesn't pull unpaid invoices directly from Xero or QuickBooks, but businesses can forward invoices by email. Chase doesn't offer spend controls or expense management inside small-business checking—those live on Ink cards or its commercial division.
Verdict: which is right for you?
The answer comes down to what your business is. Brex fits venture-backed startups and mid-market companies that want corporate cards and automated expense management—and can clear its funding bar. Chase fits businesses that need branches, in-person cash handling, and a full lending relationship, and don't mind paying for that footprint or clearing a waiver each month.
But most small businesses are neither. If you don't fit Brex's funding profile and don't want a fee-heavy traditional account, a business banking platform built for small businesses is the better match.
Business banking with Relay
If you're like most small businesses, you don't fit the "venture-backed" box Brex requires—and a traditional bank's low-minimum account still charges for wires, transactions, and cash you'd rather not pay for.
Relay is a business banking and money management platform built for small businesses of all sizes—the ones Brex turns away. It goes beyond banking basics:
No monthly maintenance fees, no overdraft fees, and no minimum balances
Up to 20 individual checking accounts for organizing cash by purpose (payroll, taxes, profit)
50 virtual or physical Visa® debit cards3
Payments and deposits via ACH, wire, and check
Deposits from processors like PayPal, Stripe, and Square
Direct integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero
If you want banking built for small businesses—not just funded startups or big-bank footprints—see how Relay works.
³The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa cards are accepted.
Frequently asked questions
Can a small business still use Brex?
Not typically. Since 2022 Brex has onboarded only professionally funded companies—venture- or accelerator-backed startups, or mid-market businesses around $400K/month in revenue. Bootstrapped small businesses generally won't qualify, and Capital One's 2026 acquisition hasn't changed that.
Is Brex owned by Capital One?
Yes. Capital One completed its $5.15 billion acquisition of Brex on April 7, 2026. Brex now operates as a Capital One company; its treasury arm is branded accordingly.
Is Brex FDIC-insured?
Brex itself isn't a bank. Its checking is provided by Column N.A. (Member FDIC), and vault balances sweep to partner banks for expanded FDIC coverage; the treasury money-market option is not FDIC-insured.
How much is Chase Business Complete Banking?
$15/month, waivable in any cycle you meet one condition—such as a $2,000 minimum daily balance, $2,000 in Chase card purchases, $2,000 in QuickAccept deposits, or a linked qualifying Chase premium personal account.
What's a good alternative for a small business?
If you don't fit Brex's funding requirements and want to avoid a traditional bank's fees, a small-business banking platform like Relay offers checking with no monthly maintenance fees and no minimum balances, plus multiple accounts and team debit cards to organize cash.
