Series A Finance Stack 2026: What It Costs at 25 Users
The ledger, cards, bill pay, payroll, planning and cap table options for a 25-person Series A team, with list prices checked in October 2026.
For 25 people, the cheapest finance stack we could price costs $283 a month, or $3,396 a year at list, before per-payment fees. It is Xero Established for the ledger at $97 a month, Ramp Free for cards and bill pay with no seat fee, and the Xero Payroll add-on at $36 a month plus $6 per person.
The ledger does not grow with headcount, but per-seat tools do. Buying bill pay from BILL instead of Ramp adds $14,700 a year at 25 users, because BILL bills every user on its Essentials plan at $49 a month. Price each layer on headcount first, and check what a free tier stops covering before you count it as zero.
Key facts9 tools compared: Xero, Ramp, Xero Payroll, Brex, BILL, QuickBooks Online, Rippling, Pulley…
- 9 tools compared: Xero, Ramp, Xero Payroll, Brex, BILL, QuickBooks Online, Rippling, Pulley, Anaplan
- Ramp (best for: Startups that want cards, expenses and bill pay on one free tier, with QuickBooks or Xero sync): Free, no per-user fee, with cards, expense, AP and AR; Plus $15/user/mo plus a platform fee by team size
- Xero Payroll (best for: Companies already on Xero that want payroll inside the same books): Optional add-on: $36/mo plus $6 per employee or contractor, $186/mo at 25 people
- Brex (best for: Teams that want a free card tier and a published per-user step up): Essentials with no per-user fee (up to two entities); Premium $12/user/mo; Enterprise custom
Each finance tool bills differently. Some charge per seat, some per entity, some per employee on payroll, and some publish no number at all.
CFOpresso data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 268 accounting tools as of October 10, 2026, and 26% of them are free, freemium or open source.
We costed the stack for 25 users over 12 months.
Every price below uses that same basis, from the pages we read on October 10, 2026.
The ledger side of this choice is covered in our accounting software ranking, and the spend side in our spend management platforms ranking.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
The cheapest ledger we priced for 25 people, at $1,164 a year on list, with cash flow forecasting and multi-currency on the top plan.
Established $97/mo ($19.40 for 3 months); no per-user license fees; monthly billing only
Series A companies that want a flat-priced ledger with no per-seat fee
The card and bill pay layer that costs $0 on list for 25 people, with the ledger sync the stack needs.
Free, no per-user fee, with cards, expense, AP and AR; Plus $15/user/mo plus a platform fee by team size
Startups that want cards, expenses and bill pay on one free tier, with QuickBooks or Xero sync
Optional add-on: $36/mo plus $6 per employee or contractor, $186/mo at 25 people
Companies already on Xero that want payroll inside the same books
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Xero | Established $97/mo ($19.40 for 3 months); no per-user license fees; monthly billing only | Series A companies that want a flat-priced ledger with no per-seat fee |
| Ramp | Free, no per-user fee, with cards, expense, AP and AR; Plus $15/user/mo plus a platform fee by team size | Startups that want cards, expenses and bill pay on one free tier, with QuickBooks or Xero sync |
| Xero Payroll | Optional add-on: $36/mo plus $6 per employee or contractor, $186/mo at 25 people | Companies already on Xero that want payroll inside the same books |
| Brex | Essentials with no per-user fee (up to two entities); Premium $12/user/mo; Enterprise custom | Teams that want a free card tier and a published per-user step up |
| BILL | AP & AR Essentials $49/user/mo, Team $65, Corporate $89; Spend & Expense with no per-user fee | Companies that want a dedicated AP and AR suite, with two-way ledger sync from the Team plan up |
| QuickBooks Online | Advanced $340/mo for up to 25 users with no extra fees; Plus $140/mo for 5 users | Companies that need custom user roles and up to 25 users on one plan |
| Rippling | Custom quote; no list price on the pricing page | Companies that want payroll and HR in one system and will take a sales quote |
| Pulley | Startup $1,200/year for the first 25 stakeholders; the page says Pulley shuts down on 12/8/26 | Companies already on a Pulley cap table that can plan a move before its shutdown |
| Anaplan | Publishes no list price; contact form and personalized demo request only | Companies with multi-entity planning needs that will take a quote |
Pricing read from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026. 1 of 9 sells by quote only and publishes no price; that entry says so rather than estimating. 1 of 9 has no standalone price (bundled, usage-based or free to self-host) and is described as charged, not guessed. 1 of 9 publishes prices for some plans and quotes the rest.
Xero
The cheapest ledger we priced for 25 people, at $1,164 a year on list, with cash flow forecasting and multi-currency on the top plan.
- Pricing
- Established $97/mo ($19.40 for 3 months); no per-user license fees; monthly billing only
Best for: Series A companies that want a flat-priced ledger with no per-seat fee
Pros
- No per-user license fee, so 25 people cost the same as five on the same plan.
- Established adds cash flow forecasting, KPI analysis, multiple currencies and project cost tracking.
- Ramp Free syncs with Xero, so card and bill pay data reach the ledger without a paid tier.
Cons
- Billing is monthly on the pricing page, and its FAQ describes no annual option.
- The Established feature list does not name custom user roles, which QuickBooks Online Advanced lists.
Ramp
The card and bill pay layer that costs $0 on list for 25 people, with the ledger sync the stack needs.
- Pricing
- Free, no per-user fee, with cards, expense, AP and AR; Plus $15/user/mo plus a platform fee by team size
Best for: Startups that want cards, expenses and bill pay on one free tier, with QuickBooks or Xero sync
Pros
- The Free plan includes unlimited cards, invoice OCR, configurable approval workflows and bill payments by ACH, card, check or wire.
- Receivables invoicing is on the Free plan too, so collections can start on the same platform.
- Ramp says annual billing on Plus saves 20%.
Cons
- Bill Pay charges $0.59 per standard ACH and $1.99 per check from June 1, 2026, unless the payment is funded from a Ramp Checking Account.
- Plus adds a platform fee by team size that the pricing page does not quantify, so the $15 per user is a floor, not the full bill.
Xero Payroll
Payroll built into the Xero ledger, at $2,232 a year on list for 25 people.
- Pricing
- Optional add-on: $36/mo plus $6 per employee or contractor, $186/mo at 25 people
Best for: Companies already on Xero that want payroll inside the same books
Pros
- The per-person rate is the only variable cost, so each hire adds a fixed monthly amount to the add-on.
- Xero describes it as calculating and filing payroll taxes and paying the team without leaving Xero.
Cons
- Usage charges for Payroll are invoiced for the previous month, on top of the monthly base.
- The pricing page gives the add-on price only, so check state filing and year-end charges before you sign.
Brex
The second free card option, with a paid tier at $12 a user that adds $3,600 a year at 25 users on list.
- Pricing
- Essentials with no per-user fee (up to two entities); Premium $12/user/mo; Enterprise custom
Best for: Teams that want a free card tier and a published per-user step up
Pros
- Essentials covers corporate cards, reimbursements, bill pay and accounting integrations at no per-user charge.
- Premium adds multiple expense policies, multi-entity support and customizable ERP integrations.
- Premium's price is one per-user figure on the pricing page, so the 25-user bill is easy to check.
Cons
- Essentials covers up to two entities, one of them global.
- Moving to Premium adds $3,600 a year at 25 users.
BILL
A dedicated AP suite that bills every user, so 25 people on Essentials cost more than the ledger and payroll stack combined, before payment fees.
- Pricing
- AP & AR Essentials $49/user/mo, Team $65, Corporate $89; Spend & Expense with no per-user fee
Best for: Companies that want a dedicated AP and AR suite, with two-way ledger sync from the Team plan up
Pros
- Team and Corporate sync two ways with QuickBooks Online and Xero, according to the pricing page.
- Spend & Expense carries no per-user software fee, so cards and reimbursements can sit on BILL with no software charge.
Cons
- Essentials and Team bill every user as a standard user, so 25 seats cost $14,700 a year on Essentials and $19,500 on Team.
- ACH costs $0.59 and checks $1.99 per payment on top of the seat price.
QuickBooks Online
The 25-user QuickBooks plan, at $4,080 a year on list, which costs $2,916 more than Xero Established.
- Pricing
- Advanced $340/mo for up to 25 users with no extra fees; Plus $140/mo for 5 users
Best for: Companies that need custom user roles and up to 25 users on one plan
Pros
- Advanced supports up to 25 users with no additional fees, according to Intuit's own FAQ.
- Advanced lists customizable user permissions and pre-defined roles, which the Xero plans on its pricing page do not.
- No QuickBooks Online plan on the page requires an annual contract.
Cons
- At $340 a month, Advanced costs about 3.5 times the Xero Established price on list.
- Advanced is the top QuickBooks Online plan on the page, and its FAQ points multi-entity businesses with heavy project costing to Intuit Enterprise Suite.
Rippling
Payroll and HR in one platform with no public per-employee number, so it cannot be ranked on cost here.
- Pricing
- Custom quote; no list price on the pricing page
Best for: Companies that want payroll and HR in one system and will take a sales quote
Pros
- The pricing page says most Rippling products bill per employee per month, so the bill tracks headcount.
- Buyers describe the services they need and get a custom quote for that exact mix.
- The per-employee model makes a like-for-like check against Xero Payroll possible once a rate is quoted.
Cons
- With no list price, a Series A buyer cannot compare it with the $186 a month for Xero Payroll without a sales call.
- Some products carry a monthly base fee on top of the per-employee price, according to the same page.
Pulley
Priced at $1,200 a year for 25 stakeholders, but its own page announces a shutdown, which rules it out for a new cap table.
- Pricing
- Startup $1,200/year for the first 25 stakeholders; the page says Pulley shuts down on 12/8/26
Best for: Companies already on a Pulley cap table that can plan a move before its shutdown
Pros
- The Startup plan lists $1,200 a year, with the first 25 stakeholders included.
- Startup includes share certificates, SAFE, option and RSA templates, and a fundraise modeler.
- Concierge onboarding is part of the Startup plan, per the page.
Cons
- Pulley's pricing page says it shuts down on 12/8/26, so a new cap table here would need a move before that date.
- Growth is $3,500 a year for 40 stakeholders, so the bill rises fast as the register grows.
Anaplan
A planning platform with no public price, so it cannot be costed for 25 people from its own pages.
- Pricing
- Publishes no list price; contact form and personalized demo request only
Best for: Companies with multi-entity planning needs that will take a quote
Pros
- Planning can wait until the monthly close is stable, so it does not need to sit in the first-year budget.
- A personalized demo can scope the model to your entity count before any price is set.
- The pricing page lists a personalized demo request as its route to a price.
Cons
- With no list price, it cannot be set against the $283 a month stack on cost.
- A sales-led price is set per deal, and the page gives no way to estimate it before the demo.
What it is
A finance stack is the set of software that records transactions, pays vendors and staff, and reports the result. At Series A it usually has four layers: a ledger, cards and bill pay, payroll, and a planning or cap table tool. The first two decisions decide how the bill scales, because they touch every invoice and every card swipe.
Why it matters
The bill at 25 users follows three rules. Per-seat pricing multiplies the unit price by headcount, so a per-seat plan can reach five figures a year. Free tiers cost nothing only while you stay inside their limits, such as the two-entity cap on Brex Essentials or the missing NetSuite sync on Ramp Free.
Platform fees sit on top of the published price, and Ramp's Plus platform fee is one of them: its pricing page says it is based on team size and gives no number.
Key features to look for
Pricing
Methodology: We priced 25 users over 12 months for each layer, using only the US pricing page each vendor publishes, plus Ramp's Bill Pay fee schedule, read on October 10, 2026. A vendor with no list price appears without a cost and is not ranked on price.
Xero's list price is the Established plan, and its first three months at $19.40 are an introductory offer shown on the same page.
The arithmetic is short. Xero Established is $97 times 12, or $1,164 a year. Xero Payroll's base fee comes to $432 a year, and its per-person rate for 25 people comes to $1,800, so the add-on is $2,232 a year.
Ramp Free costs nothing on list. The stack comes to $3,396 a year, or $283 a month. If 40 standard ACH bills a month go out from an outside bank, Ramp's standard ACH fee adds $283.20 a year, for $3,679.20 all in.
Swapping one layer changes the bill more than the list suggests.
Replacing Xero with QuickBooks Online Advanced adds $2,916 a year. Replacing Ramp Free with BILL's AP Essentials adds $14,700 a year, and Brex Premium adds $3,600. Ramp Plus adds $4,500 a year before its platform fee, which the pricing page does not quantify.
For single-vendor detail, read our Ramp review, Brex review, Ramp pricing, Brex pricing and BILL pricing pages.
Sources, read October 10, 2026: Xero US pricing, QuickBooks Online pricing, Ramp pricing, Ramp Bill Pay fees, Brex pricing, BILL pricing, Rippling pricing, Pulley pricing and Anaplan pricing.
The vendors are also profiled on Toolradar: Xero, Ramp, Brex, BILL and Rippling.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Xero Established | $97/mo ($19.40 for 3 months) | Cash flow forecasting, KPI analysis, multi-currency; no per-user license fee |
| Xero Payroll add-on | $36/mo + $6 per employee | Optional add-on; usage charges billed for the previous month |
| Ramp Free | $0/user/mo | Cards, expense, bill pay, receivables; QuickBooks and Xero sync |
| Ramp Plus | $15/user/mo + platform fee | Adds NetSuite and Sage Intacct sync, auto-lock and budgets against actuals |
| Brex Essentials | No per-user fee | Cards, reimbursements, bill pay, up to two entities |
| Brex Premium | $12/user/mo | Multi-entity, customizable ERP integrations, live budgets |
| BILL AP & AR Essentials | $49/user/mo | Every user billed as a standard user; CSV import and export to the ledger |
| BILL AP & AR Team | $65/user/mo | Two-way sync with Xero and QuickBooks Online; granular AP and AR controls |
| BILL AP & AR Corporate | $89/user/mo | Full-feature users; approver-only seats are not priced on the page |
| BILL Spend & Expense | No per-user fee | Corporate cards, budgets and expense tracking with no software fee |
| QuickBooks Online Advanced | $340/mo | Up to 25 users with no extra fees; custom user roles |
| Pulley Startup | $1,200/year | First 25 stakeholders; shutdown announced for December 2026 |
| Rippling | Custom quote | Per-employee billing for most products; no list price published |
| Anaplan | Custom quote | No list price published; personalized demo request |
The bottom line
For 25 people on list prices, Xero Established, Ramp Free and Xero Payroll is the cheapest finance stack we could price, at $3,396 a year. A flat ledger price and a free card tier keep the core cheap, and Xero Payroll is the largest line at $2,232 a year, keeping people costs in the same books.
Start with the free tiers and price each step-up separately, because that is where the bill grows: Ramp Plus adds $4,500 a year before its platform fee, and BILL's AP plans add the largest step of the stack.
Leave Rippling and Anaplan out of the budget until a quote gives a number you can compare.
Do not start a cap table on Pulley while its own page announces a shutdown. For the alternatives to Ramp, see our Ramp alternatives ranking.
This page is general information, not personalized financial advice.
Confirm the terms with each provider before you sign.
Cite this: CFOpresso, "Series A Finance Stack 2026: What It Costs at 25 Users", October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does a finance stack cost for a Series A company?
Is Ramp free for a 25-person company?
Do I need a separate bill pay tool?
Is Xero or QuickBooks Online cheaper for 25 users?
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Which cap table tool should a Series A company pick?
Sources
Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.
- Xero pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Ramp pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Brex pricingchecked Sep 2026
- BILL pricingchecked Sep 2026
- QuickBooks Online pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Rippling pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Pulley pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Anaplan pricingchecked Sep 2026
Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.
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