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Side-by-side record

Payhawk vs. PayPal Payments Pro

A side-by-side view of the product records we have today. Use it to narrow the question, then confirm current pricing, limits, and security details with each vendor.

The short version

PayPal Payments Pro starts at $0 per seat, versus Payhawk at £149. PayPal Payments Pro carries the higher aggregate rating (9.5/5 vs 4.6/5).

Full comparison

Payhawkfrom £149 per month (Growth plan: 10 cards + 10 seats); higher tiers by custom quote
PayPal Payments Profrom $0 per month
Audyense Score78ASStrong29AS*Low
PositioningSpend management combining corporate cards, expenses, and accounts payable in one platformPayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well a
Free tierNoYes
DeploymentCloud / SaaSCloud / SaaS
Best fitMid-market, EnterpriseStartup, SMB, Mid-market
Pricing plans
  • Growth£149
  • Custom / ScaleFree
  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing
Financial reportingPartialReal-time dashboards and budget tracking; reviewers note limited advanced report customization—
AI featuresYesAI extracts receipt data and automates expense coding—
Public APIYesDeveloper APIs available for integrations—
Multi-currencyYesSupports GBP, EUR, USD with per-entity currency balances—
Bank reconciliationYesTransactions auto-coded and reconciled into system of record—
Invoicing & billingPartialHandles supplier invoices/bill pay, not customer-facing invoicing/billing—
General ledger & accountingYesNative two-way sync to ERPs/GL (NetSuite, SAP, Dynamics, Xero, QuickBooks)—
Expense managementYesCore capability with real-time tracking and reimbursements—
Accounts payable & bill payYesBill Pay module for AP and invoice management—
Corporate cardsYesPhysical and virtual Visa cards as FCA-regulated e-money institution—
Accept PayPal payments—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept Visa—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Mastercard and American Express—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Virtual Terminal—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Payment Gateway—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Options to simplify PCI compliance.—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Integrations verified50+—
Aggregate rating4.6 · 852 reviews9.5 · No reviews yet
Integrations
NetSuiteXeroQuickBooksSage IntacctSage 50Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central+10 more
—
Security & compliance
SOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSSGDPR
—
Pros
  • Intuitive, user-friendly interface across web and mobile
  • Automated receipt scanning and AI expense coding reduce manual data entry
  • Deep two-way ERP and accounting integrations with automatic reconciliation
  • Real-time card controls, spend limits, and budget tracking
  • Independent review documents a concrete business workflow
  • Documented capability: Accept PayPal payments
  • Documented capability: Accept Visa
  • Documented capability: Mastercard and American Express
  • Documented capability: Virtual Terminal
Cons
  • Receipt scanner accuracy and occasional transaction/sync delays
  • Approval workflows can feel rigid and overly strict
  • Opaque pricing requiring sales contact; some mid-contract price-increase complaints
  • Complex, lengthy onboarding and KYB/entity verification
  • Pricing and usage limits should be checked against the exact plan
  • Implementation effort depends on the team's data and process maturity
  • Reported outcomes should be validated with the buyer's own data
Visit Payhawk ↗Visit PayPal Payments Pro ↗

Editorial read of this comparison

The table summarizes structured facts; this section explains what the differences mean for a real buying decision.

Where each tool fits, and where it may not

Payhawk

Payhawk is a spend management platform that unifies company Visa cards, expense management, accounts payable, and reimbursements with two-way sync to ERP and accounting systems. It is an FCA-regulated e-money institution aimed at mid-market and enterprise finance teams, with AI-powered receipt capture and expense coding. The product spans corporate cards, bill pay, procure-to-pay, and multi-entity controls.

A particularly good fit for: Mid-market and enterprise finance teams (50+ employees) needing unified spend control Multi-entity, multi-currency groups requiring subsidiary-level visibility and controls Companies wanting corporate cards and expenses that sync directly into their ERP

May be a poor fit if: Small businesses, sole traders, or teams under ~50 employees UK-only companies needing only basic cards plus a simple accounting export

PayPal Payments Pro

PayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well as process mobile and retail credit card. On top of that, users can create and host their own checkout pages for full control. With PayPal Payments Pro, users are charged with a flat rate of 2.90 percent along with a $0.30 per-transaction fee, which is beneficial for companies with large tickets. The flat fee remains the same whether the cards used are debit, credit, corporate or rewards. PayPal Payments Pro doesn’t require buyers to have a PayPal account to complete the purchase. Aside from accepting payments online, users of PayPal Payments Pro are able to process credit card payments via phone, fax, and mail (Virtual Terminal).

A particularly good fit for: B2B teams evaluating finance and accounting software Teams that need documented workflow capabilities and fit guidance Organizations willing to validate implementation and plan limits

May be a poor fit if: Teams seeking a workflow outside the product's documented focus Teams needing unlimited usage without plan limits

Pricing and plan structure

Payhawk: Published starting price £149 per month (Growth plan: 10 cards + 10 seats); higher tiers by custom quote

  • Growth£149 per month (GBP)
  • Custom / ScaleFree

PayPal Payments Pro: Published starting price $0 per month

  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing

Capabilities worth validating

  • Payhawk: Financial reporting, AI features, Public API, Multi-currency, Bank reconciliation Integrations include NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct.
  • PayPal Payments Pro: Accept PayPal payments, Accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, Virtual Terminal, Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries

Questions to answer before switching

  • Does Payhawk's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does PayPal Payments Pro's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does the exact integration path for NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks support the sync direction, permissions, and volume we need?
  • Is a hosted-only deployment acceptable for the team and customers who will use this system?

How to evaluate this shortlist

A useful comparison turns the differences between Finance tools into a concrete test. Use these steps to avoid choosing from a feature table or the lowest headline price alone.

  1. Start with a representative Finance workflow, not a feature checklist. Define who will use it, what data goes in, and what outcome the team needs.
  2. Test the complete path through NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks: permissions, sync direction, failure handling, and volume limits often matter more than the integration name.
  3. Compare the cost of the real scenario, including users, usage, storage, support, and contract requirements. The entry price alone does not measure adoption cost.
  4. Before switching, list the evidence gaps, request a demo of the critical workflow, and confirm security, data residency, export, and support with each vendor.

Structured signals help narrow the shortlist, but a trial with a real workflow is still the best way to validate the decision.

Research basis

Last checked: 2026-08-18. Pricing, integrations, feature support, and review signals can change, so treat this as a research snapshot and verify the final decision with the vendor.

Sources consulted: Payhawk product site, G2, Capterra; PayPal Payments Pro product site, FinancesOnline review, Vendor website