Arc vs PayEm

Arc is a cash management and capital markets platform built for technology companies, combining brokerage yield (up to roughly 4.57% net), a cashback business…

Best for Arc: Tech companies wanting to earn yield on idle operating cash (up to roughly 4.57% net on the Enterprise tier) and access venture debt, starting with a free Essentials tier and unlimited AI CFO Agent access on Premium.
Best for PayEm: Finance and procurement teams that need purchase-order approval workflows, AI-powered OCR invoice-to-PO matching, and dedicated vendor cards to control SaaS subscription spend, especially those already syncing data with NetSuite.

At a Glance

 ArcPayEm
Primary categoryPaymentsPayments
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFree plan + paid membership tiersCustom
Starting priceFree (Essentials plan, no membership fee)Custom (contact sales)
Free planYesNot documented
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsWebWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesYes
Public APINot documentedNot documented

Key Differences

Core Focus

Arc: Arc centers on cash management, brokerage yield optimization, and debt capital raising for technology companies.

PayEm: PayEm centers on procurement (PO creation), AI-powered AP automation, and real-time spend controls for finance teams.

Buyers need to match the tool to whether their priority is earning yield on cash or automating procurement and payables.

Pricing Transparency

Arc: Arc publishes a free Essentials tier ($0/month) with documented yield and cashback rates by tier (4.12%-4.57% yield, 1.0%-2.0% cashback).

PayEm: PayEm has no published pricing; it operates on a Custom/Enterprise, quote-only basis.

A published free tier lets smaller teams start immediately without a sales conversation.

Card Program Purpose

Arc: Arc's business card offers cashback rewards that scale from 1.0% to 2.0% by membership tier.

PayEm: PayEm issues virtual and physical corporate cards, including dedicated vendor cards specifically for controlling individual SaaS subscriptions.

Teams focused on controlling recurring SaaS spend need per-vendor card controls, not just cashback.

AI Application

Arc: Arc's CFO Agent is a general-purpose AI financial assistant, with unlimited access included on the Premium tier.

PayEm: PayEm's AI is narrowly applied through AI-powered OCR that automatically matches incoming invoices to their corresponding purchase orders.

Teams should know whether they need broad AI financial assistance or narrow invoice-matching automation.

Company Status

Arc: Arc was founded in 2021, and Axos Financial announced a definitive agreement in July 2026 to acquire Arc Technologies, Inc., which may bring platform changes.

PayEm: PayEm was founded in 2019 in New York, with no acquisition or ownership change documented in the facts.

An announced acquisition can affect product roadmap, pricing, or support continuity.

Feature-by-Feature

Cash & Treasury Management

FeatureArcPayEm
Brokerage yield on idle cashAvailableNot documented
Debt capital raising marketplaceAvailableNot documented
Free entry-level tierAvailableUnavailable

Procurement & AP Automation

FeatureArcPayEm
Purchase order creation and approval workflowsNot documentedAvailable
AI-powered invoice-to-PO matching (OCR)Not documentedAvailable
ERP sync (e.g., NetSuite)Not documentedAvailable
Cross-border vendor paymentsNot documentedAvailable

Cards, AI & Company Info

FeatureArcPayEm
Corporate/business cardAvailableAvailable
Dedicated vendor-specific cards for SaaS subscriptionsNot documentedAvailable
General-purpose AI financial assistantAvailableNot documented
Published starting priceAvailableUnavailable
Founded year / HQ disclosedAvailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Arc

Essentials — No membership fee n/a
Premium — Paid annual membership annual
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) annual

PayEm

PayEm Platform — Custom (contact sales) Annual

Pros & Cons

Arc

Pros

  • Free-to-join Essentials tier with no membership fee
  • Yield-bearing cash management built specifically for startups
  • Integrated debt-raising marketplace alongside banking tools
  • AI CFO agent (Archie) included for financial analysis

Cons

  • Higher yield and premium features are gated behind paid annual membership tiers
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales rather than being published
  • The company is in the process of being acquired by Axos Financial, which could affect the product roadmap

PayEm

Pros

  • Combines procurement, corporate cards, and accounts payable automation in a single platform
  • Strong multi-entity and multi-currency support for internationally operating companies
  • OCR-based invoice capture reduces manual data entry for accounts payable teams
  • Configurable approval workflows adapt to different company spend policies
  • Backed by substantial funding, including large credit facilities to support card issuance

Cons

  • Pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation to obtain a quote
  • Smaller brand recognition than larger competitors like Ramp, Brex, or Coupa
  • Breadth of features can mean a steeper learning curve for very small teams
  • Company has changed headquarters location over its history, which may signal organizational flux
  • Best value likely requires adopting multiple modules (cards, AP, procurement) rather than one in isolation

Use Cases

Choose Arc: Tech companies wanting to earn yield on idle operating cash (up to roughly 4.57% net on the Enterprise tier) and access venture debt, starting with a free Essentials tier and unlimited AI CFO Agent access on Premium.
Choose PayEm: Finance and procurement teams that need purchase-order approval workflows, AI-powered OCR invoice-to-PO matching, and dedicated vendor cards to control SaaS subscription spend, especially those already syncing data with NetSuite.
Need both: This is a realistic pairing: a finance team could use Arc to manage operating cash, earn brokerage yield, and issue a cashback card, while separately using PayEm to run procurement approvals, AI-driven AP automation, and dedicated vendor cards for individual SaaS purchases, since the two cover complementary treasury and procurement functions rather than duplicating each other.

Arc

  • Startup treasury management — Manage idle cash, earn yield, and centralize banking operations.
  • Raising venture debt — Access debt capital through Arc's Debt Marketplace.
  • AI-assisted financial analysis — Use Archie to analyze cash flow and financial data without a large finance team.

PayEm

  • Automating procure-to-pay for finance teams — Finance teams use PayEm to route purchase requests, card spend, and invoices through one automated approval and payment workflow.
  • Managing multi-entity, multi-currency spend — Companies with subsidiaries in multiple countries use PayEm to centralize spend visibility and payments across entities and currencies.
  • Reducing manual accounts payable work — AP teams use PayEm's OCR-based invoice capture and automated reconciliation to cut down manual data entry during month-end close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Arc and PayEm solving the same problem?

Not quite. Arc focuses on cash management, brokerage yield, and debt raising for tech companies, while PayEm focuses on procurement and AP automation for finance teams. Both happen to include corporate cards.

Does either have a free plan?

Arc has a free Essentials tier ($0/month) with core treasury features, up to 4.12% net yield, and 1.0% cashback. PayEm has no published pricing and operates on a Custom/Enterprise, quote-only basis.

How does the AI differ between the two?

Arc's CFO Agent is a general-purpose AI financial assistant with unlimited access on the Premium tier. PayEm's AI is applied specifically to OCR-based invoice-to-purchase-order matching within its AP automation flow.

Is Arc being acquired?

Yes. Axos Financial announced a definitive agreement in July 2026 to acquire Arc Technologies, Inc., which may bring platform changes.

Which is better for controlling SaaS vendor spend?

PayEm documents dedicated vendor cards specifically for SaaS subscriptions plus real-time spend monitoring. Arc's card program centers on cashback rewards rather than per-vendor spend controls.

Does either integrate with an ERP like NetSuite?

PayEm documents ERP integrations including NetSuite sync for procurement and accounting data. Arc's facts don't document ERP integrations.

Read the full Arc review · Read the full PayEm review