Alaan has earned a strong reputation as one of the UAE's leading corporate spend management platforms. With $55 million in total funding, more than 3,000 business clients across UAE and KSA, and powerful AI tools for expense review and VAT management, it is not a platform to overlook. For the specific problem it solves, controlling outbound employee spend, it does so well.
But Alaan is not the right fit for every business. The most common reasons UAE companies explore alternatives include:
No payment gateway. Alaan is a pure outbound spend platform. It cannot be used to accept payments from customers. If your business needs to collect revenue online, in-store, or via payment links, whether you are an e-commerce brand, a SaaS company, a retailer, or a service business, you need either a separate tool or an all-in-one platform.
AED 499/month subscription. The Premium plan is a meaningful fixed cost, particularly for smaller or early-stage businesses not yet processing high volumes of employee spend.
CBUAE licence still in-principle. Alaan received in-principle CBUAE approval in September 2026, but the full licence has not yet been granted. For businesses where regulatory certainty is a board-level or investor-level requirement, this matters.
UAE/KSA footprint only. Alaan's regional presence is strong but currently limited to these two markets.
If any of these factors apply, here are the top Alaan alternatives operating in the UAE in 2026.
The standout Alaan alternative for UAE businesses that sell to customers and manage employee spend.
Mamo is fully regulated by the DFSA, the only non-pending regulatory status in this comparison. It is also the only platform here that offers both inbound payment acceptance and outbound expense management under one roof, with no monthly subscription fee on the Growth plan (Premium plan: AED 99/month).
Why Mamo leads:
Payment acceptance pricing:
Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Jaywan, Tabby (BNPL), mada, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Corporate card cashback: up to 0.5% on AED (unlimited) spend / up to 2% on non-AED (unlimited) spend (promotional rates up to 8%)
Best for: Retailers, e-commerce brands, SaaS companies, professional service firms, hospitality businesses, and any UAE SME that collects revenue from customers and needs to manage outbound employee spend.
Where Mamo falls short vs Alaan: Alaan's AI expense tooling (AI Expense Reviewer, AI VAT Agent, AI Invoice Collector) is more sophisticated. Mamo does not offer a dedicated business AED IBAN or a deposit product for earning returns on idle cash.
A solid Alaan alternative for SMEs focused on employee spend control that want lower subscription costs and a free entry tier.
Pemo is a Dubai-based corporate card and expense management platform. Its most immediate advantage over Alaan is pricing: a free Starter tier and a Premium plan at AED 399/month, AED 100/month less than Alaan's equivalent.
Key details:
What Pemo does well:
Where Pemo falls short vs Alaan:
Best for: UAE SMEs primarily focused on controlling employee spend that want a lower monthly cost than Alaan and do not require a payment gateway or advanced AI expense features.
Worth evaluating for early-stage or smaller teams that want a free corporate card option with regulatory ambition.
Pluto is a UAE corporate spend management platform that received DFSA in-principle approval in July 2024, signalling a clear intent to operate under the DFSA framework, though a full DFSA licence has not yet been granted as of October 2026.
Key details:
What Pluto does well:
Where Pluto falls short vs Alaan:
Best for: Early-stage businesses or lean teams that want corporate cards with minimal upfront cost and are comfortable with a still-pending regulatory status.
| Feature | Mamo | Pemo | Pluto | Alaan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment gateway (accept customer payments) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Payment links / QR codes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Corporate cards | Yes (Visa, unlimited, free) | Yes (Mastercard) | Yes (Mastercard via NymCard) | Yes (Visa) |
| Monthly subscription | AED 0 (Growth) / AED 99 (Premium) | Free Starter / AED 399 Premium | $0 / ~$99 Growth | AED 499 Premium |
| Cashback, AED spend | 0.5% | None (Starter, Premium) | Up to 1.25% (Growth) | ~1% (monthly cap) |
| Cashback, international spend | 2% (up to 8% promo) | 2% | Up to 2% | 2% |
| AI expense tools | Limited | Limited | Limited | Advanced (3 AI agents) |
| Business AED IBAN | No | No | No | Yes (via Ruya Bank) |
| Deposit product | No | No | No | Up to 3.75% profit |
| ERP integrations | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 (incl. SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics) |
| UAE + KSA coverage | UAE-focused | UAE-focused | UAE-focused | UAE + KSA |
| Regulatory status | DFSA, full licence | CBUAE in-principle (Jul 2026) | DFSA in-principle (Jul 2024) | CBUAE in-principle (Sep 2026) |
Mamo is the only platform in this comparison that lets you accept customer payments and manage corporate spend, with no monthly fee on Growth.
The right platform depends on what your business actually needs from its fintech stack.
If you need to accept payments from customers: Choose Mamo. It is the only platform in this comparison, Alaan included, with a payment gateway, payment links, and QR codes. The others are outbound-spend-only tools and cannot be used to collect customer revenue.
If you need both payment acceptance and corporate cards under one licence: Choose Mamo. It consolidates both functions under a single DFSA-regulated licence, eliminating the need for multiple providers and multiple compliance relationships.
If you only need expense management at a lower subscription cost: Pemo (AED 399/month Premium or free Starter) and Pluto ($0 or ~$99/month) are both more affordable than Alaan's AED 499/month. Neither matches Alaan's AI feature depth, but both cover the core spend management use case at lower cost.
If AI-driven expense management is the absolute top priority: Alaan remains the strongest option in the UAE for pure spend management AI. Its AI Expense Reviewer, AI Invoice Collector, and AI VAT Agent represent a level of automation that the alternatives do not currently replicate. If this is your primary requirement and you do not need to accept customer payments, Alaan may still be the right fit, pending licence status acknowledged.
If regulatory certainty is non-negotiable: Mamo is the only platform with a full, non-pending licence (DFSA). All others, Alaan, Pemo, and Pluto, hold some form of in-principle or pending regulatory status. If your business operates in a regulated industry, or if investors or board members require fully licensed payment infrastructure, this distinction is material.
The best alternative depends on your business model. Mamo is the strongest all-in-one option, it is the only fully DFSA-licensed platform here with payment acceptance (gateway, links, QR) plus corporate expense management, with no monthly subscription fee on the Growth plan (Premium is AED 99/month). For businesses that only need expense management at a lower cost, Pemo (AED 399/month or free Starter) and Pluto (free/$99/month) are both worth evaluating.
Pemo received in-principle CBUAE SVF approval in July 2026. Full CBUAE licence approval is still pending as of October 2026. Pemo does not hold a DFSA licence. Mamo is the only platform in this comparison with a full, non-pending regulatory status.
Pluto received DFSA in-principle approval in July 2024. A full DFSA licence has not yet been granted as of October 2026. Businesses that require a fully licensed DFSA entity today should consider Mamo.
Yes, Mamo. It is the only platform in this comparison, including Alaan itself, that offers a payment gateway, payment links, and QR codes for accepting customer payments. Pemo, Pluto, and Alaan are all outbound-spend-only platforms.
Mamo's Growth plan carries AED 0/month (pay per transaction only); the Premium plan is AED 99/month. Pemo offers a free Starter tier and AED 399/month Premium. Pluto offers a $0 entry tier and approximately $99/month for its Growth plan. Confirm current plan structures and feature inclusions directly with each provider.
Alaan is the only platform in this comparison with active UAE and KSA operations, including separate KSA pricing (2.75% FX fee on international payments). Mamo, Pemo, and Pluto are primarily UAE-focused. If cross-border UAE/KSA operations are a hard requirement, factor this in before making a switch.
No. Same-day settlement on Mamo carries an additional fee: +0.5% per transaction on the Premium plan or +0.75% per transaction on the Growth plan. Standard settlement without this option is 2–5 business days.
If you're leaving Alaan to cut costs, Mamo removes both the AED 499 monthly fee and the 3.68% FX charge, and keeps up to 2% cashback. It's also the only alternative that lets you accept customer payments, under a DFSA licence.
Pemo and Pluto are cheaper ways to keep pure expense management, with free entry plans, though both still hold in-principle approvals only. Stay with Alaan if its AI agents, business IBAN or Saudi operations are core to how you work.
Start on Mamo's free Growth plan, regulated by the DFSA.
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