Pluto is a impressive platform. With AED 1B+ in spend under management, G2 Leader EMEA 2025 status, 500+ reviews, and backing from fintech heavyweights including the CTO of Ramp and the co-founder of Plaid, it has earned its place as one of the Gulf's leading expense management tools.
But Pluto is not the right fit for every UAE business. The most common reasons companies explore alternatives include:
No payment gateway. Pluto is purely an outbound spend management tool. If your business needs to accept payments from customers, online, via payment link, or QR code, Pluto cannot help. You would need to maintain a separate payments provider alongside it, adding cost and operational complexity.
Regulatory status. Pluto received in-principle DFSA approval for a Payments Services Business licence in July 2024, but full authorisation is still pending. For businesses with strict treasury or compliance requirements, particularly those operating under DIFC frameworks, working with a fully DFSA-licensed provider may be a requirement rather than a preference.
USD pricing. Pluto's plans are priced in US dollars ($99/month for Growth). For UAE-first businesses that plan and report in AED, USD pricing adds friction at the accounting layer, and introduces minor FX exposure on the subscription itself.
Procure-to-pay is more than needed. Pluto's procure-to-pay suite, PO management, GRN matching, contract tracking, is powerful. But for smaller teams or businesses without formal procurement processes, paying for that depth may not be necessary.
Mamo is the standout Pluto alternative for any UAE business that needs both sides of the money equation: accepting payments from customers and controlling how employees spend. It is the only DFSA-regulated platform in the UAE that combines a full payment gateway with corporate expense cards under one roof, a combination that none of its competitors in the spend management category can match.
Mamo's payment acceptance suite covers Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Jaywan (the UAE's national card scheme), Tabby (BNPL), mada, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, delivered via payment gateway, payment links, and QR codes. This entire product category is absent from Pluto's offering.
On the corporate spend side, Mamo Cards come with expense management features, global payouts, and cashback of up to 0.5% on AED (unlimited) spend and up to 2% on non-AED (unlimited) spend. Promotional cashback rates up to 8% are available for limited periods.
Mamo is fully DFSA-regulated, which matters for businesses based in DIFC or working under DIFC contracts. This is a direct advantage over Pluto, whose DFSA in-principle approval received in July 2024 has not yet converted to a full licence.
Mamo's Growth plan has no monthly fee; its Premium plan costs AED 99/month:
Mamo is the best Pluto alternative for UAE SMEs and growth-stage businesses that need to accept customer payments and manage corporate spend on a single, regulated platform, with no monthly fee on the Growth plan (Premium is AED 99/month).
Alaan is the most heavily funded corporate spend management platform in the UAE, having raised $55M to date. Based in Dubai and operating across UAE and KSA, Alaan targets mid-market and enterprise businesses with sophisticated financial operations and large employee bases.
Alaan's AI expense suite is widely considered the deepest available in the Gulf market. Automated receipt capture, real-time expense categorisation, policy enforcement, and multi-level approval workflows are all delivered with strong AI assistance. ERP integrations are broad, covering the major accounting and enterprise finance systems used by mid-market businesses across the region.
Like Pluto, Alaan focuses exclusively on outbound spend management. It does not offer a payment gateway, payment links, or merchant-acquiring services.
For businesses choosing between Alaan and Pluto specifically, the key differences are funding scale (Alaan $55M vs Pluto $10.1M), AI depth (Alaan's strength), and procure-to-pay features (Pluto's strength). Both are strong options; neither accepts inbound customer payments.
Alaan is the best Pluto alternative for larger businesses, typically 50+ employees, that need the deepest AI-powered expense automation and broad ERP integrations, and that do not require payment acceptance capabilities.
Pemo is a UAE-based corporate spend management platform offering Mastercard-branded prepaid cards with expense management features. It holds CBUAE in-principle approval for a Stored Value Facility (SVF) licence, placing it at a similar regulatory stage to Pluto (in-principle, not yet full).
Pemo's accessible pricing structure, anchored by a free Starter tier, makes it attractive for smaller businesses or teams wanting corporate card controls without a significant monthly commitment. The platform covers core expense management, card issuance, and basic approval workflows.
Like Pluto and Alaan, Pemo is an outbound spend management platform only. It does not offer payment acceptance, payment links, or POS terminals.
Pemo is the best Pluto alternative for small teams that prefer Mastercard-branded cards and want an affordable entry into corporate card management without committing to a significant monthly fee.
| Criteria | Mamo | Alaan | Pemo | Pluto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment gateway | Yes | No | No | No |
| Payment links | Yes | No | No | No |
| POS terminal | No | No | No | No |
| Corporate cards | Yes | Yes | Yes (Mastercard) | Yes (Mastercard) |
| AI expense automation | Yes | Yes (deepest) | Yes (basic) | Yes (PlutoAI) |
| ERP integrations | Yes (major) | Yes (broad) | Yes (core) | 50+ |
| Procure-to-pay | Limited | Yes | Limited | Yes (deepest) |
| Fleet cards | No | No | No | Yes |
| Regulatory status | Fully DFSA-regulated | UAE-regulated | CBUAE in-principle SVF | In-principle DFSA (full licence pending) |
| Monthly fee | AED 0 Growth / AED 99/month Premium | AED 499/month | Free / AED 399/month | $0 / $99 (~AED 363) / Custom |
| Cashback | 0.5% AED / 2% non-AED | Varies | Varies | Up to 2% FX / 1.25% domestic (Growth) |
| Markets | UAE (primary) | UAE, KSA | UAE | UAE, KSA, Egypt |
| Total funding | Undisclosed | ~$55M | Undisclosed | ~$10.1M |
Mamo combines payment acceptance and corporate spend on one DFSA-regulated account.
The right platform depends on the specific shape of your business. Here is a practical decision guide:
Choose Mamo if:
Choose Alaan if:
Choose Pemo if:
Stick with Pluto if:
The best alternative depends on your specific needs. Mamo is the top choice for businesses that need payment acceptance alongside corporate cards, it is the only fully DFSA-regulated UAE platform combining both. Alaan is better for larger teams with complex ERP requirements and deep AI expense automation. Pemo suits businesses looking for Mastercard cards with flexible, affordable entry-level pricing.
The most common reasons are: needing a payment gateway or payment links to accept customer payments (Pluto has none); preferring a fully DFSA-licensed provider (Pluto's authorisation is in-principle, with full licensing still pending as of October 2026); wanting AED-denominated pricing rather than USD; or finding Pluto's procure-to-pay depth unnecessary for simpler expense management needs.
Mamo offers corporate expense management and card controls, but Pluto's procure-to-pay suite, including PO management, goods receipt note (GRN) matching, and contract tracking, is more comprehensive. Businesses with formal procurement processes may find Pluto or Alaan a better fit on that specific dimension. Mamo's differentiator is payment acceptance, not procurement depth.
Alaan and Pluto are both strong outbound spend management platforms, but differ in funding, AI depth, and feature mix. Alaan has raised approximately $55M and is considered to have the deepest AI expense automation in the Gulf. Pluto has raised $10.1M, has 50+ ERP integrations, and adds procure-to-pay and fleet card features that Alaan lacks. Alaan costs AED 499/month; Pluto's Growth plan is $99/month (~AED 363). Neither platform offers a payment gateway or merchant-acquiring capabilities.
Mamo's Growth plan has no monthly fee, pricing is entirely transaction-based at 2.9% + AED 1.00. Mamo's Premium plan costs AED 99/month plus 2.7% + AED 0.80 per transaction. Pemo also offers a free Starter tier for basic corporate card management. Alaan's pricing starts at AED 499/month. Pluto itself offers a free tier with limited features for up to 5 users.
Yes. Pluto launched in KSA in September 2024 through a partnership with neoleap (Al Rajhi Bank). Alaan also operates in KSA. Mamo is primarily UAE-focused.
For businesses leaving Pluto, Mamo is the strongest alternative: unlimited free cards on its free plan, no FX fee on card spend, payment acceptance, and full DFSA regulation.
Alaan suits larger teams that want AI expense tooling, and Pemo suits teams that want a free plan with Mastercard cards. Stay with Pluto if procure-to-pay and fleet cards are core to how you work.
Start free with unlimited cards and no FX fee on card spend.
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