8.6
Editor’s Rating:
Best Overall
Emburse Certify: Expense Dashboard
Emburse Certify
  • Utilizes GPS for efficient mileage tracking
  • OCR for accurate receipt scanning
  • Integrates with NetSuite, QuickBooks, etc.
8.6
Editor’s Rating:
Best Free Option
Expensify: List of Expenses
Expensify
  • Free for up to 25 SmartScans monthly
  • Integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, etc.
  • Customizable business expense reports
8.8
Editor’s Rating:
Best for Government Contractors
JAMIS Prime ERP: HR Dashboard
JAMIS Prime ERP
  • Easy to use with government contracts
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Multiple payment methods

Expense management software is a digital tool that automates tracking, recording, and managing financial expenditures for businesses and individuals.

We researched the top expense tracking software using our advanced review methodology to bring you the best in reporting, receipt scanning, and more.

1 Emburse Certifiy - Best Overall

Why we chose it: Emburse Certify is our top overall pick for expense management software. That’s because it’s designed for global commerce, supporting 140+ currencies and 64 languages. In this way, Certify caters to international businesses and their diverse needs. Additionally, the software offers GPS mileage tracking, transforming trip information into accurate, reimbursable mileage expenses with less effort.

The software integrates with a wide range of accounting, collaboration, and travel platforms, such as Oracle Netsuite, Paycor, QuickBooks Online, Sage, and more, allowing for streamlined processes across different business systems. Last, Certify simplifies travel management, offering tools for booking trips, creating travel policies, identifying spending trends, and negotiating better rates​.

Best Overall:
Emburse Certify

Emburse Certify: Expense Dashboard
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted

2 Expensify - Best Free Option

Why we chose it: We found Expensify best for startups and small businesses because it offers a free plan. It allows a single admin (the workspace creator) to manage workspace settings, issue Expensify Cards, and handle payments and expenses. The plan includes unlimited receipt scanning and next-day ACH reimbursements, streamlining the expense reporting and reimbursement​process.

The free plan does have its restrictions. For instance, it standardizes categories and does not allow for custom categories or integration with accounting packages. Features like multi-level approval workflows, direct accounting integration, and custom export formats are reserved for paid plans.

Best Free Option:
Expensify

Expensify: List of Expenses
Starting Price
$4.99/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted

3 JAMIS Prime ERP - Best for Government Contractors

Why we chose it: We chose JAMIS Prime ERP because it’s tailored to government contractors and project-focused businesses with a strong focus on specific initiatives. This platform integrates expense management into a wider array of financial and management tools, streamlining the handling of accounting tasks to ensure accurate monitoring of costs, income, and overall financial health.

At the heart of this system are its time and expense tracking features, facilitating straightforward input, validation, and invoicing costs and work efforts, thus boosting operational effectiveness. JAMIS is designed to adhere to stringent regulations like DCAA, FAR, and CAS, essential for entities engaged in government contracts.

Best for Government Contractors:
JAMIS Prime ERP

JAMIS Prime ERP: HR Dashboard
JAMIS Prime ERP: Executive Dashboard
JAMIS Prime ERP: Controller Dashboard
What We Like
Easy to use with government contracts
iOS and Android apps
Multiple payment methods
What We Don’t Like
Menu interface can be unintuitive
Limited multi-currency support
Limited inventory and HR modules
Overview
Price Range: $$$
Client OS: Web
Deployment: Cloud Hosted

4 Zoho Expense - Best Product Ecosystem

Why we chose it: Zoho Expense is a solid choice for businesses already using Zoho products, offering seamless integration across the suite. These applications include Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho Projects. Zoho Expense can also integrate with external accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero, enhancing its overall utility.

Beyond its broad software ecosystem, Zoho Expense uses OCR technology to scan and record expense details from receipts automatically. Additionally, Zoho Expense supports transactions in multiple currencies and complies with global tax systems, making it suitable for international businesses.

Best Product Ecosystem:
Zoho Expense

Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$5/user/month
Client OS
Windows, iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud or On-Premises

5 Best Spend Management Tools

Why we chose it: Coupa made our list because of its unified spend management. The platform manages all types of business spend, including direct and indirect expenses, services procurement, and travel fees. Additionally, Coupa offers strategic sourcing features, including supplier and contract lifecycle management, helping businesses negotiate better rates and terms.

The platform’s real-time dashboard and reporting tools deliver immediate insights into spend. This helps identify savings opportunities and improve budget management. Finally, Coupa has advanced compliance controls and fraud detection mechanisms to ensure spending adheres to company policies and external regulations.

Best Spend Management Tools:
Coupa Procurement

Coupa Procurement: Home Screen
Coupa Procurement: Sourcing Manager
Coupa Procurement: Supplier Details
Coupa Procurement: Purchase Orders
Coupa Procurement: Product Search
What We Like
Consolidated one-page checkout screen
Auto-conversion of requisitions to emailed purchase orders
Offers auditable record of all purchases
What We Don’t Like
Limited customer support
Complex setup process
Lacks project accounting suite
Overview
Price Range: $$
Starting Price: $11/user/month
Client OS: Web
Deployment: Cloud Hosted

6 Rydoo - Best Travel Expense Management

Why we chose it: Rydoo is our top pick for mid-sized businesses with significant travel expenses. That’s because its mobile app enables employees to scan receipts, submit expenses, and track approvals from anywhere, ideal for on-the-go professionals. Rydoo integrates with travel platforms to manage bookings, itineraries, and fees in one place, making tracking and reconciling travel spending easier.

Additionally, the platform supports per diem rates and mileage tracking, including GPS capabilities for accurate distance recording. Users can set up customizable approval workflows with specific rules and hierarchies for expense approvals, adapting to the diverse organizational structures of medium-sized companies.

Best Travel Expense Management:
Rydoo

Rydoo: Expenses
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$7/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted

Businesses of all sizes need reliable expense management software to stay profitable, grow plan, and comply with tax laws. Aside from the enormous operational benefits of diligently tracking expenses, your company will be much safer during an audit. For detailed information on tax-deductible business expenses, review IRS Publication 535.

This guide will cover a range of topics to help you choose the right expense management software:

What is Expense Management Software?

Expense management software gives you visibility into the costs associated with each service or project by keeping records of when and how expenses were incurred. With a more accessible expense reporting system, you can better analyze your current spending habits to shape your future expense policies. Additionally, this accounting software streamlines the reimbursement process so employees aren’t frustrated by a long wait time to get their money back.

Expense management software helps companies manage costs related to:

  • Employee pay
  • Travel expenses
  • Personal equipment
  • Retirement contributions
  • Startup costs
  • Property rent
  • Business loan interest
  • Taxes paid
  • Asset purchasing
  • Inventory storage
  • Renovations
  • Raw materials

Expanse management solutions best suit administrators and accounting specialists who review, approve, and report employee expenses.

Key Functionalities of Expense Management

Functionality Description
Expense Recording Input and save important information about the expense, like the amount, date/time of purchase, and a description. Track individual employee or department-wide expenses.
Expense Report Management Employees can submit expenses and create entries for the report. The software will process the report and automate the approval process. You’ll also see real-time reports that give you visibility into how money is being spent and expense trends.
Receipt Scanning and Management Scanned images of receipts are uploaded and stored into the expense tracking software for better organization and easy access. Allow employees to submit expenses themselves for reimbursement.
Reimbursement Management Expense tracking software automates the reimbursement process. When an expense report is submitted, the software checks the report against your company’s policies, like pre-approved expenditures and spending caps.
Corporate Credit Card Monitoring Company credit cards can be linked with expense management software to automate the monitoring of these accounts. The software will alert management of suspicious activity and automatically approve recurring expenses that have been authorized previously.

The Most Important Benefits of Expense Management Software

  • Streamline reimbursement approval process: Employees can submit a reimbursement request from anywhere with expense tracking software. Information about the request is immediately available to management for approval, questioning, or denial.

  • Flag or deny invalid business expenses: Expense tracking software protects your business from employee fraud by flagging or prohibiting invalid business expenses. You can set dollar amount limits on travel expenses like hotels and food, or flag items that shouldn’t be charged to the company.

  • Currency conversion for international expenses: If you or your employees need to travel, expense tracking software can automatically convert currency for internationally-incurred business expenses.

  • Increased productivity: Expense tracking software saves tons of time by automating time-consuming tasks, allowing you to spend more time on profit-generating endeavors like sales and marketing. You’ll be able to spend less time tracking down receipts, managing expense claims, and putting together expense reports.

  • Accurate documentation for taxes: Come tax time, you’ll have all your receipts and expense documents in one place. Some expense tracking systems can notify you of potential inaccuracies. You won’t have to worry about getting audited for a missing receipt or incorrect tax data.

Can I Use QuickBooks to Manage Expenses?

QuickBooks Online expense tracking screenshot

Startups and small businesses can use QuickBooks for basic time and expense tracking. You can save photos of your receipts, keep track of tax deductions, connect bank and credit card accounts, and access built-in expense reports. Choose from QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Pro, or QuickBooks Premier.

Medium to large businesses will need a solution with more in-depth features like corporate account card monitoring or expense approval/denial claims.

Free Expense Tracking Software

Free expense tracking software is best for individuals and home use. Some tiny businesses can get away with using the basic features in free software but often outgrow the solution quickly. Some popular free expense tracking systems include:

  • Zoho Expense offers a free small business expense tracking software plan for 3 users that lets you auto-scan 100 receipts per month, track projects, import card transactions, convert currency, and store up to 5 GB of receipt documents. Zoho Expense’s Premium and Enterprises are not free. Still, they accommodate more users, allow unlimited auto-scans, and manage business trip expenses (including travel allowance, cost approval, and itinerary management).
  • Expensify has free expense tracking software functionalities for home or small business use. However, you are limited to only 5 SmartScans per month if you want to track and submit expenses. Expensify’s Track and Submit plans can be upgraded to include unlimited SmartScans and automatic mileage tracking. These plans are ideal for home expense tracking, self-employed, and small business owners. Larger companies are better off with the Collect or Control plans that automate expense categorization and export to accounting software. The Collect and Control plans have a 6-week free trial.

Expense Tracking Software with Free Trials

  • FreshBooks has a variety of expense-tracking solutions for freelancers and small businesses. A 30-day free trial is available for the Lite, Plus, and Premium plans. A Select plan is available for bigger firms with custom pricing and a demo.
  • Xero has three plans for Early, Growing, and Established Businesses. The 30-day trial gives you unlimited access to the software, so you can see which features you need and decide which package best fits your business.
  • Rydoo Expense has three packages for expense tracking. The Team and Growth packages have a 14-day trial available. The third package, Enterprises is customized to fit your business and does not offer a free trial. Rydoo has another solution, Rydoo Travel, that helps manage business travel expenses. The Team package is free forever, and the Growth and Enterprises packages have custom pricing plans.

What Does Your Business Need?

  • Startups and small businesses: Seeing where expenses come from is critical for small businesses and startups. Look for expense-tracking software with good reporting functionalities and receipt management. SAP Concur Small Business is a popular lower-cost expense tracking software for companies with a tight budget.

  • Medium-sized businesses: Automating some expense tracking processes give your staff more time to focus on other tasks like sales and customer service. Expense tracking software will record and report expenses, streamline the reimbursement process, and monitor corporate spending. Some popular expense tracking software solutions for medium-sized businesses include Replicon WebExpense and Deltek Maconomoy.

  • Large businesses: Reducing fraud is often a priority for large companies. Expense tracking software will automate the approval process, keep electronic records of expenses, and monitor corporate credit card activity. If your company is a professional services business, look into a full PSA software solution that handles expense tracking in addition to tracking billable hours and track other real-time data to ensure your services or projects are profitable. Tenrox is a popular PSA software solution for large businesses that will also integrate easily with existing enterprise software.

Common Expense Pain Points Solved

Without expense management software, your company could be at risk of audits or fall behind on employee reimbursement. Use an expense solution to avoid these common issues:

Expense Fraud

A survey by Chrome River found that employee expense fraud costs $2.8 billion per year in the United States. While only approximately 6% of employees commit expense fraud, the average amount of false claims are $2,448 per year. A few individuals even claimed $25,000 per year. Expense management software will automatically deny or flag invalid expense requests and monitor corporate credit card usage, so you can spot fraud and take action to prevent it.

Misplaced Receipts

Keeping track of paper receipts is a significant pain point for businesses of any size. Expense tracking software lets you store images of your receipts, so you can keep electronic records and easily access them anytime you need them.

Delayed Employee Reimbursement

Expense tracking software can approve or deny reimbursement requests quickly, improving the turnaround for reimbursements.

Expense management processes are constantly evolving, especially with the rise of real-time business transactions. Here are some of the industry trends:

Global Travel & Expense Management Software Market Growth

According to a report by Yahoo Finance, the global travel and expense management software market is expected to grow steadily to $15.7 billion USD by 2032. The report found that more businesses are adopting the software due to an increasing need to control and monitor travel and other employee expenses.

Mobile Capabilities

A report from Capture Expense projects that by 2025, 75% of businesses will predominantly rely on mobile applications for managing their expenses. This shift is primarily attributed to the increasing adoption of remote work and the need for more flexible work arrangements. As companies continue embracing these modern work environments, the demand for mobile-friendly solutions to track and report expenses surges.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a staple in software development, particularly in expense management systems. AI technologies, including machine learning and automation, are being integrated to enhance functionalities such as detecting policy breaches, automating expense categorization, and digitizing paper receipts through Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Capture Expense’s data indicates that as of 2024, 60% of businesses have already incorporated AI to enforce policies within their expense management frameworks, showcasing the growing reliance on intelligent software solutions to streamline financial processes.

All Products

No products found
Emburse Certify Screenshot

Emburse Certify

Certify Expense is a management software with deep data visibility into your corporate spend. Use this solution to automatically generate expense reports for employees, streamline payment approvals, and make reimbursement and reporting effortless for your accounting department. Offers more than 140 currencies and over 40 languages. EXTRAORDINARY USABILITY: Easy-to-use mobile app lets users simply snap a photo of receipts and lets the patented ReceiptParse” OCR organize the data for you.;
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Expensify Screenshot

Expensify

Expensify software automates the receipt, reimbursement and expense management process for companies. Mobile apps allow for expense work on-the-go. One-Click Receipt Scanning : Take a picture of receipts to automatically submit an expense report in just one click!; Next-Day Reimbursement : As soon as reports are approved, rapid reimbursement delivers the money right into the employee’s bank account within 24 hours via ACH direct deposit.; Automatic Approval Workflows : Admins can customize
Starting Price
$4.99/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
JAMIS Prime ERP Screenshot

JAMIS Prime ERP

★★★★★
★★★★★
(1)
JAMIS Prime ERP is a DCAA-compliant accounting software with government contract compliance and efficient project management. The software offers comprehensive project accounting and job costing capabilities. Its integrated approach combines finance, operations, and contract management, backed by strong analytics and reporting features.
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Client OS
Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Zoho Expense Screenshot

Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is online expense reporting software, tailor-made for businesses worldwide to automate expense report creation, streamline approvals and make swift reimbursements. This software lets you scan receipts in over ten languages with the tap of a button and expenses will be created with line item information automatically. Gain direct feeds for corporate cards and reconcile spending automatically from card providers. And build sophisticated, multi-stage, and automatic approval flows so
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$5/user/month
Client OS
Windows, iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud or On-Premises
Coupa Procurement Screenshot

Coupa Procurement

★★★★★
★★★★★
(1)
Coupa Procurement is a cloud-based software designed to streamline procurement processes, offering tools for contract and supplier oversight, inventory control, and purchase orders and requisitions. It assists with spend management, enhancing budget monitoring and fraud prevention. Key features include efficient payment management, compliance tracking, and e-invoicing capabilities. Coupa Procurement is a part of the Coupa Business Spend Management suite, offering software solutions for procurement, supply chain, and finance.
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$11/user/month
Client OS
Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Rydoo Screenshot

Rydoo

★★★★★
★★★★★
(3)
Rydoo Expense makes your expense management process ridiculously easy. From submissions of claims to final reimbursement, this software lets you take complete control. Start by setting spending limits with custom policies. Then use a real-time overview to handle expenses line by line. Available add-ons allow you to perform in-depth audits and insights to better send your company in the right direction. @youtube Spending limit policies; Overspending insights; Custom per diems; Mileages for trips;
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$7/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
SAP Concur Screenshot

SAP Concur

Acquired by SAP in 2014, SAP Concur Expense provides options for both small businesses and enterprise level companies to manage their expenses, travel, and invoicing and provide increased visibility. The spend management solution automates and integrates expenses management to capture spend from multiple sources and make intelligent business decisions based on accurate data. @youtube Expense Management: SAP Concur helps automate the expense management process and give more control over
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$8/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Coupa Expense Screenshot

Coupa Expense

★★★★★
★★★★★
(1)
Coupa Expense is a travel and expense management software designed for the modern era of business. This software provides visibility, control, and global compliance to companies in need of expense report accuracy, reduce spend leakages, and pay employees on time. This software is available in over 150 currencies and 20 languages for global business expenses. Coupa software is designed to eliminate manual work with a cloud-based, user-centric experience anyone can use. Accounting review; Pre- and
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Zoho CRM Screenshot

Zoho CRM

★★★★★
★★★★★
(3)
Zoho CRM is a customer relationship management software catering to most business sizes and types. Key features include lead tracking, business intelligence, AI-powered predictions and recommendations, and sales performance analytics. It offers flexibility in customization and integration capabilities, along with a mobile app.
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Starting Price
$14/user/month
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Vinnet Expense Management Screenshot

Vinnet Expense Management

Outtask offers Vinnet, an Expense Management application that automates the entire expense process from entry to reimbursement. Vinnet eliminates the costly, labor intensive and often duplicative steps required in conventional Travel & Entertainment (T&E) expense processing, making your employees more productive and reducing your operational overhead. Outtask offers Vinnet, an Expense Management application that automates the entire expense process from entry to reimbursement. Vinnet eliminates
Client OS
Windows, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
ExpenseAnywhere Screenshot

ExpenseAnywhere

ExpenseAnywhere is a powerful, robust, best practices, easy to use and manage web-based solution that helps corporations exercise cost control, administer and enhance policy compliance and drastically reduce the burdening costs associated with error-prone, inefficient, manual processing of paper-based expense forms. With its highly intuitive and advanced user interface, ExpenseAnywhere facilitates the entry, submission and flow of expense reports through the entire expense approval process, from
Client OS
Windows, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
Easy Expense Tracker Screenshot

Easy Expense Tracker

Easily track financial transactions for business and or personal use. Track tax deductible expenses. Unlimited user defined categories and sub-categories. Choose from several pre-defined reports or create your own. Grid printing. Analyze your data with ease. View and print charts. Easy to use short-cuts. Export data to csv and excel formats for use in other programs. Frequently used notes templates. Recurring items feature.
Client OS
Windows
Expense Reimbursement Screenshot

Expense Reimbursement

Expense Reimbursement allows companies to track and control expenses incurred by employees who work outside the office. The system allows managers to authorize Cash Advances and Expense Reimbursements for all expense reports submitted by their staff. The complementary web-based eTimesheet Expense module, allows the process of entering Employee Expense Reports to be done over the Internet using a web browser. Seamless integration with SM, GL, AP, AR, PJC; Copy employee information from
Client OS
Windows, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
WebExpense Screenshot

WebExpense

★★★★★
★★★★★
(1)
WebExpense is an expense management software for business and project-related cost tracking. It distinguishes between project-specific and general expenses and features a mobile-friendly interface for submitting and uploading expenses from anywhere. The software supports detailed project categorization, marking expenses as billable or non-billable with variable billing rates.
Client OS
Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
SutiExpense Screenshot

SutiExpense

★★★★★
★★★★★
(1)
One of the leading travel and expense management software solutions, SutiExpense gives complete visibility over the business spending so as to let businesses manage their expenses in a much more efficient way. SutiExpense accelerates the expense process while combating fraud by assuring policy compliance. Our comprehensive features let you track & record expenses, figure out areas for cost control, speed up the approval process, and shorten reimbursement cycles. Our software is a perfect fit for
Client OS
Web
Deployment
Cloud or On-Premises
zed Expense User Screenshot

zed Expense User

Expense User for zed Employee Portal is a powerful, web-based expense reporting solution that streamlines the creation of expense reports, approvals and reimbursements from inside SAP Business One. The automated expense management solution saves time and provides greater control over business costs with full visibility into expenses and employee reimbursements. With the easy to use self-service features, your employees can spend less time tracking down expense reports and more time with dealing
Eptura Asset Screenshot

Eptura Asset

★★★★★
★★★★★
(3)
Eptura Asset, previously ManagerPlus, is a CMMS software. It is a modernized replacement for Hippo CMMS, offering enhanced features and capabilities. These include facility, lifecycle, and automated asset management. Eptura Asset also supports preventive maintenance, inventory control, purchasing, invoicing and downtime tracking.
Client OS
iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted
The Property Manager Screenshot

The Property Manager

The Property Manager release 4 provides complete support for the property management enterprise. Tenant tracking, income and expense tracking, vendor tracking, workorders, budgeting, and a comprehensive accounting module are available. In addition, the package provides a substantial number of built-in reports, with a powerful query engine that permits the user to define a query based upon any criteria to extract any data in the database in any fashion the user needs. For the small property
Client OS
Windows
ObviO Real Time Screenshot

ObviO Real Time

ObviO RealTime provides one, fully integrated browser-based interface to handle time collection, employee expense collection, and web-accessible reporting and queries. The application helps organizations automate the collection, validation, approval, and processing of labor and employee expense related information. Both on-site and remote workers, either employees or consultants, can use ObviO RealTime to file timesheets and standardized expense reports online. Supervisors can review and approve
Norming Screenshot

Norming

The Norming Professional Service Automation System is a powerful and flexible business management software designed with industry leading technology to automate and control the most vital activities and processes of a professional service organization. It provides a complete and integrated solution for streamlining the management of business partners, human resources, projects, timesheets, expense and docuements. Ease of Use Fully web-based, available via web browser anytime and anywhere.; User
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
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Client OS
Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted

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