SFDIFY
For most small teams, the cheapest real starting points are the free tiers: Ramp Free at "$0/mo/user" [1], Brex Essentials at "$0 user/month" [2], and Zoho Expense Free for up to 3 users [3]. If your spend is mostly business travel, Navan Business is free for companies up to 300 employees, with expensing free for the first 5 users and then $15 per user per month [4]. If you want a card-agnostic receipt tool, Expensify Collect costs $5 per member per month [5], and if you already run Xero, its Established plan includes expense claims [6].
Expense management software turns receipts, mileage and approval emails into one workflow: capture, match, approve, sync to the books. The seven tools below come at that from different directions: corporate card companies, travel platforms, and one accounting system with claims built in. The right pick depends mostly on how your team spends money.
How we chose
We compared seven products a small or mid-size business is likely to shortlist. For each one we read the vendor's homepage and pricing page (or a help page where pricing was not on the main page) on 2026-11-10, and every price and feature below is cited to those pages. We did no hands-on testing and do not score the products. Navan and Xero are SFDIFY affiliate partners; that does not change their position or what we say about their limits.
Expense management software compared
| Product | Best for | Starting price | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navan | Teams that travel often | Free Business plan for companies up to 300 employees; expensing free for 5 users, then $15/user/month [4] | Works with existing Visa, Mastercard and American Express corporate cards via Navan Connect [7] |
| Expensify | Card-agnostic receipt capture | Collect: $5 per member per month [5] | 45+ integrations including QuickBooks, NetSuite and Xero [8] |
| Ramp | Startups and SMBs ready to switch cards | Free: $0/mo/user [1] | Plus is $15/mo/user plus a platform fee based on team size [1] |
| Brex | Growing companies with multiple entities | Essentials: $0 user/month [2] | Premium at $12 user/month adds multi-entity and custom policies [2] |
| SAP Concur | Per-report pricing with unlimited users | Base: starting at $7 per report [9] | Price "can vary based on monthly commitment" [9] |
| Zoho Expense | Very small teams on a budget | Free for up to 3 users [3] | Standard from $3 per user per month billed annually [3] |
| Xero | Small businesses already on Xero | Established plan, $97 per month at regular price [10] | Expense claims live inside the accounting ledger [6] |
Navan — travel and expense in one free tier
Navan is a travel booking platform with expense management built alongside it, which makes it a natural fit when flights and hotels are your biggest expense category.
Verified features: The Navan Business plan includes expense features to "Manage expenses and issue reimbursements," connect existing corporate or business credit cards, scan receipts on the go and integrate with most ERPs [4]. Navan Connect is "compatible with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express corporate cards," and reimbursements cover spending on personal cards [7].
Pricing: Navan Business is free "For companies up to 300 employees." Navan Expense "is free for the first 5 monthly expensing users, and then is $15 per user per month" [4].
Strengths: You do not have to replace your corporate card to use it, and travel and expenses share one system.
Limitations: Past five monthly expensing users, Navan costs $15 per user per month [4], the same headline price as Ramp Plus [1] and above the per-user rates for Zoho Expense Standard or Brex Premium [3] [2]. If your team rarely travels, much of the product goes unused.
Best fit: Small and mid-size companies where travel drives most expense reports.
Expensify — receipt capture that works with any card
Expensify is built around getting receipts in quickly and exporting them to your accounting system.
Verified features: Employees can scan receipts "via the mobile app, drag-and-drop, forwarding to receipts@expensify.com, or texting 47777" [8]. You can link the corporate cards you already have [8]. Expensify lists "45+ integrations," including QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, Workday and Gusto [8].
Pricing: Collect is "$5 per unique member per month" and "Fully month-to-month (no annual contracts)" [5]. Control is $9 per active member per month when you combine an annual subscription with the Expensify Card and use it for 50% or more of US spend; without card usage, annual pricing is $18, and pay-per-use is $36 per active member per month [5].
Strengths: It suits companies that want to keep their current cards and just need a better receipt and reimbursement process.
Limitations: Collect bills "Every unique member added to a workspace, regardless of activity" [5], so inactive users still cost money. Control's best price depends on moving most of your spend onto the Expensify Card; without it the per-member price doubles from $9 to $18 [5].
Best fit: Small teams that want simple receipt capture without changing cards.
Ramp — free corporate card with expense tools built in
Ramp bundles corporate cards, expenses, bill pay and accounting automation, with a $0 entry plan.
Verified features: Ramp Free includes "Auto-receipt collection and matching," travel booking, "Unlimited cards" and "QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations" [1]. Plus adds NetSuite and Sage Intacct integrations and "Support for multi-entity businesses" [1].
Pricing: Free is "$0/mo/user." Plus is "$15/mo/user" with a "Platform fee based on team size," and you can "Save 20% with annual billing." Enterprise is custom [1].
Strengths: For a small team on QuickBooks Online or Xero, the Free plan covers receipts, cards and accounting sync without a per-user fee [1].
Limitations: Plus has a platform fee on top of the per-user price, and the pricing page does not list that fee [1], so you will need a quote to know your real cost. ERP integrations like NetSuite sit on the paid plan [1].
Best fit: Startups and small businesses happy to issue Ramp cards to the team.
Brex — corporate cards for companies that are scaling
Brex combines cards, banking, expenses and accounting, with plans that step up as companies add entities.
Verified features: Brex lists "automated receipts, an AI-powered expense assistant, in-app travel bookings and itinerary changes" [11]. Essentials includes reimbursements, accounting integrations, bill pay, "Travel booking (free on Essentials)" and "Up to two entities (1 global entity)" [2].
Pricing: Essentials is "$0 user/month," Premium is "$12 user/month," and Enterprise is custom [2].
Strengths: Premium adds "Multiple, customizable expense policies," "Dynamic expense review chains" and "Multi-entity (US & International)" [2], which suits companies with more than one legal entity.
Limitations: Customizable ERP and HRIS integrations and multiple expense policies are Premium features, not Essentials [2], so a team with complex approval rules will likely pay $12 per user.
Best fit: Fast-growing companies that expect to add entities.
SAP Concur — per-report pricing with unlimited users
SAP Concur is a long-standing travel and expense name, and Concur Expense publishes per-report pricing.
Verified features: Key features include "AI-powered receipt capture (ExpenseIt)," corporate card integration, built-in policy controls, mobile expense management and reporting [9].
Pricing: Base is "Starting at $7 per report" and Plus is "Starting at $11 per report," both with unlimited users. Premium is custom-priced and adds Concur Travel [9]. "Price can vary based on monthly commitment" [9].
Strengths: Charging per report instead of per user can be cheaper when many people submit expenses only occasionally.
Limitations: AI receipt capture (ExpenseIt) is listed under Plus, not Base, and Concur Travel only appears in the custom-priced Premium tier [9]. Per-report pricing can climb for teams that file many reports each month.
Best fit: Companies with many occasional submitters.
Zoho Expense — low per-user pricing and a free plan
Zoho Expense is a travel and expense tool from the Zoho suite with low published per-user prices.
Verified features: It offers "AI receipt capture in 38+ languages" [12]. The Free plan includes OCR receipt capture, expense reports, GPS mileage and accounting integrations [3]. Standard adds corporate card management, "Real-time card feeds for Visa & Mastercard," multiple expense policies and direct bank reimbursements [3].
Pricing: Free has "Maximum users: 3." Standard is $4 per user per month billed monthly or $3 billed annually, and Premium is $6 billed monthly or $5 billed annually [3].
Strengths: For a team that wants card feeds, policies and approvals without moving to a new card provider, Standard's per-user price is low [3].
Limitations: The Free plan stops at three users, and travel self-booking with the online booking tool is a Premium feature [3].
Best fit: Budget-conscious small businesses, especially those already on Zoho.
Xero — expense claims inside your accounting
Xero is accounting software, not a dedicated expense platform, but one plan includes employee expense claims that land directly in your books.
Verified features: Employees "submit claims through Xero Me," an approver reviews them, and "Each approved claim becomes a bill you pay like any other, or you can reimburse it through Xero Payroll" [6]. You can scan receipts with the Xero Accounting app and create mileage claims in the Xero Me app [6].
Pricing: "Xero Expenses is included on the Established plan" [6]. Established is $97 per month at its regular price, and Xero lists "No per-user license fees" [10].
Strengths: There is no separate system to sync, because every approved claim updates your books and cash flow [6].
Limitations: Expenses are not on the Early or Growing plans; you need to upgrade to Established [6]. Xero's expense page does not describe corporate card issuing, travel booking or multi-level approval chains, so it is a claims tool rather than full spend management.
Best fit: Xero users with mostly out-of-pocket spending and mileage to reimburse.
How to choose business expense management software
- Your team mostly travels. Look at travel and expense management software where booking and expensing share one system: Navan, or Zoho Expense Premium with self-booking [4] [3].
- You want new corporate cards. Ramp and Brex give expense tools at $0 per user on their entry plans [1] [2].
- You want to keep your current cards. Expensify, Navan Connect and Zoho Expense Standard all work with cards you already have [8] [7] [3].
- Many people file a few reports. SAP Concur's per-report pricing with unlimited users may cost less than per-user plans [9].
- You only need reimbursements. If you are on Xero, its Established plan may be enough [6]. If you are still choosing a ledger, our guides to QuickBooks alternatives and home business accounting software cover the accounting side.
Check accounting sync first: Ramp puts NetSuite on Plus [1], and Brex puts customizable ERP integrations on Premium [2]. If no off-the-shelf tool fits your workflow, SFDIFY builds fintech apps and custom CRMs that connect to these platforms.
FAQ
What is the best expense management software for small business?
It depends on how your team spends. For a very small team, Zoho Expense is free for up to 3 users [3], and Ramp Free and Brex Essentials cost $0 per user [1] [2]. If you want to keep your current cards, Expensify Collect is $5 per member per month [5].
Is there free expense management software?
Yes. Ramp Free is $0 per user per month [1], Brex Essentials is $0 per user per month [2], Zoho Expense has a Free plan for up to 3 users [3], and Navan Expense is free for the first 5 monthly expensing users [4].
What is travel and expense management software?
It combines travel booking with expense reporting so trips, receipts and reimbursements sit in one system. Navan lets travelers book flights, hotels, car rentals and trains alongside expenses [4], and Zoho Expense Premium adds employee self-booking [3].
Is automated expense management software worth it for a small team?
If people still type receipt details by hand, automation saves the most time. Expensify scans receipts sent by app, email or text [8], and Ramp's Free plan includes auto-receipt collection and matching [1].
Our recommendation
If you want expense management software at no per-user cost and can move spend to new cards, start with Ramp Free or Brex Essentials [1] [2]. If travel drives most of your expenses, try Navan, keeping in mind the $15 per user charge after five expensing users [4]. If you want to keep your cards, compare Expensify Collect and Zoho Expense Standard [5] [3]. Xero users with simple reimbursement needs can stay inside Xero on the Established plan [6].
Sources
- Ramp Pricing and Plans — checked 2026-11-10
- Brex Pricing Plans | Get Started Today — checked 2026-11-10
- Pricing and Plans | Zoho Expense USA — checked 2026-11-10
- Navan Pricing: Your Travel & Expense Management Simplified — checked 2026-11-10
- Billing and Subscriptions | Expensify Help — checked 2026-11-10
- Expense Software for Small Businesses | Xero US — checked 2026-11-10
- Navan - Business Travel Solutions & Expense Management — checked 2026-11-10
- Spend Management Software for Receipts & Expenses | Expensify — checked 2026-11-10
- Business Expense Management Software + Automation | SAP Concur US — checked 2026-11-10
- Pricing Plans | Xero US — checked 2026-11-10
- Brex: The Modern Finance Software Platform — checked 2026-11-10
- AI-Native Travel & Expense Management Software | Zoho Expense — checked 2026-11-10
