AutoEntry vs Zoho Expense (2026): which should you pick?

Pick AutoEntry if

• Fits if you keep the books and want paper invoices and receipts typed in for you
• Works for accountants who post into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you need people to submit and approve expense claims, because it isn't that kind of tool
• Skip it if you don't already have an accounting package to publish into
• Watch out: credits are used per page, with a bank statement costing 3 credits and an invoice with line items 2
• Tight if you're staying free, with only a 25-credit trial
• Watch out: prices on the page are before VAT

Pick Zoho Expense if

• Fits if you're a team of 3 or fewer and want expense reports free
• Works for teams already on Zoho Books or other Zoho apps

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want supplier bills paid from the same tool
• Tight if anyone scans more than 20 receipts a month on the free plan
• Pricey if you book travel through it without Premium, at $9.99 a trip as an add-on
• Watch out: anyone who creates an expense or report is billed as a user
• Pricey if you want premium support, which starts at $490 a year, or ERP and HR links on Standard

AutoEntry

• Pricing is by credits, not by user: an invoice is 1 credit, an invoice with line items 2, a supplier statement 2, and a bank or credit card statement 3 credits per page.
• Prices on the page are shown excluding VAT.
• It is a data-entry layer: it needs an accounting package to publish into and is not an expense-reporting or reimbursement system.
• The pricing page shows monthly plans only; the vendor's pages do not list a free plan.

Zoho Expense

• Anyone who creates an expense or report is billed as a user. The free plan stops at 3 users and 20 receipt scans per user a month.
• ERP and HR integrations are an add-on on Standard, travel self-booking as an add-on costs $9.99 a trip, and premium support starts at $490 a year.
• The Zoho Prepaid Mastercard is issued by Pathward, N.A. and is loaded from a funding account rather than a credit line.
• Travel booking, per diems, live budgets and multi-entity expenses need Premium.

AutoEntry

Document capture

Documents come in by upload, scan, forwarded email or photo from the mobile app.

OCR and machine learning

Extracts supplier, dates and amounts, with line items on invoices. The vendor says accuracy is up to 99%.

Suggested VAT codes and suppliers

The software learns from past entries and proposes VAT codes and supplier accounts.

Capture, categorize, publish

Reviewed documents are published to the connected ledger with one action.

Accounting integrations

Connects to Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, KashFlow, SortMyBooks and ClearBooks, among others.

Mobile app

iOS and Android apps for photographing receipts and invoices and sending them in.

Zoho Expense

AI receipt scanning

Receipts are read in more than 38 languages and turned into itemized expenses, up to a monthly scan limit that rises with the plan.

Policies and approvals

Expense reports go through approval rules, and Zia AI flags possible fraud and alcohol on receipts from the Standard plan.

Mileage and per diem

Track drives by GPS on a phone or Apple Watch, and apply GSA per diem rates automatically on Premium.

Cards and reimbursements

Real-time Visa and Mastercard feeds, the Zoho Prepaid Mastercard, cash advances and direct ACH reimbursements to employees.

Travel booking

Premium adds employee self-booking of flights and hotels, guest booking and an in-house travel desk tool.

Zoho and accounting links

Exports to Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Xero and NetSuite, and works with Zoho People, Zoho CRM and Zoho Projects.

AutoEntry

• Bronze$13

  per month for 50 credits, excl. VAT

  50 credits a month, about $0.26 a credit. Unlimited users on every plan; unused credits roll over for up to 90 days.

• Silver$24

  per month for 100 credits, excl. VAT

  100 credits a month, about $0.24 a credit.

• Gold$46

  per month for 200 credits, excl. VAT

  200 credits a month.

• Platinum$103

  per month for 500 credits, excl. VAT

  500 credits a month.

• Diamond$298

  per month for 1,500 credits, excl. VAT

  1,500 credits a month.

• Sapphire$469

  per month for 2,500 credits, excl. VAT

  2,500 credits a month, the largest plan shown on the page.

Zoho Expense

• Free$0

  Up to 3 users, 20 receipt scans per user a month, expense reports, GPS mileage, the Zoho Prepaid Mastercard and accounting integrations.

• Standard$3

  per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)

  200 scans per user a month, card feeds, multiple policies, cash advances, ACH reimbursements, SSO and Zia AI reporting and audit.

• Premium$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)

  1,000 scans per user a month, travel self-booking, a travel desk, GSA per diems, live budgets and multi-entity expenses.

• EnterpriseCustom

  A spend platform combining travel, expenses, cards, procurement, accounts payable and payroll, quoted for large organizations.

AutoEntry

No public discounts listed.

Zoho Expense

• Annual discount

  Save up to 25% with yearly billing

  Standard costs $3 per user a month billed yearly instead of $4 monthly, and Premium $5 instead of $6.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted pricing for nonprofits

  Zoho says Zoho Expense is available at discounted pricing for nonprofit organizations; the discount is not stated.