Expensify vs Sage Expense Management (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Expensify grades higher than Sage Expense Management: 2.8 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Expensify grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Expensify
Receipt scanning, expense reports and company cards, from $5 a member
Sage Expense Management
Expense tracking and card reconciliation, formerly Fyle
Which one is for you
Pick Expensify if
- Fits if your team mostly needs receipts scanned and money paid back
- Works for an employee whose company has no expense tool yet
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add people who rarely spend, as Collect bills every member
- Skip it if you want the $9 Control rate without moving spend onto the Expensify Card
- Tight if you use NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Desktop or Workday, as they connect only on Control
- Pricey if you won't commit to a year, as Control is then $36 a member a month
- Watch out: the 30-day trial starts when you create a workspace, and card cash back counts US purchases only
Pick Sage Expense Management if
- Fits if your accountants want card feeds matched to receipts before the month closes
- Works for teams of 5 or more that pay per active user
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are one person, as Growth bills at least 5 users and Business at least 10
- Not for you if you want to try it free, as there is no free plan or trial on the page
- Watch out: QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 300 CRE and SSO on the lower plans cost extra, and Sage Intacct has an implementation fee
- Skip it if you need ACH reimbursements outside the US, as they are US-only and need Business
- Watch out: the page now says Sage Expense Management (formerly Fyle), so the listing's name is out of date
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAExpensifyGood | 1.8GPASage Expense ManagementWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its expense-tool alternatives. Ten people on Collect cost $50 a month, $5 each billed monthly for every member, active or not. Zoho Expense costs less for ten and Ramp and Brex nothing, while Navan and Rydoo cost more. | CGrowth is $11.99 per active user a month billed annually ($14.99 monthly), just under the category's middle of $12. It bills at least 5 users, so one person's real floor is about $60 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CSubmit is free for any employee, with unlimited receipt scans, mileage and reports. But reimbursing, approving and syncing need a paid plan, and the 30-day trial starts when you create a workspace. | FThe pricing page shows no free plan and no trial; the plans lead to a demo request. |
| Features | BThe whole job: SmartScan receipts, approvals and ACH reimbursement, unlimited Expensify Cards, travel booking, supplier bills paid from a scanned inbox, invoices and a chat thread on every expense. | CReceipts, card feeds, mileage and per diem, approvals and policy checks, accounting sync and a Copilot assistant. The listing shows gaps: ACH reimbursement is US-only and Business-only, and some ERP links cost extra. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from 157,712 App Store ratings. Snap a receipt and it's an expense, but admins have a workspace, rules and accounting links to set up. | CNo store rating on record. You connect cards and an accounting system before it works. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Workday, Gusto and Uber, and an API. NetSuite and Sage Intacct need Control. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps and eight integrations on record. |
| Best for | receipt scanning and staff reimbursements | card-linked expense reports for accounting teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Expensify and Sage Expense Management. How we grade
Price against what you get
Expensify starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sage Expense Management starts at $11.99 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Expensify scores higher and starts $6.99 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, none scores higher than Expensify for less, and 7 score higher than Sage Expense Management for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Expensify also covers invoicing and bill pay.
- Sage Expense Management also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| Expensify | Sage Expense Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $5 per member / month, billed monthly | $11.99 per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Submit, free for any employee: unlimited receipt scans, mileage tracking, expense reports, categories and tags, personal card import and chat on expenses. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the paid plans, starting when a workspace is created | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Expensify, Inc. | Sage |
| Price read from | expensify.com | fylehq.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Expensify
- Control's $9 rate needs an annual plan and the Expensify Card for at least half of settled spend; otherwise it is $18 on an annual plan or $36 with no commitment.
- Collect bills every member added to a workspace, active or not; Control bills anyone who creates, submits, approves, reimburses or exports a report that month.
- NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Desktop and Workday connect only on Control; Collect syncs with QuickBooks Online and Xero.
- The Expensify Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank in the US, and cash back counts US purchases only.
Sage Expense Management
- Both listed plans have minimums: 5 billed users on Growth, 10 on Business.
- The page shows no free plan and no free trial; the plans point to a demo request.
- ACH reimbursements are US only and need the Business plan.
- QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 300 CRE and SSO on the lower plans cost extra, and Sage Intacct has an implementation fee.
Key features
Expensify
- SmartScan receipts
- Photograph or forward a receipt and Expensify reads it into an expense, with unlimited scans on every plan including the free one.
- Approvals and reimbursement
- Reports go to an approver and are paid back by ACH. Control adds multiple approvers, custom expense rules and admin-enforced controls.
- Expensify Card
- Unlimited cards, virtual ones included, with Smart Limits, paying 1% cash back on US purchases and 2% once monthly spend passes $250,000.
- Travel booking
- Book flights, hotels, cars and rail inside Expensify, with travel rules, trip approvals and a 24/7 support line.
- Bills and invoices
- Supplier bills are scanned from a dedicated email address and paid automatically, and invoices can be sent from the same account.
- Chat on every expense
- Each expense and report has its own comment thread, alongside chat rooms and direct messages between employees.
Sage Expense Management
- Receipts by text, email and app
- Employees can submit receipts by text message, forward them from Gmail or Outlook, or scan them in the mobile app, with data extracted automatically.
- Card feeds and reconciliation
- Connects to Visa, Mastercard and American Express business cards for real-time feeds, and can issue American Express virtual cards on existing cards.
- Mileage and per diem
- Tracks mileage and per diems alongside receipts. Mileage rates follow the standard IRS rate on Growth and vehicle type on higher plans.
- Approvals and policy checks
- Business rules flag policy violations as expenses are entered. Growth has single-stage approvals; Business adds multi-stage, policy-driven approvals.
- Accounting sync
- Two-way integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero, plus Sage Intacct and Sage 300 CRE on Business.
- Copilot assistant
- An AI assistant on every plan that answers questions about spend and gives expense breakdowns.
Plans
Expensify
Submit$0
For individual employees: receipt scanning, mileage, expense reports and submitting them to an approver.
Collect$5
per member / month, billed monthly
Billed for every member, active or not. Reimbursements, card feeds, approvals, travel booking and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
Control$9
per active member / month, annual plan using the Expensify Card
$18 on an annual plan without the card, $36 with no commitment. Adds NetSuite and Sage Intacct, multi-step approvals, SSO and budgets.
Sage Expense Management
Growth$11.99
per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited receipt scanning and expense tracking, card feeds, single-stage approvals and Copilot. Minimum billing of 5 users.
Business$14.99
per active user / month, billed annually ($17.99 billed monthly)
Adds multi-stage approvals, ACH reimbursements (US only), project tracking and custom exports. Minimum billing of 10 users.
EnterpriseCustom
For companies with 250+ employees: SSO with AD and Okta, IP allowlisting, branded emails and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
Expensify
- Annual discount
Half price on Control with an annual subscription
Control costs $18 per active member a month on an annual subscription, against $36 on pay-per-use with no commitment.
- Other savings
Control at $9 when you use the Expensify Card
On an annual subscription, Control drops to $9 per active member a month when the Expensify Card carries at least 50% of settled US spend that month.
Sage Expense Management
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the per-user price
Growth is $11.99 per active user a month billed annually versus $14.99 billed monthly; Business is $14.99 versus $17.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Expensify or Sage Expense Management?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Expensify is cheaper to start with: $5 a month for each person, against $11.99 a month for each person for Sage Expense Management. Expensify starts at $5 per member / month, billed monthly, and Sage Expense Management starts at $11.99 per active user / month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Expensify or Sage Expense Management?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Expensify has a free plan. Sage Expense Management does not.
Which platforms do Expensify and Sage Expense Management run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Expensify lists a macOS app and a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.