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ToolGPA

Expensify vs Spendesk

We give Expensify a 2.8 GPA and Spendesk a 2.2, out of 4.0. Expensify grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.

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

Free plan · from $5/mo
Full detailsexpensify.com

Spendesk

Spend management with unlimited cards and users, priced by quote

Paid
Full detailsspendesk.com

How we grade them

2.8GPAExpensifyGood2.2GPASpendeskFair
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.
CNo price is published, so it sits in the middle by our rule. Spendesk quotes a fixed monthly platform fee plus variable fees on card purchases, invoice payments and expense claims, so there's no monthly figure for a ten-person company.
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.
FNothing free. There's no free plan or published free trial, only a demo and a product tour.
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.
BThe whole job: unlimited cards of four kinds, receipt rules and OCR, expense claims, live budgets, multi-entity reporting, an open API and an MCP connector, with accounts payable and procurement sold as add-ons.
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.
B4.7 from 637 App Store ratings, high but short of the 1,000 we want for the top band. Receipt reminders run themselves once the rules are set.
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, iPhone and Android, with Xero, QuickBooks, DATEV, Slack and an open API. No desktop app is listed, and HR and ERP integrations are an add-on.
Best forreceipt scanning and staff reimbursementsunlimited cards and users for one quoted fee

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 Spendesk. How we grade

Where they differ

  • Expensify has a free plan. Spendesk does not.
  • Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
  • Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
  • Expensify also covers invoicing.
In commonWebiOSAndroidPublic APIAI featuresExpense trackingBill payCompany cards

At a glance

ExpensifySpendesk
PricingFree planPaid
Starts at$5 per member / month, billed monthlyNot published
Free planSubmit, free for any employee: unlimited receipt scans, mileage tracking, expense reports, categories and tags, personal card import and chat on expenses.None
Free trial30-day free trial of the paid plans, starting when a workspace is createdNone listed
Web
macOS
iOS
Android
Browser extension
Made byExpensify, Inc.Spendesk
Price read fromexpensify.comNot confirmed
CheckedOct 18, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Who each one suits

Expensify

  • Small teams that need receipts scanned and staff reimbursed
  • Employees whose company has no expense tool yet
  • Companies ready to put most card spending on the Expensify Card

Spendesk

  • European companies that want unlimited cards and users for one fee
  • Finance teams that want receipt collection enforced automatically
  • Businesses paying many software subscriptions by card

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.

Spendesk

  • No prices are published: Spendesk quotes a fixed monthly platform fee plus variable fees on card purchases, invoice payments and expense claims.
  • Procurement, accounts payable, advanced workflows, HR and ERP integrations and AI fraud detection are add-ons to the base package.
  • It serves the EEA, the UK and the US; payments and Visa debit cards come from Spendesk Financial Services, Adyen and Sutton Bank respectively.
  • There is no free plan or published free trial; Spendesk offers a demo and a product tour instead.

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.

Spendesk

Unlimited cards
Physical cards for employees, single-use cards for one-off payments, recurring virtual cards for subscriptions and multi-use cards for projects or events.
Receipt collection
Custom rules and automatic reminders chase receipts, OCR reads them, and they are matched to the right card payment straight away.
Expense claims
Out-of-pocket expenses are submitted, reimbursed and tracked alongside card spending.
Budgets
Track spending against budgets in real time, with multi-entity workflows and reporting in the base package.
Accounts payable add-on
Manage supplier invoices and pay suppliers worldwide in the right currency, with procurement as a separate add-on.
Integrations and API
Connects to Xero, QuickBooks, DATEV and Slack, offers an open API, and links spend data to AI assistants through an MCP connector.

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.

Spendesk

Pricing could not be confirmed. See spendesk.com.

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.

Spendesk

No public discounts listed.

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