Hurdlr vs Shoeboxed (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hurdlr grades higher than Shoeboxed: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hurdlr grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. Shoeboxed grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hurdlr
Mileage, expense and tax tracking app for freelancers
Shoeboxed
Receipt scanning by app or mail-in envelope, with mileage tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Hurdlr if
- Fits if you are a US freelancer or gig worker who needs mileage and expenses logged
- Works for people who want a free tracker before they decide on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want automatic mileage and finance tracking for free, because both are Premium
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as annual tax filing is a US feature
- Watch out: the help-centre price articles are dated 2023 and 2024 and the main site has no pricing page, so check prices in the app
- Watch out: subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms
Pick Shoeboxed if
- Fits if you'd rather post a pile of paper receipts than scan them one by one
- Works for people who drive for work and want mileage and receipts in one place at tax time
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it before paying: the card is charged at sign-up, and the refund window closes once an envelope ships
- Not for you if you need your books kept too, as it only captures receipts and mileage
- Tight if you snap a lot on Starter: 50 digital scans a month and 20 paper a year, then $0.07 to $2 a scan
- Pricey if you need QuickBooks Online, Xero or Gmail sync, as they start on Pro at $24.75 a month billed yearly
- Watch out: Starter keeps scans for 3 years only, and cancelling means calling the billing team
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHurdlrGood | 2.0GPAShoeboxedFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $100 a year, about $8.34 a month, under 60% of the $14 where the cheaper quarter of accounting tools starts. Pro is $200 a year. | BGraded against its own alternatives, since it captures receipts rather than keeping books. Starter is $8.08 a month billed yearly ($9 monthly) for up to 3 users, a third of Dext's $25.21. But that's 50 digital scans and no QuickBooks or Xero sync, which needs Pro at $24.75. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free version has semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense entry, real-time tax estimates and report exports, with no trial needed. Automatic tracking is Premium. | FNothing free. There's no free plan or trial, and the card is charged at sign-up. The 30-day money-back guarantee isn't a trial, and it ends once a Magic Envelope has been shipped. |
| Features | CMileage, expenses, tax estimates, invoicing, reports and US tax filing. The filing is a US feature, and it is a freelancer tool, not full accounting. | DNext to its alternatives it does one slice of the job, and does it fully: receipts by app, email, upload or mailed envelope, checked by staff and sorted into tax categories, plus GPS mileage. But it keeps no books, so you'll still want accounting software. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect bank accounts and set up rules before it runs on its own. | B4.52 from 1,821 App Store ratings. Snap a receipt, or stuff the paper ones in an envelope and post it, and staff check what was read. There's not much to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 5 integrations on record. No desktop program. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Gmail, Wave, Evernote and Dropbox, though the QuickBooks, Xero and Gmail links need Pro. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | a freelancer tracking mileage and expenses in a phone app | posting off paper receipts instead of scanning them |
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: Hurdlr and Shoeboxed. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hurdlr starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shoeboxed starts at $8.08 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Shoeboxed starts $0.25 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Hurdlr for less, and 4 score higher than Shoeboxed 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
- Hurdlr also covers invoicing.
At a glance
| Hurdlr | Shoeboxed | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly) | $8.08 per month, billed annually at $97 ($9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense tracking, real-time tax estimates and report exports. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hurdlr, Inc. | Shoeboxed, Inc. |
| Price read from | university.hurdlr.com | shoeboxed.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hurdlr
- Pro is priced at $200 a year; the help page read shows no monthly Pro price.
- Annual tax filing is a US feature and is not included on enterprise accounts.
- Subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms; app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund rules.
- The help-center pricing articles read are dated 2023 and 2024, and the main site has no pricing page, so recheck prices in the app.
Shoeboxed
- There is no free plan or free trial: the card is charged at sign-up, with a 30-day money-back guarantee that ends once a Magic Envelope has been shipped.
- Scans past a plan's allowance cost extra, from $0.07 to $0.19 per digital scan and $0.77 to $2 per paper scan, and extra envelopes are $9 each.
- QuickBooks Online, Xero and Gmail sync need Pro or higher, and Starter keeps digital scans for 3 years rather than for as long as the account is active.
- It captures receipts and mileage but does not keep books; cancelling means calling the billing team rather than doing it in the account.
Key features
Hurdlr
- Mileage tracking
- Free accounts get semi-automatic tracking; automatic trip detection comes with Premium.
- Income and expense tracking
- Links to bank and credit card accounts and to Square, Stripe, Shopify, PayPal and Uber, with rules for categorizing expenses.
- Tax estimates
- Real-time federal, state and self-employment tax estimates with payment reminders; Premium adds detailed calculations and payment tracking.
- Invoicing
- Branded invoices with credit card payment collection, on the Pro plan.
- Accounting and reports
- Pro adds double-entry accounting, a chart of accounts, journal entries and statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
- Annual tax filing
- Pro includes annual tax filing for US users, covering federal plus one state, unless the account is provided through an employer or tax professional.
Shoeboxed
- Magic Envelope mail-in scanning
- Mail paper receipts and documents in a postage-paid envelope; staff in Durham scan and categorize them, then shred them or send them back, as you choose.
- Several ways to send receipts
- Snap receipts in the iOS and Android app, forward them to an account email address, drag them in from a computer, or import e-receipts with Gmail sync on Pro and up.
- Human-checked data extraction
- OCR pulls the vendor, total, date, sales tax and payment type, and Shoeboxed staff check the result before it lands in the account.
- Tax categories and expense reports
- Receipts are sorted into 15 standard tax categories or your own, and reports with the receipt images attached can be exported, shared or printed.
- Automatic mileage tracking
- The mobile app logs business trips by GPS in the background and sends a daily summary to confirm. It is included on every plan.
- Accounting software sync
- Pro and higher connect to QuickBooks Online and Xero; every plan exports CSV, and receipts can also go to Wave, Evernote and Dropbox.
Plans
Hurdlr
Free$0
Semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual finance tracking, tax estimates and exports.
Premium$8.34
per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly)
Adds automatic mileage and finance tracking, custom expense and mileage rules, detailed tax estimates, tax payment tracking and work hours.
Pro$200
per year
Premium plus invoicing, general ledger, journal entries, accountant invites and annual tax filing (federal plus one state) for US non-enterprise users.
Shoeboxed
Starter$8.08
per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)
50 digital scans a month, 20 paper scans a year, 1 Magic Envelope a year and 3 years of scan storage. Billed as $97 a year.
Pro$24.75
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
250 digital and 50 paper scans a month, an envelope each quarter, Gmail receipt sync, QuickBooks Online and Xero, and phone support.
Plus$66.42
per month for up to 10 users, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
1,000 digital and 150 paper scans a month, a Magic Envelope every month and priority support. Billed as $797 a year.
Paper Plus$166.42
per month for up to 10 users, billed annually ($179 billed monthly)
For heavy paper volume: 5,000 digital and 300 paper scans a month and 2 Magic Envelopes a month. Billed as $1,997 a year.
Ways to pay less
Hurdlr
- Annual discount
Annual Premium plan
Premium is $100 a year, against $9.99 a month on the month-to-month plan.
Shoeboxed
- Annual discount
Save 11% to 19% with yearly billing
Starter is $97 a year against $9 a month, Pro $297 against $29 and Plus $797 against $79; the pricing page gives the saving as 11%, 17% and 19%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hurdlr or Shoeboxed?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shoeboxed is cheaper to start with: $8.08 a month, against $8.33 a month when paid by the year for Hurdlr. Hurdlr starts at $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly), and Shoeboxed starts at $8.08 per month, billed annually at $97 ($9 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Hurdlr or Shoeboxed?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hurdlr has a free plan. Shoeboxed does not.
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.