Navan vs Zoho Expense
We give Navan a 2.8 GPA and Zoho Expense a 3.0, out of 4.0. Zoho Expense grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Navan
Business travel booking with expenses and corporate cards built in
Zoho Expense
Expense reports, receipt scanning and travel booking from Zoho
How we grade them
| 2.8GPANavanGood | 3.0GPAZoho ExpenseVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its expense-tool alternatives. If all ten people claim in a month, the 5 beyond the free 5 cost $15 each, so $75 a month, with travel booking free. That's dearer than Expensify or Zoho Expense for ten, and Ramp and Brex do expenses for nothing. | BGraded against its expense-tool alternatives. Ten people on Standard cost $30 a month at $3 each, billed yearly. That's less than Expensify, Navan, Rydoo or Pleo charge for ten, though Ramp does expenses for nothing. |
| Free plan and trial | BNavan Business is free for up to 300 employees, with travel booking, policies and 24/7 travel agents, plus expenses for 5 users a month. A small team could live on it until a sixth person claims. | BThe free plan runs the whole loop for up to 3 users: 20 AI receipt scans each a month, reports, GPS mileage, the prepaid card and accounting links. One person could live on it. Paid plans have a 14-day trial with no card. |
| Features | CTravel and expenses are done fully: booking, policies, Navan cards, linked cards, receipt photos and reimbursements. It's a narrower job than the category's, though, with no supplier bill pay or invoicing listed. | CExpense reports are done fully, with AI scans in 38+ languages, policies, mileage, card feeds and ACH reimbursements. It's a smaller job than the category's, though: no supplier bill pay is listed, and travel booking needs Premium. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from 47,373 App Store ratings, the top band. Booking a trip and snapping the receipt happen in the same app. | A4.84 from 8,238 App Store ratings, the top band. Snap the receipt and it reads the lines for you, and mileage tracks itself by GPS. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, Workday, Rippling, BambooHR, Okta and Slack. No desktop app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Zoho People, Zoho CRM, Uber and Slack. No desktop app is listed, and ERP and HR integrations are an add-on on Standard. |
| Best for | business travel with the expenses that follow | cheap expense reports for small 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: Navan and Zoho Expense. How we grade
Price against what you get
Navan starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Expense starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Zoho Expense starts $12 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Navan for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Expense 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
- Navan starts at $15 per expensing user / month, after the first 5 users free. Zoho Expense starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
At a glance
| Navan | Zoho Expense | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per expensing user / month, after the first 5 users free | $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Navan Business, for companies of up to 300 employees: travel booking with no trip limit, policies and 24/7 travel agents, plus expenses free for the first 5 expensing users a month. | Free: up to 3 users, 20 AI receipt scans per user a month, expense reports, GPS mileage, multi-currency expenses, accounting integrations and 5 GB of receipt storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Navan | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | navan.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Navan
- Companies whose expenses are mostly business travel
- Businesses under 300 employees that want free travel booking
- Finance teams that want card spending coded and matched to trips
Zoho Expense
- Small teams of up to 3 people who need free expense reports
- Businesses already using Zoho Books or other Zoho apps
- Companies that want low per-user pricing with travel booking
Worth knowing
Navan
- Navan Business is free because travel suppliers pay Navan commission; companies with more than 300 employees need Enterprise, priced by quote.
- Anyone who submits an expense in a month counts as an expensing user, and each one after the first 5 costs $15 a month.
- Navan cards are issued by Celtic Bank in the US and by Stripe, Adyen and Airwallex companies elsewhere.
- Linked American Express cards report transactions once a day; Visa and Mastercard cards report them in real time.
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.
Key features
Navan
- Travel booking
- Flights, hotels, car rentals and trains from one inventory, with travel policies, approval workflows, self-serve changes and 24/7 support agents.
- Expense policies
- Employees see their spending limits in the app, and out-of-policy transactions are flagged for review as they happen.
- Navan corporate cards
- Physical and virtual cards in US dollars, pounds or euros, with no annual fee, up to 1.5% back and virtual cards for subscriptions.
- Navan Connect
- Link existing Visa, Mastercard or American Express corporate cards so their transactions flow into Navan for coding and reconciling.
- Reimbursements
- Out-of-pocket costs are claimed by photographing the receipt in the app and repaid through payroll or to a bank account.
- Integrations
- Expenses sync to ERPs such as NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Xero, and employee data comes from HR systems such as Workday, Rippling and BambooHR.
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.
Plans
Navan
Navan Business$0
For up to 300 employees: unlimited trips, policies and approvals, 24/7 travel support, reports, 30+ HR integrations, and expenses for 5 users.
Navan Expense$15
per expensing user / month beyond the first 5, term not stated
Expense reports, reimbursements, receipt scanning, linked corporate cards and ERP sync for each user who submits an expense that month.
Navan EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited travelers and expensing users, global coverage, negotiated rates, custom setup, an account executive and a success manager.
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.
Ways to pay less
Navan
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.
