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ToolGPA

Pleo vs Zoho Expense

We give Pleo a 1.8 GPA and Zoho Expense a 3.0, out of 4.0. Zoho Expense grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Pleo

Company spending cards and expense reports from Copenhagen

From $12/mo
Full detailspleo.io

Zoho Expense

Expense reports, receipt scanning and travel booking from Zoho

Free plan · from $3/mo
Full detailszoho.com

How we grade them

1.8GPAPleoWeak3.0GPAZoho ExpenseVery good
Value for money
CA ten-person company pays $120 a month on Build at the yearly rate, 10 users at $12, which is $12 a head and bang on the category's middle. Direct reimbursements add 0.90% each, and Optimise is $16 a user.
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
FNothing free. The US pricing page shows no free plan and no free trial, and Build and Optimise need at least 3 users.
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
CCards and expenses are done well: a card per person, receipt requests after every purchase, Fetch for emailed receipts, mileage and AI spend checks. Bill pay isn't among its features, and budgets wait for Optimise.
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
CNo store rating on record. There are cards to hand out, limits to set and accounting to connect, though after that staff only ever snap a receipt.
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, exporting to Xero, QuickBooks, Dynamics and SAP, with Workday and Okta. No desktop app is listed, and HR integrations need Optimise.
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 fora company card for every employeecheap 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: Pleo and Zoho Expense. How we grade

Price against what you get

Pleo starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Expense starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 3.0.

Zoho Expense scores higher and starts $9 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Pleo for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Expense for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$2$5$10$20$50More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessPleoZoho Expense

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
The full chart of spend and bill pay tools, and the best at every price

Where they differ

  • Pleo starts at $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly). Zoho Expense starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
  • Zoho Expense has a free plan. Pleo does not.
  • Zoho Expense also covers reports.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresExpense trackingCompany cards

At a glance

PleoZoho Expense
PricingPaidFree plan
Starts at$12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)$3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
Free planNoneFree: 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 trialNone listed14-day free trial, no credit card required
Web
iOS
Android
Made byPleo Technologies A/SZoho Corporation
Price read frompleo.iozoho.com
CheckedOct 18, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Who each one suits

Pleo

  • Small teams that want a card for every employee
  • European businesses with staff spending in several countries
  • Companies tired of chasing receipts after card purchases

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

Pleo

  • Card and invoice payments in another currency carry a 1.75% FX fee on Build and 1.49% on Optimise, and direct reimbursements cost 0.90% each.
  • Build and Optimise need at least 3 users; no free plan or free trial is shown on the US pricing page.
  • In the US the Pleo card is a prepaid Mastercard issued by Pathward, N.A., with no cash access.
  • Pleo works in 16 European countries, including Denmark, the UK, Germany, France and Spain, as well as the US.

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

Pleo

Company cards for each employee
Physical and virtual Pleo cards with Google Pay and Apple Pay, with individual, per-purchase and temporary spending limits.
Receipt capture
The app asks for a receipt after every card purchase, reads it with OCR, and the Fetch feature pulls online receipts from email automatically.
Out-of-pocket and mileage
Employees claim their own spending and mileage in the app, approvals follow company policy, and reimbursements are paid directly.
AI spend checks
AI spend guidelines on every plan, and AI expense reviews on Optimise (100 a month) or unlimited on Lead.
Vendor tracking
Recurring vendors and subscriptions are tracked, with renewal management and spending insights on Optimise.
Accounting exports
Auto-categorized expenses with custom categories and tags export to Xero, QuickBooks and other accounting systems.

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

Pleo

  • Build$12

    per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)

    For 1 to 49 employees, 3-user minimum. Physical and virtual cards, receipt capture, reimbursements, mileage, approvals and AI spend guidelines.

  • Optimise$16

    per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

    3-user minimum. Adds cashback for eligible customers, budgets, 100 AI expense reviews a month, HR integrations, vendor insights and live chat.

  • Scale$249

    per month and up

    For 50 to 1,000 employees. Adds multi-entity management, advanced card controls and approvals, assisted onboarding and a success manager.

  • Lead$499

    per month and up

    Adds unlimited reimbursement users with no reimbursement fees, unlimited virtual cards and AI reviews, premium integrations and purchase orders.

  • EnterpriseCustom

    For companies of 1,000 or more employees, built and priced after a call with Pleo.

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

Pleo

  • Annual discount

    Save $2 a user each month with yearly billing

    Build costs $12 per user a month billed yearly instead of $14 monthly, and Optimise $16 instead of $18.

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.

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