The Expensify Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Expensify in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Expensify
The Insider’s Guide
Receipt scanning, expense reports and company cards, from $5 a member
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among spend and bill pay tools, read from Expensify’s own pages.
Made by Expensify, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Expensify’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Expensify’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 5 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade
Expensify scans receipts, builds expense reports, routes them for approval and reimburses employees, with travel booking, bill pay and the Expensify Card in the same app. A chat thread sits on every expense and report. Employees can use the Submit plan free; companies pay per member on Collect, or per active member on Control, which is cheapest when most spending runs through the Expensify Card.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Expensify, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Companies pay per member, though, and the cheapest Control rate only applies when the Expensify Card carries half your spend.
- 1
Best for receipt scanning and staff reimbursements
Any employee can use the free Submit plan.
- 2
Paid plans start at $5 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $5 per member / month, billed monthly.
- 3
There is a free plan
Submit, free for any employee: unlimited receipt scans, mileage tracking, expense reports, categories and tags, personal card import and chat on expenses.
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, iOS, Android and macOS, with a browser extension too.
- 5
SmartScan receipts
Photograph or forward a receipt and Expensify reads it into an expense, with unlimited scans on every plan including the free one.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 5 of 13
That is against the other spend and bill pay tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Expensify you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Expensify at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $5 per member / month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the paid plans, starting when a workspace is created
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Expensify, Inc., since 2008
- Category
- Spend & Bill Pay
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.6 on the App Store, 157,712 ratings
The report card
Best for receipt scanning and staff reimbursements
Expensify reads receipts you photograph or forward, builds them into reports, routes them for approval and pays employees back, with its own card, travel booking and bill pay alongside. Any employee can use the free Submit plan. Companies pay per member, though, and the cheapest Control rate only applies when the Expensify Card carries half your spend.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Graded 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Submit 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. |
| Features | B | The 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. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.6 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Expensify is for
- Great if your team mostly needs receipts scanned and money paid back
- Handy when you're an employee whose company has no expense tool yet
- Good for companies happy to put most spending on the Expensify Card
Who it is not for
- 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 or Sage Intacct, as they connect only on Control
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$5
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Expensify has a free plan. Paid plans start at $5 per member / month, billed monthly.
Graded against its expense-tool alternatives.
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.
The free plan
Submit, free for any employee: unlimited receipt scans, mileage tracking, expense reports, categories and tags, personal card import and chat on expenses.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of the paid plans, starting when a workspace is created
Read from expensify.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on help.expensify.comOther 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.
Stated on help.expensify.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Receipt scanning, expense reports and company cards, from $5 a member. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, invoicing, expense tracking, bill pay, company cards.
Web, Mac, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Workday, Gusto and Uber, and an API.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- QuickBooks Online
- QuickBooks Desktop
- Xero
- NetSuite
- Sage Intacct
- Workday
- Gusto
- Uber
Expensify is made by Expensify, Inc., and has been around since 2008.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/13
Other spend and bill pay tools it is graded above
Expensify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 5 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 13 of 13) and worst on value for money (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 1 of the 11 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 14 spend and bill pay tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Expensify’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 13
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 13
- BFeaturesAbove 8 of 13
- BEase of useAbove 4 of 13
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 13 of 13
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 spend and bill pay tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Expensify is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Expensify you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $60 a year.
What you could make
- Expense tracking and invoicing: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Cards issued through a bank.
- Money moved between bank accounts, which takes a licensed payments partner.
- Apps for macOS, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Expensify’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Zoho Expense, Rydoo, Ramp, Navan and Brex
The 5 tools Expensify is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Zoho Expense
Free plan · from $3/mo
Expense reports, receipt scanning and travel booking from Zoho.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- Expensify also covers invoicing and bill pay.
- 2.6GPA
Rydoo
Free trial · from $9/mo
Expense reports with an AI receipt scanner and multi-country rules.
- Expensify has a free plan. Rydoo does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- 3.6GPA
Ramp
Free plan · from $15/mo
Corporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- Ramp also covers reports.
- 2.8GPA
Navan
Free plan · from $15/mo
Business travel booking with expenses and corporate cards built in.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- Expensify also covers invoicing and bill pay.
- 3.6GPA
Brex
Free plan · from $12/mo
Corporate cards, expenses, bill pay and travel for growing companies.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- Expensify also covers invoicing.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
16
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Expensify free?
Expensify has a free plan. Submit, free for any employee: unlimited receipt scans, mileage tracking, expense reports, categories and tags, personal card import and chat on expenses.
How much does Expensify cost?
Expensify lists 3 plans. Submit: $0.
What platforms does Expensify work on?
Expensify is available on Web, iOS, Android and macOS. It also has a browser extension.
Does Expensify offer any discounts?
Expensify publicly lists the following: Half price on Control with an annual subscription; Control at $9 when you use the Expensify Card.
How is Expensify rated?
Expensify's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 157,712 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Expensify have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Expensify is listed for Web, iOS, Android and macOS.
Does Expensify have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Expensify is listed for Web, iOS, Android and macOS.
Is Expensify open source?
Expensify is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Expensify have an API?
Yes. Expensify offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Expensify integrate with?
Expensify's listing names QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Workday, Gusto and Uber.
Does Expensify have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial of the paid plans, starting when a workspace is created.
Who makes Expensify?
Expensify is made by Expensify, Inc. It dates from 2008.
What are the alternatives to Expensify?
The closest alternatives to Expensify in our directory are Zoho Expense, Rydoo, Ramp, Navan and Brex.
How does Expensify compare with other spend and bill pay tools?
Expensify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 5 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade, and level with 3.
Is Expensify good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Expensify C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $5 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 1 of the 11 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Expensify?
To replace Expensify you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Expensify’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Expensify's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Expensify, Inc. Prices change, so check expensify.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Expensify, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/expensify
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Expensify: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/expensify
Know someone choosing between spend and bill pay tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/expensify/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded spend and bill pay tools after Expensify, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Spend & Bill Pay Insider's GuideEvery one of the 14 spend and bill pay tools we grade, compared
- Brex Insider's GuideCorporate cards, expenses, bill pay and travel for growing companies3.6 GPA
- Ramp Insider's GuideCorporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan3.6 GPA
- Airwallex Insider's GuideMulti-currency business accounts, cards, bill pay and expenses3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Expensify’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Expensify is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Expensify, Inc. Prices and plans change: check expensify.com before you buy.