Software & services

Best expense management apps for UK businesses

Six expense and spend management tools for UK businesses, from company cards to receipt capture, with starting prices from each provider's own pricing page.

Updated 27 October 2026 · Researched from official and published sources

Chasing receipts and keying in expense claims is one of the most common jobs that lands on a PA or office manager. Expense apps cut that work by giving staff company cards, capturing receipts on a phone and pushing the data straight into your accounting software.

We compared six providers that serve UK businesses, using their own websites and pricing pages, checked on 27 October 2026. We have not tested them hands-on. Prices change, and several providers only quote on request, so confirm the current price before signing up.

At a glance

#	Pick	Price guide
1	Best for small teams wanting company cards Pleo	From £8 per user a month (Start plan, monthly billing); Build £14 and Optimise £18 per user a month billed yearly, minimum 3 users. VAT treatment not stated. Checked 27 Oct 2026
2	Best for prepaid cards with fixed monthly pricing Soldo	From £27 a month ex VAT (Standard: 1 wallet, 3 users, 3 cards); Plus £39 a month ex VAT. Checked 27 Oct 2026
3	Best low-cost option for expense claims Expensify	From £5 per member a month (Collect plan), excluding taxes; Control from £14 per member a month on an annual subscription. Checked 27 Oct 2026
4	Best for finance teams wanting one spend platform Spendesk	Check live rates (quote only: fixed monthly platform fee plus transaction-based fees, checked 27 Oct 2026)
5	Best for growing businesses with travel and bill pay Payhawk	Growth programme from £149 a month for single-entity UK or EEA businesses with fewer than 20 employees; other plans by quote. Checked 27 Oct 2026
6	Best for receipt and invoice capture into your books Dext	From £24.17 a month ex VAT, or £290 a year (250 documents a month, 5 users). Checked 27 Oct 2026

1 · Best for small teams wanting company cards

Pleo

Company cards and expenses, UK pricing in GBP

Pleo gives employees company cards and handles receipt capture and reimbursements in one app. Its UK pricing is per user, so a small team can start on the monthly Start plan and move up to Build or Optimise for more controls.

Per-user pricing suits small teams
Monthly option on the Start plan
UK pricing page in GBP

Watch out: Build and Optimise are billed yearly with a three-user minimum, and reimbursement-only users are not included on Start.

From £8 per user a month (Start plan, monthly billing); Build £14 and Optimise £18 per user a month billed yearly, minimum 3 users. VAT treatment not stated. Checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

2 · Best for prepaid cards with fixed monthly pricing

Soldo

Prepaid company cards and expenses, UK

Soldo issues physical and virtual company cards that are topped up from a company wallet, which helps keep spending within set budgets. The Standard plan includes Apple Pay and Google Pay, receipt capture in the mobile app and an accounting software connection. Plus adds multi-currency spending and OCR receipt automation.

Clear published monthly prices
30-day free trial on Standard and Plus
Multi-currency on Plus

Watch out: Card issuance, cash withdrawals and other financial services carry extra fees, and the published plans include only 3 users and 3 cards.

From £27 a month ex VAT (Standard: 1 wallet, 3 users, 3 cards); Plus £39 a month ex VAT. Checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

3 · Best low-cost option for expense claims

Expensify

Expense claims and receipt scanning, GBP pricing

Expensify is a receipt scanning and expense claims app. Its Collect plan is priced in GBP for UK customers at £5 per member a month, which suits businesses that mainly need staff to submit claims and managers to approve them. Control adds more advanced policies and approvals.

Low entry price for claims
Fixed GBP pricing
Lower Control price when used with the Expensify Card

Watch out: Collect bills every member added to the workspace, whether or not they are active that month.

From £5 per member a month (Collect plan), excluding taxes; Control from £14 per member a month on an annual subscription. Checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

4 · Best for finance teams wanting one spend platform

Spendesk

Cards, expenses, invoices and budgets, Europe and UK

Spendesk combines corporate cards, expense management, accounts payable, procurement and budgets. In the UK its payment services and Visa debit cards are provided by Adyen. It says it charges no monthly card fees and no active user fees, with pricing based on a platform fee plus usage.

Cards, invoices and expenses in one place
No per-user fees
Integrates with Xero and Sage

Watch out: Prices are not published, so you need a sales quote to compare it.

Check live rates (quote only: fixed monthly platform fee plus transaction-based fees, checked 27 Oct 2026)Visit official site

5 · Best for growing businesses with travel and bill pay

Payhawk

Cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, London office

Payhawk is modular, with Travel, Cards and Expenses, Bill Pay and Procure to Pay modules. The fixed-price Growth programme includes 10 cards, 10 seats and up to 15 invoices and 15 reimbursements a month, with no setup fees. Payhawk Limited is registered in London.

Travel booking alongside expenses
No setup or implementation fees
Published entry price for small firms

Watch out: Payhawk's site says the product is not available for UK micro-enterprises or small charities as defined under FCA rules, so check your eligibility first.

Growth programme from £149 a month for single-entity UK or EEA businesses with fewer than 20 employees; other plans by quote. Checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

6 · Best for receipt and invoice capture into your books

Dext

Receipt and bill data extraction, UK

Dext is not a card provider. It captures receipts and supplier invoices, extracts the data and sends it to your accounting software, which makes it a good add-on for businesses that keep their existing cards and bank.

Works alongside any bank or card
5 users on the base plan
Annual billing saves up to 19%

Watch out: Bank statement and line item extraction are paid add-ons, and it does not issue company cards.

From £24.17 a month ex VAT, or £290 a year (250 documents a month, 5 users). Checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

Which type of tool do you need?

Company cards plus expenses (Pleo, Soldo, Spendesk, Payhawk): staff spend on a card, so there is nothing to reimburse.
Expense claims (Expensify): staff pay and claim back, with receipts captured on a phone.
Receipt and invoice capture (Dext): keeps your existing cards and bank, and tidies up the bookkeeping.
Before you choose, check the integration with your accounting software and whether your accountant already uses one of these tools.

Set the rules once

Whatever you pick, build HMRC's limits into your expense policy so the app flags claims above them. For 2026/27 that means 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a car (25p after), and UK meal benchmarks of £5, £10 and £25, plus a £10 supplement after 8pm. See our guide to what you can expense for the full list.

What HMRC accepts as a receipt

The main reason to buy an expense app is to stop chasing paper, so it is worth knowing where HMRC draws the line. Its record-keeping notice for VAT (Notice 700/21, section 6) says a scanned image can replace the original invoice if it holds all the detail needed for VAT, and the business then does not need to keep the paper. Keying the figures into software is different: you still need the original.

For small purchases, a supplier that is not a retailer can issue a simplified VAT invoice when the supply is £250 or less. It must still show the supplier's name, address and VAT number, the date, a description, and the total including VAT with the rate charged. Set your app to reject receipts without a VAT number if you want to reclaim the VAT.

Keep VAT records for at least 6 years
Some documents, such as a C79 import VAT certificate, must be kept in their original form
A card slip is not a VAT receipt; ask staff to photograph the itemised receipt

Team rollout checklist

Competitor round-ups stop at the choice of tool. Most of the work comes after. A short plan avoids a month of half-submitted claims.

Write the expense policy first: limits per night and per meal, mileage rate, who approves what
Map categories to your accounting nominal codes before switching on the integration
Set the approval chain, including a deputy for when a manager is away
Decide card limits per person or team if the tool issues cards
Import staff from your HR or payroll list rather than inviting by hand
Run a two-week pilot with one team and a regular traveller
Set a cut-off date after which paper claims are no longer accepted
Check who owns the data and how to export it if you leave

Questions people ask

What is the best expense app for a small UK business?

For a small team that wants company cards, Pleo and Soldo both publish UK prices. If staff mainly pay and claim back, Expensify's Collect plan starts at £5 per member a month. If you just want receipts in your books, Dext works with your existing bank.

Do expense apps work with Xero and QuickBooks?

The tools in this guide connect to mainstream accounting software, but integrations vary by plan. Check that your package is supported on the plan you are buying.

Do I still need paper receipts if I use an expense app?

Expense apps store a digital image of each receipt. Make sure the image shows the supplier, date, amount and VAT so you can reclaim VAT where allowed.

Are expense app prices per user?

It varies. Pleo and Expensify charge per user or member, Soldo charges a flat monthly fee for a set number of users and cards, and Spendesk says it has no active user fees.

Can we throw away paper receipts after scanning them?

For VAT, HMRC's Notice 700/21 says a scanned image can replace the original invoice if it shows all the detail needed for VAT. Keep originals where another law or purpose requires them, and keep the images for at least 6 years.

What does a valid VAT receipt need to show?

For purchases of £250 or less from a non-retailer, a simplified invoice is enough: supplier name, address and VAT number, date, a description, and the total including VAT with the rate charged. Larger purchases need a full VAT invoice.

HMRC day-rate (per diem) checkerThe tax-free meal and room allowance for UK and overseas trips, converted to pounds.Mileage claim calculator 2026/2755p then 25p a mile, plus passengers. Works out the tax-free amount.