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Software · head to head

BlackLine vs Expensify

BlackLine logo

BlackLine

Software

Finance & accounting automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Expensify logo

Expensify

Software

Expense management for receipts, bills & more

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BlackLine listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document; Expensify minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet
  • They diverge on capability: BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Expensify covers SmartScan receipts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BlackLine and Expensify actually diverge.

Attributes where BlackLine and Expensify differ
AttributeBlackLineExpensify
Starting price$29/month$5/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20012008

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BlackLine

  • Account reconciliation
  • Journal entries
  • Task management
  • Variance analysis
  • Financial close
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • SOC 1/2

Only in Expensify

  • SmartScan receipts
  • Expense reports
  • Corporate cards
  • Reimbursements
  • Travel booking
  • Mileage tracking
  • Multi-currency
  • Real-time syncing

Both cover

  • NetSuite

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BlackLine

  • Financial closenot Expensify
  • Reconciliationnot Expensify
  • Continuous accountingnot Expensify

Expensify

  • Expense reportingnot BlackLine
  • Receipt managementnot BlackLine
  • Travel expensesnot BlackLine
  • Corporate card managementnot BlackLine
  • Reimbursementsnot BlackLine

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BlackLine

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document

Expensify

  • Minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet
  • OCR receipt data extraction requires manual review and correction for accuracy
  • Per-user pricing model increases costs for larger organizations

Pricing, plan by plan

BlackLine

$29/month
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Account reconciliation
    • Task management

Expensify

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Expensify review.

Which should you pick?

Choose BlackLine if

  • You need account reconciliation.
  • You also want journal entries.
BlackLine review

Choose Expensify if

  • You need smartscan receipts.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense reports.
Expensify review

Questions people ask

Is BlackLine or Expensify better?
Neither clearly leads. BlackLine starts at $29/month and Expensify at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BlackLine or Expensify?
BlackLine starts at $29/month and Expensify at $5/month.
Does BlackLine or Expensify run on more platforms?
BlackLine runs on Web. Expensify runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is BlackLine best used for?
BlackLine is most often used for financial close, reconciliation, continuous accounting. Of those, financial close and reconciliation are not what Expensify is typically brought in for.
What can BlackLine do that Expensify cannot?
BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Journal entries, Task management, Variance analysis. Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Expense reports, Corporate cards, Reimbursements. Both handle NetSuite.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Expensify: How does Expensify capture receipts?

Expensify uses SmartScan technology with OCR to automatically extract data from receipt images, reducing manual data entry. Users can photograph receipts with their phone to quickly create expense entries.

Source
Expensify: What reimbursement methods does Expensify support?

Expensify supports ACH reimbursement via direct deposit after setting up a direct deposit account. Next-day reimbursement is available, or standard processing takes 3-5 business days.

Source
Expensify: How does Expensify offline mode work?

Expensify has limited offline capabilities. Users can capture receipts offline, but data syncs when internet connectivity is restored. Full functionality requires online access.

Source
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Related pages

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