Softwr

All industries · head to head

Expensify vs Pleo

Expensify logo

Expensify

All industries

Expense management for receipts, bills & more

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pleo logo

Pleo

Accounting & Finance

Smart company cards for forward-thinking teams

From
£9.5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Expensify minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet; Pleo card delays and transaction limits impact usability, with limited regional acceptance in some areas
  • They diverge on capability: Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Pleo covers Company cards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Expensify and Pleo actually diverge.

Attributes where Expensify and Pleo differ
AttributeExpensifyPleo
Starting price$5/month£9.5/month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web
CategoryAll industriesAccounting & Finance
Founded20082015

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

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 Expensify

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

Only in Pleo

  • Company cards
  • Receipt capture
  • Expense categorization
  • Spend limits
  • Accounting sync
  • SOC 2
  • Web support
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
  • NetSuite
  • Sage
  • PCI DSS

What people use each for

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

Expensify

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

Pleo

  • Employee expensesnot Expensify
  • Spending autonomynot Expensify
  • Expense automationnot Expensify

Where each one falls short

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

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

Pleo

  • Card delays and transaction limits impact usability, with limited regional acceptance in some areas
  • Receipt capture OCR inaccuracies and upload lag/glitches complicate expense categorization
  • Limited expense categories and tags reduce flexibility for complex accounting structures
  • Transaction approval workflows have minimal customization options
  • Lacks in-built forecasting tools and reporting is basic, providing limited insights into trends

Pricing, plan by plan

Expensify

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Expensify review.

Pleo

£9.5/month
  • Starter$9.5/month
    • Company cards
    • Real-time expense tracking
    • Automated reports
  • Essential$39/month
    • Reimbursements
    • Mileage and per diem
    • Vendor cards
  • Advanced$89/month
    • Cashback
    • Budgets
    • Multi-entity management
  • Beyond$179/month
    • Spending insights
    • Sub-wallets
    • Dedicated success manager

Which should you pick?

Choose Expensify if

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

Choose Pleo if

  • You need company cards.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want receipt capture.
Pleo review

Questions people ask

Is Expensify or Pleo better?
Neither clearly leads. Expensify starts at $5/month and Pleo at £9.5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Expensify or Pleo?
Expensify starts at $5/month and Pleo at £9.5/month.
Does Expensify or Pleo run on more platforms?
Expensify runs on Web, iOS, Android. Pleo runs on iOS, Android, Web.
What is Expensify best used for?
Expensify is most often used for expense reporting, receipt management, travel expenses, corporate card management. Of those, expense reporting and receipt management are not what Pleo is typically brought in for.
What can Expensify do that Pleo cannot?
Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Expense reports, Corporate cards, Reimbursements. Pleo covers Company cards, Receipt capture, Expense categorization, Spend limits. Both handle QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage.

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
Pleo: What are Pleo's pricing tiers?

Pleo offers four pricing tiers: Starter (GBP 9.50/month), Essential (GBP 39.00/month), Advanced (GBP 89.00/month), and Beyond (GBP 179.00/month). Annual billing provides equivalent of two free months.

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
Pleo: Does Pleo have a free tier?

No, Pleo does not offer a free tier or permanent free plan. All plans require payment with a free trial available for evaluation.

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
Pleo: What integrations does Pleo support for accounting?

Pleo integrates directly with Xero and QuickBooks, plus Sage 200, Sage 50, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Datev, and Visma e-conomic. Zapier integrations are also available.

Source
Pleo: What platforms can access Pleo?

Pleo is accessible via iOS and Android mobile apps, and through a web interface. Physical and virtual cards are issued for spending.

Source
Pleo: Does Pleo support multiple currencies?

Yes, Pleo supports multi-currency spending and transactions. The platform is particularly strong for European teams with local payment methods.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Expensify

More on Pleo

Keep looking

Other head to heads