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Expensify vs QuickBooks

Expensify logo

Expensify

All industries

Expense management for receipts, bills & more

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

All industries

Smart, simple online accounting software for small business

From
$30/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; QuickBooks chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • They diverge on capability: Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Expensify and QuickBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Expensify and QuickBooks differ
AttributeExpensifyQuickBooks
Starting price$5/month$30/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20081983

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

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 QuickBooks

  • Income & expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Payment processing
  • Financial reporting
  • Tax preparation
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Bill management
  • Mobile apps

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • PCI DSS

What people use each for

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

Expensify

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

QuickBooks

  • Bookkeepingnot Expensify
  • Invoicingnot Expensify
  • Expense trackingnot Expensify
  • Financial reportingnot Expensify
  • Tax preparationnot 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

QuickBooks

  • Chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • Even the top Advanced tier caps bulk invoice uploads at 1,000 transaction lines per batch
  • Payroll is a separate paid add-on billed per employee per month (USD 6 to 10 depending on plan) on top of the base subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Expensify

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Expensify review.

QuickBooks

$30/month
  • Simple Start$30/month
    • Income & expense tracking
    • Invoice & payments
    • Tax deductions
  • Essentials$60/month
    • Everything in Simple Start
    • Bill management
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$90/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Inventory tracking
    • Project profitability
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Dedicated account team
    • 25 users

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 QuickBooks if

  • You need income & expense tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want invoicing.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is Expensify or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Expensify starts at $5/month and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Expensify or QuickBooks?
Expensify starts at $5/month and QuickBooks at $30/month.
Does Expensify or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
Expensify runs on Web, iOS, Android. QuickBooks runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
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 QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can Expensify do that QuickBooks cannot?
Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Expense reports, Corporate cards, Reimbursements. QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking, Invoicing, Payment processing, Financial reporting. Both handle SOC2, PCI DSS.

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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