Software · head to head
Hive vs Spendesk
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Hive the free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage; Spendesk no publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
- They diverge on capability: Hive covers Tasks, Spendesk covers Company cards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hive and Spendesk actually diverge.
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 Hive
- Tasks
- Gantt view
- Kanban
- Time tracking
- Forms
- Slack
- Zoom
- Google Drive
Only in Spendesk
- Company cards
- Expense management
- Invoice payments
- Budget management
- Spend analytics
- Xero
- Sage
- NetSuite
Both cover
- SOC 2
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hive
- Project and task management with multiple project viewsnot Spendesk
- Coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teamsnot Spendesk
Spendesk
- Expense managementnot Hive
- Spend controlnot Hive
- Finance automationnot Hive
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hive
- The free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage
- The Starter plan at $5 per user per month is limited to 10 projects
- Eight capabilities are sold as $5 per user add ons on the Teams plan, including CRM, timesheets, proofing, resourcing, advanced dashboards, external users and SSO
- Buying SSO plus a few of those add ons therefore costs more than the $12 base seat itself
- AI credits are metered monthly at 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 by plan
Spendesk
- No publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
- Strong European presence but limited in some non-EU markets
- High implementation costs due to extensive integration requirements
Pricing, plan by plan
Hive
On request- FreeFree
- Basic features
- 10 users
- Teams$12/month
- Unlimited users
- Time tracking
- Automations
Spendesk
$29/month- EssentialsFree
- Virtual cards
- Expense tracking
- Approvals
Which should you pick?
Choose Hive if
- You need tasks.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want gantt view.
Choose Spendesk if
- You need company cards.
- You work on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
- You also want expense management.
Questions people ask
- Is Hive or Spendesk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hive starts at On request and Spendesk at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hive or Spendesk?
- Hive starts at On request and Spendesk at $29/month.
- Does Hive or Spendesk run on more platforms?
- Hive runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. Spendesk runs on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
- What is Hive best used for?
- Hive is most often used for project and task management with multiple project views, coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams. Of those, project and task management with multiple project views and coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams are not what Spendesk is typically brought in for.
- What can Hive do that Spendesk cannot?
- Hive covers Tasks, Gantt view, Kanban, Time tracking. Spendesk covers Company cards, Expense management, Invoice payments, Budget management. Both handle SOC 2, Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Spendesk: What is included in Spendesk's platform?
Spendesk combines corporate cards, a mobile receipts app, approval workflows, automated reconciliation, accounts payable, procurement, and spend controls into one platform.
SourceSpendesk: How does Spendesk handle expense receipts?
Spendesk captures receipts via mobile photo upload with OCR technology, automatically matching receipts to transactions and generating automated expense reports with 98% of expense receipts collected on time.
SourceSpendesk: What integrations does Spendesk offer?
Spendesk integrates with accounting software including Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and SAP, plus HR systems and tools like Slack for comprehensive spend management.
SourceSpendesk: Is Spendesk profitable?
Yes. Spendesk became the first spend management platform to reach profitability in 2025, processing over £10 billion in spend across 35+ countries.
SourceSpendesk: What is Spendesk's valuation?
Spendesk is a unicorn company with a valuation of $1.5 billion, with 2025 revenue of $52 million ARR.
SourceSpendesk: How much time can Spendesk save on bookkeeping?
Organizations using Spendesk save an average of 4 days per month on bookkeeping, equivalent to over 380 hours per year returned to the business.
SourceRelated pages
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