Accounting · head to head
Medius Expense vs Mercury
Medius Expense
Accounting
Expense management, formerly Expensya, now the expense module of the Medius spend platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Mercury has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Medius Expense the Expensya name is being retired, so contracts, logins and support articles change identity mid-relationship and internal documentation has to be rewritten.; Mercury treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
- They diverge on capability: Medius Expense covers Receipt OCR, Mercury covers Business checking.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medius Expense and Mercury actually diverge.
| Attribute | Medius Expense | Mercury |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | Unknown | 2019 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).
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 Medius Expense
- Receipt OCR
- Mileage and per diem
- VAT recovery
- Card reconciliation
- Approval workflows
- AP suite integration
Only in Mercury
- Business checking
- Savings accounts
- Virtual cards
- Team management
- API access
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Stripe
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Medius Expense
- A French or Spanish employer needing VAT-compliant receipt capture in local formats and languagesnot Mercury
- A company already running Medius for supplier invoices that wants employee spend on the same platformnot Mercury
- A finance team with heavy mileage claims needing statutory rates applied without spreadsheetsnot Mercury
- A group consolidating several country expense tools into one European platformnot Mercury
Mercury
- Business banking and payments for startupsnot Medius Expense
- Managing treasury, invoicing and corporate cards from one accountnot Medius Expense
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Medius Expense
- The Expensya name is being retired, so contracts, logins and support articles change identity mid-relationship and internal documentation has to be rewritten.
- It is now a module inside an accounts payable suite, so expense-specific roadmap items compete with supplier invoice work for engineering time.
- Pricing is not published and is discounted against bundling with Medius AP, which makes standalone expense quotes less competitive than they look.
- Strength is concentrated in Europe and the Maghreb; North American and Asian tax and mileage handling are thinner than the European coverage.
- It does not issue cards, so real-time spend controls are absent and it relies on card feed reconciliation after the fact.
Mercury
- Treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
- Non USD international wires carry a 1% conversion fee
- Choosing OUR wire coding, which covers intermediary bank charges, costs $15 per wire
- ACH invoicing is $1 per transaction on Mercury Plus and only free on the $299 a month Pro plan
- Advanced and recurring invoicing require Mercury Plus at $29.90 a month
Pricing, plan by plan
Medius Expense
On request- Medius Expense$undefined/year
- Per-user subscription, quoted not published
- Tiering by feature set and entity count
- Implementation and OCR configuration fees
Mercury
Free- Mercury (Free)Free
- ACH payments
- Domestic wires
- Real-time payments
- Mercury Plus$29.9/month
- Invoice ACH debits
- Recurring invoices
- Invoicing API (500/month)
- Mercury Pro$299/month
- All Plus features
- Relationship manager
- Free ACH invoice debits
Which should you pick?
Choose Medius Expense if
- You need receipt ocr.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want mileage and per diem.
Choose Mercury if
- You need business checking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want savings accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Medius Expense or Mercury better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medius Expense starts at On request and Mercury at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medius Expense or Mercury?
- Mercury has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Medius Expense and Free for Mercury.
- Does Medius Expense or Mercury run on more platforms?
- Medius Expense runs on Web, iOS, Android. Mercury runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Mercury for free?
- Yes. Mercury has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Medius Expense starts at On request.
- What is Medius Expense best used for?
- Medius Expense is most often used for a french or spanish employer needing vat-compliant receipt capture in local formats and languages, a company already running medius for supplier invoices that wants employee spend on the same platform, a finance team with heavy mileage claims needing statutory rates applied without spreadsheets, a group consolidating several country expense tools into one european platform. Of those, a french or spanish employer needing vat-compliant receipt capture in local formats and languages and a company already running medius for supplier invoices that wants employee spend on the same platform are not what Mercury is typically brought in for.
- What can Medius Expense do that Mercury cannot?
- Medius Expense covers Receipt OCR, Mileage and per diem, VAT recovery, Card reconciliation. Mercury covers Business checking, Savings accounts, Virtual cards, Team management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Medius Expense: Is Expensya still available?
Under that name, no. The product continues as Medius Expense, with the branding cutover on 30 September 2026 and no change to features or data.
Mercury: Is Mercury business banking free?
Mercury's base banking tier is free and includes ACH payments, domestic wire transfers, real-time payments, Bill Pay, and QuickBooks/Xero automations at no monthly cost.
SourceMedius Expense: Do I have to buy Medius AP as well?
No, but the commercial terms improve materially if you do, which is worth testing during negotiation.
Mercury: What does Mercury Plus add beyond the free tier?
Mercury Plus costs $29.90 per month and adds invoice ACH debits, recurring invoice capabilities, invoicing API with 500 calls per month, unlimited 1099 filings, and access to partner benefits.
SourceMedius Expense: Does it issue corporate cards?
No. It reconciles existing card feeds rather than issuing its own cards.
Mercury: Does Mercury charge monthly account fees?
No, Mercury states there are no minimum account balance requirements, overdraft fees, required monthly fees, or account opening fees. The free tier includes essential business banking, with paid tiers available for additional features.
SourceRelated pages
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