The 5 best business expense tracking software solutions of 2025

Expense tracking software is a platform that automates and streamlines how businesses handle their expense management process. Also known as expense management software, these platforms enable companies to monitor expenses as they happen, giving you constant visibility into where your money is going and how it's being used.

Yet, these platforms go beyond simply tracking expenses as they can capture, process, approve, reimburse, and analyze business expenses while maintaining policy compliance and providing valuable financial insights. Modern expense tracking software has evolved beyond simple spreadsheet replacements. They’ve become intelligent systems that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to reduce manual work and enhance financial visibility.

Traditional methods typically involve employees keeping physical receipts, filling out spreadsheets or paper forms, submitting them for approval through email or in person, and then waiting for manual processing and reimbursement. This process is time-consuming, error-prone, and lacks real-time visibility.

Expense tracking software has become indispensable for modern businesses with complex financial processes, remote workforces, and real-time financial data needs. With globalized operations and distributed teams, digital expense tracking solutions allow all businesses to manage expenses across different locations, currencies, and tax jurisdictions, which traditional methods can’t match.

If your business is looking to implement business expense tracking, these tips can help streamline the process and ensure effective implementation.

Find the right expense tracking method

Selecting the right expense tracking method is the foundation of effective financial management. Begin by assessing your organization's expense volume, complexity, and reporting needs. For small businesses with limited transactions, spreadsheet-based tracking might be sufficient, though this approach grows unsustainable as transaction volumes increase. Mid-sized and enterprise organizations can benefit from dedicated expense management tools that can handle complex approval workflows and high transaction volumes.

When evaluating tracking methods, consider factors like employee experience, mobile access requirements, and integration with existing financial software. Modern expense management software streamlines this process by offering intuitive mobile interfaces for expense reporting and categorization while integrating seamlessly with other tools.

Implement thoughtful expense policies

Clear, comprehensive expense policies are vital for expense management. Well-designed policies should balance organizational control with employee needs, defining spending limits, approval requirements, and documentation standards without creating unnecessary friction. Consider industry benchmarks when setting category-specific limits and ensure policies address unique needs like mileage reimbursements, entertainment, and remote work expenses.

Document these policies in straightforward language, avoiding legal jargon that may confuse employees. Spend management software can transform these written guidelines into automated enforcement, ensuring consistent application across your organization. Leading platforms allow you to configure rule-based policies that can flag or block out-of-policy submissions before they reach approvers.

Clearly communicate changes

Efficient change management is critical to implement new expense tracking methods and standards. Develop a comprehensive communication plan that explains what is changing, why it matters, and how it benefits both the organization and individual employees. Be transparent about implementation timelines and set clear expectations for when employees should begin using new systems or following updated policies.

Regularly reconcile expenses

Consistent reconciliation is important to maintain accurate records and identify issues before they escalate. Establish a regular schedule for comparing expense reports against credit card statements, bank transactions, and accounting records. This process helps identify missing receipts, duplicate submissions, and coding errors that could impact financial reporting.

For organizations using manual tracking methods, expense reconciliation can be time-consuming and error-prone. Expense management software dramatically streamlines this process through automated transaction matching, which can pair credit card charges with corresponding receipts in real time. Accounting automations such as automatic reconciliation saved employees and managers up to 4,000 hours per year, according to a Brex study.

Conduct scheduled audits

Establishing regular audits can help maintain expense accuracy and ensure compliance with company policies and regulations. Create a structured audit schedule that includes periodic reviews of randomly selected expense reports, with special attention to business expense categories such as entertainment, gifts, and large purchases. Document your audit process and keep organized records of findings to identify recurring issues and opportunities for improvement.

While manual audits can require significant time and resources, expense tracking software can streamline this process by automatically auditing expenses as they occur. This software can automatically flag out-of-policy expenses and leverage AI to detect unusual spending and duplicate expenses.

Expense tracking software does more than allow businesses to track expenses. These platforms offer features that help streamline the entire expense management process, from capturing receipts to syncing with ERPs.

Automatic receipt scanning

Modern expense tracking software often uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to convert physical receipts into structured digital data. When an employee captures a receipt image using their mobile device, OCR identifies and extracts information including merchant name, transaction date, total amount, and individual line items. Advanced OCR systems can accurately process receipts in multiple languages and formats.

Automated expense reporting

The best expense tracking software automates expense reporting. When an employee uses their business credit card, receipts can be automatically generated or uploaded and digitized using OCR technology. Expenses are then categorized using AI, saving employees from having to manually review and classify expenses.

With automated expense reporting, in-policy expenses are automatically approved while others are flagged for manual review. And expenses that need approval are routed through custom approval workflows so they receive the right signatures.

Expense policy enforcement

One of the biggest advantages of modern expense tracking software is the ability to automatically enforce expense policies at the point of purchase. Rather than relying on manual review to catch policy violations, these platforms enable businesses to build expense policies into employee credit cards. When an employee attempts to submit an expense that exceeds a threshold or violates a policy, the platform can flag it, require additional approval, or reject it entirely, depending on predetermined rules.

Top expense tracking platforms allow businesses to customize spending rules on nearly any level. Businesses can restrict spending based on the employee, department, expense category, amount, location, and other levels, while setting requirements for additional documentation depending on predetermined rules.

Corporate credit card integration

Seamless integration with corporate credit card programs is a standard feature in the best expense tracking solutions. This direct connection not only enables real-time transaction visibility but also allows businesses to monitor spending across teams and departments within a unified platform. Companies have more accurate data to make informed financial decisions and streamline the cash flow management process.

Automatic sync with accounting and ERP software

Most expense tracking solutions offer integrations with popular platforms like QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct. These connections eliminate the need for manual data transfer and ensure financial information flows seamlessly between tools. Tight integration allows expenses to be automatically reconciled against the general ledger, eliminating the need for manual matching processes and accelerating the month-end close.

Flexible approval flows

Customizable approval flows are a critical feature of modern expense tracking software because they enable organizations to create approvals that reflect their organizational structure and control requirements. These approval routes can be configured based on multiple factors including expense amount, category, department, project, and location. Dynamic and automated approvals can help prevent approval bottlenecks that can slow down reimbursements or important purchases.

Automated expense reimbursement

Expense tracking software reduces the friction and delays surrounding manual reimbursements. Once reimbursements are approved, whether automatically or through an approval process, payment can be initiated automatically. Through direct integration with payment platforms and banking services, expense reimbursements are initiated immediately rather than being delayed until the next payment cycle. Top expense tracking solutions can even reimburse employees in their local currency.

As you look for the right expense tracking software for your business, consider the best options below.

1. Brex

Brex brings together expense tracking, corporate credit cards, business banking, accounting automation software, travel management, and automated bill pay all in one platform. This integrated approach eliminates the need to juggle multiple financial tools and vendors. Companies get complete visibility into their cash flow while maintaining tight control over spending across all departments. Brex works especially well for businesses that want to streamline their financial operations without sacrificing oversight. It makes it easy to track every dollar flowing through your organization while automating the tedious work that typically bogs down finance teams.

Key features

• Real-time budgets: Brex’s expense management software allows businesses to establish budgets across departments and preapprove spend within certain categories. Finance teams can monitor that spending in real time as the transactions automatically update. Budgets can be increased or decreased depending on the needs of each team and upcoming expenses.
• Integrated corporate card: The Brex corporate card gives businesses a global card that streamlines spend management and seamlessly integrates with travel, bill pay, and accounting solutions. With the Brex card, businesses can issue physical and virtual corporate cards along with purchase cards, T&E cards, and vendor cards. Since the Brex corporate card can be issued to employees in over 50 countries and is accepted in over 200 countries, businesses with international workforces need only one card for all of their corporate spend.
• Spend controls: The Brex card can be embedded with custom spend controls, allowing businesses to proactively manage spend before it happens. Set limits on nearly any parameter, including by employee, department, amount, category, and location. Brex AI automatically approves in-policy expenses while flagging any unusual or out-of-policy charges, routing them for manual review. Expenses can also be sent through predetermined approval flows, allowing the right approvers to review expenses.
• Automatic receipt generation: With Brex, employees don’t need to upload receipts for every transaction. Rather, Brex automatically generates itemized receipts, streamlining the expense reporting process for employees. When receipts aren’t automatically generated, employees can email, upload, or text receipts to Brex. OCR technology then scans, itemizes, and automatically uploads the details into the Brex expense management platform.
• Accounting and ERP integrations: Expense tracking is important for any business, but it can be useless without integrations into your accounting or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Brex’s ERP integrations allow for real-time bidirectional syncing along with automated GL coding and merchant mapping. Brex offers an award-winning NetSuite integration as well as integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, SAP Concur, and other popular platforms.

Key benefits

• 24/7 support: Brex offers all of its customers access to 24/7 support via chat, email, phone, text, and WhatsApp. Unlike other providers, Brex doesn’t charge extra for 24/7 live customer support access regardless of the plan.
• Real-time visibility and control: Businesses can see spending as it happens across the organization, with automatic categorization and receipt matching that eliminates manual expense reports.
• Automated compliance and policy enforcement: Brex automatically flags transactions that violate company spend policies and blocks purchases that exceed preset limits or fall outside approved categories. With Brex, employees and managers saved up to 4,000 hours per year on compliance efforts.
• Streamlined reimbursements: Employees can submit expenses for reimbursement through the Brex app, and with automatic categorization, expenses are automatically routed through approval workflows. Payments can happen daily, not on the next payday.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Finance teams get detailed spending insights, budget tracking, and customizable reports that help identify cost-saving opportunities and spending patterns across departments.
• Accounting automation: Brex expense tracking software streamlines the accounting process, from receipt management to GL coding, allowing businesses to focus on what matters most. The average accounting team closes their month-end books 3x faster on Brex.
• Simplified tax preparation: The system maintains organized records with proper documentation, making it easier to handle tax deductions and audits.

Drawbacks

• Cannot bring your own credit card
• Not all businesses will qualify for a Brex card
• Extensive feature set may be overkill for companies with low transaction volumes

Pricing

Brex offers customers three pricing plans: Essentials, Premium, and Enterprise. The Essentials plan is free and helps companies efficiently track expenses with access to the Brex card, AI-powered custom rules, travel booking, real-time reporting, bill pay, and reimbursements.

Businesses looking for additional functionality, including multiple, customizable expense policies, dynamic expense review chains, multi-entity support, and live budgets, can upgrade to the Premium plan for $12 per user, per month. Global companies can opt for the Enterprise plan, which allows for unlimited U.S. or global entities plus local card issuance and fully customizable implementation services.

2. Emburse Professional

Emburse Professional is an expense tracking software designed for mid-sized companies. Emburse Professional, which is formerly known as Emburse Certify, offers businesses the ability to track expenses, control spend, and pay bills. While the platform is fairly robust, it lacks some of the automation features that Emburse competitors offer.

Key features

• View expenses and spending
• Book travel from within the same platform
• Manage accounts payable
• Issue virtual and physical cards

Key benefits

• Gain visibility into spending
• Simplify expense reports
• Reduce administrative burdens

Drawbacks

• Limited automation functionality
• Complicated and expensive pricing structure
• No integrated banking option
• Limited support options

Pricing

Pricing for Emburse Professional isn’t disclosed, and unlike competitors, there is no free pricing option. Beyond Emburse Professional, there are other subscription options, such as Emburse Spend and Emburse Nexonia, which offer various plans at different prices. If a business wants guided implementation of Emburse Spend, the platform offers it for an additional fee of $1,500.

3. Expensify

Expensify is a popular expense management platform that allows businesses to track expenses and manage reimbursements. Expensify can be an effective expense tracking solution for small businesses that need a corporate card and a platform that allows for easy receipt uploading. Nonetheless, Expensify competitors can better serve large organizations with more complex needs.

Key features

• Issue corporate cards
• Scan receipts
• Book travel from within the platform
• Monitor expenses and spending

Key benefits

• Affordable for small teams
• Control spending
• Streamlined reimbursement process

Drawbacks

• Can be difficult to reach human customer support
• No free plan
• Limited international functionality
• Insufficient for enterprise-size businesses

Pricing

Expensify offers two plans: the Collect plan for $5 per user per month, and the Control plan, which starts at $9 per user per month. The Collect plan offers basic features such as receipt scanning and travel booking. To access ERP integrations, custom expense rules, and multiple approval flows, businesses will need the Control plan.

4. Spendesk

Spendesk is an expense tracking platform designed for companies with significant operations in Europe that want to monitor expenses, manage policies, and provide reimbursements. With Spendesk, businesses can issue prepaid employee cards, giving companies significant control over spending and helping prevent fraud.

Key features

• Issue prepaid cards to employees
• Create reimbursement policies
• Easily digitize receipts
• Create accounts payable approval flows

Key benefits

• Gain visibility into spend
• Prevent fraud with prepaid cards
• Manage cards and expenses in one platform

Drawbacks

• Cards need to be prepaid
• Support hours are Europe-centric
• Must request a quote to get pricing
• No travel booking functionality

Pricing

Spendesk doesn't publish its pricing publicly, unlike some Spendesk competitors, so you'll need to request a quote to see what it costs. This makes it harder to quickly compare Spendesk against other expense management solutions during your initial research. Many of their key features aren't included in the base package either. Important capabilities like accounts payable, multi-entity management, and advanced workflows typically come as paid add-ons that increase your overall subscription cost.

5. Concur Expense

Concur Expense is a legacy expense management software that allows businesses to monitor spending and reimburse employees. Although Concur Expense is a popular option, Concur competitors may offer businesses a more streamlined and automated expense management platform.

Key features

• Upload and manage receipts
• Manage reimbursements
• Build approval flows for expenses
• Connect third-party cards

Key benefits

• Can handle a wide range of expenses
• Reliable platform
• Monitor employee spending

Drawbacks

• Limited automations
• Delays in transaction visibility
• User interface can be difficult to navigate
• Pricing not available without requesting a quote

Pricing

Concur Expense keeps its pricing behind closed doors, requiring businesses to request a custom quote before revealing any costs. This approach makes it challenging for companies to do quick price comparisons with other expense tracking platforms. Without transparent pricing information available upfront, businesses have to invest time in the sales process just to understand if Concur fits their budget. The lack of public pricing can slow down the decision-making process for teams trying to evaluate multiple solutions at once.

As you consider which software to implement into your financial stack, consider cost, features, integrations, and ease of use to find the best solution for your business.

Cost

Expense tracking software pricing models vary significantly, which can make cost comparison complex but necessary to find the most cost-effective option for your business. Some options provide their platform for no cost, while others may offer free trial periods. No-cost options can be best for cash-strapped startups with limited operations, but keep in mind, your venture can outgrow these solutions if they don’t offer additional plans and functionality.

Most providers offer tiered pricing based on user count. While some platforms offer standard plans for free, paid plans can start at $5 per user per month. Plans with more functionality start around $12 per user per month, and costs can increase from there.

When evaluating expense tracking software, subscription fees are just one piece of the financial puzzle. Implementation costs can significantly impact your budget, including expenses for setup, training, and system integration. Some vendors charge substantial one-time implementation fees that can reach thousands of dollars or more, depending on the complexity of your requirements. Ongoing operational costs like wire or ACH transfer fees can also accumulate over time, contributing to the total cost of ownership for your expense tracking solution.

Features

You’ll want to align software capabilities with your organization's specific requirements. Core features like receipt scanning, automated reporting, and approval workflows are standard across most platforms, but quality can vary significantly. Advanced features such as AI-powered fraud detection, multi-currency support, and complex approval hierarchies can differentiate premium solutions.

When comparing expense tracking platforms, core features are just the starting point. Mobile functionality and customer support access often distinguish one solution from another. Leading platforms provide offline receipt capture, real-time expense submission, and mobile approval capabilities within their apps while maintaining 24/7 customer support availability.

Integrations

Integrations determine how seamlessly expense tracking software fits into your existing technology ecosystem. Start by listing all systems that need to connect with your expense platform, including accounting software, ERP software, HRIS platforms, and banking solutions. Request detailed integration documentation from vendors to understand data flow, synchronization frequency, and error handling procedures.

Native integrations with popular platforms like QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct reduce implementation complexity and ongoing maintenance. These connections typically support bidirectional data flow, enabling chart of accounts synchronization and automatic expense posting.

Ease of use

User experience, and how easy a platform is to navigate, is critical for adoption and overall satisfaction. That’s why ease of use is important to consider as you evaluate each expense reporting software option.

Start by evaluating the software as both an employee and administrator, as poor usability in either area can make adoption difficult. Modern expense tracking platforms offer intuitive interfaces that require minimal training for basic functions. Administrators should find it easy to configure policies, manage users, and generate reports. Finance teams should be able to modify expense policies, run advanced reports, and manage accounting workflows without requiring technical support.

The best expense tracking software allows your business to streamline financial operations while gaining real-time visibility into company-wide spending. By automating manual processes and controlling spend before it happens, the right platform transforms expense management from a time-consuming administrative burden into a strategic advantage.

A robust expense management platform, powerful corporate card, and advanced automations help make Brex the best expense management software. With Brex, businesses can track all of their expenses, from employee expense reimbursements to invoice payments, in one platform. This allows finance teams and CFOs to efficiently manage cash flow and make decisions using every available data point.

A key part of managing cash flow is managing spend, and with Brex, businesses can control spend before it happens. Companies can set and monitor budgets across teams and departments, and embed custom expense policies within Brex cards to prevent out-of-policy spending.

Before moving to Brex, Heirloom — a direct air capture company — had limited oversight and control over employee spend, and employees had to manually categorize and reconcile expenses to get data. Now, Heirloom see and adjust spend in real time to optimize business performance.

“By creating a budget for each spending purpose, and allowing employees to use one card, we don't need to continually recategorize spend. It just automatically goes to the right budget. That automatic tracking is huge,” says Candice Chow-Gamboa, Chief of Staff at Heirloom. “Now we can tell if we're spending money in the right ways. We can monitor spending by budget and assess if we're on track.”

If your business is ready to improve expense tracking and bring more insights into overall spend management processes, sign up for Brex today.