Expensify
Snap a receipt, get reimbursed, and sync coded expenses to QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Best for
Service businesses and small teams where employees regularly pay out of pocket and need to be reimbursed without a training session.
Not ideal if
Teams that want spend controls enforced through company cards at the swipe; that is Ramp or Brex territory.
Standout
SmartScan receipt capture that fills in merchant, date, and amount from a photo, so employees need close to zero training.
About Expensify
Expensify is an expense and reimbursement app, not a ledger. An employee photographs a receipt, forwards it to [email protected], or texts it. SmartScan reads the merchant, date, and amount and drops the line into a report. A manager approves from a phone. Finance reimburses by ACH, often the next business day. On Collect, approved, coded expenses sync to QuickBooks Online or Xero. You still close the books there.
It does not replace QuickBooks Online or Xero. Ramp puts limits on a company card at the swipe. Zoho Expense is the policy and multi-step approval pick at a lower seat price. Receipt Bot pushes coded bills into the ledger without an employee report flow. Shoeboxed is the mail-in paper pile. Expensify now includes in-app travel booking on Collect; Navan and Perk still go deeper if booking is the main job.
People who stick with it are teams where employees still pay out of pocket and will actually open a phone camera at the restaurant. The report flow (submit, approve, reimburse) is the one managers already understand.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Phone camera people will actually use
SmartScan fills merchant, date, and amount so a traveler can file the dinner before the taxis arrive.
Submit, approve, get paid back
The report flow matches how managers already work, and ACH can land the next US business day.
QBO and Xero on the affordable plan
Collect includes the sync. You do not have to jump to Control for the two ledgers most US shops use.
What they hesitate about
Billing and cancellation friction
r/Accounting threads describe unexpected annual charges, hard-to-find cancel paths, and invoices that keep the account active. Check plan settings after setup.
Concierge loops and New Expensify weight
Support often starts in Concierge AI. Some admins say the redesigned app made receipt upload and cancel flows harder.
Policy after the spend
Flags do not block the restaurant. The card program is thinner than Ramp or Brex if you want limits at authorization.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- No
- QuickBooks Online
- Yes
- Xero
- Yes
- Multi-entity
- Yes
- Inventory
- No
- Payroll
- No
You capture, approve, and reimburse here, then sync. Close still happens in QuickBooks Online or Xero. Desktop, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct need Control.
Invite the accountant, or send the synced file plus receipt images on the exported report. Expensify does not produce a year-end tax package.
Images
Features
SmartScan a receipt and file it
Photograph a receipt, forward it to [email protected], text 47777, or upload a file. SmartScan reads merchant, date, amount, currency, and VAT. Unlimited SmartScans are on Submit and on paid team plans.
Submit, approve, reimburse by ACH
Employees submit a report. A manager approves. Finance pays by ACH, often the next US business day, without requiring the Expensify Card.
Sync to QuickBooks Online or Xero (Collect)
Collect and Control connect a workspace to QuickBooks Online or Xero and import the chart of accounts. Approved reports export as checks, vendor bills, journal entries, or card transactions. Submit does not sync to the books. QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct sit on Control.
Keep your cards, or add an Expensify Card
Bring Your Own Cards imports feeds from 10,000+ banks. The optional Expensify Visa Commercial Card is a charge card with Smart Limits and cash back that hits the Expensify bill first. You do not have to switch cards.
Track your own expenses on Submit
Submit is free for individuals: receipt scanning, mileage, categories, personal card import, and PDF reports. No company approval and no accounting sync.
Control extras for Desktop and ERPs
Control adds QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and multi-level rules. Collect is the SMB plan. Control is the step up when you need those connectors.
Pricing
Submit is $0 and does not sync to the books. A 5-person shop on Collect pays $25/month (every unique workspace member, month to month). Control is $9 per active member per month with annual billing and the Expensify Card (50% of settled spend), $18 annual without the card, or $36 pay-per-use. Cash back on the card can offset the software bill. Legacy pricing stays in place for workspaces created before 1 April 2025.
Submit
Individuals tracking their own receipts and mileage. No accounting sync.
- Receipt scanning and mileage
- Expense reports, categories, and tags
- Personal card import
- Chat plus AI and human support
- No QuickBooks Online or Xero sync
Collect
Small teams that need approvals, ACH reimbursement, and QuickBooks Online or Xero. Month to month. No card required.
- Unlimited SmartScans and distance tracking
- Approvals and next-day ACH reimbursement
- QuickBooks Online and Xero sync
- Third-party card feeds and optional Expensify Card
- Bill pay, invoicing, and Expensify Travel
Control
Teams that need QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or heavier multi-level rules.
- Everything in Collect
- QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct
- Multi-level rules and extra admin controls
- Bills active members only, not every seat
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Expensify
Ramp
Pick Ramp instead if you want card-first spend controls that block overspend at the swipe.
Zoho Expense
Pick Zoho Expense instead if you need configurable policy rules and multi-step approvals on a smaller per-seat bill.
Receipt Bot
Pick Receipt Bot instead if you only need staff-checked OCR into QuickBooks Online or Xero, not employee expense reports.
Shoeboxed
Pick Shoeboxed instead if the real problem is a paper pile you want to mail away, not a phone camera.