7 Best Zoho Expense Alternatives and Competitors

Introduction

Planning a business trip but not looking forward to work associated with it? Are you tired of saving the travel bills and ensuring they reach the finance department? How long is it before you see the reimbursement credit? Is the reimbursement an online payment, or do you get a cheque?

A travel and expense management platform can relieve these woes while giving you more visibility and control over your expenses. Zoho Expense is an expense management software that gives you these advantages. 

Zoho Expense offers several features to ease your expense management woes. However, you must consider other Zoho Expense alternatives before you pick the best one for your organization.

A quick look at Zoho Expense alternatives and competitors

Software   Name	Best For	Free Trial	Time & Expense Tracking	Compliance Management	Configurable Workflows	Corporate Card
Happay	Mid-size, and large enterprises	Custom pricing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sap Concur	Freelancer small, mid-size and large enterprises	Free trial	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Expensify	Freelancer small, mid-size and large enterprises	Free trial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shoeboxed	Freelancer,small, and mid-size companies	Custom pricing	No	No	No	No
Neat	Freelancer and small businesses	Free trial	No	No	No	No
Rydoo	Mid-size and large enterprises	Free trial	Yes	Yes	No	No
Fyle	Small, mid-size, and Large, companies	Free trial	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

7 Best Zoho Expense alternatives and competitors

1. Happay

Happay offers a new-age solution to an age-old problem.

As a Zoho Expense competitor, Happay, as a SaaS company, impresses with strong tech that is new-age, UX-focused, and completely future-ready. With several large enterprises as customers, present in 18+ countries worldwide, they are known to have been one of the few to launch a complete and integrated Travel & expense management platform.

Here’s a short video on how Happay can automate your expenses

Happay features an extensive and robust product profile, including Happay cards that help you with petty cash management, employee tax benefits, digital subscriptions/payments, and fleet Xpress. All these products serve to ease the expense reporting process.

1.1 Feature snapshot

Here are some top features that finance teams love

A. Budgeting module

Happay helps CFOs and their teams improve their spend management while giving them complete control over their money. Most importantly, it allows you to monitor budgets at scale. For instance, you can define custom spend limits for departments, cost centers, or any other category. Another fantastic advantage of the feature is creating a budget master with seamless API integration with SAP.

B. GST module

As one of Zoho Expense alternatives, Happay offers a robust solution for GST. The GST module empowers your employees to capture accurate GST breakups at the time of expense filing without any manual calculations.

C. Forex module

The Forex module helps you handle international travel like a pro. Forex procurement, currency conversions, and automated gain/loss calculations are easy with the international T&E management feature.

D. Smart Audit

The Smart Audit feature helps you reduce expense verification time by 80% and reimburse your employees in 5 days or less. The AI-powered expense auditing feature helps to auto-flag spend anomalies such as duplicate, amount/date mismatched, and prohibited item claims.

E. Policy engine

OCR technology helps to capture expenses accurately. Further, when policies are built into the system’s architecture, this feature allows you to customize policy checks based on business logic and complexity, allowing quick action on expense reports.

F. Per Diem calculator

This feature allows hassle-free allowance transfers to on-site employees, saving you a ton of time. So, no more sending Per Diem allowances manually every day!

1.2 Zoho Expense/Happay 

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	The pricing model is great for small businesses, and the setup was relatively easy and quick. Helps track expenses easily.	GST calculations are manual The support services take a lot of time to resolve issues.
Happay	The User-friendly interface and automatic GST calculations are rated as the best. Approval and reimbursement turnaround times are faster.	According to the user reviews, the mobile app does not support an offline feature currently. If added, a downloadable notes section could be an added advantage

1.3 Top industries represented

Name	Happay	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	Hospitality Financial Services	IT and Services  Computer Software

1.4 Impressive feature

One of the most impressive features of Zoho Expense alternatives-Happay is the GST module. The GST module is certainly bound to make your team’s life easier. Among numerous other benefits, using Happay’s GST return module promises to get all your GST data in one place. So you can claim input tax credits accurately and quickly. Further, you can save up to 5% of your travel spending by automating the GST claims, as your ITC claims are more spot on.

1.5 Happay ratings

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

* Rankings per G2 data

1.6 FAQs

Quick Read: 10 Best Expense Reporting Software and Tools

2. SAP Concur

Sap Concur is one of the other Zoho Expense alternatives that you may consider for a cloud-based travel and expense management solution. Apart from enabling users to automate the expense management process, it helps to streamline the business expense capture, tracking, recording, and reconciliation process. 

The main goal of using an expense management software system is eliminating the manual element in the workflows, speeding up the process, saving costs, and eliminating errors. SAP Concur also promises you better control over the compliance and costs associated with expense management.

2.1 Feature snapshot

As one of Zoho Expense’s competitors, here are SAP Concur’s most essential features.

• SAP Concur’s travel solution features offer numerous advantages, including providing comprehensive data about the travel (traveler, location, and other critical travel-related numbers), all available centrally.
• Concur’s online booking tool provides the latest corporate travel trends.
• SAP Concur’s automation gives you access to reports and valuable insights into your travel spend.
• Use SAP’s features to stay policy compliant.
• SAP’s expense management solutions ensure you can track all your business expenses centrally.
• It allows for automatic capture and easy enforcement of travel and expense policies.
• SAP promises easy and quick reimbursement cycles.

Quick Read: 5 Best SAP Concur Alternatives and Competitors

2.2 Zoho Expense/SAP Concur

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	The mobile app integration and the chrome extension work very well It makes capturing and tracking expenses easy.	Support services need to be quick as there is a delay in addressing issues Recording the name of the merchant is challenging as the software insists on changing it.
SAP Concur	The Sap Concur mobile app is well appreciated for the ease-of-use. The payment process is a lot more streamlined since the user has switched to SAP.	Users seem to feel that the interface is old and messy, making the entry of information a problematic process. Some users feel the app freezes when it analyzes information.

2.3 Top industries represented

Name	SAP Concur	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	IT and Services  Computer Software	IT and Services  Computer Software

2.4 Impressive feature

SAP Concur’s most impressive feature is the simplicity of the mobile app. It allows you to configure easily while giving you access to all features on the mobile device. 

2.5 SAP Concur rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

2.6 FAQs

* Rankings per G2 data

Quick Read: SAP Concur Reviews: Pricing and Features

3. Expensify

As one of the many Zoho Expense alternatives, Expensify hopes to ease the time-consuming and tedious expense capturing, tracking, and maintenance process. As opposed to employees scanning receipts, logging individual business expenses, itemizing the fees and taxes, and categorizing the same, Zoho Expense reporting software does it with a click of a button. 

3.1 Feature snapshot

Here’s a snapshot of features offered by Expensify- one of Zoho Expense alternatives.

• The Expensify app is easy to use and allows users to submit expenses and track their claims easily and effectively.

• SmartScan feature reads the receipts accurately and logs the details into your existing system. You can also email the receipts to Expensify to have them coded and logged into your account.

• You can customize approval workflows and expense policy rules according to your organization’s structure. It lowers the number of non-compliant expense claims.

• You can easily import other transaction information, such as corporate card-related ones, as Expensify links to your bank account. GPS-based tracking is also possible with the Expensify app.

• Using a web dashboard, you can customize the expense categories. So, when employees submit expenses, the system classifies them automatically. 

• Expensify offers a feature called ExpensePoint to send and receive money through Venmo. You can also use the same to connect to other apps, such as Uber, Lyft, etc., to allow for automatic receipt information imports.

• The Expensify app is available in the App Store and is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch. An Android version is also available.

3.2 Zoho Expense/Expensify

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	Users feel that Zoho Expense app is simple and concise to use. It integrates with Zoho email easily, making the entire process quite seamless.	The assistant icon that accompanies the app is confusing for users. The design is not easy to remember and looks like hieroglyphics.
Expensify	The plus point is the design which is seamless and intuitive. Users say they have saved time with the Smartscan feature.	Some users have entities in the USA and EU. Expensify does not support these locations. Users feel that the design could be improved by making the entries editable.

3.3 Top industries represented

Name	Expensify	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	Computer Software IT and Services	IT and Services  Computer Software

3.4 Impressive feature

The most impressive feature of Expensify is the app is intuitive and easy to use. Overall, the app’s ability to scan and read the information is impressive. The Mileage and GPS tracking features are an additional plus point.

3.5 Expensify rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

* Rankings per G2 data

3.6 FAQs

Must Read: Zoho Expense vs Expensify: A Detailed Comparison

4. Shoeboxed

Considering that Shoeboxed works slightly differently compared to other expense management software vendors, it makes for an excellent Zoho Expense Competitor. Shoeboxed is a cloud-based document management service that helps you capture, organize, categorize, and maintain receipts, business cards, and other important business documents. 

Small businesses and Entrepreneurs find Shoeboxed valuable as it allows them to stay organized while maximizing their tax deductions. Converting physical documents to digital versions streamlines the workflows and makes employees far more efficient. 

4.1 Feature snapshot

• You can capture and track expenses in any one of the following ways.
• Shoeboxed offers a pre-paid envelope service. You can scan and send the receipts to them. They will take care of the manual data entry.
• Shoeboxed’s mobile app allows you to capture your receipts on the go.
• You can email the receipts to a Shoeboxed email address, and the data will automatically reflect in your Shoeboxed account.
• Using a laptop or a desktop, you can upload, drag, and drop proof of expenses and other documents into your Shoeboxed account.
• You can also create individual sub-accounts for your employees so they can access and manage their data. 
• You can generate employee expense reports to manage and reimburse your employees efficiently and on time.
• Shoeboxed plans offer unlimited users for teams of any size and unlimited online storage.

4.2 Shoeboxed/Zoho Expense

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	The price points and the ease of use are rated high by users. The setup was quick and easy.	Users complain about the cumbersome process of taking pictures of receipts and then emailing the same to themselves. According to some users, the time taken to address issues is a con.
Shoeboxed	Users appreciate the helpful attitude of the customer service and the live chat feature. Outsourcing manual data entry is a relief for several users.	Users do not appreciate the quality of receipt uploads- blurred images add to the work. The mismatch or additional reconciliation of envelope numbers is frustrating for users.

4.3 Top industries represented 

Name	Shoeboxed	Zoho Expense
Industry Represented (Top 2)	Non-Profit Organizations Consumer Services	IT and Services  Computer Software

4.4 Impressive feature

For small businesses, Shoeboxed may be one of the better Zoho Expense alternatives. Even more so, if you prefer outsourcing expense capture and tracking. You can send the physical receipts to Shoeboxed. The information and data appear in your Shoeboxed account automatically, which you can access immediately.

4.5 Shoeboxed rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

*Rating per G2 data

4.6 FAQs

Also, Read: 10 Best Travel Management Software

5. The Neat Company

One of Zoho Expense alternatives, Neat offers small businesses and entrepreneurs a more accessible and efficient way for accounts payable teams to manage their bookkeeping, payments, and expenses. They provide a cloud-based solution that allows you to capture, track, manage, and reconcile all your financial transactions centrally. 

5.1 Feature snapshot

Here are a few attractive features that may appeal to you.

• Neat offers real-time visibility into spend, sales figures, income tax, and expenses. It also enables you to capture, file, and report these numbers more efficiently.

• Neat’s features make collaborations more manageable and effective, as you can share files, information, and comments without lengthy and bulky emails.

• Neat’s technology extracts and transforms important information into digital and usable files. While access is undoubtedly far better, it categorizes the information according to your business needs to suit your requirements.

• No more manual data entries, as Neat helps you to scan receipts and other essential business documents using your mobile devices.

5.2 Zoho Expense/The Neat Company

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	Users find the overall experience good as the multi-support platform and app are simple and easy to use. The features are not complicated, and users can understand and use them efficiently.	As per some users, the reconciliation of bulk reimbursement is a little tricky and messy. With regard to automatic reimbursements, users find that it supports only a few banks.
Neat	Users feel that the ability to scan, classify, and assign categories to each document is really good. The cloud-based service ensures information is backed up safely.	Some users dealt with data loss and were disappointed with Neat’s response and support. Loss of scans during the conversion from a previous software to Neat was disappointing.

5.3 Top industries represented 

Name	Neat	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	NA	IT and Services  Computer Software

5.4 Impressive feature

Neat is one of the safe and exceptional Zoho Expense alternatives. If you are looking for an all-in-one business accounting or bookkeeping software, then consider Neat. It removes the guesswork and manual effort involved in putting together numbers, reconciling, and reporting them. So, no more spreadsheets, handwritten notes or receipts, and manual invoice settlement.

5.5 The Neat Company rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin	-*
Support quality	-*

*Ratings per G2 data

5.6 FAQs

Quick Read: 11 Best Billing Software for Your Business

6. Rydoo

Rydoo is a complete expense management platform and is one of the better Zoho Expense alternatives. Real-time capture and management of expenses are possible with the Rydoo expense tracking app. Further, you can speed up the entire process as the approval and reporting process is also quicker and in real-time.

Business travelers can take advantage of Rydoo’s smart technology as employees can book their travel through mobile devices. Whether through the web or the app, Rydoo provides simple solutions to tackle your expense management woes.

6.1 Feature snapshot

• With Rydoo’s digital expense tools, you can instantly approve and reject expense claims. Automated approvals save time and cost for your organization. 

• Your travel and expense policies will finally begin to count as the software throws up warnings of non-compliance. You can manage or reject non-compliant expense claims with reasons suitable for you. 

• Easy scan allows employees to quickly snap a picture of receipts and create expense reports immediately.

• You can manage daily allowances and meal deductions using Rydoo’s features. 

• Rydoo offers pre-set dashboards, or you can customize them based on preferred projects, branches or employees. It helps in making more intelligent business decisions.

• Based on data recorded by the system, you can discover partnership opportunities with your preferred merchants or renegotiate outdated deals. Rydoo’s insights give you leverage to strike the right deals for your organization.

6.2 Zoho Expense/Rydoo

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	The simplicity of the app’s design is a plus, as every time an expense is scanned; it becomes a Zoho expense. Users appreciate that Zoho’s app is bug-free and features a solid interface.	Users would prefer an option toad expenses without automatically adding them to an expense report. Users find the pricing a little high.
Rydoo	The design and the features are pretty straightforward, making it easy for users. The “recently used” category helps people to seed up the expense submission process.	Some updates to the system result in extra steps to complete the process. The predictive spelling or the auto-correct is not as effective as users would like.

 

6.3 Top industries represented

Name	Rydoo	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	Other Industries  IT and Services	IT and Services  Computer Software

6.4 Impressive feature

Rydoo, as Zoho Expense’s competitor, impresses with its third-party integrations. ERP and accounting software integrations such as Xero, Quickbooks, Oracle, and SAP ensure that the expense management system is adaptable.

6.5 Rydoo rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

*Ratings per G2 data

6.6 FAQs

Also, Read: 10 Best Expense Reporting Software Systems

7. Fyle

As one of the many Zoho Expense alternatives, Fyle expense management solutions are good. With an all-inclusive platform that promises to streamline your expense management workflows, employees, finance teams, and CFOs can breathe easier. Fyle’s features allow employees to submit expenses using their everyday apps, such as Gmail, Slack, and Teams. 

Fyle mobile app also promises to improve employee experience as users can now quickly snap pictures of receipts and other expense proof, submit and track them online quickly and effectively.

7.1 Feature snapshot

Let’s take a closer look at the features to see how it rates as one of Zoho Expense alternatives.

• Tracking expenses is easy as the expense form contains all relevant expense data. It can be customized to include categories critical to your enterprise.
• Google Maps-supported feature allows for mileage tracking of your employees out on the road.
• Paper receipts can be converted to images and submitted through any of the G-suite apps.
• Fyle integrates seamlessly with accounting software such as Xero. Such integration allows for information to flow easily into your existing accounting systems. 
• Fyle integrates with to both Visa and MasterCard.
• The Fyle software’s insights lets you quickly identify spending patterns, risks, and opportunities.
• An auto-match feature allows the system to match expenses with the corresponding corporate credit card.

7.2 Fyle/Zoho Expense

Name	Pros	Cons
Zoho Expense	Users like the ability to create multiple expense reports along with multiple expense types. Users also like the feature where the expense report is converted to a pdf file for easy access.	The functionality of the app in offline mode is a big challenge.
Fyle	The accessibility and the ease-of-use are plus points. Users appreciate the ease with which they can view past and current expenses.	Users have trouble with the AI-based auto-fill feature.  Some users feel that the UI experience is a bit clunky.

7.3 Top industries represented

Name	Fyle	Zoho Expense
Industry represented (Top 2)	Other Industries Computer Software	IT and Services  Computer Software

7.4 Impressive feature

Fyle’s intelligent policy engine assures that however complex your policy rules are, you can automate them with ease. The system immediately highlights policy violations so you can prevent them before they become an issue. 

7.5 Fyle rating

Meets Requirements
Ease of use
Ease of admin
Support quality

* Rankings per G2 data

7.6 FAQs

Read More: 6 Best Travel & Expense Software

How to choose the best Zoho Expense alternative for your organization?

Also, read: Petty Cash Books – Types, Formats, Pros and Cons

Mistakes to avoid when choosing expense software

1. You opted for a readymade solution.

Small businesses and freelancers may get away with using a readymade solution. In fact, they may also benefit from using the free plan (which restricts the usage to certain basic features). However, it is best to consider a customized expense management solution if you are an enterprise looking to solve unique challenges your organization faces.

2. You did not have the “integration” discussion.

Avoiding a discussion about integration is another mistake you must avoid at all costs. Integration with your existing systems (Accounting, HRMS, CRM) is critical and plays a vital role in the success of your digital transformation. So, make sure you ask how well the prospective expense management solution integrates with your existing setup.   

3. You did not consider that your organization is growing.

Another grave mistake organizations commit is investing in solutions that solve their immediate problems. You must consider that your organization is growing and will continue to do so in the future. So, always ask your vendor about scalability. 

4. Your decision is based on another’s success story.

What worked for one may be a complete disaster for another. Your employees’ challenges, processes, and organizational culture are entirely unique. So, find a solution that fits the same. Do not try to insert a circle into a square peg!

5. You thought it was your decision alone.

It may seem like only CFOs and finance teams worry about expense management. On the contrary, a well-designed expense management solution can contribute to every part of your organization.

Ensure you bring all the stakeholders together to sit in on demos and Q&A sessions with vendors. It will help avoid major pitfalls when you pick the right expense management solution for your organization.

Also, Read: A Guide to Choosing the Right Expense Tracking Software

About Zoho Expense

1. What is Zoho Expense?

Zoho Expense is a travel and expense management solution that promises to streamline your expense capture, tracking, recording, and reconciliation process. Further, they assure better control and visibility over your expenses. 

They have a presence in many countries and offer both a web-based platform and a mobile application. Zoho’s solution fits into your existing workflows to seamlessly integrate with all other applications. 

2. How can Zoho Expense contribute to your organization?

Zoho Expense offers multiple features that can help you at every stage of your expense reporting. For example,

• Receipt management – You can auto-scan receipts, track them, and store a digital version easily for your ready access.

• Expense management – You can automate the process and enable digital management of all expenses, such as multicurrency, per diem, non-billable, and billable expenses. 

• Corporate card reconciliation – You can connect all your corporate cards while automating the reconciliation of expenses using these cards.

• Pricing – Zoho Expense offers several plans, so you can pick the one that serves you best. You can choose between
  • Free Plan– This is more suitable for small businesses and freelancers.
  • Standard– ₹99 per active user per month, billed annually. This plan is ideal for growing enterprises.
  • Premium– ₹199 per active user per month, billed annually. This plan is more suitable for global enterprises with a high volume of expenses.
  • Enterprise– ₹299 per active user per month, billed annually. This plan is ideal for enterprises requiring a customizable solution.

Suggested Read: Zoho Expense Reviews: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Conclusion

Whether it is Zoho Expense or a Zoho Expense alternative, pay attention to features that are vital to your organization. Ask for demos, schedule meetings with all stakeholders, and ensure you get clarity on how the prospective solution will work for your organization.

FAQs