Expensify vs QuickBooks Online
Expensify and QuickBooks Online are both accounting & finance tools. Expensify is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while QuickBooks Online is aimed at small businesses. Expensify costs less, from $5/mo versus $38/mo for QuickBooks Online. Both have a free plan.
Receipt scanning, expense reports and corporate cards for SMBs
Small-business accounting standard in the US
| Pricing | Freemium · $5 | Freemium · $38 |
| Starting price | $5/mo | $38/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 30 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2008 | US · 2001 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Expensify if
Small and mid-size companies that reimburse employee spending and want proven receipt scanning with low per-member pricing.
- Collect at $5 per member is cheap and needs no annual commitment
- Control pay-per-use bills only members active that month
- SmartScan and the mobile app are fast and well proven
Look elsewhere if: US companies wanting free card-led spend management or very simple bookkeeping (Ramp, Brex or QuickBooks fit better).
Choose QuickBooks Online if
US small and mid-size businesses that work with an accountant.
- Most accountants in the US know it
- Huge integration ecosystem
- Comprehensive feature set
Look elsewhere if: Businesses outside the US/UK or with local e-invoicing rules (Xero, Paraşüt).
Expensify vs QuickBooks Online pricing
Expensify
- Submit$0Free for individuals submitting expenses to an approver
- Collect$5/member/moPay-per-use only; approvals, reimbursements, QuickBooks and Xero
- Control (Annual)$18/member/moAs low as $9 with the Expensify Card; 12-month commitment
- Control (Pay-per-use)$36/member/moNo commitment; billed per active member each month
QuickBooks Online
- Free$01 user
- Simple Start$38/mo1 user; promo 50% off for 3 months
- Essentials$85/mo3 users
- Plus$140/mo5 users
- Advanced$340/mo25 users
Expensify · Key features
- SmartScan receipt capture that reads merchant, date and amount from photos
- Expensify Card with automatic transaction matching and real-time limits
- Multi-level approval workflows and rule-based policy enforcement
- Next-day and global reimbursements to employee bank accounts
- Mileage, distance and per diem tracking in the mobile app
- Built-in travel booking tied to expense policies
Cons
- Control pricing mixes annual sizes, pay-per-use and card discounts
- Annual subscription size can only be reduced at renewal
- Recent app redesign moved familiar features around
QuickBooks Online · Key features
- Invoicing, estimates and online payments
- Bank feeds with rules and AI categorization
- Bills, expenses and receipt capture
- Sales tax tracking and reports
- Inventory and project profitability (Plus)
- Payroll add-on and accountant collaboration
Cons
- Repeated price increases
- User limits per tier
- Support quality is inconsistent
Expensify vs QuickBooks Online: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Expensify or QuickBooks Online?
Expensify starts at $5/mo and QuickBooks Online at $38/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Expensify and QuickBooks Online have a free plan?
Yes, both Expensify and QuickBooks Online have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.