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Best Pleo Alternatives

Written by Paddy Stobbs

Co-Founder & CEO

Edited by Steph Leung

Product & Operations Lead

Updated onMar 19, 2025

Pleo has emerged as a popular expense management solution that combines corporate cards with automated expense tracking to streamline financial operations for businesses. This smart spending platform aims to reduce administrative burden while providing real-time visibility into company expenses. However, depending on your organization’s specific needs, several alternatives might better address particular requirements. Expensify offers superior compliance features for regulated industries, Ramp delivers more comprehensive financial automation through AI, and Payhawk excels at handling complex approval workflows for organizations with intricate hierarchies. In this comparison, we’ll examine how these alternatives stack up against Pleo across key dimensions to help you determine which solution best fits your company’s unique expense management challenges.

Best alternatives to Pleo

For strict compliance requirements:

Expensify product logo

Expensify

Stackfix Rating:

6.9 / 10

Expensify is a strong choice for organizations with strict compliance requirements, offering more robust audit trails and compliance features than Pleo. While Pleo focuses on user experience, Expensify’s SmartScan technology provides automated duplicate detection and transaction validation, ensuring greater accuracy in expense tracking. Additionally, Expensify’s advanced tax tracking capabilities support custom tax rates, names, codes, and defaults across different expense policies – features essential for maintaining regulatory compliance. The platform’s comprehensive integration with enterprise systems like NetSuite (which Pleo lacks) further strengthens its position for compliance-focused organizations by enabling seamless data flow and reducing manual reconciliation errors.

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For comprehensive financial automation:

Ramp product logo

Ramp

Stackfix Rating:

8.7 / 10

Ramp’s AI automation and financial controls help streamline company spending more effectively than Pleo. Both platforms offer corporate cards and expense management, but Ramp’s AI-driven categorization saves over 1 million hours of manual work by automatically matching receipts and drafting memos. Its granular spending controls allow limits by vendor, category, or team, preventing overspending. Additionally, Ramp’s integration with accounting systems like NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Xero creates an automated financial workflow that Pleo’s integrations do not match. For companies seeking automation and control over their finances, Ramp offers more functionality.

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For managing complex approval workflows:

Payhawk product logo

Payhawk

Stackfix Rating:

7.1 / 10

Payhawk differentiates itself from Pleo in managing complex approval workflows through its customization capabilities and granular control features. While Pleo focuses on standardized, easy-to-use approval flows, Payhawk enables finance teams to establish sophisticated multi-level approval processes that can vary by entity, department, or cost center. We noted Payhawk’s ability to accommodate intricate organizational structures and approval hierarchies. Payhawk’s approach to budgeting also enhances approval workflows by allowing budget owner assignment and custom approval filters – features that surpass Pleo’s more basic approval rules based on spending limits.

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PS

Meet your expert: Paddy Stobbs

Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO

I've spent over a decade deep in the world of business software - personally managing more than $2M in purchases across companies I've built and led. From intimate 10-person teams to organizations of 150+, I've developed a particular obsession with Sales and HR tools – testing, implementing, and scaling them at every stage of growth. My journey started at Cambridge University, led me through Google, and most recently culminated in selling my previous venture to TikTok. Now, I'm channeling all of that hands-on experience into helping others navigate the complex landscape of business software.

Pleo logo

Pleo

Expensify logo

Expensify

Ramp logo

Ramp

Payhawk logo

Payhawk

Our rating
Functionality
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>Pleo started as a smart company card solution and has grown into a broader expense management platform. It offers prepaid company cards with individual spending limits, real-time expense tracking with receipt capture, and basic reimbursement workflows for out-of-pocket spends. It may not venture into complex AP automation, but it thoroughly covers everyday corporate spending needs, from lunches and software subscriptions to employee mileage claims.</p>
8

Functionality

8/10

<p>Expensify offers a comprehensive expense management platform that combines receipt scanning, expense tracking, corporate cards, and bill payments in one cohesive system. The platform excels in its core expense reporting capabilities with standout features like SmartScan technology for receipt processing and automatic report generation. The recent launch of New Expensify has enhanced the platform with contextual, real-time chat functionality that turns every financial transaction into a conversation, though its procurement capabilities aren't as developed as some competitors.</p>
10

Functionality

10/10

<p>Ramp offers a robust suite of spend management features including corporate credit cards, bill payments, and invoice processing, providing a comprehensive platform for managing expenses end-to-end​. It automates tedious tasks (e.g. receipt collection and expense approvals) and delivers real-time reporting for insightful analytics​. The only notable gap is limited customization of expense categories.</p>
9

Functionality

9/10

<p>Payhawk delivers one of the most feature-rich platforms, combining corporate cards, multi-currency support, accounts payable automation, and travel &amp; expense (T&amp;E) management. Its ability to handle purchase orders, bank transfers, and reimbursements puts it ahead of many competitors.&nbsp;</p>
Ease of Use
8

Ease of Use

8/10

<p>Pleo is built with simplicity in mind, making it extremely intuitive for end users. Employees simply pay with their Pleo card, snap a photo of the receipt, and the expense is essentially done – the app notifies them if anything’s missing, so compliance is high. Finance teams find Pleo easy to navigate as well, with a tidy dashboard for approvals and exports.&nbsp;</p>
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p>Expensify creates an intuitive expense submission process, particularly through their mobile app. The platform's one-click receipt scanning and automatic categorization significantly reduces friction for end users, making compliance with expense policies nearly effortless. Some users may need some time to adjust to the 'New Expensify', conversational appraoch to financial management though.</p>
9

Ease of Use

9/10

<p>Ramp shines with an extremely user-friendly experience that both finance teams and employees appreciate. Submitting expenses or requesting approval is straightforward, thanks to an intuitive workflow and helpful reminders to upload receipts. The learning curve is minimal too.</p>
6

Ease of Use

6/10

<p>Employees and finance teams find Payhawk intuitive. Features like real-time receipt scanning, automated approvals, and policy enforcement streamline spend control. However, users new to comprehensive financial platforms may need training on invoice handling and bank transfer workflows.</p>
Look and feel
9

Look and feel

9/10

<p>Pleo’s design is stylish, friendly, and clear. The mobile app and web interface are cleanly laid out, using intuitive icons and plain language that make expense tasks almost enjoyable. Information is presented without clutter, and the platform’s speed and polish (along with a bit of Pleo’s signature playful branding) give it a modern, approachable vibe.</p>
8

Look and feel

8/10

<p>Expensify provides a clean, intuitive interface with a modern design that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. The mobile app mirrors the desktop experience with thoughtful design choices that make expense submission straightforward. The New Expensify platform introduces a chat-based interface that feels fresh and innovative, though some users may need time to adjust to this conversational approach to financial management.</p>
9

Look and feel

9/10

<p>Ramp's design is clean, modern and intuitive. Screens load quickly and the layout makes it easy for new users to find features, which reduces the learning curve.</p>
6

Look and feel

6/10

<p>Payhawk offers a clean, intuitive interface that makes complex financial workflows feel straightforward and accessible. However, due to the sheer breadth of functionality, some features do need more training.</p>
Customisability
5

Customisability

5/10

<p>Pleo focuses on a standardized, easy experience, which means slightly fewer levers to pull for custom setups. You can configure expense categories to match your accounts, set individual spend limits or monthly budgets, and define basic approval rules (like require manager approval over X amount). However, it doesn’t offer deep customization of workflows or complex policy rules – the philosophy is “sensible defaults” that fit most small businesses.</p>
5

Customisability

5/10

<p>Expensify offers adequate customization options for basic spending policies and approval workflows, allowing businesses to establish expense categories and configure approval chains. The platform provides some flexibility in configuring reporting views to match specific business needs. However, more complex organizations may find the customization capabilities somewhat limited compared to enterprise-focused alternatives.</p>
8

Customisability

8/10

<p>Ramp offers solid (if somewhat standardized) customizability, allowing admins to set spending rules, approval workflows, and custom fields tied to their GL. Policy controls can be tailored – for example, managers can restrict which expense categories or GL codes an employee sees. While it doesn’t allow infinite tweaks, it provides enough flexibility to fit most businesses’ needs without overwhelming users with complexity.</p>
8

Customisability

8/10

<p>Payhawk offers exceptional customization capabilities, particularly for organizations managing multiple entities across different countries and currencies. Finance teams can establish standardized global policies while accommodating local requirements, with impressive flexibility for complex organizational structures.</p>
Ease of Setup
8

Ease of Setup

8/10

<p>Getting up and running with Pleo is quick and hassle-free. Small and mid-sized businesses can sign up online, and within a very short time they can issue virtual cards to employees and start capturing expenses. The onboarding process is guided and doesn’t demand heavy IT involvement.</p>
6

Ease of Setup

6/10

<p>Expensify is relatively easy to adopt, especially for small teams, but full configuration can get intricate if you leverage its advanced features. Fortunately, there are many guides and an onboarding checklist, and for common setups (like linking QuickBooks or Xero), it's pretty plug and play.</p>
7

Ease of Setup

7/10

<p>The onboarding process is smooth with guided steps, and basic configurations (like issuing cards and setting limits) can be completed without technical expertise. The only limitation is that you must be a US based company to use the product.</p>
6

Ease of Setup

6/10

<p>We appreciated its simple onboarding and hands-on support, making implementation smooth for mid-market and large companies. While basic use can start quickly, leveraging its full capabilities (ERP integration, multi-entity configurations, etc.) takes longer.</p>
Customer Support
7

Customer Support

7/10

<p>Pleo provides responsive, helpful customer support. Support agents are available via chat and email. When tested, we found them ready to assist with everything from onboarding questions to troubleshooting issues, and they often respond quickly (&lt;2 hrs) despite Pleo’s large customer pool. The company also supplies a wealth of self-service resources and an active community.</p>
5

Customer Support

5/10

<p>Expensify delivers reliable customer support with generally good response times, though the platform emphasizes self-service through comprehensive documentation and knowledge base resources.</p>
8

Customer Support

8/10

<p>Ramp provides responsive customer service through multiple channels, with especially strong documentation and self-service resources. Some users report occasional delays during peak times, but overall support quality is consistently high with knowledgeable representatives.</p>
8

Customer Support

8/10

<p>Payhawk provides responsive support services with staff who demonstrate deep knowledge of international finance requirements and technical implementation challenges. Users we heard from consistently praise the support team's responsiveness and solution-oriented approach, particularly during complex multi-entity deployments.</p>
Integratability
7

Integratability

7/10

<p>Pleo connects with a variety of accounting systems and business tools to streamline your workflow. It has direct integrations with popular software like Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage, enabling one-click export of expenses with all receipts attached. It also offers open APIs and supports exporting data for systems it doesn’t directly integrate with.</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>Expensify integrates exceptionally well with a wide range of accounting platforms, ERP systems, and business tools, offering one of the most extensive integration ecosystems in the expense management space. The platform connects seamlessly with popular accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, as well as travel booking tools, HR systems, and CRM platforms.&nbsp;</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>Ramp integrates seamlessly with major accounting systems and other tools, reducing manual work significantly. It offers out-of-the-box connections to QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, and more, syncing transactions and receipts with a click. The platform also hooks into email and Slack for receipt forwarding and notifications, showing a strong commitment to fitting into your existing tech stack.</p>
7

Integratability

7/10

<p>Payhawk delivers strong integration capabilities with direct connections to major ERP systems (Oracle NetSuite, MS Dynamics), accounting platforms, and business tools.&nbsp;</p>
Ease of Migration
7

Ease of Migration

7/10

<p>Exporting data from Pleo is straightforward, albeit rarely needed extensively due to its integrations. Finance teams can export expense data (with all receipt images) in formats like PDF or CSV for external reporting or audits. Pleo also allows one-click export to accounting systems, which is its primary method of data transfer.</p>
7

Ease of Migration

7/10

<p>Expensify provides robust data export capabilities in multiple formats including CSV, PDF, and direct accounting system exports for transaction data, expense reports, and accounting reconciliation.</p>
8

Ease of Migration

8/10

<p>Data export in Ramp is robust and hassle-free. Finance teams can easily dump transactions, receipts, or spend reports to CSV/Excel for analysis or auditing. Moreover, because Ramp syncs directly with accounting software, much of the “export” need is handled automatically.</p>
7

Ease of Migration

7/10

<p>Companies can export expenses, invoices, and transactions easily to Excel or directly sync with accounting software. Audit trails are well-documented, ensuring seamless financial reporting.</p>

Expensify: Pleo alternative for strict compliance requirements

Expensify product logo
Expensify

Stackfix Rating:

6.9 / 10

Visit website

Updated onMar 19, 2025
Expensify is a strong choice for organizations with strict compliance requirements, offering more robust audit trails and compliance features than Pleo. While Pleo focuses on user experience, Expensify’s SmartScan technology provides automated duplicate detection and transaction validation, ensuring greater accuracy in expense tracking. Additionally, Expensify’s advanced tax tracking capabilities support custom tax rates, names, codes, and defaults across different expense policies – features essential for maintaining regulatory compliance. The platform’s comprehensive integration with enterprise systems like NetSuite (which Pleo lacks) further strengthens its position for compliance-focused organizations by enabling seamless data flow and reducing manual reconciliation errors.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Pleo vs. Expensify.

Pros

  • Outstanding Integration Capabilities

  • Powerful Core Functionality

  • Superior Mobile Experience

  • Advanced Expense Categorization

  • Innovative Corporate Card Program

Cons

  • Limited Customization Options

  • Basic Budget Management

  • Customer Support Limitations

  • Card Issuing Not Available Outside the US

Ramp: Pleo alternative for comprehensive financial automation

Ramp product logo
Ramp

Stackfix Rating:

8.7 / 10

Visit website

Updated onMar 19, 2025
Ramp’s AI automation and financial controls help streamline company spending more effectively than Pleo. Both platforms offer corporate cards and expense management, but Ramp’s AI-driven categorization saves over 1 million hours of manual work by automatically matching receipts and drafting memos. Its granular spending controls allow limits by vendor, category, or team, preventing overspending. Additionally, Ramp’s integration with accounting systems like NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Xero creates an automated financial workflow that Pleo’s integrations do not match. For companies seeking automation and control over their finances, Ramp offers more functionality.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Pleo vs. Ramp.

Pros

  • Outstanding Core Functionality

  • Superior AI-Powered Expense Categorization

  • Exceptional User Experience

  • Seamless Integration Capabilities

  • Strong Customer Support

Cons

  • Not Available Outside the US

Payhawk: Pleo alternative for managing complex approval workflows

Payhawk product logo
Payhawk

Stackfix Rating:

7.1 / 10

Visit website

Starting at

Custom Pricing

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Updated onMar 19, 2025
Payhawk differentiates itself from Pleo in managing complex approval workflows through its customization capabilities and granular control features. While Pleo focuses on standardized, easy-to-use approval flows, Payhawk enables finance teams to establish sophisticated multi-level approval processes that can vary by entity, department, or cost center. We noted Payhawk’s ability to accommodate intricate organizational structures and approval hierarchies. Payhawk’s approach to budgeting also enhances approval workflows by allowing budget owner assignment and custom approval filters – features that surpass Pleo’s more basic approval rules based on spending limits.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Pleo vs. Payhawk.

Pros

  • Decent Core Functionality

  • Superior Corporate Card Management

  • Advanced Budget Management

Cons

  • Overwhelming To Use

  • Not Available Outside Europe

How we test products

With countless Spend Management platforms available, we focus on identifying the best options for small and midsize businesses. Our evaluation process is built around real-world usage, prioritizing functionality, ease of use, and overall value. Here’s how we do it:

Expense Tracking & Controls

Great Spend Management software should help businesses track spending in real-time, enforce budgets, and prevent unnecessary costs. We test how well each platform handles core use cases - expense categorization, approval workflows, and policy enforcement - to ensure it balances control with flexibility.

User Experience & Onboarding

Finance teams need intuitive tools that don’t require extensive training. We assess each platform’s interface by navigating core features without prior guidance and track onboarding time - from account setup to submitting the first expense report. Platforms that require complex configurations or financial expertise score lower.

Automation & AI Capabilities

Automation reduces manual work and improves spend visibility. We evaluate each platform’s automation features, such as receipt scanning, policy flagging, auto-reconciliation, and AI-driven spend insights. Tools that streamline financial operations without unnecessary complexity rank highest.

Integrations & Compatibility

Spend Management software must work seamlessly with accounting platforms, ERP systems, and payment processors. We test how well each platform integrates with key financial tools and assess whether native integrations or third-party connectors are required.

Pricing & Value

We compare pricing across competitors, analyzing what each plan includes and whether critical features - such as multi-entity support, approval workflows, or advanced reporting - are locked behind premium tiers. Hidden costs, such as per-user fees or transaction-based pricing, are factored into our assessment. Platforms that offer strong functionality at a fair price score highest.

Stackfix’s Fit Score

All of these factors contribute to Stackfix’s Fit Score, a proprietary ranking system that measures how well each Spend Management tool aligns with a buyer’s needs. It combines two key elements:

  • Requirements Met – How many buyer requirements the software fulfills
  • Stackfix Rating – Our expert assessment of the software’s overall quality, usability, and value

The result? A clear, data-driven recommendation that helps businesses choose the right Spend Management software - without hours of trial and error.

FAQs

What is Spend Management Software?

Spend management software helps businesses track, control, and optimize company spending in real time. When choosing a platform, consider ease of use, integrations, scalability, and pricing. Avoid tools that are overly complex, lack automation, or don’t integrate with your financial systems. The key features of spend management software usually include:

  • Approval Workflows – Customizable multi-level approval processes to control spending before it happens.
  • Virtual & Physical Cards – Issue company cards with built-in spending controls, limits, and automated reconciliation.
  • Automation & AI Insights – Auto-match receipts, flag policy violations, and generate AI-powered recommendations for cost savings.
  • Integrations with Accounting & ERP Systems – Seamless syncing with tools like QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and other financial platforms.
  • Real-Time Reporting & Analytics – Gain visibility into company-wide spending with detailed reports, trend analysis, and budget tracking.

What should I consider when buying Spend Management Software?

Start by assessing your current and future spend management needs. Do you need real-time tracking of company expenses? Are you looking for tighter budget controls, automated approvals, or integrations with your accounting system? Here are the key factors to consider before making your decision.

  • Your Spend Management Needs. Begin by evaluating your company’s spending patterns and financial workflows. Do you need real-time expense tracking? Do you want corporate cards with built-in controls? Are you managing spending across multiple teams or locations? Identifying your priorities will help you choose the right tool.
  • Ease of Use. Spend management software should simplify financial operations, not add complexity. Look for an intuitive platform that employees can use with minimal training. Overly complicated systems can lead to adoption issues, errors, and inefficiencies. Stackfix rates every platform on ease of use. Click into each product above to see how they compare.
  • Integration with Your Financial Stack. Your spend management software should sync seamlessly with accounting, ERP, and payroll systems. If you’re using QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite, check for native integrations or whether third-party connectors are required. Lack of integration can lead to manual reconciliation and extra admin work.
  • Scalability & Flexibility. As your business grows, so will your financial complexity. Ensure that the software can scale with your needs, support multi-entity operations, and offer features like custom approval workflows, spend limits, and policy automation. Reviewing the vendor’s product roadmap can help determine if they’re continuously improving their platform.
  • Pricing & Hidden Costs. Many spend management platforms charge based on users, transactions, or premium features like AI-driven insights or advanced analytics. What seems cost-effective now could become expensive at scale. Look closely at pricing structures, including per-user fees, add-ons for integrations, and premium support costs.
  • Customer Support from the Vendor. Managing company finances requires reliability, so what happens if the software malfunctions or you need urgent assistance? Some vendors offer 24/7 support, while others only provide email or chatbot responses during business hours. Stackfix rates each platform on support quality. Click into each product to see how they compare.

What are the common mistakes to avoid when buying Spend Management software?

Some platforms offer impressive features but are too complex for growing businesses. Make sure you’re choosing a tool that fits your workflow, not just one with an extensive feature set. Here are some of the biggest mistakes businesses make—and how to avoid them.

  • Choosing based on features, not usability. Many spend management tools come packed with advanced capabilities but can be difficult to implement and use. A platform with every possible feature won’t help if your team struggles to adopt it. Look for software that simplifies spending control, rather than adding complexity.
  • Ignoring automation. Manually tracking expenses, approvals, and reimbursements slows down operations. Look for tools with automation features like real-time expense tracking, automated approvals, receipt matching, and AI-driven insights. Automation reduces admin work and helps prevent unnecessary spending.
  • Overlooking spend controls. Some businesses focus only on tracking expenses instead of proactively controlling them. Features like virtual cards with spending limits, approval workflows, and policy enforcement can prevent issues before they happen. Make sure the software helps control spend, not just report on it.
  • Not planning for scaling. A spend management tool might work well for a small team but struggle when your company grows. Can it support multiple departments, global transactions, and complex approval structures? Ensure the platform can scale with your business needs.
  • Overlooking integration depth. A platform might claim to integrate with your accounting or ERP system, but does it sync transaction data in real time? Does it support two-way data flow? Poor integrations can create manual work and reconciliation headaches. Always test integrations before committing.

How much does Spend Management Software typically cost?

Several providers (like Ramp, Brex, Pleo, and Mesh) offer free plans with core functionality, though these typically restrict the number of cards issued, integration capabilities, or advanced approval workflows.

For enterprise plans and above, you can expect to speak to sales for a bespoke price. These custom quotes typically factor in transaction volume, integration requirements, and compliance needs. To skip the demo calls, be sure to check out our pricing calculator.

Compare other Spend Management Tools

View our comparisons of other Spend Management