| Functionality | 7 <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> | 7 <p>Spendesk provides a balanced mix of corporate cards, reimbursements, invoice processing, and expense tracking, all designed to streamline spend management. The platform excels with flexible approval workflows and centralized spend requests, making it ideal for mid-sized companies. However, while it covers core spend functions exceptionally well, it could benefit from more advanced ERP integrations and enhanced reporting features.</p> |
| Ease of Use | 8 <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. </p> | 7 <p>Spendesk is intuitive—employees can easily snap photos of receipts and submit expenses, while finance teams benefit from clear dashboards and streamlined approval processes. The mobile app enhances everyday use, ensuring on-the-go expense management is hassle-free. Overall, the platform’s user-friendly design means minimal training is required, and users quickly feel empowered to manage spend efficiently.</p> |
| Look and feel | 9 <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> | 7 <p>Spendesk delivers a modern, clean interface that puts usability front and center—its mobile app is especially intuitive. The layout is both visually appealing and functional. Although the overall design is robust, there’s a slight opportunity to further simplify certain workflows for clearer navigation.</p> |
| Customisability | 5 <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> | 6 <p>Administrators can tailor Spendesk to their company’s needs by setting custom spend limits, designing approval workflows, and configuring expense categories. These options ensure that the platform aligns with internal policies and reporting requirements. However, while the default settings are well-suited for many, organizations with more complex needs might find the current level of customization somewhat limiting—additional enhancements in reporting and ERP connectivity would be a welcome upgrade.</p> |
| Ease of Setup | 8 <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 <p>Onboarding with Spendesk is generally smooth, thanks to a guided process often supported by a dedicated account manager. Users can quickly set up their teams, expense policies, and approval rules without needing heavy IT involvement. That said, integrating Spendesk with more complex systems (like ERPs) sometimes requires additional effort, which could slow down the initial rollout for larger organizations.</p> |
| Customer Support | 7 <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 (<2 hrs) despite Pleo’s large customer pool. The company also supplies a wealth of self-service resources and an active community.</p> | 8 <p>Spendesk stands out for its robust customer support, with dedicated account managers ensuring a smooth onboarding experience and ongoing assistance. Users consistently praise the team’s responsiveness and deep product knowledge, which makes resolving issues straightforward.</p> |
| Integratability | 7 <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> | 7 <p>Spendesk integrates solidly with popular accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero, and notably, NetSuite—a factor that many users cite as a strong advantage. However, there’s room to expand further into ERP integrations.</p> |
| Ease of Migration | 7 <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 <p>Exporting spend data from Spendesk is straightforward, with options to download detailed CSV and PDF reports that meet audit and compliance needs. </p> |
