Top 5 Expense Tracker Apps for Small Businesses in 2025

What is expense tracking?

Expense tracking is recording and organizing your business spending to keep accurate financial records. This process transforms messy receipt management into organized financial data, helping you make better business decisions, stay on top of your budget, and handle taxes more easily. Effective expense tracking enables you to see where your money goes, saving time on paperwork.

Modern expense tracking involves several key parts that work together to make financial management easier:

• Receipt capture and storage that keeps digital copies of all your business purchases with automatic backup
• Expense sorting that organizes spending into tax-deductible categories and different business areas
• Real-time reports that show current spending patterns, budget usage, and cash flow
• Spending rules that help employees know what's okay to buy and when they need approval
• Easy connections with accounting software, banks, and payroll systems
• Record keeping that creates detailed documentation for tax deductions and audits

Small businesses need tracking methods that fit their current business size while being easy to use as they grow. The right platform saves you time on paperwork while keeping a better track of your spending.

What business expenses you need to track

Small businesses should track all tax-deductible and critical expense categories. Complete expense tracking ensures maximum tax benefits while giving you full visibility into your finances. Understanding business expense deductibility helps maximize your annual tax savings. Every business owner should focus on these categories:

• Office supplies and equipment, like computers, desk chairs, and basic office materials, that help run daily operations
• Business travel, including gas money, client meetings, hotel stays, and meals while traveling for work
• Professional help, such as accountant fees, lawyer costs, and freelancer payments
• Software and apps, including monthly subscriptions for tools that help run your business
• Marketing includes website costs, business cards, and advertising to attract customers
• Employee costs covering training, team lunches, and reimbursing workers for business expenses

Proper categorization of these expenses supports accurate financial reporting and maximizes available tax deductions.

Top 3 benefits of expense tracking for small businesses

Effective expense tracking provides tangible benefits for small business finances. Modern expense management systems offer advantages that directly impact profitability, tax savings, and time management.

Small businesses that track expenses properly gain better control of spending, less time on paperwork, and clearer information for business decisions.

Better money control and cash flow visibility

See where your money goes in real-time, so you can spot problems before they become expensive. Effective expense tracking reveals exactly what you're spending each month, helping you identify issues such as duplicate subscriptions or unexpected price increases from vendors. Clear spending rules help prevent overspending and keep everyone on the same page.

Financial visibility features change how businesses manage cash flow and budget planning. These systems provide the information needed for wise financial decisions. Key benefits include:

• Better planning by seeing your regular monthly costs and upcoming significant expenses
• Vendor comparison that helps you find bulk purchasing opportunities and better contract deals
• Track spending by team or project to see what's actually profitable
• Spending alerts that warn you before you go over budget

These controls provide visibility for business planning and informed decision-making.

Better tax deduction tracking and compliance

Organized expense records help maximize tax deductions while staying compliant with IRS rules throughout the year. Digital expense tracking automatically maintains audit-ready documentation, making tax preparation much simpler. Proper categorization ensures deductible expenses get captured and classified correctly. Automated compliance features help reduce audit risk while supporting tax optimization.

Tax compliance becomes easier when expense data is organized adequately throughout the year. Professional tax preparation becomes more efficient with complete expense documentation. Key compliance advantages include:

• IRS-compliant documentation that captures deductible expenses with proper supporting evidence
• Automatic expense sorting that supports adequate tax classification and identifies potential deductions
• Year-end reports that generate complete summaries for tax preparation
• Record keeping that provides detailed documentation supporting business expense claims

These compliance features protect your business while helping optimize tax benefits and reduce preparation costs.

Less paperwork and faster processing

Automated expense management reduces the time-consuming manual work that drains productivity. Modern systems can significantly reduce expense processing time while improving accuracy and employee satisfaction. Real-time expense data enables faster business decisions based on current financial information. Streamlined workflows free up time for money-making activities.

Administrative efficiency improvements create benefits that grow with your business. Employee satisfaction increases when expense submission and reimbursement processes are simplified and expedited. Key operational enhancements include:

• Automatic data entry that reduces manual receipt processing and saves administrative time
• Faster approval workflows that speed up reimbursements while maintaining proper spending controls
• Real-time financial reports that enable informed decisions based on current spending data
• Better employee experience through faster reimbursements and simplified expense submission

These efficiency improvements create cost savings and operational advantages that compound over time, providing significant benefits for growing businesses.

Emburse

Best For

Small to midsize businesses seeking comprehensive expense management that's actually easy to use

Starting Price

Active user pricing model (pay only for users who submit expenses)

Emburse offers two solutions for small businesses: Emburse Spend for smaller companies and Emburse Professional for growing mid-size businesses. Both provide automated expense management that's actually easy to use. The platform focuses on simplicity while providing powerful functionality for growing organizations. Modern businesses benefit from the platform's balance of useful features and user-friendly design.

Key features that distinguish Emburse from other expense tracking solutions:

• Pay only for active users rather than charging for everyone in your system
• Flexible workflow system with smart logic for spending rules and approvals at individual expense levels
• Real-time reports with business-friendly analytics that update throughout the day
• Works with your existing bank and cards while offering native card options if you want them
• Easy mobile approvals through email or mobile devices

These features combine to create a comprehensive expense management solution that scales with business growth and changing requirements.

Expensify

Best For

Businesses with fundamental expense tracking needs

Starting Price

$5 per user per month (with card usage requirement for reasonable pricing)

Expensify provides a straightforward approach to expense management, featuring quick setup and simple submission processes. The platform focuses on ease of use for small businesses with basic expense tracking requirements. Expensify provides automated receipt scanning and basic categorization features for organizations getting started with digital expense management. The solution works well for businesses with simple workflows and minimal customization needs.

The platform's design prioritizes simplicity, which creates some limitations for businesses with more complex requirements:

• Focused on basic functionality that serves small businesses with straightforward expense management needs
• Chatbot-based customer support that provides self-service help rather than dedicated account management
• Basic integrations that cover essential accounting software connections
• Receipt scanning that handles standard receipt formats with varying performance

These characteristics make Expensify suitable for businesses that prioritize simplicity over advanced customization and complex workflows.

SAP Concur

Best For

Large enterprises with complex global requirements and existing SAP infrastructure

Starting Price

Per-report pricing model with enterprise implementation costs

SAP Concur maintains a strong presence in the enterprise expense management market, offering comprehensive features for large organizations. The Concur expense platform offers extensive functionality for companies with complex approval hierarchies, global operations, and sophisticated compliance requirements. Concur provides deep integration with SAP's enterprise software ecosystem.

The platform's enterprise focus creates specific characteristics that may not align with small business needs:

• Enterprise-scale design built for large organizations with complex structures and global operations
• Per-report pricing that charges based on expense report volume rather than active users
• Comprehensive feature set that includes extensive functionality that may exceed small business requirements
• Complex implementation that typically involves longer setup timelines and dedicated configuration resources

These characteristics position Concur as a solution primarily suited for large enterprises rather than small to midsize businesses.

Brex

Best For

Early-stage startups and venture-backed companies seeking integrated card and expense management

Starting Price

Tied to credit card program usage

Brex offers an integrated approach that combines corporate cards with expense management functionality specifically designed for startups and scaling companies. The platform provides a unified solution for businesses seeking to streamline both payment and expense tracking through a single provider. Brex focuses on companies with venture backing and growth-stage operational needs.

The platform's integrated approach includes specific characteristics:

• Requires their credit card to access the expense management functionality
• Charge card structure that requires full monthly balance payment rather than traditional revolving credit
• Dynamic credit limits that adjust based on connected bank account balances
• Organization-wide policies that apply approval workflows uniformly across the entire company
• Startup-focused features that provide reporting suited to venture-backed company needs

These characteristics make Brex well-suited for venture-backed startups while potentially limiting its fit for businesses outside this specific market segment.

Workday

Best For

Large organizations already using Workday for HR and finance operations

Starting Price

Part of the broader Workday platform subscription

Workday offers expense management as part of its comprehensive human capital management and financial software platform. The solution offers integrated functionality for organizations seeking to consolidate multiple back-office functions within a single system. Workday's expense module benefits from integration with its broader HR, payroll, and financial management capabilities.

The platform's comprehensive approach includes specific characteristics:

• Platform integration that focuses on expense management operates as one component of broader HR and finance functionality
• An enterprise implementation model that typically involves a comprehensive platform deployment rather than standalone expense tracking
• Unified back-office approach that consolidates HR, finance, and expense management within a single system
• Existing customer focus that provides primary value to organizations already using Workday for other business functions

These characteristics position Workday's expense functionality as most suitable for organizations seeking comprehensive platform consolidation rather than specialized expense management solutions.

Top three expense tracker essentials for small businesses

Small businesses require expense tracking solutions that strike a balance between functionality and simplicity, offering essential features without overwhelming complexity or incurring excessive costs. Modern expense management platforms must address the unique challenges small business owners face while leaving room for growth.

Easy connections with existing business systems become crucial for saving time. The right software should adapt to changing business needs without requiring a complete system replacement.

Smart data entry with time-saving features

Smart receipt scanning should automatically read your receipts and fill in the details, eliminating the need for manual data entry that wastes time. Intelligent categorization automatically sorts expenses by type and applies appropriate categories, while automated expense routing reduces paperwork. Consistent processing across your team ensures standardized expense management workflows. Automation features directly impact time savings and cost reduction for growing businesses.

Modern automated features change how small business teams handle expense processing and documentation. These capabilities reduce manual work while improving accuracy and compliance with spending rules. Key automated features that provide maximum time savings:

• Smart receipt scanning that pulls vendor names, amounts, dates, and expense categories automatically
• Automatic mileage calculation using GPS tracking for accurate travel expense documentation
• Learning categorization rules that get smarter over time and improve accuracy
• Bulk processing that handles multiple receipts at once for efficient expense management

These automation features scale with business growth, delivering consistent time savings and improved accuracy.

Easy connections: works with what you have

A direct connection with popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, eliminates duplicate data entry and ensures accurate financial reporting across all business systems. Real-time sync ensures expense data remains current, supporting improved cash flow management. Easy connectivity reduces the risk of data mistakes and manual errors. Proper integration creates a unified financial system that supports business growth and expansion.

Integration capabilities determine how well expense-tracking systems integrate with your existing business technology. Strong connectivity options reduce administrative work and improve data accuracy. Learn more about [QuickBooks integration] for seamless expense management. Essential integration features that streamline business operations:

• Easy connection with your accounting software that keeps everything up to date automatically
• Works with other business tools you already use through simple connections
• Bank connection that automatically imports credit card transactions for matching with receipts
• Payroll system connections that streamline reimbursement processing and employee expense management

These integration capabilities create operational efficiencies, reducing manual work and improving financial accuracy.

Mobile access: expense management on the go

Take photos of receipts with your phone, and the app automatically fills in the details. Works even without internet, so you can track expenses anywhere. One-tap photo capture and mobile approval workflows speed up processing while making it easier for employees to submit expenses. Modern workforces need mobile capabilities that support flexible work arrangements. Mobile access has a direct impact on employee satisfaction and expense submission compliance.

Mobile capabilities ensure that expense management can occur anywhere, anytime, supporting modern business operations and the needs of a remote workforce. Strong mobile functionality improves user adoption and ensures consistent expense submission practices. The Emburse mobile app provides comprehensive expense management capabilities for today's mobile workforce. Critical mobile features:

• Works offline and syncs automatically when reconnected to the internet
• Push notifications that alert managers to pending approvals and spending rule violations
• GPS mileage tracking that automatically logs business travel for accurate expense documentation
• Mobile-friendly design that provides full functionality across all devices

These mobile capabilities ensure expense management remains efficient and user-friendly regardless of location or connectivity.

How to track your expenses as a small business

Setting up expense tracking doesn't have to be complicated. Here's how to get started without overwhelming yourself or your team. Small businesses benefit from a simple implementation that balances automation with proper oversight. The following steps provide a framework for establishing comprehensive expense tracking capabilities that are sustainable in the long term.

1. Choose a tracking method

Select a tracking method that integrates seamlessly with your existing accounting software and business processes. Different approaches offer distinct advantages, depending on the business's size, complexity, and technical requirements. Consider your current technology and future growth plans when selecting platforms. The right method should provide room for expansion without requiring a complete system replacement.

The following approaches offer distinct advantages for different business sizes:

• Digital expense tracking apps that provide automated receipt capture and real-time data sync
• Cloud-based software that offers mobile access and team collaboration features
• Integrated accounting platforms that combine expense management with broader financial oversight
• Manual spreadsheet systems that work for very small operations but lack automation benefits

Evaluate each option based on your specific business requirements, technical capabilities, and growth objectives.

2. Record expenses regularly

Record expenses regularly through automated processes that eliminate time-consuming manual data entry and reduce the risk of missed deductions. Effective expense tracking requires consistent documentation practices that capture all business-related spending promptly. Establish clear processes for all employees to follow when submitting and approving expenses. Regular recording ensures accurate financial reporting and maintains compliance with tax requirements.

Consistent documentation practices require establishing clear procedures and expectations for all team members. Understanding business travel expense management helps optimize one of the largest expense categories. Key practices for comprehensive expense capture:

• Real-time receipt capture using mobile apps for immediate documentation and reduced risk of lost receipts
• Automatic categorization rules that sort expenses by type and department for consistent classification
• Recurring expense entries for subscription services and regular business costs to ensure complete tracking
• Approval workflows that route expenses through appropriate management channels for proper oversight

These practices create reliable expense tracking habits that scale with business growth.

3. Set spending limits

Set spending limits with real-time rule enforcement that protects your budget while ensuring compliance with spending guidelines. Modern expense-tracking platforms offer customizable controls that prevent overspending before it impacts financial performance. Clear spending rules enable employees to make informed purchasing decisions and reduce management review time. Automated enforcement minimizes the burden on managers while maintaining proper financial controls.

Spending controls should align with business objectives while providing sufficient flexibility to meet operational needs. Key control mechanisms that help maintain budget discipline:

• Category-specific budget limits that alert users before violations occur and prevent unauthorized spending
• Approval thresholds that require management review for larger expenditures based on amount or expense type
• Team-level spending controls that track budget usage in real-time across business units
• Automated alerts and notifications that inform managers when employees approach spending limits or rule violations

These controls provide financial protection while maintaining operational flexibility within established guidelines.

4. Consult an accounting professional

Consult an accounting professional to ensure proper expense categorization and maximize tax deduction opportunities throughout the year. Professional guidance helps establish effective tracking processes that align with tax requirements and business objectives. Accountants can provide valuable insights into expense categorization strategies that optimize tax benefits. Regular consultation ensures ongoing compliance with changing tax regulations and business requirements.

Professional accounting guidance becomes particularly valuable during phases of business growth and when tax laws change. Key areas that benefit from professional expertise:

• Expense category setup that aligns with tax requirements and business needs for optimal deduction strategies
• Documentation standards that meet IRS requirements for deduction claims and audit protection
• Record-keeping setup that maintains detailed records for compliance and reporting purposes
• Chart of accounts optimization that supports accurate financial reporting and tax preparation efficiency

Professional guidance ensures expense tracking systems remain compliant and optimized for maximum business benefit.

Transform your expense management with Emburse

When evaluating expense-tracking apps for your small business, prioritize solutions that offer transparent pricing and a superior user experience. The right platform should provide flexibility to grow with your organization while delivering the comprehensive functionality needed for long-term success.

Emburse has spent over a decade perfecting expense management solutions specifically designed for small to midsize businesses. Our clients consistently report significant time savings and improved financial control after implementation.

Contact Emburse today to request your free consultation and discover how our expense tracking technology can transform your business operations.