5 best business expense management solutions

Expenses are something that, big or small, every business needs to deal with at some point. Business bank accounts offer a variety of features and security measures that allow many business owners to utilise a single account solution

However, relying solely on your business bank account for everyday expenses can be risky – it’s easy to lose track of how much you have and how much you need, even for the most cautious of business owners.

That’s why businesses are increasingly choosing third party expense management solutions, allowing you to easily maintain and manage an expenses account with just the tap of a button.

We’ve collected five of the best solutions you can find for your business in the UK today.

Wallester

Wallester prides itself on being an ‘all-in-one solution’ for business expenses, and with its wide range of features, it’s difficult to argue against this. Wallester makes business payments and expenses as simple as possible, with a three-step process:

    1. Sign up

    1. Set corporate cards

    1. Control expenses in real time

Visa cards can be issued both digitally and physically, meaning they can be ready to use immediately if required. Once these are issued, you can monitor transactions in real time and approve purchase requests from employees, all through the app.

Accounting and reporting are also made easy, allowing you to upload invoices via the mobile app and generate detailed reports on corporate expenses.

Wallester really excels in how fast you can get set up and start issuing cards, making it ideal if you’re a business owner on the go or have employees working remotely or travelling.

At a glance

  • Digital and physical corporate expense cards 
  • Easy expense control and payment approvals
  • Real-time budget management
  • Automated reporting and invoicing
  • API for easy integration

Get started with Wallester

Moss

Moss offers a comprehensive expenses management platform that’s designed to make everyday tasks a little bit easier. 

Moss is modular, allowing you to build a custom package of products that you require. This flexible pricing method means that almost any business, big or small, can utilise Moss’s tools. It also means you only pay for what you’ll actually use. The platform’s receipt management software allows managers and owners to easily capture and manage employee receipts either through the app or via email (with integrations such as Gmail and Outlook). Get instant spend alerts, category breakdowns, and live budgets, so your team always know where the money is going, and what it is being spent on.

Moss is also compatible with many of the most popular accounting, HR and SSO tools, featuring integration with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Bamboo and many more.

At a glance

  • Virtual and physical corporate debit cards
  • Flexible and modular pricing
  • See real-time company spending with notifications
  • Fully digital receipt capture process
  • Configurable approval flows
  • Integrated with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage

Get started with Moss

Pleo

Pleo is a spend management platform built to centralise business expenses and optimise financial workflows. Whether it’s paying with smart company cards, managing reimbursements, streamlining accounts payable, or automating expense reports, Pleo empowers teams while giving finance leaders full visibility and control.

Pleo offers an all-in-one solution designed for financial efficiency, security, and scalability. With seamless integration with tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Oracle NetSuite, and robust features like multi-entity management, custom spend controls, and real-time analytics, Pleo simplifies your finance operations so you can focus on growth.

At a glance

  • Trusted by 40,000+ companies including HelloFresh, Unity, and Too Good To Go
  • Offers smart physical, virtual, and vendor cards for secure, flexible spending
  • Integrates with top business tools like Xero, NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics
  • Claims to save finance teams 138 hours annually through automation and streamlined workflows

Get started with Pleo

Tide

Tide likes to keep things simple. Its expenses management system allows you to set up to 50 cards for your employees, making it perfect for smaller businesses looking to expand, or if you only employ a few people and don’t require a huge number of options.

The Tide app allows you to manage everything with just a tap, from freezing and cancelling cards to setting monthly spending limits and tracking company expenses. Ideal if you do a lot of business on the go.

Using the app, you can also upload receipts by taking a photo, which will automatically be matched to the relevant transaction and categorised appropriately. You can also add your own notes if you’d prefer to label your expenses manually.

At a glance 

  • Set Mastercard Tide Expense Cards for up to 50 employees
  • Set spending limits in-app
  • Scan and upload receipts from your phone
  • Automatically categorised transactions 
  • Track your company’s expenses

Open a Tide business account

Payhawk

Payhawk specialises in scale-up and mid-sized companies, with an easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to oversee your company spending either on a desktop or phone.

Payhawk boasts that users experience a 50 per cent reduction in manual workload and a faster month end close. Its corporate Visa debit cards work in 7 currencies across over 32 countries, with businesses able to track spending with automated receipt collection.

A standout feature of Payhawk is its compatibility with other types of business software, with native integrations and developer API. Payhawk users can connect automatically with services like Google Workspace, Bamboo HR, Microsoft Dynamics and Quickbooks.

At a glance

  • 100% real-time visibility on spend
  • Prevent overspending with custom approval flows
  • Scan and log receipts with your phone
  • Automate tedious tasks like data entry
  • Native developer API integration

Get started with Payhawk

See also:

Inter-company loans: are there tax implications to consider?

What expenses can I claim through my business?

Nathan Dalby

Nathaniel Dalby

Nathaniel is a writer covering small business and insurance with a background in consumer energy, broadband and home entertainment.