9 Best Expense Management Software in South Africa (2026)

I've priced nine expense tools for the same team: five people who spend money on the business and claim it back, with one of them signing off. Some charge per person, some charge a flat fee and one charges nothing at all, so using the same team is the fair way to compare them.

Price is only half of it. Every claim goes through four steps: someone photographs the slip, someone approves it, it goes into your accounts, and the person gets their money back. The real difference between these tools is how many of those steps they do for you. Having spoken to some owners still doing this with WhatsApp photos and a spreadsheet, it's the chasing they want gone, more than the slips.

All nine are tools a South African business can sign up for and use, which is why Ramp and Brex aren't here. I start with the tools that work with any accounting software. Then come the ones that only make sense if you already use that company's system, and I end with the one built for big companies.

• 9 tools priced for one team of five
• Rands where the company bills rands
• SARS's own VAT rules on slips
• Verified 4 November 2026

What set the order

The more of these steps a tool does for you, the less work is left for you. I haven't used all nine for a full month, so I ranked them on what each one costs and what you get for that money, for the same team of five.

The nine, priced for five people

Two rows look further apart than they are: Zoho's R300 excludes VAT and Xero's R345 includes it, so both cost five people R345 a month.

Expense software in South Africa, a month for five people

Confirmed on 4 November 2026

	Five people a month	Free way in	Staff approval	Goes into
Zoho Expense	R300, or R225 billed yearly	Free for up to 3 people	Yes	Xero, Sage, QuickBooks
Odoo Expenses	$0 on one app, $84.50R1 390 on all	One app, any number of people	Yes	Odoo's accounting
Dext	R458, or R366.46 billed yearly	Free trial, no card	Yes	Xero, QuickBooks, Sage
Xero expense claims	R345 plus a Xero plan	30 days of Xero free	Yes	Xero
SimplePay	R167.50, payroll included	30-day onboarding period	Yes	The payslip
Expensify	$25R411 on Collect	Submit plan, own claims only	Yes	Xero, QuickBooks
Sage with AutoEntry	R177 plus a Sage plan	30 days of Sage, 25 credits	Not listed	Sage
QuickBooks	R814 on Plus, for 5 users	30 days free	Not listed	QuickBooks
SAP Concur	Quoted	None shown	Yes	Your finance system

Rand prices as each company lists them: Xero and Sage include VAT, while Zoho, Dext, SimplePay and AutoEntry exclude it. Odoo and Expensify bill in dollars. SimplePay counts everyone on the payroll, and Xero only people who claimed that month.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →

Only Odoo costs nothing for five, and only if it's your one app. Zoho and Xero tie at R345 with VAT. Sage and QuickBooks look cheap beside them because they leave out staff approval.

The gaps change as your team grows. For ten people, Zoho's Standard is R600 before VAT and Xero's add-on is R690 with it, while SimplePay is R235.50 before VAT, with the payroll included.

1. Zoho Expense - free for three, then R60 a person in rands

Zoho Expense comes first because it suits a business that hasn't chosen any other system yet. Up to three people claim for nothing, with receipt scanning, GPS mileage and accounting integrations on the free plan. Each person gets 20 scans a month, and anything past that gets typed in by hand.

At the fourth person, Standard is R60 a person a month, or R45 if you pay yearly, and it's billed in rands. Zoho connects to Zoho Books, Xero, Sage Accounting and QuickBooks, so you can change your accounting software later and keep using Zoho for claims. You can start the free plan today, and the paid plans come with a 14-day trial and no contract.

1Free for three, then rands

Zoho Expense

✓ Price last confirmed on 4 November 2026

Why it ranks first

Zoho Expense is free for up to three people and R60 a person a month on Standard, billed in rands, and it connects to Zoho Books, Xero, Sage Accounting and QuickBooks.

• Free plan3 people, 20 scans each a month, GPS mileage
• Five on StandardR300 a month, 200 scans each, card feeds
• Five on PremiumR450 a month, adds travel booking and budgets
• CaptureReceipts by app, email and WhatsApp

What Zoho Expense gives everyone

• A 14-day free trial of the paid plans, no card needed
• No contract: start and stop the subscription any time

Confirmed on 4 November 2026

R60a person a month on Standard, R45 billed yearly, excl. VAT

Zoho Expense's offer todayUp to 25% off when you pay yearlyShown on zoho.com on 4 Nov 2026.

My recommendations on Zoho Expense's plans

Starting out? Start on Free if three people or fewer claim and each stays under 20 slips a month. You keep GPS mileage and your accounting connection, and there's nothing to pay.

Growing or switching? Move to Standard when a fourth person claims or slips pass 20 a person. Five people cost R300 a month. Go to Premium at R450 once trips need booking too.

On Xero already? Xero's own claims cost five people R345 with VAT, the same money as Zoho's Standard, and stay inside your books. Stay with Xero unless you want Zoho's card feeds.

Every plan includes AI receipt scanning, expense reports, multi-currency expenses, customer and project tracking and accounting integrations. Prices exclude VAT.

View all 3 Zoho Expense plansPriced in rands per user, billed monthly

Mirrored from zoho.com These are Zoho Expense's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 4 Nov 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Zoho Expense.

Our pick to start Free R0a user a month Pick it if three people or fewer claim expenses. You get

• Up to 3 users
• Receipt capture with AI-powered OCR, 20 scans a user a month
• Expense reports and mileage by GPS
• Accounting integrations

Worth knowing

• 5 GB receipt storage
• Email support

See Free on Zoho Expense Standard R60a user a month Pick it if a fourth person claims, or you want your cards and policies in one place. You get

• 200 receipt scans a user a month
• Corporate card management with live Visa and Mastercard feeds
• Multiple expense policies
• Direct bank reimbursements, WhatsApp and Slack

Worth knowing

• R300 a month for five people, R225 billed yearly
• Email and call support

See Standard on Zoho Expense Premium R90a user a month Pick it if your team books travel and you want budgets and advanced approvals. You get

• Everything in Standard
• 1 000 receipt scans a user a month
• Employee travel booking
• Live budget tracking and advanced approvals

Worth knowing

• R450 a month for five people, R375 billed yearly

See Premium on Zoho Expense

Confirmed 4 Nov 2026

Start on Zoho Expense's Free plan

The paid plans start with a free trial.

Start Zoho Expense free

you'll go to zoho.com

Zoho suits an owner with a few people spending on fuel, client visits and small supplies, who wants claims sorted this month without changing their accounting software. Standard can also pull in Visa and Mastercard transactions as they happen. Test this with your own bank's card during the trial before you rely on it.

If you'd rather pay nothing at all for five people, the next tool does that, with one condition.

2. Odoo Expenses - nothing for five, if it's your only app

Plenty of South African businesses know Odoo as the one system that runs everything, and its Expenses app on its own is free with no limit on people. That's $0 for five against Zoho's R300. You get expense reports, approvals and the option to bill an expense on to a customer, on a free plan that needs no card to start.

The second app is where the bill starts. If you install another app, you move to the Standard plan, and everyone who reports expenses becomes a paying user. For five people that's $84.50R1 390 a month at $16.90R278 each, then $105.50R1 735 once Odoo's first-year price ends. Staff who only submit claims can be Light users at $5.90R97, which an Odoo advisor sets up with you.

First, reading receipts automatically runs on Odoo's credits. It gives 200 free, then charges €15 for 100 documents, and typing a claim in costs nothing. Second, Odoo describes its South African accounting setup as basic: a list of accounts and VAT settings for SARS. Have your accountant look at it before you move your books, because setup help isn't part of the subscription.

2Free as your only app

Odoo Expenses

✓ Price last confirmed on 4 November 2026

Why it's second

Odoo's Expenses app costs nothing for any number of people as your one app, and the Standard plan at $16.90R278 a person brings in accounting and every other Odoo app.

• Five on Standard$84.50R1 390 a month, all apps, $67.50R1 110 billed yearly
• After 12 months$105.50R1 735 a month for five at $21.10R347 each
• Receipt reading200 free credits, then 100 documents for €15
• CapturePhone app, email, drag and drop, or typed in

What Odoo gives everyone

• One app free for unlimited users, with no credit card to start
• Instant access to an Odoo database in the cloud

Confirmed on 4 November 2026

$0a month on One App Free, for unlimited people · your bank may add a conversion fee

Odoo's offer today$16.90R278 a user instead of $21.10R347 on Standard, for your first 12 monthsShown on odoo.com on 4 Nov 2026.

My recommendations on Odoo's plans

Starting out? Start on One App Free with only Expenses installed. All five people can claim and nothing is due, as long as you don't add a second app.

Growing or switching? Go to Standard when you want Odoo to run the accounting as well. Budget $84.50R1 390 a month for five in the first year and $105.50R1 735 after that, and price Light users first.

Next to Zoho? Zoho's free plan stops at three people, and Standard is R300 for five, but it works with Xero, Sage or QuickBooks. Odoo's free plan suits a team with no accounting package to connect.

Every plan includes unlimited support, hosting and maintenance. Reading receipts automatically uses Odoo's in-app credits, which are bought separately.

View all 3 Odoo plansPriced per user a month in US dollars; one app is free

Mirrored from odoo.com These are Odoo's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 4 Nov 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Odoo.

Our pick to start One App Free $0a month, unlimited users Pick it if expenses is the only thing you want from Odoo. You get

• One app, such as Expenses
• Unlimited users
• Apps that app depends on come free too
• Hosting and support

Worth knowing

• Installing a second app moves you to Standard

See One App Free on Odoo Standard $16.90R278a user a month Pick it if you want accounting, sales and expenses in one system. You get

• All apps, Accounting included
• Hosting and maintenance
• Unlimited support by email

Worth knowing

• $21.10R347 a user after the first 12 months
• An employee who reports expenses counts as a paying user

See Standard on Odoo Custom $32R526a user a month Pick it if you run several companies or need Odoo customised. You get

• Everything in Standard
• Odoo Studio and agentic AI
• Multi-company and the external API
• Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or on-premise

Worth knowing

• $40R658 a user after the first 12 months

See Custom on Odoo

Confirmed 4 Nov 2026

Start on Odoo's One App Free plan

No credit card to start, and instant access.

Start Odoo Expenses free

you'll go to www.odoo.com

Take Odoo if you only want claims sorted and someone's happy to set up a new system, or if you're already moving accounting, sales or stock to it. If you'd rather give your bookkeeper something usable from day one, keep going.

3. Dext - when your bookkeeper wants every slip

Dext is built around the person who does your books. You send in every receipt and supplier invoice by photo or email. Dext reads each one, puts it in the right category and sends it to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, ready to match to your bank statement. The staff side lives in the same app, with approvals, GPS mileage and reimbursement records.

It bills South Africans in rands, at R458 a month for five users and 250 documents, or R366.46 a month paid yearly, before VAT. That's R158 more than Zoho's Standard for the same five people, and it buys the supplier invoices as well as the staff slips. The free trial needs no card, so you can run your own month's slips through it first.

3For a bookkeeper's month-end

Dext

✓ Price last confirmed on 4 November 2026

Why it's on this list

Dext captures staff slips and supplier invoices for five users at R458 a month before VAT, and sends them coded into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage.

• Documents250 a month, including supplier invoices
• Included free10 bank statement sheets, 5 line-item documents
• MileageGPS tracking on the app
• Sends toXero, QuickBooks, Sage

What Dext gives everyone

• A 14-day free trial, with no credit card required
• No obligation to buy when the trial ends

Confirmed on 4 November 2026

R458a month for 5 users and 250 documents, R366.46 billed yearly, excl. VAT

My recommendations on Dext's plans

Starting out? Start on monthly billing at R458 after the free trial. Five users is enough for most small teams, and your bookkeeper can be one of them.

Growing or switching? Pay yearly once your bookkeeper relies on it, which brings it to R366.46 a month. If your slips and invoices pass 250 a month, the slider prices the next step.

Only staff claims to sort? If supplier invoices aren't your problem, Zoho's Standard does staff claims for R300 before VAT, R158 a month less, and connects to the same three packages.

Every plan includes document capture, automatic data extraction, document storage and accounting software integration. Line items, supplier statements and bank statements beyond the free credits cost extra.

View all 2 Dext plansPriced in rands excluding VAT, by documents and users

Mirrored from dext.com These are Dext's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 4 Nov 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Dext.

Our pick to start Business, billed monthly R458a month Pick it if you want to try a few months before you commit. You get

• 250 documents a month
• 5 users
• Receipt and invoice capture, approvals and mileage
• Export to Xero, QuickBooks and Sage

Worth knowing

• Cancel a monthly plan any time before the renewal date

See Business, billed monthly on Dext Business, billed yearly R366.46a month Pick it if your bookkeeper already relies on it, which saves R91.54 a month. You get

• The same 250 documents and 5 users
• R4 397.50 billed once a year
• 10 bank statement sheets, 5 line-item documents and 5 supplier statements free

Worth knowing

• 30 days' notice before the renewal date to cancel

See Business, billed yearly on Dext

Prices exclude VAT. · Confirmed 4 Nov 2026

Start on Dext's Business, billed monthly plan

A free trial with no card details.

Try Dext free

you'll go to dext.com

I'd buy Dext for a VAT-registered business whose accountant chases paperwork every month, because it keeps each tax invoice with its transaction for the VAT201. Watch the document count if you have many suppliers, since their invoices use the same 250.

If you're already on Xero and staff claims are the only problem, you don't need a separate tool at all.

4. Xero expense claims - if your books are already in Xero

Xero sells claims as an add-on on every South African plan, and it charges only for people who submit a claim that month. Five claimers cost R345 with VAT, a quiet month with two costs R138, and someone who only approves costs nothing.

Xero expense claims

Claims inside Xero itself, charged only for the people who claim that month.

R345a month for five who claim, on top of a Xero plan, incl. VAT

Which one fits you? Quick review

If you're not on Xero yet, it's a bigger decision. Standard at R857 plus the add-on is R1 202 a month for five people, by my sums. Xero's 80% off the plan for your first three months brings that to R516.40 while it runs, because the offer doesn't cover the add-on. If you're still working out whether you need accounting software at all, our invoicing vs accounting software guide settles that first.

Any Xero customer with more than one person spending should start here. There's no second system for your accountant to log into.

5. SimplePay - claims paid with salaries

This one suits a business that keeps forgetting to pay staff back. SimplePay is payroll software, and its South African edition handles PAYE, UIF, SDL and IRP5s. Staff submit a claim from a phone or computer, attach the slip and send it for approval. Once it's approved, the money is paid with their salary and shows on their payslip.

Five employees cost R167.50 a month before VAT, the smallest paid bill in the table, and that's for the whole payroll. Ten is R235.50. It counts everyone on the payroll, whether they claim or not, and it doesn't read the slip for you, so someone types in the amount. You can try everything in a free 30-day onboarding period.

SimplePay

Payroll with leave and claim requests, and approved claims go through as payslip items.

R167.50a month for five employees, payroll included, excl. VAT

Which one fits you? Quick review

That makes it a good fit for a small employer whose staff claim petrol and small supplies, and who doesn't want another system to learn. Once people are putting flights and hotels on their own cards, waiting for payday gets hard, and the next tool is built for that.

6. Expensify - trips and claims in one app

For a team on the road, Expensify's Collect plan puts travel booking, approvals and unlimited receipt scans in one app. It's $5R82 a member, so $25R411 a month for five, and that's R111 more than Zoho's Standard before VAT. It connects to Xero and QuickBooks Online on that plan.

Expensify's help pages list business bank accounts in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia for paying claims, and South Africa isn't there. So you'd pay people from your own bank as you do now. It also bills in dollars, so what you pay in rands changes with the exchange rate.

Expensify

Travel booking, approvals and unlimited receipt scans in one app.

$25R411a month for five members on Collect · your bank may add a conversion fee

Which one fits you? Quick review

A sales or consulting team that flies often will get the most from it. If your rand budget matters more than the app, price Zoho's Premium at R450 for five first.

7. Sage Accounting with AutoEntry - if Sage runs your books

If Sage runs your books, its own pricing page points you to AutoEntry for capturing receipts. AutoEntry starts at R177 a month for 50 credits before VAT, or R338 for 100, with unlimited users and unused credits kept for 90 days. Sage Accounting's Standard plan is R490 with VAT for two users, with R85 for each extra one, and lets you snap a photo of a receipt too.

Neither lists a way for staff to submit a claim for someone to approve. That's fine if slips going into your books are the whole problem. If people need paying back with an approval trail, Zoho Expense connects to Sage Accounting, at R300 for five before VAT.

Sage Accounting with AutoEntry

Reads receipts and invoices into Sage Accounting, with unlimited users.

R177a month for 50 credits, on top of a Sage plan, excl. VAT

Which one fits you? Quick review

It makes sense for a Sage customer whose bookkeeper handles every slip.

8. QuickBooks - receipts in the app, claims elsewhere

Every QuickBooks Online plan tracks expenses, and its phone app photographs a receipt, reads it and attaches it to the transaction. South African plans run from R354 for one user to R814 for five on Plus, with 90% off for your first six months.

That works for an owner keeping their own receipts straight. Its South African plans don't list a way for staff to send a claim for approval. A team on QuickBooks should add a tool above that connects to it: Zoho Expense, Dext or Expensify.

QuickBooks

Receipt capture and expense tracking in the phone app, on every plan.

R814a month on Plus, for 5 users

Which one fits you? Quick review

I wouldn't buy QuickBooks for claims alone. If you're already on it, use its receipts yourself and bring in a claims tool the day a second person starts spending.

9. SAP Concur - when travel rules matter more than the price

For a big company, the price per person stops being the main question. SAP Concur is what a company reaches for when dozens of people travel, spending rules must apply before anyone books, and finance runs on a big system. It quotes each company, so there's no five-person price to compare. Expect a long setup project, not a quick sign-up.

SAP Concur

SAP Concur quotes each company for travel, expense and invoice management in one platform, built for large teams with spending rules.

Quotedper business, on request

Which one fits you? Quick review

Buy it when a finance team can run the rollout, and a quote is the next step.

Which slips SARS lets you claim VAT on

Whichever tool you pick, it stores the slip and can't decide whether SARS will accept it. SARS says you need a full tax invoice above R5 000, an abridged one at R5 000 or below, and at R50 or below a till slip showing the VAT. Our tax invoice guide lists what each must show, so tell your team before the first claim goes in.

Some slips give nothing back even when they're perfect. SARS's VAT guide denies input tax on entertainment, which includes business lunches and staff refreshments. A R920 client lunch carries R120 of VAT you can't claim, and R5 000 of those in a month leaves <span class="mj-hl mj-hl--red">R652</span> unclaimable. Fuel is zero rated, so a petrol slip has no VAT to claim either.

On day one, set up your entertainment and fuel categories with no VAT claim on them, and have your bookkeeper check that the rest come through at 15%. Keep every record for at least five years, which is what SARS asks of a VAT vendor.

Kilometres need more than a slip. Zoho, Dext and Xero all log trips, and where someone is reimbursed only for kilometres, SARS's rate for this tax year is 495c a km, so set that in the tool. Your people still need a record of each trip, and our SARS logbook guide covers what to write down.

Names you won't find in this list

You'll see other names in other rankings, so here's why they aren't ranked here. Ramp and Brex can't serve a South African Pty Ltd without an offshore company and an offshore bank account. Rippling runs country sites for the UK, the US and others, and none for South Africa. Sage Expense Management, the old Fyle, shows dollar prices from $11.99R197 a user and isn't on Sage's South African pricing page.

ExpenseMonkey is $4.99R82 a seat billed yearly, but nothing on its site names South Africa and its accounting links depend on your country. Lula and Payabill lend money rather than manage expenses, and I found no expense product on Sasfin's or Bizzfo's sites. PaySpace, now Deel Local Payroll, has claims inside its payroll and sells by demo, so it's worth a look for a larger payroll.

Your bank's business card is a separate decision from all of these. Our business credit cards ranking compares the four big banks' cards.

So which one should you use?

You only go wrong by buying a system for a problem you don't have, like a new accounting package to fix four people's petrol slips.

Bringing the nine together: if you have no strong reason otherwise, start on Zoho Expense, free for three and R300 for five. If expenses is all you'll ever want from it and you don't mind setting up a new system, take Odoo for nothing. If Xero holds your books, add Xero's claims, and if your bookkeeper runs month-end, go with Dext.

If claims can wait for payday, SimplePay does them with the payroll. For flights and hotels, compare Expensify with Zoho's Premium. On Sage or QuickBooks, add Zoho or Dext the day a second person starts spending. And past about 50 people claiming, get a quote from SAP Concur.

Two can work together. A Xero business with a pile of supplier invoices can run Xero's claims for staff and Dext for the invoices, at R345 and R458 a month. Most small businesses won't need both, so try one for a month first.

If you're still between two, tell this tool where your books are, what you most want gone and how many people claim. You'll get one name, and what you'd give up by choosing it.

Find your tool

Which expense tool fits your business?

Answer for your business as it runs today, and the recommendation updates as you go.

1Where are your books kept?

XeroSageQuickBooksA spreadsheet, or with our accountantNothing yet, and we want one system

2What do you most want off your desk?

Approving claims and tracking who's owedGetting every slip to the bookkeeperPaying claims with salariesBooking flights and hotels too

3How many people claim?

Three or fewerFour to 50More than 50

Before you answer

Zoho Expense, for most small teams

Zoho Expense is free for up to three people and R300 a month for five, billed in rands, and it connects to Xero, Sage and QuickBooks.

The trade-off: It's a separate login from your books. If Xero holds them, Xero's own claims cost five people the same R345 with VAT.

Start Zoho Expense free Start Odoo Expenses free Try Dext free Read about Xero's claims Read about SimplePay Read about Expensify Read about AutoEntry Read about QuickBooks Read about SAP Concur

Prices verified 4 November 2026 for five people, billed monthly, before VAT except Xero and Sage's plans.

Questions people ask about expense software in South Africa