Best international expense management software 2026

If your company has global offices or remote teams working all over the world, you’ll need an efficient way to manage expenses. Handling it manually can be complex, time-consuming and expensive, especially if you’re dealing with multiple currencies and countries.

This is why many UK businesses use international expense management software to streamline and automate the process. But which is the best choice for your business?

Read on for a comprehensive guide to the best international expense management software for UK businesses in 2026, including features, fees and more. Plus, a look at an alternative - Wise Business, which offers built-in expense management tools and employee expense cards, as well as easy, cost-effective international payments and multi-currency capabilities.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

Best international expense management software 2026: a summary

What is international expense management software?

Expense management software is a digital tool which provides businesses with a more efficient way to control and oversee employee expenses - all within one system. This ensures accurate reporting and helps avoid compliance issues.

Software with international capabilities is able to automate, track and control business spending across multiple currencies, countries and tax jurisdictions.

Key features typically include:

• Automated expense tracking
• Receipt scanning
• Real-time reporting and analytics
• Automated approval workflows
• Integration with accounting software.

Benefits of international expense management software

The main benefit of using international expense management software is saving time and money. Manual expense reporting can be cumbersome for everyone involved, and it also increases the risk of human error.

The right software can:

• Reduce manual errors
• Accelerate employee reimbursement
• Mitigate currency exchange risks
• Provide enhanced visibility and control
• Centralise global spending data, for better oversight, tracking and budgeting
• Reduce admin burden and costs
• Ensure compliance with diverse and complex tax regulations.

What to look for when choosing expense management software

As with any kind of business software, it’s important to get the right fit for your company and its employees. Cost will always be a crucial consideration, but you should also consider the following features and factors:

• Smart approvals - automated workflows usually mean less work for man agers and faster expense sign-off
• Digital tools (including receipt capture) - mobile-first expense logging and receipt scanning
• Automatic categorisation - AI-powered tools sorts expenses into the correct categories, for easier tracking, reporting and reconciling
• Easy integration with other software and business tools – you need a solution which connects seamlessly with your existing accounting and HR systems
• Self-service platform – this allows employees to upload receipts and manage expenses without admin support
• Real-time reporting – this provides live visibility into company spending
• Customer support – the provider should provide fast help in case issues arise.

Best international expense software, a deep dive

Now, let’s run through all of the best options for international expense management software available in the UK right now:

Airwallex

Airwallex is a global financial platform that combines an end-to-end expense management system with multi-currency business accounts and payments. It’s particularly well suited to UK businesses operating internationally or scaling across markets.

Key features:

• Multi-currency accounts with low FX fees
• Corporate cards with spend controls and limits
• Real-time expense tracking
• Instant review and approvals process
• Automated categorisation
• Digital receipt capture and expenses submission on the go via the Airwallex mobile app, with AI-powered data entry
• Design multi-layer approval workflows and set expense submission criteria
• Strong integrations with accounting platforms, with automatic sync for easy reconciliation
• VAT-compliant expense tracking.

Costs:¹

• From £0 to £19 per month (entry level), scaling to £999+ depending on plan
• Limited number of multi-currency corporate cards (varies by plan), £5 to £12 per additional employee card per month.

Payhawk

Payhawk is an enterprise-grade, AI-powered spend management platform which combines corporate cards, expense management and accounts payable all in one system. It’s designed for mid-sized to large businesses needing tight financial control.

Key features:

• Physical and virtual corporate cards with centralised control, and customisable rules and limits
• Advanced approval workflows and policy enforcement
• Multi-entity and multi-currency support
• Simple digital submission and approval process for employee out-of-pocket expenses
• Travel booking and management tools
• ERP and accounting integrations
• Real-time reporting and budgeting tools.

Cost:

• Custom pricing based on Payhawk plan and features, and company size.

Pleo

Pleo is a user-friendly, card-first expense management tool popular with UK startups and SMEs. It focuses on simplifying employee spending and eliminating manual expense reports.

Key features:

• Smart company cards with individual limits
• Mobile receipt capture and automatic expense matching
• Simple approval flows and real-time spend visibility
• Cashback on spending (on some plans)
• Automated expense reporting
• Mileage calculator
• Accounting integrations

Cost:⁴

• Free trial available
• Paid plans from £9.50 to £199 per month
• Limited number of users - extra users cost additional £11 to £18 per month.

Expensify

Expensify is a lightweight, reimbursement-focused expense platform known for its automation tools and ease of use. It’s best suited to small teams expense tracking, focusing on managing employee claims rather than proactive spend control.

Key features:

• One-click SmartScan receipt scanning
• Customisable workflows and delegated access
• Commercial cards with cashback on eligible spend
• Automated expense reports and approvals
• Analyse company-wide spend trends
• Reimbursements and direct payments to employees
• Integrations with major accounting and HR tools
• Travel booking and management tools, synced with expenses
• 24/7 chat support.

Cost:⁶

• From £5 per user, per month
• Custom pricing available for larger companies/more complex needs.

Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a cost-effective solution offering strong functionality, especially for businesses already using the Zoho ecosystem. It focuses on affordability and flexibility. However, it doesn’t come with any expense cards for you and your team.

Key features:

• Expense tracking, mileage, and per diem support
• Custom approval workflows and policy rules
• Autoscan receipt capture, automatic reconciliation and VAT tracking
• Advanced analytics and reporting
• Request, manage and track petty cash advances
• Integrates with Zoho, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage
• Travel management tools
• Compliant with HMRC and Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements.

Cost:⁸

• Free trial available
• Free plan (up to 3 users)
• Paid plans from £3 to £5 per user/month.

Navan

Navan (formerly called TripActions) combines travel booking and expense management in a single platform. It’s ideal for companies with frequent business travel.

Key features:

• Integrated travel booking (flights, hotels, transport)
• Self-serve booking changes and 24/7 travel support agents
• Automated receipt scanning, expense capture and reconciliation
• Corporate cards with real-time controls
• Unlimited travel policies and approval workflows
• Navan Rewards programme
• Customisable reports
• Multiple HRIS integrations
• 24/7 support and reporting tools.

Cost:¹⁰

• Free tier available for companies up to 300 employees (some expense features only free for a limited number of employees)
• Custom pricing for large-scale enterprises.

Capture Expense

Capture Expense is a UK-focused expense management tool designed for compliance and simplicity. It’s best suited to SMEs needing straightforward expense tracking. It doesn’t provide any expense cards for you and your teams.

Key features:

• Receipt capture and expense tracking
• Approval workflows and reporting
• Mileage tracking and VAT compliance
• Multi-currency support
• Project tracking
• Integration with accounting software
• Cloud-based platform for remote teams

Cost:

• Free trial available
• Custom pricing for Business and Enterprise (quote-based).

An alternative: manage employee expenses with Wise Business

You don’t necessarily need specialist software to manage employee expenses. In fact, it could be much easier to use international payment solutions that have expenses tools built-in.

One of these is Wise Business. With a Wise Business account, you can issue linked physical/virtual cards to employees for international spending in 150+ countries with no hidden transaction fees. You’ll only pay low, transparent fees for currency conversion, and you’ll always get mid-market exchange rates with no markup.

You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your online account, and send payments and reimbursements to 140+ countries. This is ideal if you have a global team, and need to pay everyone in their own currencies.

Upgrade to a Wise Business Advanced plan for a one-time cost of just £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan), and you’ll also get local account details for 8+ currencies.

Benefits include:

• Manage employee daily expenses in other currencies simply and get currency exchange with mid-market exchange rates
• No minimum balance, no monthly fees, and no ongoing charge for expense cards - just a one time £7 fee per user
• Digital receipt capture
• User-friendly dashboard with real-time spending insights, broken down by team member and category
• Full control - set daily and monthly spending limits for each team member
• Earn 0.5% cashback on eligible card spending
• Seamless integration with your accounting software and other business tools
• Pay or reimburse up to 1,000 people at once with batch payment solutions.

Make international employee expenses effortless with Wise Business - so you can focus less on admin, and more on business performance and growth.

Register now

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

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Sources used:

1. Airwallex - Pricing
2. Trustpilot - Airwallex
3. Trustpilot - Payhawk
4. Pleo - Pricing
5. Trustpilot - Pleo
6. Expensify - Pricing
7. Trustpilot - Expensify
8. Zoho Expense - Pricing
9. Trustpilot - Zoho
10. Navan - Pricing
11. Trustpilot - Navan

Sources last checked: 30-Apr-2026