Expensify vs Lili Comparison 2026
Expensify photographs a receipt and files it into an expense report, with scanning and payments free and no cap, then $5 a member a month once categorisation and approvals matter. Lili is a business bank account that sets aside tax money automatically and sorts transactions into return-ready categories, free on Core and $15 a month on Pro for the tax-bucket features. One works on top of whatever bank you already use. The other wants to be the account itself.
At a glance
- Expensify starts cheaper, at $5.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Expensify | Lili | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $5 | From $15 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| API | Not stated |
Expensify
Receipt scanning and expense reports
Expensify photographs a receipt and reads the merchant, date and amount off it, then files the result into a report that somebody can approve. Scanning receipts and sending money stay free, and paying is about what happens after the scan: categorisation, approval rules and the accounting handoff. It pushes to QuickBooks and Xero, which is usually why a bookkeeper asks for it.
Our note
The free tier is the honest recommendation for one person, and it is unusually good. Pay for Collect at the point where somebody other than you needs to see the expenses, which in practice means a bookkeeper or a second person on the card.
Lili
Business banking that puts the tax money aside
Lili is a business checking account for people who are the whole company. What separates it from a plain bank is the tax bucket: a share of what lands is held back automatically, and transactions are sorted into the categories a tax return actually asks for. Dearer plans fold in invoicing, bill pay and a set of books, which is where it starts competing with the accounting tools rather than the banks. Anybody already paying a bookkeeper should check what they would stop paying for.
Why people weigh these two
- Lili instead of Expensify
- Lili is business banking that puts tax money aside as income lands, from $15 with a free tier.
- Expensify instead of Lili
- Expensify starts at just $5, well under Lili's $15, and stays narrowly focused on scanning receipts and building expense reports rather than holding the money itself.
Which one should you pick
Pick Expensify if you are happy with your current bank and just need receipts scanned, categorised and filed for reimbursement or reconciliation. Scanning and payments stay free indefinitely for one person, and Collect at $5 a member a month adds structure once somebody else needs to see the expenses.
Pick Lili if your income arrives from several platforms and you want the account itself to hold back tax money and sort expenses automatically. Pro is $15 a month for that. A creator with a bookkeeper already, or a limited company with staff, is buying an overlap rather than a tool.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper?
- Expensify's Collect plan is $5 a member a month against Lili Pro at $15. They are not quite substitutes: Expensify scans receipts on top of any bank, and Lili is the bank account itself, with tax sorting built in.
- Do I need to switch banks for either?
- Only for Lili, since it is a business bank account. Expensify works alongside whatever bank you already have, scanning receipts and pushing them to QuickBooks or Xero.
- Which one holds back money for taxes automatically?
- Lili, on Pro at $15 a month: a share of what lands is set aside automatically and sorted into tax categories. Expensify has no equivalent; it captures and files receipts rather than managing the account balance.
- Is either free?
- Both have a free tier doing different jobs. Expensify's scanning and payments stay free with no cap for one person. Lili Core is a full working bank account for nothing, though its tax-bucket features start on Pro.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.