Expensify

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.

Scanning receipts, sending money and chatting stay free with no cap on SmartScans, which is more than most expense tools give away. Collect is $5 per member a month and adds categorisation, reimbursements, card management, travel booking and the accounting integrations. Control is quoted as custom, described on the page as as low as $9 per active member a month, and brings multiple approval flows and custom rules. Annual commitments and using the Expensify Card both attract a discount the page does not quantify.

Somebody with enough business spending that receipts pile up and enough structure that they get reimbursed or reconciled. A solo creator who only needs the shoebox photographed can stay on the free tier permanently and never see a bill.