- Dwg
- VTA-BM
- Title
- Industry benchmark
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
Dwg VTA-BMIndustry benchmark · London, GB · 2026-09-14
Which vendors do AI assistants recommend for expense management software for UK SMEs?
Pleo is named in 66% of answers — the assistants have a settled reply for expense management software for UK SMEs.
Share of answers
Who the assistants named
8 buyer questions, put to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity with web search on, from London, GB, on 2026-09-14. 32 answers were read; every vendor claim below carries a quote from the answer it came from.
Named in answers, out of 32
Full bar = every answer- 1Pleo2165.6%
- 2Spendesk1753.1%
- 3Payhawk1546.9%
- 4Expensify1546.9%
- 5Xero Expenses1443.8%
- 6Zoho Expense1443.8%
- 7ExpenseIn1443.8%
- 8Soldo1340.6%
- 9Rydoo1237.5%
- 10SAP Concur1237.5%
- 11Webexpenses1134.4%
- 12Moss928.1%
One vendor is named in more than half the answers: the assistants have a settled reply.
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
- Answers
- 8 prompts × 4 engines = 32
- Engines
- claude-sonnet-5 · gemini-3.6-flash · gpt-5 · sonar
| # | Vendor | Named in | Credited with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pleo | 21 of 32 (66%) | Card-led platform good for controlling team spending; smart corporate cards with budget controls; auto-categorisation and VAT extraction |
| 2 | Spendesk | 17 of 32 (53%) | Approval workflows; good for scaling teams; cards, approvals, subscriptions management |
| 3 | Payhawk | 15 of 32 (47%) | Card-led platform; minimum pricing for small businesses starts at £149/month for cards only; positioned toward upper mid-market |
| 4 | Expensify | 15 of 32 (47%) | SmartScan receipt technology; simple, cheap receipt scanning without corporate cards; low per-user price for reimbursements |
| 5 | Xero Expenses | 14 of 32 (44%) | Built-in expense tool for Xero users; designed for small business users and non-accounting experts; facilitates monthly payments to employees |
| 6 | Zoho Expense | 14 of 32 (44%) | Full-featured standalone expense app; supports HMRC mileage rates, multi-currency, multi-stage approvals; free for up to 3 users; paid tiers from ~£2 to £5 per user/month |
| 7 | ExpenseIn | 14 of 32 (44%) | Physical or instant virtual expense cards; photograph receipts and submit instantly; automatically enforces correct HMRC mileage rates and receipt requirements |
| 8 | Soldo | 13 of 32 (41%) | Best for tight spend control at card level; multi-user setups; UK-issued Mastercard cards |
| 9 | Rydoo | 12 of 32 (38%) | Receipt scanning via photo; automatically calculates mileage reimbursement by jurisdiction/policy; supports compliance across 100+ countries |
| 10 | SAP Concur | 12 of 32 (38%) | Overkill for most small businesses; scales well as you grow; built to scale |
| 11 | Webexpenses | 11 of 32 (34%) | OCR receipt scanning catching duplicates and VAT extraction; handles HMRC AMAP rates and advisory fuel rates; OCR receipt capture |
| 12 | Moss | 9 of 32 (28%) | Free tier for up to 3 users; no per-user pricing as you grow; fast onboarding |
The questions
What we asked
- What is the best expense management software for a UK small business?
- Which expense apps let UK employees photograph receipts and claim mileage at HMRC rates?
- What expense management tools integrate with Xero for a company of 30 people?
- Which UK expense software issues company cards with spend controls?
- What software automates VAT recovery on employee expenses in the UK?
- Which expense management platforms are suitable for a UK charity?
- What are the alternatives to Expensify for a UK business?
- Which expense tools handle per diems and subsistence rates for UK travel?
Quoted
In the assistants' words
“Card-led platforms good for controlling team spending”
“Pleo is widely considered the top choice in the UK.”
“Spendesk — good for scaling teams that want cards, approvals, subscriptions management and deep Xero workflows.”
“Every card payment is pushed to Xero as an expense and automatically reconciled with its payment, with no manual work needed.”
“Payhawk's minimum pricing for small businesses (under 50 employees) starts at £149 per month for cards only, positioning it more toward upper mid-market.”
“Payhawk – cards, reimbursements and AP with direct Xero integration (listed on Xero App Store).”
“Best if you just need simple, cheap receipt scanning without corporate cards.”
“Expensify — low per‑user price for reimbursements (Collect plan priced in GBP), but note the Expensify Card isn’t available to UK bank accounts; treat it as software‑only here.”
“If you're already using Xero for accounting, its built-in expense tool is worth considering since it's designed for small business users and non-accounting experts, facilitating monthly payments to employees and including the option to process expenses from customers too.”
“Xero Expenses: Costs an extra £2.50 per user/month on top of your subscription.”