Pricing checked: September 16, 2026
Expense-management software can advertise anything from $0 to more than $15 per user per month, but those prices are often measuring different things. Some vendors bill every member, some bill only active users, one major platform bills by expense report, and card-led products can offer free software while making the larger commercial decision about cards and financial services.
A useful cost comparison therefore starts with the billing unit. Multiplying every advertised price by company headcount creates a neat spreadsheet and a bad buying decision.
The pricing models are not directly comparable
| Product / plan | Published starting price used here | Billing unit | Important condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Expense Standard | $3/user/month billed annually | Expense users | Zoho says additional users are charged when they create expenses or expense reports |
| Sage Expense Management Growth | $11.99/active user/month billed annually | Active user | 5-user minimum; vendor positions Enterprise as custom pricing for 250+ employees |
| Expensify Collect | $5/member/month | Unique workspace member | Members are billed regardless of activity under current Collect pricing |
| SAP Concur Base | Starting at $7/report | Expense report | Price varies with monthly commitment; unlimited users |
| Navan Expense | First 5 monthly expensing users free, then $15/user/month | Monthly active expense user | Published Business pricing applies to companies with up to 300 employees |
Other products add more models. Rydoo’s self-service plans start at $9 per user per month, but its Business and Enterprise plans use custom pricing from 30 and 50 active users respectively. Ramp and Brex both publish $0 entry tiers, while their paid tiers and broader economics are tied to larger card and finance platforms.
How we modeled the costs
The tables below use three company sizes: 25, 100, and 500 employees. For each size, we model a billing population equal to 20%, 50%, or 100% of headcount.
We model only plans whose public pricing can be translated into a repeatable monthly scenario. Products with flat platform bases, card economics, or quote-based scaling appear separately so we do not pretend their list price behaves like a seat price.
The meaning of that population changes with the vendor’s billing rule:
- For Zoho, it represents employees who create expenses or reports.
- For Sage, it represents active users under Sage’s published definition.
- For Expensify Collect, it represents employees added as workspace members. A quiet month does not reduce the bill for those members.
- For SAP Concur, we assume each modeled employee submits one expense report that month. Two reports per person would roughly double the modeled Base cost.
- For Navan, it represents monthly active expensing users.
We round partial people up to the next whole user. Prices are in USD and exclude taxes, implementation work, optional support, premium integrations, payment fees, FX costs, card economics, and negotiated discounts unless stated. These are scenario models using current public list prices, not vendor quotes.
Why this matters: The 20% column does not mean the same operational behavior in every product. It normalizes each vendor’s billable unit against company size so you can see how sensitive the cost is to that unit.
Modeled monthly cost at 25 employees
At 25 employees, the scenario populations are 5, 13, and 25 people.
| Product / plan | 20% population | 50% population | 100% population | What drives the number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Expense Standard | $15 | $39 | $75 | $3 per expense user, annual billing |
| Sage Expense Management Growth | $59.95 | $155.87 | $299.75 | $11.99 per active user; 5-user minimum already met |
| Expensify Collect | $25 | $65 | $125 | $5 per workspace member, regardless of monthly activity |
| SAP Concur Base | $35 | $91 | $175 | Starting at $7 per report, assuming one report per modeled employee |
| Navan Expense | $0 | $120 | $300 | First 5 monthly expensing users free, then $15 each |
The cheapest option changes with the billing pattern. Navan is $0 when exactly five employees expense in a month, then rises quickly as more people become active. Expensify is inexpensive if only a small group needs workspace membership, but activity does not reduce the price once those members are present. Zoho’s public Standard rate stays comparatively simple.
Modeled monthly cost at 100 employees
At 100 employees, the scenario populations are 20, 50, and 100 people.
| Product / plan | 20% population | 50% population | 100% population | What drives the number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Expense Standard | $60 | $150 | $300 | $3 per expense user, annual billing |
| Sage Expense Management Growth | $239.80 | $599.50 | $1,199 | $11.99 per active user |
| Expensify Collect | $100 | $250 | $500 | $5 per workspace member |
| SAP Concur Base | $140 | $350 | $700 | Starting at $7 per report, one report per modeled employee |
| Navan Expense | $225 | $675 | $1,425 | Five free active expensing users, then $15 each |
This is where billing definitions become more important than nominal seat price. Sage’s active-user model can be useful if expense activity is concentrated in a smaller group. Expensify Collect does not get cheaper in a month when the same members happen not to submit anything. Concur can be attractive when many employees exist but report frequency is low, while frequent report submission pushes the model the other way.
Modeled monthly cost at 500 employees
At 500 employees, the scenario populations are 100, 250, and 500 people. Two vendors in this comparison move beyond the public self-service pricing we used at smaller sizes.
| Product / plan | 20% population | 50% population | 100% population | What drives the number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Expense Standard | $300 | $750 | $1,500 | $3 per expense user, annual billing |
| Sage Expense Management | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom quote | We stop extrapolating Growth/Business here because Sage positions Enterprise for organizations with 250+ employees; treat 500 employees as quote-required unless Sage confirms otherwise |
| Expensify Collect | $500 | $1,250 | $2,500 | $5 per workspace member |
| SAP Concur Base | $700 | $1,750 | $3,500 | Starting at $7 per report, one report per modeled employee |
| Navan Expense | Enterprise quote | Enterprise quote | Enterprise quote | Companies above 300 employees move to Navan Enterprise pricing |
The blank spaces are part of the answer. A pricing study becomes misleading when it fills unknown enterprise prices with extrapolated list rates. At 500 employees, a real comparison needs quotes for the vendors that route this company size to custom plans.
“Free” expense software can involve a bigger financial decision
Several card-led platforms publish $0 software pricing, but they are not simple substitutes for a $3 or $5 standalone expense tool. The subscription line is only one part of the commercial decision.
Ramp Free is $0 per user and includes core card and expense functionality. Ramp Plus is $15 per user per month plus a platform fee based on team size. The platform also reaches into corporate cards, AP, procurement, travel, accounting automation, and banking.
Brex Essentials is $0 per user, while Premium is $12 per user per month. Essentials includes cards, reimbursements, accounting integrations, travel, bill pay, reporting, and API access.
BILL Spend & Expense also publishes $0 per-user software pricing. It bundles corporate cards, budgets, reimbursements, AI receipt capture, and expense controls. Credit approval, card terms, payment fees, and the value of consolidating within BILL still belong in the comparison.
Payhawk uses another model. Its US Cards & Expenses module starts at $449 per month and then scales through usage variables such as additional cards and reimbursement volume. That flat base-plus-usage structure does not belong in a per-seat headcount table without a real quote.
Those offers can be excellent value when a company wants the broader system. The cost comparison should include the financial products and workflows being adopted, the systems being replaced, any platform or transaction fees, and the operational value of consolidation. A zero subscription price does not make switching free.
Advanced plans can change the cost more than headcount
The entry plan may not contain the workflow that made you shop for software in the first place.
- Zoho: Standard is $3 per user annually, while Premium is $5 and adds deeper travel, advanced approvals, and multi-entity or multi-country capabilities. Some ERP and HR integrations are add-ons.
- Sage Expense Management: Growth starts at $11.99 per active user. Business is $14.99 and adds multi-stage approvals, multi-org capabilities, ACH reimbursements in the US, and more integration options. Certain integrations, implementation, support, and SSO can add fees.
- Expensify: Collect is $5 per member. Expensify’s billing documentation lists a standard annual Control rate of $18 per member before card discounts, while the public pricing page advertises Control from $9 per member. The lowest rate depends on qualifying Expensify Card usage, so buyers should verify the actual subscription structure.
- SAP Concur: Base starts at $7 per report, Plus at $11, and Premium is custom.
- Rydoo: Essentials and Pro publish self-service pricing, but reimbursements appear in the custom-priced Business tier, which starts at 30 active users.
This is why the buying process should define must-have workflows before comparing prices. Our guide to choosing expense management software shows how to do that without letting a feature grid hide recurring workarounds.
Five costs that do not fit neatly in the subscription column
1. Implementation and integration work
Setup can be close to self-service for a small team or become a real finance project when entities, ERP fields, identity management, cards, policies, and historical data have to be configured. Sage explicitly notes implementation and certain accounting-integration fees. Enterprise vendors often price implementation inside a broader quote.
2. Payment and reimbursement fees
Subscription pricing may exclude payment rails, international transfers, expedited payments, checks, or FX. A product can have a low seat price and still produce meaningful transaction costs if the workflow uses paid payment methods heavily.
3. Premium support and security features
Dedicated support, SSO, advanced roles, sandbox access, or enterprise controls can live in higher tiers or paid add-ons. Treat them as requirements before the commercial comparison, not surprises after selection.
4. Card economics
Card-led platforms may earn revenue from interchange and can share some economics through rewards or software discounts. Expensify’s Control discount is one direct example: the subscription rate can fall with qualifying Expensify Card usage. Keep rewards and fee discounts separate from the software subscription so the model remains readable.
5. Recurring manual work
A cheaper platform can become expensive if finance manually fixes the same field, exception, card feed, or reimbursement problem every month. That labor is harder to price than a subscription, but it belongs in the buying decision. A proof log during the trial can estimate how often each workaround will recur.
How to build your own cost model
Use six inputs instead of company headcount alone:
- Number of employees who need access.
- Number who become billable under the vendor’s definition in a typical month.
- Expected monthly expense-report volume if the vendor charges per report.
- The plan required for your actual approvals, accounting, reimbursement, travel, security, and international needs.
- Platform, implementation, integration, payment, support, and FX fees.
- The systems or financial products you will replace, keep, or add.
Run a normal month and a peak month. Then repeat the calculation for the company size you expect in 12 to 24 months. A pricing model that is attractive at 25 employees can behave very differently once the billing population reaches 100.
If you are still building the shortlist, see our best expense management software for 2026. The ranking focuses on workflow fit and switching footprint, not sticker price alone.
Sources
- Zoho Expense pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Sage Expense Management pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Expensify pricing and billing definitions, checked September 16, 2026.
- SAP Concur pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Navan pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Rydoo pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Ramp pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Brex pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- BILL Spend & Expense pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
- Payhawk pricing, checked September 16, 2026.
