How Much Does Expense Tracking Cost?
Expense tracking software for a small business typically costs €5-25 per user per month, with free tiers available for solo users up to a transaction limit. The cost rises sharply with corporate-card integration, mileage tracking, and multi-currency support. Manual expense tracking — spreadsheets and shoeboxes of receipts — appears free but costs €0.50-2.00+ per receipt in hidden labour. Per-receipt AI processing from $0.40 per processed receipt replaces both the spreadsheet and the SaaS subscription.
| Expense tracking option | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet (DIY) | €0 (software) | Free, but 2-5 minutes per receipt in manual entry. Error-prone, no receipt capture. |
| Solo expense app (basic) | €5-10 / user / month | Receipt photo capture, basic categorisation. Good for freelancers, limited reporting. |
| Business expense platform | €10-25 / user / month | Corporate card sync, mileage, approvals, multi-currency, accounting export. |
| Corporate card with built-in tracking | Card fees + €0-15/user/month | Cards like Pleo, Soldo, or Revolut Business bundle tracking. Monthly card fees €5-10/card. |
| Per-receipt AI processing (Nika) | {price} per processed receipt | No per-seat pricing. Email or upload receipts — they are coded and filed automatically. |
How Nika compares
A 10-person team on a €12/user/month expense platform pays €120/month before a single receipt is submitted. Nika processes receipts from $0.40 per processed receipt with no user seats, no card requirement, and no monthly minimum. For a team that files 200 receipts a month, per-receipt pricing is a fraction of the per-seat cost — and it scales to zero in a quiet month.
Verdict
If you need corporate cards, mileage tracking, and real-time policy enforcement, a dedicated expense platform is worth the per-seat cost. If your expense tracking pain is "receipts pile up and someone has to code them into the accounting system," per-receipt AI processing is dramatically cheaper and faster. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive: many businesses use cards for policy control and AI for receipt capture.
Questions
What is the cheapest way to track business expenses?
A spreadsheet is free but costs your time — 2-5 minutes per receipt adds up to hours per month. Per-receipt AI processing from $0.40 per receipt removes the labour for less than the cost of a solo expense app subscription.
Are free expense tracking apps actually free?
Most free tiers limit the number of receipts, users, or features, then upsell to a €5-15/user/month plan. The real cost is the time spent managing the app and the manual workarounds for receipts that exceed the free limit. Per-receipt pricing at $0.40 per receipt has no such limits.
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