Tools for CFOs

A catalog of the finance stack. Vendors described from their own pages, in alphabetical order.

  1. Tools for CFOs
  2. Categories
  3. Spend and expense management

Spend and expense management

Corporate cards, employee expenses, travel and the policies that govern who may spend what, with receipts and coding captured at the moment of spend.

Spend and expense management software controls money that employees spend on the company's behalf: corporate card purchases, out-of-pocket expenses that need reimbursing, and travel. It captures the receipt and the reason at the time of spend, applies the company's policy, and codes the transaction for the ledger.

What it does

Older expense tools were built around the monthly expense report: an employee collected receipts, typed them into a form and waited to be repaid. Newer products start from the card. Each card carries limits by person, merchant type or budget, transactions appear in an app within seconds, the employee photographs the receipt, and the software matches the two and proposes the accounting code. Out-of-policy spend is flagged before it is approved. Reimbursements for personal cards and mileage still run through the same product.

For US employers, how reimbursements are documented matters for tax: under the IRS rules for accountable plans in Publication 463, reimbursements that are substantiated and returned when excess are treated differently from those that are not. Expense software keeps the receipts and approvals that substantiation needs.

Many vendors in this category also sell bill pay, purchase requests and travel booking, which overlap with neighbouring categories.

Who uses it

Every employee who spends company money uses the app. Managers approve. The finance team sets policy, reviews flagged items and closes the card statement. Travel managers use the booking side where it exists.

The parts a typical product has

  • Physical and virtual corporate cards, or support for existing cards
  • Spend limits and policy rules by person, team, merchant or budget
  • Receipt capture and matching, by app, email or text
  • Expense reports and reimbursements, including mileage and per diem
  • Travel booking with policy applied at the time of booking
  • Accounting codes, multi-entity and multi-currency support
  • Sync to the ledger and card statement reconciliation

Where it meets other categories

Supplier invoices belong to accounts payable; purchases that need approval before spending belong to procurement. Card and expense transactions post to the ERP and must be accrued at the close. VAT reclaim on expenses touches tax.

Questions to ask a vendor

  • Do we have to use your card, or can we keep our existing corporate cards?
  • How are policy rules set, and can they differ by entity and country?
  • Which ledgers do you sync with, and at what level of detail?
  • How are reimbursements paid in each country we have employees?
  • How do you make money: interchange, subscription fees, or both?
  • What does an auditor see for a single expense?

Vendors, A to Z

9 vendors. Each line is our own description; the quoted sentence is the vendor's, from the page in the note. Order is alphabetical and means nothing else.

  1. Brex

    Corporate cards with expense management, travel booking, bill pay and business banking in one account.

    From company cards to banking, Brex helps you drive growth, automate processes, & earn more.2

    Lists Corporate cards, Expense management, Travel, Bill pay, Banking and treasury

  2. Emburse

    Travel and expense software that checks receipts against policy before submission, with cards and invoice payments.

    Manage Expense, Travel, AP, Cards, Invoice, and ACH Payments with localization for 100+ countries.3

    Lists Travel, Expense, Invoice & Payments, Insights, Emburse Assurance

  3. Expensify

    SEC registrant, EDGAR

    Expense software with receipt scanning, a company card, reimbursements, travel booking and bill pay.

    Expensify's spend management software simplifies receipt and expense tracking.4

    Lists Expense management, Travel, Expensify Card, Receipt scanning, Bring your own cards (BYOC), Global reimbursements, Virtual cards, Expense reports, Budgets, Bill pay, Invoices

  4. Navan

    SEC registrant, EDGAR

    Navan Expense

    Business travel booking combined with expense management and corporate cards.

    Streamline your corporate travel management and expense processes in one app.5

    Lists Business Travel Management, Expense Management, Payments, Program Management, Advanced Analytics, Navan Rewards

  5. Payhawk

    Spend management software with company cards, expenses, supplier invoices, purchasing and travel.

    Take charge of company spend - connect corporate cards to an all-in-one spend management platform, automate reports, and reconcile in real time.6

    Lists Cards & Expenses, Accounts payable, Procurement, Travel

  6. Pleo

    Employee and vendor cards with expense review, multi-currency accounts and accounting sync, for European businesses.

    The business expenses solution that empowers your people to do more.7

    Lists Employee and vendor cards, AI expense reviews, Multi-currency, Accounting automation, Spend controls

  7. Ramp

    Corporate cards with expense management, travel, procurement and bill pay in one platform.

    Combine global corporate cards, travel, expenses and accounts payable to automate finance operations and improve efficiency.8

    Lists Corporate cards, Expense management, Spend management, Procurement, Accounting automation, Banking

  8. SAP Concur

    SEC registrant, EDGAR

    Concur Expense

    Expense reporting software that captures receipts, checks reports against policy and reimburses employees, with a mobile app.

    By automating the expense reporting process, your business can upload receipts directly to expense reports, avoid risk, and be more efficient.9

    Lists Concur Expense, SAP Concur mobile app, Concur TripLink

  9. Spendesk

    Spend management software with company cards, expense claims, supplier invoices and purchase approvals.

    Automate spend management with one platform for expenses, cards and invoices.10

    Lists Smart corporate cards, Expenses, Accounts Payable, Procure-to-pay, Spend Controls, Multi-entity management, Budget

Sources

  1. 1Internal Revenue Service. irs.gov/publications/p463. Read 29 October 2026.
  2. 2Brex. brex.com/. Read 29 October 2026.
  3. 3Emburse. emburse.com/. Read 29 October 2026.
  4. 4Expensify. expensify.com/. Read 29 October 2026.
  5. 5Navan. navan.com/. Read 29 October 2026.
  6. 6Payhawk. payhawk.com/en-us. Read 29 October 2026.
  7. 7Pleo. pleo.io/en. Read 29 October 2026.
  8. 8Ramp. ramp.com/. Read 29 October 2026.
  9. 9SAP Concur. concur.com/products/expense-report. Read 29 October 2026.
  10. 10Spendesk. spendesk.com/. Read 29 October 2026.