The top 6 spend management software for UK businesses in 2025

What is spend management software?

Spend management software helps you stay on top of company spending, from issuing cards and setting limits to approvals and syncing with your accounts. Unlike old-school expense tools, this software does a lot of the work for you: tracking in real time, automating rules, and cutting down on admin. As a result, you spend less time chasing receipts and more time focusing on your business.

Why switch to modern spend software?

Managing company expenses with legacy tools often means chasing receipts, delayed approvals and manual month-end reconciliations. 

Modern spend software eliminates these pain points. It automates admin, provides real-time visibility into spend, and simplifies compliance with built-in VAT tracking and audit trails. 

With up-to-date data at your fingertips, budgeting becomes more accurate and less reactive, giving your team more time to focus on growth.

Spend management features that matter in 2025

Here’s what to look for when sizing up your options:

Live transaction tracking

Real-time updates show every card swipe and online purchase as it happens, helping finance teams keep tabs on spend without waiting for statements or monthly reports.

Smart approval workflows

Automated approval flows let you set clear rules by team, spend type, or amount. No more long email chains or bottlenecks because managers get notified only when their sign-off is really needed.

Support for multi-currency and VAT

If you’re paying suppliers abroad or managing overseas teams, you’ll want smooth handling of currency conversions and built-in VAT tracking. This keeps things compliant and reduces the manual work of adjusting for exchange rates or tax differences.

Access on-the-go

Cloud-based dashboards and intuitive mobile apps mean teams can track, upload, and approve expenses wherever they are.

Plug-and-play accounting integration

Look for platforms that connect directly with popular tools like Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage. This saves hours of reconciliation and ensures your accounts stay accurate and up to date without extra data entry.

Customisable controls

The best systems let you tailor spending rules and permissions for different departments, teams, or individuals.  

Reporting and insights

Built-in analytics can help you spot trends, track budget performance, and make data-backed decisions about where to cut or shift spending.

Read more: Compare the top 7 expense management software and tools in UK 2024

The top spend management platforms for UK businesses in 2025

At a glance

Airwallex  

Airwallex offers a full financial platform, not just spend management. It’s designed for businesses that want real-time control, strong multi-currency capabilities, and quick integration with their accounting systems. Try it now.

Key features

• Multi-currency business accounts supporting 20+ currencies

• Virtual and physical cards with instant issuance

• Real-time transaction tracking and live dashboards

• Custom approval workflows and role-based permissions

• Zero international transaction fees and competitive FX rates

• Seamless integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, NetSuite

• FCA-regulated and HMRC-compliant VAT tracking

• Scalable platform that supports international payments and growth

Costs

Spend management (Explore plan): £19/month

Spend management (Grow plan): £49/month

No per-card issuance fees (virtual cards are free)

FX margin: ~0.5–1% on cross-currency transactions

Pleo  

Pleo offers smart employee cards paired with an intuitive mobile app. It’s good for small businesses wanting to empower employees without losing control.

Key features:

• Physical and virtual employee cards with spending limits

• Mobile app for instant receipt capture and expense categorisation

• Automatic expense matching and categorisation

• Integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage

• Advanced features like mileage tracking and vendor-specific cards on premium plans

• VAT capture and HMRC-compliant reporting

• Free plan for small teams

• International FX fees and advanced controls are only available on paid plans.

Costs

Starter (up to 3 users): Free

Essential: £39/month (billed annually)

Advanced: £89/month

Enterprise (Beyond): £179/month

Additional users: £9.50/month each (Starter)

Foreign transaction fee: ~1–1.5% per overseas spend

Compare: Pleo vs Airwallex

Spendesk  

Spendesk is an all-in-one solution for businesses with complex spending needs. It combines cards, reimbursements, invoice processing, approvals, and analytics.

Key features:

• Custom approval chains for departments and teams

• Real-time dashboards for spend visibility across entities

• Multi-entity support for companies operating internationally

• Integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, NetSuite

• Receipt capture, VAT tagging, and pre-accounting features

• Scalable packages tailored to growing SMEs and mid-sized firms

Spendesk’s depth is impressive but may feel too robust for small teams. 

Costs

Essentials plan: from ~£100–£300/month (quote-based, depends on modules/users)

Free trial available; no permanent free plan

Pricing scales with company size and feature set

FX fees: ~1% on foreign currency transactions

Compare: Spendesk vs Airwallex

Soldo  

Soldo is focused on prepaid cards with detailed spend rules, making it useful for companies wanting to tightly manage team or project budgets.

Key features:

• Prepaid cards assigned to individuals, teams, or projects

• Custom spending limits, auto top-ups, and category rules

• Instant transaction alerts and mobile receipt capture

• VAT categorisation and HMRC-compliant digital records

• Integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage

• Multi-currency wallets available on premium plans

• Scalable from small teams to mid-sized firms with layered pricing

Soldo’s strength is in proactive budget control, though FX fees apply, and approvals are limited on entry-level plans.

Costs

Standard: £21/month (+VAT, includes 3 users, 20 cards)

Plus: £33/month (+VAT, more users, 30 cards, advanced features)

Enterprise: Custom pricing (Unlimited plan)

Physical card issuance: £5/card

Virtual card issuance: £1/card

FX fee: 1% on non-GBP transactions

Compare: Soldo vs Airwallex

Expensify  

Expensify specialises in automating expense reports and reimbursements, reducing admin for both employees and finance teams.

Key features:

• Smart receipt scanning and automatic expense creation

• Multi-level approval policies and automated enforcement

• Multi-currency support with automatic currency conversion

• Reimbursement features with direct deposits to employee accounts

• Integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, NetSuite

• Flat per-user pricing that’s affordable for small businesses

• Travel-friendly features including itinerary tracking and e-receipts

• Offers less upfront spend control compared to card-focused platforms.

Costs

Collect plan: $5 USD/user/month (~£4)

Control plan: $9 USD/user/month (~£7)

Free individual plan: Up to 25 receipts/month

No per-report, or per-integration fees

Discounts available for annual or volume subscriptions

Zoho Expense  

Zoho Expense delivers comprehensive expense management at a lower cost, particularly for companies already using the Zoho ecosystem.

Key features:

• Expense tracking, mileage, per diem rates, and project-based tagging

• Custom approval workflows and escalation rules

• Mobile app for easy receipt capture and expense reporting

• Integrates with Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Xero, Sage

• Advanced analytics and custom reporting on higher plans

• Affordable pricing with generous free and entry-level tiers

• Compliance features including VAT tracking and audit trails

Zoho Expense works best when paired with existing company cards, as it doesn’t provide its own payment cards.

Costs

Free plan: Up to 3 users, basic features

Standard: ~£2.50/user/month (billed annually)

Premium: ~£4/user/month

Enterprise: ~£6/user/month

No hidden per-transaction fees; just per-user licensing

How to pick the right spend software for your business

Here’s a quick checklist to help you choose the right spend management software:

Size and structure fit – Is it built for your stage of growth, whether you’re 5 or 500 employees?

Integration with existing tools – Does it connect with your accounting and finance stack (e.g. Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite)?

Transparent pricing – Are all costs upfront, or are there hidden fees for users, cards, or approvals?

UK compliance features – Does it support VAT tracking, HMRC mileage rates, and local reporting standards?

Scalability – Will it still work if your company doubles in size or expands internationally?

User experience – Is it simple enough for employees to adopt without extra training?

Support – Is there reliable, UK-based support if something goes wrong?

Tips for rolling spend software out smoothly

Rolling out new spend management software doesn’t have to be disruptive, but it does need a clear plan. Here’s what to do.

Define success upfront

Before you roll out any spend management software, be clear on what success looks like. Are you aiming to cut reimbursement times in half? Improve policy compliance? Reduce end-of-month stress? Remove out-of-pocket expenses altogether with a robust company card programme? Clear goals help you measure impact and make informed decisions.

Involve key stakeholders early

Bring finance, operations, and departmental leads into the conversation from day one. Their input will help shape approval workflows, policy rules, and how the tool is rolled out across teams. Early buy-in also makes adoption much smoother.

Run a small-scale pilot 

Don’t launch company-wide straight away. Start with one team, monitor how they use the tool, and gather feedback. This gives you a safe environment to test processes, iron out any issues, and refine your setup before scaling.

Train your teams 

Even the best software needs good onboarding. Provide concise, role-based training – from submitting expenses to managing approvals. Use a mix of live walkthroughs, how-to videos, and written guides to support different learning styles.

Track usage and iterate

Once you’ve rolled out the software, don’t switch off. Monitor how teams are using it, identify bottlenecks or compliance gaps, and gather feedback regularly. Use these insights to optimise policies, approvals, and user settings over time.

Why Airwallex is a smarter choice for UK spend management

Managing company spend shouldn’t be a trade-off between employee convenience and financial control. 

With Airwallex, you don’t have to choose. It’s designed to work for everyone, giving employees a smooth, mobile-first way to capture expenses, while equipping finance teams with powerful tools to control spend, set policies, and approve claims quickly. That’s especially valuable for startups and growing teams, where every penny counts.

But the real advantage of Airwallex is what comes next. It does more than just expenses. With business accounts, global payments, and company cards all in one place, Airwallex gives you a single platform to manage money at scale.

Disclaimer:  We wrote this article in Q2 2025. The information was based on our own online research and we were not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [email protected].