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Top Pleo Competitors to Streamline Spending for UK Businesses

Brianna Blaney
By Brianna Blaney
Brianna Blaney

Brianna Blaney

Brianna Blaney began her career as a fintech writer in Boston for a major media corporation, later progressing to digital media marketing with platforms in San Francisco. She has worked as a financial writer for Tipalti for 7+years, keeping a close eye on shifting trends and reporting on the ever-evolving landscape of financial automation. She prides herself on reverse-engineering the logistics of successful content and implementing techniques centered around people (not campaigns). In her spare time, she loves to cook and take care of her pet squirrel, Marshmallow.

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Updated February 13, 2025

Managing your accounts payable process doesn’t have to be complicated, especially if you’re taking advantage of automation. The global accounts payable automation market was valued at $5,378.58 million in 2023 and is expected to grow to $17,047.16 million by 2032

Spend management solutions help an organisation save time, reduce costs, and ensure compliance. In this article we take a look at some of the top systems in the United Kingdom and how each can benefit your business.

The Top 5 Pleo Alternatives and Competitors

Tipalti

Overview

Tipalti is a popular financial management solution offering advanced AP and expense management and corporate card tools designed to streamline company spend and improve controls. Tipalti’s main features automate expense reporting, enforce policy compliance, and provide real-time visibility, enabling companies to manage their financial workflows precisely. With global reimbursement capabilities and innovative corporate card features, Tipalti simplifies how companies handle employee expenses and vendor payments at scale.

Top Features

  • Expense management automation: for the submission, categorisation, and approval of employee expenses, which reduces administrative workload.
  • Procurement: end-to-end procurement with three-way PO matching, guided purchase requests, and automated approvals.
  • Complete compliance: validates expenses against predefined rules to flag rogue spending.
  • International payments: reimbursements in 120+ local currencies across 196 countries, ensuring seamless international expense management software.
  • ERP integration: integrates with accounting software like NetSuite and QuickBooks for unified financial management tools.

Serviceable Market

Tipalti caters to companies of all sizes (from small businesses to large corporations) in various industries like SaaS, advertising, e-commerce, and media. It’s usually beneficial for companies with a high volume of employee-initiated expenses or global needs.

Pricing

Tipalti’s pricing is based on the needs of your business, including transaction volume, features, and company size. The platform follows a subscription-based model with additional charges for premium features or higher transaction volumes. Businesses can request a customised quote for a detailed breakdown. The Starter plan for accounts payable starts at £99/month.

Spendesk

Overview

Spendesk is a spend management platform and expense management solution that is designed to help organisations control and optimise expenses. It’s a centralised solution for streamlining company spending. This includes accounts payable and employee spending, with tools for tracking, approving, and reporting transactions. Through a user-friendly interface, Spendesk simplifies managing budgets, corporate cards, invoices, and expense reports.

Top Features

  • Corporate cards: virtual or physical cards for business expenses with customisable spending limits.
  • Expense tracking: real-time tracking of all company expenditures across categories.
  • Invoice management: centralised solution to automate invoice approvals and payments.
  • Budgets and forecasting: set spending limits and track budget progress to streamline financial control.
  • Reporting and analytics: insights into patterns to help improve decision-making and reduce costs.

Serviceable Market

Spendesk is usually targeted towards SMBs, as well as mid-market and larger companies that need to optimise financial systems and gain better control over spending. It’s generally useful for organisations with distributed teams since it provides a flexible, cloud-based solution that is accessible from anywhere.

Pricing

Spendesk offers custom pricing based on company size and needs. Pricing usually includes a base fee with add-on options that depend on the level of features required, such as corporate cards or reporting. For exact pricing, companies must request a quote or contact Spendesk directly.

Payhawk

Overview

Payhawk is an all-in-one spend management platform that helps businesses with their expense management needs, including payments, approvals, and reporting. Payhawk enables businesses to automate financial workflows, gain visibility into spending patterns, and simplify the approval process by centralising company spending on a single platform. With a focus on efficiency and transparency, Payhawk is suitable for organisations of all sizes.

Top Features

  • Integration: accounting tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Netsuite to streamline financial processes.
  • Corporate cards: physical and virtual cards for employees with customisable limits and spending controls.
  • Expense management: automate submission, approval, and reimbursement of expenses.
  • Invoice management: optimise invoice approvals to ensure timely payments.
  • Real-Time reporting: visibility into company spending with detailed reports and analytics.

Serviceable Market

Payhawk is usually aimed at small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and growing corporations. It is generally useful for businesses with multiple teams and departments, helping them centralise and streamline their financial systems.

Pricing

Payhawk’s pricing is based on the size and features required. It generally includes a base fee plus charges for corporate cards, transaction volume, and high-end features like advanced reporting and integrations. Businesses need to contact Payhawk directly to get a customised quote.

Zahara Software

Overview

Zahara Software is a cloud-based spend and procurement management system designed to streamline the process of purchasing, invoice management, and approval workflows. Zahara helps companies automate their purchasing and AP functions while improving control. Zahara has features to streamline procurement and ensures greater visibility and compliance in the purchase-to-pay process.

Top Features

  • Procurement automation: manage purchase orders, purchase requests, and approvals in one system.
  • Invoice approval: automate invoice approval workflows, ensuring faster processing and compliance.
  • Budget control: set and track budgets for different departments or projects, making sure spending stays within limits.
  • Supplier management: maintain an organized database of suppliers to better manage payments.
  • Expense reporting: generate detailed reports on company spending to analyse trends and identify savings opportunities.

Serviceable Market

Zahara is generally designed for small to medium-sized businesses, typically those looking to streamline procurement and accounts payable processes. It is suitable for organisations across various industries, including manufacturing, retail, and services, that require better control over their purchasing and payment functions.

Pricing

Zahara offers a subscription-based pricing model that varies based on the number of users, features, and customization needs. Pricing is available upon request. Zahara typically provides a free trial or demo to assess its capabilities before committing to a plan.

Ready to optimise your financial strategy? 

Whether processing invoices or sending global payments, do you have the right solution to get the job done?

Moss

Overview

Moss is a financial management platform that empowers companies to streamline spending, manage corporate credit cards, and gain real-time insights into cash flow. Emphasising transparency and efficiency, Moss provides tools for expense tracking, invoice management, and budgeting, enabling companies to maintain control over finances while optimising workflows.

Top Features

  • Expense management: expense reporting and reimbursement processes are automated to save time and reduce manual errors.
  • Invoice processing: digitise and manage invoices, ensuring faster approvals and timely payments.
  • Budgeting tools: set and monitor budgets in real time to maintain financial control and prevent overspending.
  • Real-Time insights: comprehensive dashboards and analytics for a detailed view of finances.
  • Integrations: popular accounting and ERP software, such as DATEV and Xero.

Serviceable Market

Moss targets mostly SMEs across a variety of industries, especially those seeking to enhance control over corporate spending. It is particularly useful for companies with distributed teams or remote work setups requiring efficient expense management.

Pricing

Moss operates on a subscription-based pricing model. The cost varies based on things like number of users, volume of transactions, and selected features. Finance teams can contact Moss for a custom quote or request a demo to explore functionalities.

Honourable Mentions

  • Expensify
  • Brex
  • Airbase
  • ZoHo Expense
  • Ramp

Tipalti vs Pleo

What Does Tipalti Do?

Tipalti is an AP automation, expense management, and spend management solution that spans across your entire business. The system provides granular control over the entire AP process to protect you from fraud. The platform boasts features like: 

What Does Pleo Do?

Pleo is a business expense management system that is designed to simplify and streamline company spending. It has smart company cards paired with intuitive software that automates expense reporting, tracks it in real-time, and provides actionable insights into financial management. Key features include:

  • Automated expense management
  • Smart company cards
  • Reimbursement tools
  • Top integrations
  • Team spending insights

Features of Tipalti vs. Pleo

FeatureTipaltiPleo
Global PaymentsSupports payments in 120+ currencies and 196 countries, including local tax law compliance.Limited, but supports multi-currency transactions for employee expenses.
Expense ManagementEasily submit expenses with mobile and web apps, automate ERP reconciliation, and expense policy enforcement.Real-time expense tracking with company cards and mobile app for receipt uploads.
Tax ComplianceAutomates tax form collection, validation, and VAT compliance for global payments, auto-coding, and PO matching.Limited; primarily for employee-related expenses within Europe and the UK.
Invoice ManagementEnd-to-end invoice automation, including OCR and approval workflows.No invoice management features.
Payment MethodsBACS, SEPA, Intercash, ACH, wire transfers, PayPal MT in USD only, cheques, and local payment options.Company cards (virtual and physical) and reimbursements for employee expenses.
Reporting and AnalyticsAdvanced reporting for AP, cash flow, and tax compliance.Expense insights and real-time spending analytics customised for employee-related costs.
IntegrationsERP systems (like NetSuite, QuickBooks, SAP) and accounting tools.Integrates with accounting tools like Xero and QuickBooks; less ERP compatibility.
ScalabilityEnterprise-grade tools suitable for global operations and high transaction volumes.Designed for SMEs but can scale moderately with business growth.
Customer SupportDedicated account managers and enterprise-level support.Self-service resources and customer support focused on small business needs.

Which Solution Works Best for Your UK Business (and Why)

Tipalti and Pleo both serve distinct purposes. You should choose based on business needs.

When to Choose Tipalti

Your business needs to make global payments.

Since Pleo focuses on employee spending and expense management, it lacks the ability to handle complex supplier payments across global markets. If your company needs to manage payments in multiple currencies, cross-border remittances, or must comply with tax regulations internationally, Tipalti’s global payment infrastructure and tax automation tools make it the best choice.

Your business needs a solution for processing supplier invoices and invoice management.

Pleo does not offer tools for processing supplier invoices or managing AP workflows. For organisations reliant on vendor relationships and needing to streamline invoice approvals, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for document scanning, and payment scheduling, Tipalti provides an end-to-end AP automation solution that ensures operational efficiency.

You have the need to scale in the next year or two.

Pleo’s focus on SMEs means it struggles to scale for companies with high transaction volumes or requiring deep ERP integrations like SAP or Oracle. Tipalti offers enterprise-grade scalability and extensive ERP compatibility, ensuring growing companies can seamlessly expand financial operations without outgrowing their software.

When to Choose Pleo

Your business requires hyper-focused expense management.

If your company primarily requires a system for managing employee expenses and company spend, Pleo is the right choice. It’s an intuitive platform that offers prepaid company cards and real-time expense tracking to streamline spend management, making it ideal for organisations that want to simplify their internal expense processes.

Your business has a small team that requires ease of use.

Pleo’s design and functionality are made for small to medium-sized finance teams that value ease of use. With minimal setup and an easy interface, Pleo is an excellent choice for companies looking for a simple way to manage daily expenses without needing extensive training or support.

You have budget constraints and are in the early stages of growth.

For organisations with budget constraints or those in the early stages of growth, Pleo offers cost-effective pricing plans that have expense management features without the higher costs associated with comprehensive AP solutions like Tipalti.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Solution

  • What are my current business needs?
    • Do you need a system to manage employee expenses or a comprehensive solution for end-to-end accounts payable automation?
  • How big is my team?
    • Is your team small, only requiring an easy-to-use expense management tool, or large, in need of an enterprise-level solution with scalability?
  • What is my budget?
    • Can your company invest in a solution like Tipalti for comprehensive automation, or is a cost-effective, expense-focused system like Pleo more suitable?
  • Do I need to make global payments?
    • Does your company operate on a global basis and need to handle payments in multiple currencies? If so, a platform like Tipalti, which supports global payments, might be essential.
  • What are my plans for growth?
    • Are you planning to scale operations, onboard more employees, or expand internationally? If scalability is a priority, ensure the platform you choose can grow with your business.

What Our Customers Are Saying

It took us eight weeks a year to process hundreds of royalty payments manually, and with Tipalti, it is now down to less than an hour. AP invoice processing is also automated, eliminating another 36 days a year of workload.

– Nas Yaqoobi, Accountant, Splice

We used to issue wires, ACHs, and paper cheques and pay all the transaction fees. Now Tipalti is taking care of all of this with much lower cost options for us.

– Toni Tornell, Controller, United Language Group

The inefficient days are behind us. Tipalti provides a level of visibility and efficiency that has dramatically increased our team’s output.

– Mark Lewis, CFO, Decide

AP Automation: More Time, Less Spend

In today’s competitive environment, AP automation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. AP automation solutions like Tipalti empower companies to achieve more with less by optimizing processes, reducing errors, and enhancing compliance. Whether managing international payments, automating tax compliance, or integrating with existing systems, Tipalti offers a comprehensive platform that helps companies save time, reduce costs, and scale more efficiently.

Ready to experience the benefits of AP automation for your business? Request a Demo today and discover how Tipalti will transform your entire financial operations.

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