5 Best Mileage Tracker Apps For Small Business 2018

Mileage tracker apps help “road warriors” like freelancers, real estate agents and sales reps track mileage and expenses for tax purposes or for expense reimbursement. We looked at a range of options and found the 5 best mileage tracker apps for you. Take a look at the features, costs, and who each is right for.

Best Small Business Mileage Tracker Apps

How We Determined the Best Mileage Tracker Apps

When considering which mileage tracker apps are best suited to small businesses, we looked at the best solutions currently available that are:

• Affordable for small businesses
• Accessible on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, etc.)

We also took into account key features that you would expect a mileage tracker to have:

• Ease of use
• Automatically detect drives
• Track trip-related income and expenses
• Detailed tracking & reporting

We concluded that MileIQ is the best mileage tracker app if you don’t need to track expenses or estimate tax payments. If you would like a mileage tracker app that does track income, expenses and estimated taxes, Hurdlr is the best solution for the price.

All of the options that we reviewed are available for both Android and iOS. All five options offer a combination of customer support options including phone, email and knowledge base articles. They also all offer unlimited secure cloud storage so you can easily access your data when you need it.

Best Budget-Friendly Mileage Tracker App: MileIQ

MileIQ is the least fancy mileage tracker app out of our top 5 picks. It includes all of the features that you would expect a mileage tracker app to have, but not much more. With that said, if you don’t need your taxes calculated (like Hurdlr offers) or a full blown accounting solution (like QuickBooks Self-Employed) then MileIQ is the mileage tracker app for you due to the features that the free version offers.

MileIQ Features

Below is a list of the features included in the free version and the premium version of MileIQ:

MileIQ Free Version Includes:

• 40 drives per month
• Track mileage for multiple vehicles
• Detailed reports that you can email or export and share
• Easily categorize trips as either business or personal

MileIQ Premium Version Includes:

• All features included in the Free Version
• Unlimited number of trips per month

The only difference between the free version of MileIQ and the paid version is that you can have an unlimited number of trips with the paid version. Unfortunately, you cannot track your income/expenses with MileIQ like you can with the other 4 competitors that we have featured in this article.

MileIQ Pricing

• Basic (free version)
• Premium version – $5.99/month or $4.99/month (Annual subscription)

Similar to its competitors, MileIQ offers a free version and a premium version. The cost of the premium version ($5.99/month) is the same as the paid versions of both Hurdlr and Sherpashare. It costs 40% less than QuickBooks Self-Employed ($10/month), but it’s almost double the cost of TripLog ($3.00/month).

What MileIQ is Missing

MileIQ doesn’t automatically calculate your taxes or offer a full suite of accounting solutions. For this reason, if you’re looking for a more robust mileage tracker app, then MileIQ isn’t for you.

However, MileIQ does integrate with software programs like Concur, QuickBooks and Freshbooks, so that you can easily transfer your mileage info to your accounting software.

Visit MileIQ

Best Mileage Tracker with Estimated Tax Calculator: Hurdlr

If you are looking for an app that can help you stay on top of paying your state and self-employment taxes throughout the year, then Hurdlr is your best bet. By connecting your bank/credit card accounts to Hurdlr, the app will calculate your estimated taxes, remind you when payment is due, and allow you to make your payment all from the app.

Hurdlr Features

Below is a list of the features included in the free version and the premium version of Hurdlr:

Hurdlr Free version includes:

• Unlimited auto mileage tracking
• Manually add income and expenses
• Tax calculation summary
• Export/Email reports to CPA

Hurdlr Premium version includes:

• All of the features in the free version
• Auto expense tracking
• Auto income tracking (links to all your financial accts to eliminate data entry)
• Calculates tax estimates and provides tax reminders
• Set your work hours
• Send reports to CPA or file taxes directly in the app
• Real time calculations for state and self-employment taxes

Hurdlr will calculate your state and self-employment taxes and provide you with reminders to make your estimated tax payments throughout the year. You can also make tax payments directly within the app.

Hurdlr Pricing

• Free version
• Premium version – $5.99/month or $3.99/month (Annual subscription)

Similar to its competitors, Hurdlr offers a free version and a paid version ($5.99/mo or $3.99/mo for an annual subscription). The primary difference between the two is the premium version allows you to link all of your bank/credit card accounts to the app so that income and expense tracking is automatic. You’ll have to manually track income and expenses with the free version.

The other feature that separates the free version from the paid is that the paid version provides you with real time calculations of your state and self-employment taxes. See the full list of features available in both versions below.

What Hurdlr is Missing

While Hurdlr can estimate taxes, you’ll have to manually enter your income and expenses with the free version. The app also doesn’t offer a full accounting solution like QuickBooks Self-Employed.

However, if you prefer to leave the taxes to the experts, you can easily share information with your CPA or tax professional with the paid version by exporting reports from the app and emailing them.

Visit Hurdlr

Best All In One Mileage Tracker App: QuickBooks Self-Employed

QuickBooks Self-Employed is the best “all in one” mileage tracker app for small businesses who also need to create invoices and pay bills. In addition to keeping track of your mileage, this app doubles as accounting software. Our recommended plan (TurboTax bundle) tracks your income and expenses through the app and transfers all of your data to Schedule C through TurboTax to prepare your tax return at tax time.

QuickBooks Self-Employed Features

Below is a list of the features included in the regular version and the TurboTax bundle of QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE):

QBSE Regular Version Includes:

• Automatic mileage tracking
• Connect bank/credit card accounts to track income and expenses
• Create simple customer invoices
• Record customer payments
• Attach receipts to transactions
• Calculate quarterly estimated tax payments
• Provide tax payment reminders
• Create profit and loss, tax summary & tax detail reports

QBSE TurboTax Bundle Includes:

• All of the features listed (above) in the regular version
• Transfer all data to Schedule C
• File federal & state tax returns

Unlike its competitors, since the mileage tracker is already integrated into QuickBooks Self-Employed, there is no setup or transfer of data required. Your mileage, income, and expense info will automatically be transferred to your Schedule C if you use TurboTax tax preparation software. With the other 5 companies that we looked at, you will have to export your data to a CSV file and manually prepare your Schedule C.

QuickBooks Self-Employed Pricing

• No free version, 30-day free trial
• Regular plan – $10 per month
• TurboTax Bundle – $17 per month

Similar to Sherpashare, QuickBooks Self-Employed does not offer a free version. However, when it comes to taking a test drive, QuickBooks Self-Employed beats Sherpashare by giving you a 30-day free trial vs the 14-day free trial offered by Sherpashare.

What QuickBooks Self-Employed is Missing

The downside to QuickBooks Self-Employed is the hefty price tag. It is the most expensive app out of our top 5. However, because QuickBooks Self-Employed is really an accounting software with a built-in mileage app, it has a ton of other features not offered by the other 5 companies that we looked at.

For example, QuickBooks Self-Employed provides you access to mileage reports as well as your profit and loss statement and tax detail and summary reports. Real time information on business profit and spending, as well as bank and credit card balances, is readily available on the dashboard of QuickBooks Self-Employed.

Visit QuickBooks Self-Employed

Best Mileage Tracker App for Uber/Lyft Drivers: SherpaShare

SherpaShare is a unique app designed for those who make their living by driving their clients to their respective destinations (work, school, the airport). Unlike its competitors, it includes Smart Driver tools that can help track your hourly profit and make suggestions on which routes are the most profitable.

SherpaShare Features

As mentioned, Sherpashare does not offer a free version. Below is a list of the features included in SherpaShare:

• Unlimited mileage tracking
• Add bank/credit card accounts to auto track income and expenses
• Scan receipts
• Smart Driver Tools designed to increase revenue/profit

In addition to including all of the features that you would expect from a mileage tracker app, it also includes smart driver tools which none of the other competitors offer.

The Smart Driver tools that are included in Sherpashare will do the following:

• Chart your hourly revenue/profit
• Show you where the revenue maximizing intersections are
• Allows you to chat with other veteran drivers to share tips and other info
• Analyzes past fares and makes recommendations for profitable routes

SherpaShare Pricing

• No free version, 14-day free trial
• Monthly plan – $5.99/month or $4.99/month (Annual plan)

Similar to QuickBooks Self-Employed, SherpaShare does not offer a free version. However, they do allow you to test it out for 14 days before you have to upgrade to a paid subscription plan.

However, SherpaShare offers tools that are specifically designed for Uber/Lyft drivers. The tools are designed to help you boost your revenue/earning potential per drive, which could be worth paying a few bucks a month.

What SherpaShare is Missing

While SherpaShare is good at tracking your profit while driving for a service like Lyft or Uber, it doesn’t offer estimated tax payments. You’ll have to use an accountant or some type of accounting software to estimate and pay your taxes. Still, for someone who makes income driving for a ride share service, this is a great option.

Visit SherpaShare

Best Mileage Tracker App for a Sales Team: TripLog

TripLog is best suited for small businesses that need to keep track of mileage and other expenses for a team of people. If you have employees or contractors that you reimburse for mileage as well as other expenses like gas, parking and meals, TripLog can help reduce the time it takes for employees/contractors to report their mileage/expenses with its Approval Management system.

TripLog Features

Below is a list of the features included in the free plan and the Enterprise plan of TripLog:

TripLog Free plan includes:

• Auto mileage tracking
• Track all business expenses
• Actual driving route on Google Maps
• Track up to 5 vehicles

TripLog Enterprise plan includes:

• Employee reimbursement
• Expense approval management
• Real-time vehicles location monitoring
• Integrates with Concur, QuickBooks
• Upload receipts

TripLog was built for businesses with small and large teams that need to track miles and expenses so that they can quickly be reimbursed. The Approval Management component allows employees to submit trips for reimbursement using the mobile app or on the website. Once the trips have been submitted, the supervisor can easily review & approve those trips for payment.

TripLog Pricing

• Free plan
• Basic – $2 per driver/month
• Professional – $3 per driver/month
• Enterprise plan – $5 per driver/month

Similar to its competitors, TripLog offers a free plan and several paid plans. The Enterprise plan is the paid plan that we recommend.

When it comes to price, TripLog Enterprise ($5/month) costs a little less than MileIQ, Hurdlr & Sherpashare ($5.99/driver/month) and a whole lot less than QuickBooks Self-Employed ($10/month). In addition, TripLog comes with a lot of “bells and whistles” that none of the other companies offered.

What TripLog is Missing

One disadvantage to TripLog is that it will take a bit longer than MileIQ to get your team up and running. The person who will be the administrator must set up the features that will be used by drivers who access the app. However, this is a one-time setup process unless you decide to turn on/off features in the future, and is still a great option for a business team.

Visit TripLog

The Bottom Line – Best Mileage Tracker App

If you are a business owner or freelancer who occasionally travels to your client’s offices, any of the free versions offered by MileIQ, Hurdlr or TripLog will work just fine. However, if you are a “road warrior” who needs an app that goes beyond tracking miles, we recommend Hurdlr or QuickBooks Self-Employed.

If you are a Partnership, S-Corp or C-Corp looking for not only the best mileage tracker app but also an accounting solution, you will not be able to use QuickBooks Self-Employed; QuickBooks Online is going to be your best bet. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial to check it out.

Visit QuickBooks Self-Employed