Zoho Expense Review: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

I evaluated each retail accounting system based on how well it supports real retail workflows, including inventory tracking, sales activity, and day-to-day financial management. I focused on what actually works in practice — how transactions flow, how inventory connects to accounting, and how easy it is to manage operations without extra tools.

• General features: I reviewed how each system handles core accounting tasks like general ledger, banking, accounts receivable, accounts payable, sales tax, and financial reporting. I gave more weight to platforms that deliver reliable, complete accounting without requiring workarounds.
• Retail-specific features: I examined tools that directly support retail operations, including inventory management, sales tax tracking, and POS integration. I prioritized systems that keep inventory and financial data aligned in real time.
• Pricing: I compared monthly costs, user limits, and feature availability across plans. I looked closely at whether key retail features are included in entry-level tiers or locked behind upgrades.
• Ease of use: I assessed how quickly a non-accountant can complete common tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting. I focused on navigation clarity and how much setup is required to get started.
• Customer support: I reviewed available support channels, including phone, chat, email, and help documentation, to see how easily users can get assistance when needed.
• User reviews: I analyzed average ratings from trusted review platforms to understand how each system performs in real-world use.

Zoho Expense uses OCR technology for receipt scanning. You can upload receipts using your mobile device or through the web interface. What I like about the receipt scanning tool is that it supports various formats, including physical receipt photos, PDFs, and email receipts.

The web interface is easy to use, but I love the mobile app even more. I was able to upload a receipt easily, and the software instantly created a digital transaction. I could also make any necessary edits.

Editing an expense entry through the Zoho Expense mobile app

Zoho Expense allows you to forward receipt emails directly to your Zoho Expense account. You’ll receive a unique receipt forwarding email address, and when the receipt is forwarded, the system automatically scans and converts it into an expense entry. Currently, Zoho Expenses integrates with Zoho Mail, Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook for this feature.

You’ll appreciate Zoho Expense’s mileage tracker if you often travel for work or business-related purposes. While you can manually log your odometer reading, you can use the GPS tracker to track your trips automatically. You only need to activate the GPS feature at the start of your trip and end it upon arrival. The app will then automatically calculate the distance traveled and your expenses.

For managers, Zoho Expense also provides an analytics report that shows the mileage each employee or user has logged.

Mileage Expense by User report in Zoho Expense (Source: Zoho Expense)

To help you accelerate the approval process, you can create customizable workflows based on your specific needs. For example, you can set up a workflow that routes expenses to different approvers depending on the expense amount or specific approvers within specific teams or departments. You can also route expenses to certain project managers if you manage projects.

The dashboard is available in the Admin view. Companies can delegate certain employees with the Admin role so that they can oversee everything in the expense reporting and reimbursement process. Only users with the Admin role can add Submitters, Approvers, or other Admins.

On the dashboard, you can see an overview of everything that’s happening, from pending trips to pending reports and unreported advances.

Admin dashboard in Zoho Expense

Once submitted for approval, the approver will see the report on their end. After viewing the report, the approver may reject it and enter the reason for rejection in the pop-up textbox window. Once rejected, the report will be categorized as “Rejected.” The accountable person may re-submit the report after addressing the reason for rejection.

If the user doesn’t have a corporate card, the reimbursement must be made manually. Otherwise, all expenses charged to the corporate card will feed into Zoho Expense’s approval and reimbursements automatically.

Once an expense report is approved, managers can easily process the reimbursement through the Record Reimbursement page. Once done, the report’s status will be marked “Reimbursed.”

You can record advances if you need to track advanced funds provided to your employees. There’s a dedicated Advance tab in your dashboard where you can enter important information, including the employee receiving the advance and the total amount. You may also apply the advance to a specific trip if needed.

Recording an advance in Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense has a mobile app that can be downloaded from App Store or Google Play. The app contains the same features as the web version. Through it, submitters can use mileage tracking to monitor travel expenses and submit payments and reports for faster reporting of expenses.

Zoho Expense is focused on tracking, approving, and reimbursing employee expenses, while Zoho Books is bookkeeping software that tracks assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses to produce financial reports like an income statement or a balance sheet. Both are apps within the Zoho environment.

Aside from the 5 GB receipt storage and maximum limit of three users, features like travel requests, approval flows, and budgeting are unavailable. The free tier is suitable for mom-and-pop shops, freelancers, solopreneurs, and startups.