Buying guide
Expense report software: how to choose when you run everything yourself
Updated August 2026
Most expense report software is built for finance teams controlling the spending of dozens of employees. A freelancer, a tradesperson or a very small business does not have that problem: they have a pile of receipts, VAT to reclaim and an accountant expecting something clean at the end of the month. Here are the criteria that matter in that situation, and what ScanCompta does on each one.
Six criteria that actually decide
Capture in under ten seconds
The one criterion that decides whether a tool is actually used. If saving a receipt takes three screens, the paperwork ends up in a shoebox. In ScanCompta you take the photo, the AI reads amount, VAT, date and category, you confirm.
An export your accountant can use
A good export carries the columns a practice expects — date, supplier, gross, VAT, category, type — plus the receipt images. ScanCompta emails the CSV and the files, by month and by folder.
Sorting by client or project
Rebilling expenses or isolating one job means filing each expense somewhere. ScanCompta folders are picked at scan time and act as a filter everywhere in the app, right through to the export.
Mileage built in
Many tools handle receipts but leave trips aside. Here a journey is entered without a photo, at your rate, and joins the same list and the same export as receipts.
Works offline
Basement job, car park, dead zone: scans are queued and synced when the network returns. The app installs on the home screen, on iPhone and Android alike.
Readable pricing, no per-seat cost
Enterprise suites bill per employee per month with a minimum base. For a freelancer, ScanCompta stays at €5.99 per month or €57 per year, unlimited scans, no commitment.
Test the extraction on a receipt
Nothing beats trying it. Upload a photo of a receipt: the reading below is exactly what the app does.
Try the scan live
No account needed. Nothing is stored.
No account needed. Nothing is stored.
What ScanCompta does not do
Better said up front: if you need one of these, a corporate spend management suite will suit you better.
- Multi-level approval workflows
- Spend policies per department with caps
- Corporate cards reconciled automatically
- HRIS or payroll integrations for dozens of employees
What it costs
Frequently asked questions
Which expense report software should a freelancer choose?
For a freelancer or a very small business it comes down to four things: capturing a receipt in under ten seconds from the phone, getting the amount, VAT and date read automatically, sorting expenses by client or project, and producing an export an accountant can actually use. Suites built for teams of dozens of employees add approval workflows and a per-user price that bring nothing in this context.
Is there a free expense report app?
Most apps offer a free tier capped on the number of receipts or on export features. ScanCompta gives you 5 free scans per month with no card required; beyond that, the Pro plan is €5.99 per month or €57 per year and removes the scan limit.
Is a photographed receipt a valid supporting document?
A photo makes bookkeeping far easier, but the legal value of a digital copy depends on scanning rules set by your tax authority. To stay safe, keep the paper originals or have your accountant validate your process.
How do I send my expenses to my accountant?
The monthly export produces a CSV file (date, supplier, gross amount, VAT, category, expense type, folder) together with the receipt images, emailed to the recipient of your choice. You can restrict the export to one client folder or one period.
Are mileage expenses supported?
Yes. A trip is entered without a photo: distance, purpose and rate. The amount is computed automatically and appears in the lists and in the export alongside receipts, with an expense-type column to tell them apart.