Best Spendesk alternatives for advanced spend management

Why companies explore alternatives to Spendesk

Lightweight tools work fine when your team is small, but growth changes everything. Once you pass roughly 30 to 50 employees, gaps start to show, your ERP syncs break, approvals pile up, and clear spend visibility becomes harder to achieve:

There are typically some clear signals once you’ve outgrown your setup. Here are some of the biggest:

• You need deeper ERP integrations. Two-way data flow keeps entries clean, supports compliance, and keeps the month-end moving
• You’re struggling with multi-entity operations. If you’re managing subsidiaries across regions, manual consolidation slows reporting and raises the risk of errors
• You’re waiting too long for support. When issues hit, slow replies create friction your team can’t afford. You need people who know the product and act fast.
• You need stronger budgeting tools and card controls. Category-level rules, per diems, and real-time budget tracking call for something more capable

This is often the 'aha moment' when finance teams realise the blocker isn’t their process, but the tools they use that can't keep up.

What to look for in a complete spend management solution

As you scale, you need spend management that keeps control tight and cash flow predictable.

The right platform improves compliance, sharpens visibility across every entity, and gives you the clarity to make faster decisions.

If your organisation is growing, here are seven features you should look out for in a new spend management solution:

1. Real-time, bi-directional ERP integrations. Bi-directional integrations open the door to fast reporting capabilities and reconciliation. You’ll get more accurate inventory control and can auto-eliminate duplicate data entry and errors. Plus, real-time insights mean all stakeholders can make decisions confidently, all while improving operational transparency.
2. Multi-entity visibility and control. Having a unified view of all entity spending isn’t something you can compromise on as you scale. Finance teams are already pretty busy, so expecting them to manage additional entities or subsidiaries through multiple tools is a time-waster.
3. Customisable approval workflows. No organisation is the same, which means you need the ability to create custom approval workflows to closely control spend without being overbearing. Create approval workflows for different expense types or spending limits.
4. Advanced budgeting and spend limits. You can leave your concerns about overspending at the door, because it’s not even a consideration when you get your hands on advanced budgeting tools. Set precise budgets per department, individual, or category to prevent overspending. And don't even get close to overspending with real-time budget threshold alerts. No one likes a financial surprise, so enforcing spending limits per project is a must as you grow and people and processes multiply.
5. Scalable employee and team management. As new employees emerge and others leave the organisation, you need a more scalable way of managing this shift. Don’t rely on manual add & remove user processes; instead, bulk add staff and auto- remove leaves via your spend management software to save time and remove fraud risks.
6. Embedded card and credit options. Integrating both virtual and physical cards into your spend management solution means you can instantly track all transactions (making for accountable spending), and you can tick those pesky manual reimbursement chores off your to-do list.
7. Fast, responsive customer support. Let's be honest, the software is only as good as those training you on it, ensuring you maximise its value while helping you troubleshoot your queries quickly and efficiently. You shouldn’t undervalue the importance of responsive customer support.

If you’re missing three or four of these capabilities today, you’re already operating with built-in blind spots. That’s when a more complete platform becomes the obvious next step.

Payhawk: Scalable, all-in-one spend management

Payhawk is built for scaling mid-market and enterprise finance teams that need more than basic expense tracking. Unlike tools that focus primarily on SMEs, Payhawk provides multi-entity visibility, advanced ERP integrations, and automated compliance: all features critical once you’re managing complex structures.

Yes, switching finance tools can feel risky. Think: migration, adoption, disruption… But what if the switch actually saved your finance team an entire week of manual work every month?

That is what companies like Powens, Kolsquare, and Aventum Group experienced after moving from limited expense software to Payhawk. Stéphane Muller, Head of Finance at Powens, says:

Payhawk promised us a smooth transition, and it delivered. The native ERP integration and multi-entity management changed our daily work.

Mid-market and enterprise finance teams need more than basic expense tracking. They need automation, real-time ERP integrations, and centralised visibility across every entity.

Payhawk is built for that scale. It’s the modern, enterprise-ready platform that gives finance teams control without complexity, turning spend management into a strategic advantage.

Fast implementation and measurable ROI

If you want results quickly, Payhawk makes it easy. Most customers go live in under 30 days.

The return on investment typically occurs within six months, as automation replaces manual data entry and accelerates month-end processes.

Finance teams save about 44 hours every month. Two days during closing and another three to four on banking and reconciliation.

That’s almost a full week back every month to focus on insights, not admin.

Deep, bi-directional integrations with ERPs like NetSuite, Dynamics, and Xero

If your ERP is the source of truth, your spend platform needs to speak the same language. Payhawk connects natively with NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Xero, Odoo, DATEV, and Exact Online.

The two-way sync keeps ledgers, expenses, and reports aligned automatically. It prevents reconciliation errors and duplicate entries. The result is cleaner data, faster reporting, and full audit readiness.

Multi-entity visibility and centralised control

If you’re scaling, you need clarity across every entity. Payhawk gives you a group dashboard with real-time visibility across all entities, currencies, and teams.

You can approve expenses, allocate budgets, and manage suppliers from one central place (without switching between tabs and tools).

Through using Payhawk, the insurance company, Aventum Group, has 100% real-time spend visibility across 11 entities and multiple currencies. Tim Green, Head of Finance Transformation at Aventum Group, says:

As we scale, we need systems that scale with us. We’ve rolled out Payhawk to all businesses across the UK, Ireland, and the USA. It’s really helped us scale, as we can easily add new companies, credit cards, employees, etc., and just keep moving.

Custom workflows and flexible fields

Your teams work differently, so your approvals should too. Payhawk lets you build custom workflows by department, spend limit, or entity. You can update them instantly as your structure shifts, giving you flexibility that supports tight control (without slowing anyone down).

Flexible, customisable workflows and fields

If you want spending to stay compliant, you need workflows that match how your business actually runs. Payhawk lets you tailor policies to each expense type, team, or amount.
It stops unauthorised spend early and speeds up approvals because the right person always signs off. And as your organisation evolves, you can adjust your workflows just as fast.

Embedded cards with real-time policy control

If you want control built into every purchase, Payhawk cards make it easy.

• Issue virtual or physical cards instantly
• Set rules by merchant, location, or spend limit
• Missing receipts? Set cards to auto-freeze until they’re submitted. (Ensuring compliance stays on track without manual chasing).

Embedded cards with advanced control

You want spending to stay fast and controlled. Payhawk lets you set clear spend policies and apply individual or team-level rules such as merchant or geographic limits. People can buy what they need without waiting for approvals, and funds never sit blocked for no reason. If someone falls behind on submitting expenses, Payhawk pauses their card automatically. It keeps the process moving and reinforces accountability without extra work for finance.

Real-time budget tracking and automated payments

You need predictable budgets and on-time payments. Payhawk shows budgets by department, project, or entity in real time, so you always know where spend stands. Recurring expenses run automatically, and vendors get paid on schedule. If a budget is close to its limit, you get an instant alert. It brings visibility and predictability together in one place.

Real-time budget tracking with automation for recurring expenses

You want clear insight into what teams are spending right now, not weeks later. Payhawk gives you real-time budget tracking so finance can compare planned versus actual spend instantly. Automating recurring expenses means suppliers are always paid on time, and scheduled payment notifications tell you exactly when money will leave your accounts. This gives you the confidence to adjust budgets quickly, move funds where needed, and avoid overspending.

Prevention of duplicate supplier entries

You make decisions based on your master data, so it needs to be accurate. Payhawk runs automatic checks to catch errors and duplicate supplier entries before they cause problems. It reduces the risk of fraud, improves payment accuracy, and helps maintain stronger supplier relationships.

Fast implementation and hands-on support

You want a setup that moves quickly and doesn’t drain your team. At Payhawk, most customers complete the technical activation in fifteen to twenty days and only need a couple of calls to get there. Larger or more
complex organisations take a little longer, but the phased roll-out keeps everything smooth with minimal disruption.

Our implementation team does the heavy lifting. You get a welcome call, a technical kick-off, and hands-on sessions where we set up your account together, connect your ERP, map your GL, build workflows, and test everything live.

During implementation, your finance team only needs the right people in the room and the policies they already use. We guide everything else. Data comes in through our native ERP syncs, HRIS connections, or bulk import templates so your master data is accurate from day one.

Once the setup is approved, we move into hyper-care and stay close while you roll out Payhawk to the wider team. Live training sessions, a dedicated account manager, and quick-response support mean your people get answers fast.

Here’s what you can expect during onboarding:

• A clear project plan aligned to your goals
• Technical setup done together, live, with our team
• Native ERP integrations syncing master data automatically
• Bulk import templates for users, cards, VAT, and custom fields
• Live product training for key users and employees
• A hyper-care phase to ensure a smooth go-live
• Ongoing support in under a minute, plus a dedicated account manager

The biggest surprise for most teams? This entire process takes less time than fixing the same problems manually every month.

And the experience speaks for itself. Andrew Mowbray, Finance Manager at The World Federation of Advertisers, says:

It’s really important for me to know that there is good customer support if I need it. With Payhawk, I know I’m going to get help quickly, which is a huge relief.

Payhawk is built to be intuitive, but you’re never left to figure things out alone. From the first call to full rollout, our team is there to make sure your setup is clean, your data is right, and your people hit the ground running.

Other Spendesk alternatives worth exploring

What other Spendesk competitors are out there? If you’re still weighing your options, it helps to see how other tools compare on day-to-day use, scalability, and control. Spend management isn’t one size fits all, and different platforms lean into different strengths. Here are five other alternatives to consider:

Pleo: Streamline expense tracking

Regardless of team size, Pleo helps you simplify expense tracking across the organisation. Particularly useful is its digital wallet linked to bank accounts, which helps centralise company funds. Pleo is known for its quick onboarding and user-friendly app.

Expensify: Simplify expense reporting

If you’re a small team with travelling employees, Expensify could be a good choice for you. From within the platform, you can oversee expenses, invoices, card transactions, and travel bookings.

Airbase: Control spend with full visibility

Improve financial control and compliance with custom workflows from Airbase. Customers particularly like its consolidated spend visibility and tight control over company spend from within its single platform.

Brex: A comprehensive spend management solution for SMEs

Centralise company spending while automating and simplifying expense management through enforced spend policies, receipt matching and streamlining your expense approval process with an AI-powered solution, Brex.

Rydoo: A user-friendly interface with global reach

A travel and expense tool with ERP and HR integrations, improving the user experience with AI technology and a smart mobile app. Rydoo helps finance teams gain full spend visibility and control across the entire organisation.

Choosing the right solution for your finance team

Still a bit confused about which solution is best for your organisation? Ask yourself the following questions to help you get a clear understanding of what it is you need out of your spend management software, both now and into the future.

• Are you managing multiple entities or currencies?
• Do you need deeper ERP sync and real-time data?
• Is flexibility in workflows and approvals a must?
• Do you want to reduce manual effort and improve the month-end close?

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, it’s probably worth exploring a new solution like Payhawk. You can book a personalised product demo to see exactly how we add value to your financial processes.

Scale effortlessly by ditching manual processes and embracing full spend visibility

Payhawk gives finance teams the visibility, control, and support they need to scale — tap into advanced multi-entity support features, ensure every single cardholder has accountability for their spending, and automatically enforce spend policy compliance.

If you’re outgrowing your current platform, it’s time to explore a more complete alternative. Once teams see real-time visibility, clean data, and a week of manual work gone, it’s hard to imagine going back to the old way of working.

Ready to see how Payhawk compares in your exact setup? Book a personalised demo, and our team will map your current processes against Payhawk, letting you see the time saved and ROI before you shortlist your next solution.