Expense Management
Spendesk
EU-Made Report an error0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.
by Spendesk SAS · www.spendesk.com
Compare with Pleo → Report an error on this page Is this your product? →
Link to this page
Add ?theme=dark to the image address for dark backgrounds.
The badge shows the category and the month of the latest evaluation, and EU-Made where
that is the product’s provenance. It never shows a score.
Spendesk at a glance
- Vendor
- Spendesk SAS
- Headquarters
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 28 Oct 2026
- Data hosting
- Default not stated; pages mention the EU source, captured 28 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 28 Oct 2026
- Panel verdict
- The AI panel rates Spendesk 3.5/5, the mean of 6 judges. Spendesk, a spend-management platform from Spendesk SAS of Paris, scores strongest on cards: cards and spend control holds the bench's only flat 8, for physical, single-use and subscription virtual Visa cards with per-card limits, budgets that update the moment a request is approved, and issuers named and licensed per region. how scores are made
- As of
- Vendor pages captured 28 Oct 2026; evaluated by the panel 29 Oct 2026. all sources
Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.
The panel's verdict
Spendesk, a spend-management platform from Spendesk SAS of Paris, scores strongest on cards: cards and spend control holds the bench's only flat 8, for physical, single-use and subscription virtual Visa cards with per-card limits, budgets that update the moment a request is approved, and issuers named and licensed per region. Approval and policy clusters at 7-8 — the tax adviser's 7 cites no public information on deputies or escalation and multi-condition workflows in a paid add-on. Receipt capture and accounting export sit at 6-7: automatic receipt reading and a dedicated DATEV integration are documented; we found no public information on substitute receipts, GoBD-compliant scanning or receipt images reaching DATEV. Reimbursement and VAT is a flat 6 — German per diems and UK/French mileage are automated, with no public information on meal deductions or foreign VAT reclaim. Sovereignty clusters at 7-8: EU hosting named as Dublin on AWS, a published subprocessor list and ISO 27001:2022, against a US-headquartered host and undocumented ownership — the range turns on how heavily those weigh. Pricing is quote-only; its score is not counted here.
Speaks for it
- Physical, single-use and subscription virtual Visa cards with per-card limits and budgets that update on approval drew the bench's only flat 8.
- A visual approval builder with unlimited combinations checks policy the moment payment details are entered and flags out-of-policy spend before approval, scoring 7-8.
- A dedicated DATEV integration exports purchase and bank journals as CSV, with a native NetSuite connector and chart-of-accounts sync to the ERP.
- Reimbursements are paid directly from the platform, with German per diems and UK/French mileage rates calculated automatically and trip reports generated.
- Sovereignty scores 7-8: personal data hosted in the EU with the data centre named as Dublin, Ireland on AWS, a published subprocessor list, a data processing agreement and ISO 27001:2022.
Held against it
- Reimbursement and VAT sits at a flat 6, with no public information on meal deductions, per-rate VAT splits or foreign VAT reclaim.
- Receipt capture scores 6-7, with no public information on a substitute receipt for lost originals or GoBD-compliant replacement scanning.
- Accounting export stops at 6-7: we found no public information on receipt images travelling to DATEV, a GoBD-compliant archive or webhooks.
- Sovereignty caveats: the hosting provider is US-headquartered, subprocessor locations are not enumerated on the pages we read, and ownership is undocumented.
- We found no public information on live feeds from a company's existing bank cards running alongside the Spendesk cards.
Best for
- You want to hand teams physical and virtual company cards and police them by amount, merchant category and time — the bench's flat 8.
- You need approvals routed by spend type, cost centre and amount, with policy checked at payment time and an exportable audit trail.
- You run DATEV or NetSuite and want purchase and bank journals as CSV, with bookkeeping status written back and the chart of accounts in sync.
- You want reimbursements triggered and paid in-platform, with German per diems and UK/French mileage automated.
Avoid if
- You need a computable annual cost before a sales conversation — no price figures are public and the only route is a quote request.
- You expect multi-entity management or advanced dynamic-approver workflows in the base package — the pages place them in paid add-ons, unpriced.
- You require a processing chain free of US-headquartered providers — the host is AWS, and UK and US customers are served through Adyen, Wise, Sutton Bank and Dwolla.
- Your travel reimbursements hinge on meal deductions, per-rate VAT splits or foreign VAT reclaim — the documented automation covers German per diems and UK/French mileage, and we found no public information beyond that.
The scores
| Criterion | Panel median |
|---|---|
| Receipt capture & expense claims | 3 of 5 |
| Company cards & spend control | 4 of 5 |
| Approval workflows & expense policy | 4 of 5 |
| Reimbursement, travel allowances & VAT | 3 of 5 |
| Accounting handoff & DATEV | 3.5 of 5 |
| European sovereignty | 3.5 of 5 |
Receipt capture & expense claims
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How an expense gets into the system: a mobile app that photographs receipts, text recognition (OCR) that reads amount, date, merchant and VAT, receipts forwarded by email or pulled from suppliers, claims for out-of-pocket spending in any currency, mileage and trip entries, a substitute receipt (Eigenbeleg) when the original is lost, and duplicate detection.
0 — Not an expense capture tool; receipts and claims cannot be recorded in the product.
3 — Receipts uploaded as photos or files and attached to an expense by hand; text recognition, email capture or claims in other currencies are basic or not described.
5 — A mobile app that captures receipts with text recognition reading amount, date and merchant, receipts forwarded by email, expense claims for out-of-pocket spending submitted from the app, and foreign currencies converted.
8 — Extraction of VAT rates and amounts and line items, receipts collected automatically from email inboxes or named suppliers, duplicate and fraud checks on submission, a substitute receipt for lost originals, mileage with route calculation, and replacement scanning (ersetzendes Scannen) stated as GoBD-compliant so paper originals may be discarded.
10 — Capture without employee effort: e-receipts delivered directly by travel and merchant partners, extraction accuracy or review process published, a certified scanning procedure (for example an audit report to IDW PS 880 or a TÜV certificate) named, and every receipt traceable from capture to booking.
The Travelling Employee
Photograph a receipt and be done is documented: the app reads receipt photos automatically, VAT extraction and expense account allocation are automated, and receipts or invoices forwarded by email are attached by the bot, with duplicates, errors and missing receipts flagged early. Out-of-pocket claims go in from the mobile app the moment they happen, cash or card, and employees track the claim's progress. We found no public information on a substitute receipt for lost originals, mileage with route calculation, or replacement scanning stated as GoBD-compliant, so I stop short of the top level. 2 3 5 11 12 17
The Office Manager
Employees snap a receipt in the app and the key details are read automatically, VAT extraction and expense account allocation are automated, and forwarding a receipt by email to the Marvin bot attaches it to the right payment; out-of-pocket claims go in from the app the moment they happen. Duplicates, errors and missing receipts are flagged early, and the captured pages give figures of 95% and 98% for receipts collected. We found no public information on currency conversion of claims, a substitute receipt for lost originals, or a GoBD-compliant scanning procedure. 2 3 11 17
The Controller
The mobile app photographs a receipt and reads the key details automatically, VAT extraction and expense-account allocation are automated, forwarded emails land on the right payment via their bot, and duplicates, errors and missing receipts are flagged early with personal purchases markable in-app. That covers most of what I need before a claim reaches an approver; we found no public information on a substitute receipt for lost originals, mileage with route calculation, or a certified replacement scanning procedure. 2 3 11 15 17
The Finance Lead
Employees snap a receipt in the app and the key details are read automatically, VAT extraction and expense-account allocation are automated, duplicates, errors and missing receipts are flagged early, and invoices forwarded by email are attached to their payment by the Marvin bot — that is well past manual upload. I found no public information on foreign-currency claims with conversion, a substitute receipt for lost originals, line-item extraction or GoBD-compliant replacement scanning. For daily capture this works; for the audit questions I still have homework. 2 3 11 17
The Tax Adviser
The mobile app photographs a receipt and reads the key data automatically, receipts forwarded by email are attached to the payment by a bot, VAT is extracted, and duplicates, errors and missing receipts are flagged early — German per diem trip reports are even generated automatically. I found no public information on a substitute receipt for a lost original or on replacement scanning being GoBD-compliant, so my clients must keep the paper originals until the vendor states otherwise. 2 11 17
The Skeptic
A mobile app photographs receipts and the app reads the key details automatically, receipts can be forwarded by email to a bot that attaches them to payments, out-of-pocket claims are submitted from the app, and VAT extraction and duplicate detection are described. The captured pages give no word on where the reading happens, on mileage with route calculation, on a substitute receipt for lost originals, or on a scanning rule that would let you discard paper. 2 3 11 17
Company cards & spend control
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How spending is controlled before it happens: physical and virtual company cards with limits, single-use and subscription cards, limits by amount, merchant category and time, budgets per team or project, real-time notifications and receipt reminders — or, for a product that issues no cards of its own, live feeds from the company's existing cards with automatic receipt matching. The issuing institution and its licence count where cards are issued.
0 — Neither issues cards nor reads card transactions; only out-of-pocket claims exist.
3 — Card transactions imported from a statement file or a single feed and matched by hand, or a card offer with fixed limits; budgets, reminders and controls are basic or not described.
5 — Either own physical and virtual cards with per-card limits, freezing and real-time notifications, or live feeds from named corporate card schemes or banks with automatic matching of receipts to transactions; spending visible as it happens and employees reminded to submit receipts.
8 — Cards for every employee with limits by amount, merchant category and period, single-use and subscription cards, budgets per team or project that cards draw from, pre-approval of a purchase before the card is charged, feeds from existing bank cards beside the own cards, and the issuing institution and licence named.
10 — Spend control across the company: multi-entity and multi-currency card accounts, budgets and policies enforced at the moment of payment, card spend reconciled to the statement automatically, safeguarding of funds and credit terms stated, and cards and transaction history portable to another provider.
The Travelling Employee
This is the heart of the offer and it is named: Visa debit cards issued in the EEA by Spendesk Financial Services, a French payment institution licensed by the ACPR (Adyen in the UK, Sutton Bank in the US), unlimited physical cards plus single-use and recurring virtual ones, blocks by merchant category, day and time, ATM and contactless toggles, one-click freezing, real-time notifications and automatic missing-receipt reminders. Budgets update the moment a request is approved, a pre-approval limit above which sign-off is needed is part of the policy template, and the policy is checked the moment payment information is entered. We found no public information on live feeds from the company's existing bank cards alongside the own cards. 3 5 9 13 14 15
The Office Manager
Physical and virtual cards come in four types including single-use and recurring ones for subscriptions, with budgets, blocks by time, day and merchant category, and ATM or contactless toggles; a card outside my rules simply will not work, and declined transactions are visible. Budgets update moment by moment with live views by team and cost centre, missing-receipt reminders go out automatically, and the issuers are named with licences — Spendesk Financial Services under ACPR number 17518 in the EEA, Adyen in the UK, Sutton Bank in the US. We found no public information on feeds from our existing bank cards. 3 5 13 14 11
The Controller
Four card types including single-use and subscription cards, limits by amount, merchant category, time and day, ATM and contactless toggles, budgets the cards draw from, and live spend visibility by team and cost centre with declined transactions shown — and out-of-policy cards simply do not work. The issuer and licence are named for each region including their own French payment institution licensed by the ACPR; we found no public information on feeding transactions from the company's existing bank cards. 3 5 13 14 9 2
The Finance Lead
Visa debit cards — physical, single-use, recurring-virtual and for subscriptions — come with budgets, blocks by merchant category, day and time, ATM and contactless toggles, one-click freezing, visible declined transactions and 3DS on every payment, all drawing on team and cost-centre budgets that update the moment a request is approved; the issuers and licences are named, with Spendesk Financial Services licensed by the ACPR in the EEA. Policy is checked the moment payment information is entered, approvable from the phone. I found no public information on live feeds from our existing bank cards alongside their own — for a company banking with three houses that gap matters to me. 3 5 9 13 14
The Tax Adviser
Unlimited physical, single-use and subscription virtual Visa cards with budgets, blocks by merchant category, time and day, ATM and contactless toggles, real-time declines outside policy, and budgets that update the moment a request is approved; the issuers and licences are named (Spendesk Financial Services under ACPR number 17518 in the EEA, Adyen in the UK, Sutton Bank in the US). We found no public information on live feeds from the company's existing bank cards. 3 5 9 13
The Skeptic
Physical and virtual Visa cards, single-use and subscription cards, per-card limits by amount, merchant category and time, budgets with sub-budgets that update the moment a request is approved, real-time notifications and missing-receipt reminders — and unusually, every issuer is named with its licence: a French payment institution supervised by the ACPR in the EEA, Adyen in the UK and Sutton Bank in the US. What the captured pages do not show is a live feed from the company's existing bank cards beside the own cards. 3 5 9 13 14
Approval workflows & expense policy
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How the company's rules are applied: approval chains by amount, team, cost centre or project, delegation and deputies, an expense policy with limits per category and per country that the product checks, pre-approval of trips and purchases, roles and permissions, multi-entity set-ups, and an audit trail of who approved and changed what.
0 — No approval step; every expense goes straight to export or payment.
3 — A single approver per employee or one sign-off step; policy rules, deputies and audit history are basic or not described.
5 — Multi-step approval flows configurable by amount, team or cost centre, an expense policy with limits per category that flags violations, approval from the mobile app, and a history of who approved what.
8 — Rule-based routing by amount, project, cost centre and entity with deputies and escalation, policy checks before submission (limits per country, per diem rules, duplicates), pre-approval of trips or purchases, granular roles and permissions, several legal entities in one account, and an exportable audit trail.
10 — Controls that stand up to an audit: anomaly and fraud detection with its rules explained, separation of duties enforced, country-specific policies maintained centrally, every change to a claim versioned and attributed, and control reports offered to auditors.
The Travelling Employee
A visual workflow builder sets approval paths by spend type, cost centre, expense category, analytical fields and amount with unlimited combinations, policies are tailored by seniority and role, out-of-policy spend is flagged before approval and card activity can be blocked for users who exceed limits. Managers approve in one tap on mobile with merchant, amount and category context, several legal entities sit in one account with organisation-level cost centres, and finance gets an audit path for every reimbursement with exportable transaction logs noted for audits. We found no public information on deputies and escalation, or on policy limits per country. 2 5 9 12 13 16 17
The Office Manager
A visual builder routes approvals by spend type, cost centre, category, analytical field and amount, policies can be tailored by seniority and role, and the published expense policy template includes a pre-approval threshold and personal-expense rules. The policy is checked the moment payment information is entered, out-of-policy spend is flagged before approval, managers approve in one tap on mobile, and card activity can be blocked for users exceeding limits. Cost centres can sit at organisation level across entities, and finance receives an audit path for every reimbursement; we found no public information on deputies and escalation or per-country limits. 13 15 2 16 17
The Controller
The visual workflow builder routes approvals by amount, cost centre, analytical fields and spend type, checks policy the moment payment information is entered, shows limits to employees before they submit, flags out-of-policy spend to the right approver, and can block card activity for policy breaches. Multi-entity set-ups with organisation-level cost centres across the group and an exportable audit trail are documented; we found no public information on deputies and escalation. 13 2 17 16 5 12
The Finance Lead
A visual builder offers unlimited approval combinations routed by spend type, cost centre, category, analytical field and amount, policies are tailored by seniority and role, out-of-policy spend is flagged before approval and card activity can be blocked for repeat offenders, managers approve on the phone in one tap, and finance gets an audit path per reimbursement. Multi-entity workflows and the advanced dynamic-approver roles sit in paid add-ons rather than the base. I found no public information on deputies or escalation when an approver is absent. 2 5 12 13 16 17
The Tax Adviser
A visual workflow builder routes approvals by spend type, cost centre, category and amount, policy limits are checked in real time with mobile approval, out-of-policy claims are flagged before approval and card activity can be blocked, several entities sit in one account, and finance gets an audit path per reimbursement. Deputies and escalation steps are not described, and the advanced multi-condition workflows sit in a paid add-on. 2 5 13 17
The Skeptic
A visual builder routes approvals by spend type, cost centre, category and amount with unlimited combinations, the system checks policy the moment payment details are entered and flags out-of-policy spend before approval, purchases above a pre-approval limit require sign-off first, roles are granular, several legal entities run in one account, and an exportable audit trail is stated. Deputies and escalation paths are not described anywhere in the captures. 2 5 13 15 16
Reimbursement, travel allowances & VAT
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How the employee gets money back and the company gets the tax right: reimbursement of approved claims by bank transfer or a SEPA payment file, mileage allowances and per diems at statutory rates per country (Verpflegungspauschalen, Kilometerpauschale, meal deductions), taxable and tax-free reimbursements separated for payroll, the input VAT captured per receipt for the deduction, and foreign VAT reclaimed.
0 — No reimbursement of employees; the product covers company cards only and out-of-pocket spending is out of its scope.
3 — Out-of-pocket claims recorded and paid back outside the product by hand; travel allowances and VAT handling are basic or not described.
5 — Approved claims reimbursed through the product or a SEPA payment file, mileage and per diems at configurable rates, and the VAT rate and amount captured per receipt for the input-tax deduction.
8 — Statutory per diems and mileage rates per country maintained by the vendor (German travel expense law named), meal deductions and multi-day trips calculated, reimbursement in several currencies within a stated time, VAT split per rate and receipts checked for the invoice requirements of the deduction, and foreign VAT reclaim offered or integrated with a named partner.
10 — Travel expense law and VAT handled end to end: country rules kept current with a stated process, taxable reimbursements passed to payroll, foreign VAT reclaim filed with the recovered amounts reported, and every reimbursement traceable to the claim and the rule that produced it.
The Travelling Employee
Approved claims are paid out directly from the platform rather than a bank account, employees see on their dashboard when they will be paid back, and German per diems are calculated automatically with auto-generated trip reports, alongside UK and French mileage rates including electric cars. VAT is extracted from receipts for the deduction. We found no public information on meal deductions and multi-day calculations, reimbursement in several currencies or a stated payout time, VAT split by rate, or foreign VAT reclaim, so the statutory-rate automation is real but the picture stops short of end-to-end travel expense law. 2 5 11 12 17
The Office Manager
Reimbursements are triggered directly in Spendesk with funds sent from the platform rather than the bank, employees can see when they will be paid back, and German per diems plus UK and French mileage rates, including electric cars, are calculated automatically with auto-generated trip reports. VAT extraction is automated per receipt. We found no public information on meal deductions, reimbursement currencies or a stated payment timeframe, or foreign VAT reclaim. 12 17 2 11
The Controller
German per diems are calculated automatically with auto-generated trip reports, UK and French mileage rates including electric cars are handled, reimbursement is triggered directly in the platform and traceable to payment, and VAT is extracted per receipt for the deduction. We found no public information on meal deductions, the treatment of taxable reimbursements in payroll, or foreign VAT reclaim. 2 5 12 17 11
The Finance Lead
German per diems are calculated with auto-generated trip reports, UK and French mileage rates including electric cars are handled, VAT is extracted per receipt, and reimbursements are triggered and paid straight from the platform with employees able to see when they will be paid back. I found no public information on meal deductions and multi-day trip rules, a SEPA payment file, the split of taxable amounts for payroll, or foreign VAT reclaim. The Pauschalen are covered; the rest of travel-expense law I would have to keep outside the tool. 2 11 12 17
The Tax Adviser
German per diems are calculated automatically with auto-generated trip reports, mileage rates for the UK and France including electric cars are handled, reimbursements are triggered directly in the platform, and VAT is extracted from the receipt — the statutory core is genuinely there. But I found no public information on meal deductions, on the VAT split per rate, on receipts being checked for the invoice requirements of the input-tax deduction, or on foreign VAT reclaim, which is exactly where German clients lose money. 2 11 12 17
The Skeptic
Approved claims are reimbursed directly from the platform through a licensed payment institution, German per diems and UK/French mileage rates are calculated automatically with auto-generated trip reports, and VAT is extracted per receipt. We found no public information on meal deductions, reimbursement in several currencies within a stated time, receipts checked against the invoice requirements of the deduction, or foreign VAT reclaim. 2 11 12 17
Accounting handoff & DATEV
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
What reaches the books: export or sync to DATEV (DATEV format, DATEV Unternehmen online, Belegbilderservice) and to named accounting and ERP systems, booking proposals with account, tax key and cost centre, receipts that travel with the booking, card statements reconciled, a GoBD-compliant archive, an API and webhooks, and a complete export of claims, receipts and booking data.
0 — No export of any kind; expenses have to be retyped into the books.
3 — A CSV or PDF export of expense reports; booking data, named integrations and the archive are basic or not described.
5 — Export or sync to at least one named accounting system (DATEV or another) with account and tax code per entry and the receipt attached, several accounting or ERP integrations listed, and a documented API.
8 — A DATEV interface with receipt images (DATEV Unternehmen online or the DATEV Marketplace named), booking proposals that learn account, tax key and cost centre, two-way sync with named ERPs (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite or similar), card statements reconciled for the month-end, a GoBD-compliant archive stated, and webhooks.
10 — The month-end close runs through the product: multi-entity bookings and accruals, a procedure documentation (Verfahrensdokumentation) or GoBD audit offered, a complete audit trail of every financial event, and a full export of claims, receipts and bookings that a successor system can import.
The Travelling Employee
A dedicated DATEV integration is named, DATEV appears among the default journal templates, and purchase and bank journals export as CSV through a documented API, with prepared payables read out and marked exported back, and chart-of-accounts and external-reference APIs keeping the accounting setup in sync with an ERP. Native NetSuite plus listed SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, QuickBooks and Xero integrations and AI-suggested categorisation from thousands of past transactions round out the handoff. We found no public information on receipt images to DATEV Unternehmen online or the DATEV Marketplace, a GoBD-compliant archive, or webhooks. 3 4 12 16 19
The Office Manager
A dedicated DATEV integration synchronises all spend data, DATEV is among the default journal templates, and the documented API generates purchase and bank journals as CSV with chart-of-accounts sync and bookkeeping status flowing back from the ERP. Native integrations are named — NetSuite, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage 100, Odoo, Exact Online, Microsoft Business Central, SAP and Dynamics — plus full organisation exports in CSV or Excel. We found no public information on receipt images travelling to DATEV, a GoBD-compliant archive, or webhooks. 4 19 12 16
The Controller
A dedicated DATEV integration synchronises all spend data, DATEV is among the default journal templates, and the API generates purchase and bank journals as CSV with export-status tracking, alongside a native NetSuite integration, SAP and Dynamics support, and chart-of-accounts synchronisation with the ERP. Categorisation is learned from thousands of past transactions; we found no public information on receipt images delivered to DATEV Unternehmen online, a GoBD-compliant archive, or webhooks. 4 19 12 3 2
The Finance Lead
A dedicated DATEV integration synchronises all spend data, DATEV sits among the default templates for purchase and bank journals exportable through the API, AI learns the account allocation and pre-fills cost centres, the chart of accounts can be held in sync with the ERP, and native NetSuite sits beside Sage 100, Odoo, Business Central, Exact Online and Pennylane. I found no public information on receipt images travelling to DATEV with the booking, a tax key per line, a GoBD-compliant archive, webhooks, or card statements reconciled to the bank statement at month-end. Close — but I will not retire my reconciliation spreadsheet on this evidence. 2 3 4 11 12 19
The Tax Adviser
A dedicated DATEV integration is listed, DATEV is among the default journal templates, purchase and bank journals are exported as CSV through a documented API with entries marked as exported, and Sage, Odoo, Exact, Business Central, SAP, NetSuite and others are named. What I could not confirm: whether the receipt image travels with the booking into DATEV, a tax key per entry, webhooks, or a GoBD-compliant archive with procedure documentation — for my books these decide the month-end. 4 12 19
The Skeptic
A dedicated DATEV integration is listed alongside Sage 100, Pennylane, QuickBooks, Xero, SAP, Dynamics and a native NetSuite connector, and the developer documentation shows purchase and bank journals generated as CSV against accounting templates with bookkeeping status written back and chart-of-accounts sync with an ERP. The captured pages say nothing about receipt images travelling to DATEV, a GoBD-compliant archive, or webhooks. 4 12 19
European sovereignty
panel opinion
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Who the contracting entity and the parent company are, where receipt, card and employee data are hosted, and who the subprocessors are (hosting, card issuer and processor, text recognition, open banking, email delivery). Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline; expense data is personal and financial at once and shows where employees travel, so the whole chain counts, not only the database.
0 — Non-EU vendor and contracting entity, hosting unstated, subprocessors unnamed, and no data processing agreement offered.
3 — A privacy policy and a data processing agreement exist, but hosting location is unstated or non-EU and the subprocessors are not listed.
5 — EU hosting available and an EU contracting entity or EU representative, but parts of the chain (text recognition, card processing, email, analytics, support) run through non-EU providers without a stated safeguard.
8 — EU hosting on named infrastructure, EU contracting entity and card issuer, subprocessors listed with their locations, a data processing agreement published, and security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) stated.
10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, entity, issuer, hosting and every subprocessor, data export and deletion documented, and certifications published with their scope rather than implied.
The Travelling Employee
The contracting entity is Spendesk SAS in Paris, hosting is on AWS in Dublin, Ireland within the EU, and EEA cards and payments run through Spendesk Financial Services, a French payment institution licensed by the ACPR under number 17518. A data processing agreement is referenced, full GDPR rights to access, export and deletion are stated, a subprocessor list page is named, and ISO 27001:2022 is held. The hosting provider is US-headquartered (contracted through its Luxembourg entity), and we found no public information on the ownership structure or on the location of every subprocessor, so I stop one level below the top. 1 5 6 7 9 13
The Office Manager
Spendesk SAS is the contracting entity with its registered office in Paris, personal data is hosted in the European Union with the data center named as Dublin, Ireland, on AWS with daily backups, and a data processing agreement plus a published subprocessor list exist — Adyen and Wise for the UK, Sutton Bank and Dwolla for the US, Google Pay and Apple Pay. ISO 27001:2022 is stated, transfers rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses, and the EEA card issuer is the ACPR-licensed Spendesk Financial Services. We found no public information on ownership, and the individual locations of the subprocessors are not enumerated on the pages we read. 7 6 9 13
The Controller
The contracting entity is a French company registered in Paris, personal data is hosted on named AWS infrastructure in Dublin within the European Union, a data processing agreement and a subprocessor list are published, and EEA cards are issued by their own French payment institution licensed by the ACPR. ISO 27001:2022 is stated; we found no public information on ownership, and the certification's scope is not detailed. 7 6 9 13 1 16
The Finance Lead
Spendesk SAS is registered in Paris, EEA cards are issued by a French payment institution licensed by the ACPR, data sits on AWS in Dublin with the EU region stated, and there is a published subprocessor list, a data processing agreement, ISO 27001:2022 and described transfer safeguards. The chain is not European end to end: the captured pages show US-headquartered AWS as host, and UK and US customers served through Adyen, Wise, Sutton Bank and Dwolla. 1 5 6 7 9
The Tax Adviser
Hosting is on AWS with the data center named in Dublin, Ireland, the contracting entity is Spendesk SAS in Paris, EEA cards are issued by Spendesk Financial Services as a French ACPR-licensed institution, a data processing agreement exists with a published subprocessor list, and ISO 27001:2022 is stated. The hosting provider is US-headquartered, ownership is not documented, and the individual subprocessor locations are not stated. 6 7 9 13
The Skeptic
Spendesk SAS is the Paris contracting entity, personal data is hosted in the European Union with the data centre named as Dublin, Ireland on AWS, the EEA cards are issued by the vendor's own French payment institution licensed by the ACPR, a data processing agreement and a subprocessor list are published, and ISO 27001:2022 is stated. The subprocessors' locations are not shown on the captured pages, the hosting provider is US-headquartered, and ownership is undocumented. 6 7 9
Pricing transparency
not rated — the vendor publishes no price
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Whether a buyer can compute the real annual cost from public pages alone: price per user or per active user, platform or base fee, which modules (travel, reimbursements, DATEV or ERP connectors, extra entities) cost extra, card fees (physical cards, foreign transactions, currency conversion, top-ups), minimum seats and term, and setup.
0 — No public prices at all; every customer is a sales call.
3 — A starting price or a free tier exists, but how cost scales with users, cards or modules is unclear.
5 — Tiers are public with their per-user or base price and main inclusions, but at least one commonly needed piece (extra users, physical cards, foreign-currency fees, ERP connectors) is unpriced or "on request".
8 — Every tier priced publicly with its scaling rule (per user, per active user, per card), card and foreign-transaction fees listed, add-ons priced, minimum term and VAT treatment stated.
10 — Complete price computability: annual cost derivable for a given headcount, card count and module set, with every add-on, setup, support, card and currency fee and the cancellation and data-return terms published.
The Travelling Employee
No price figure is public anywhere I looked: the pricing page asks for a free quote and the German travel-expenses page likewise shows a free-offer request, so a real annual cost cannot be computed. What is stated is structure rather than price — unlimited users and cards in the base package, no active-user fees, "£0 setup & no hidden fees", travel at no extra charge, cashback starting at 1% for eligible clients, and named paid add-ons for accounts payable, procurement, advanced workflows, AI fraud detection, HR and ERP integrations and multi-entity management — all without figures. 5 11 17 18
The Office Manager
No prices are shown publicly — the pricing page's call to action is a request for a free quote, and the German page likewise offers only "Kostenloses Angebot anfordern". The structure is described — the base package includes unlimited cards, users and control settings with no active user fees, "£0 setup & no hidden fees", travel at no extra charge and cashback that starts at 1% for eligible clients — but no figures for the plans or the named add-ons. I could not work out a monthly price before a trial ends. 5 17 11 18
The Controller
We found no public prices; the pricing page's only route to a figure is "Request a free quote", though it does state a base package with unlimited cards, users and control settings, no active-user fees, "£0 setup", and cashback starting at 1% for eligible clients. The add-ons a manufacturer like mine needs — multi-entity management and advanced workflows among them — are named but unpriced, and we found no public information on card fees or foreign-currency fees. 5 17 11 18
The Finance Lead
The pricing page names a Foundations package with unlimited cards, users and control settings, promises no active-user fees, '£0 setup & no hidden fees', cashback starting at 1% for eligible clients and Travel at no extra charge — but the only route to a number is 'Request a free quote'. I found no public information on what the add-ons (Accounts Payable, Procurement, multi-entity, advanced workflows, HR and ERP integrations, AI) cost, or on term, minimum seats and card fees. I cannot compute an annual cost for 150 people from these pages; that is a sales call by another name. 5 11 17
The Tax Adviser
No price figures appear anywhere I read: the pricing page names the base package with unlimited cards and users, lists the add-ons (accounts payable, advanced workflows, AI fraud detection, HR and ERP integrations, multi-entity, procurement) and promises "£0 setup & no hidden fees", "We do not charge active user fees" and cashback that "starts at 1% for eligible clients" — but the only way to a number is requesting a free quote. A buyer cannot compute the annual cost from the public pages alone. 5 11 17
The Skeptic
No price figure appears anywhere: the pricing page's call to action is to request a free quote, the German page likewise asks for a free offer, and the named add-ons — accounts payable, advanced workflows, multi-entity, procurement, HR and ERP integrations — carry no numbers. Structural facts are public — no active-user fees, unlimited users and cards in the base package, cashback starting at 1% for eligible clients — but a buyer cannot compute an annual cost from any of it. 5 17 18
European sovereignty — proven facts
0 of 6 dimensions provenBuilt only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.
| Legal entity | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting location | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Open source | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
Questions about Spendesk
Is Spendesk European?
Yes. whats-best.ai classifies Spendesk as EU-Made.
Where does Spendesk store data?
The default storage location for customer data is not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 28 Oct 2026. The vendor’s pages mention the EU as hosting location, per the vendor’s page captured 28 Oct 2026.
Does Spendesk have a free plan?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 28 Oct 2026.
What are the best alternatives to Spendesk?
As of 3 Nov 2026, the panel rates Moss (4/5), N2F (3.5/5) and Pleo (3.5/5) highest among the other 18 Expense Management products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is Moss (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: Spendesk alternatives.
Where this could be wrong
- Evidence ages. The oldest capture behind this page is from 28 Oct 2026. Vendors change pricing and policies without notice; every fact reflects its source as of the capture date shown in the registry.
- Weak sourcing — Hosting location, Legal entity. Not confirmed on the vendor’s own pages as captured.
- AI can misread a source. Extraction and judgement are automated; a citation guarantees traceability, not infallibility. If something here is wrong, say so — no account needed, every report is decided within 5 business days, and accepted corrections are published.
What we left out
A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.
- 56 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 8 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 5 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 3 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 support fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown. Know more? Tell us
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement. Know more? Tell us
Sources (20)
The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.
- 1 Vendor homepage www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 2 Features page (expense management) www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 3 Features page (company cards) www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 4 Integrations page www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 5 Pricing page www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 6 Legal notice helpcenter.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 7 Privacy policy www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 8 Terms of service www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 9 Security / trust page www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 10 Security / trust page trust.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 11 Receipt capture & expense claims — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 12 Receipt capture & expense claims — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 13 Company cards & spend control — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 14 Company cards & spend control — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 15 Approval workflows & expense policy — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 16 Approval workflows & expense policy — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 17 Reimbursement, travel allowances & VAT — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 18 Reimbursement, travel allowances & VAT — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 19 Accounting handoff & DATEV — found from sitemap developer.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →
- 20 Accounting handoff & DATEV — found from sitemap www.spendesk.com Checked 28 Oct 2026 Details →