5 tools for taking control of business spend in 2025

Controlling business spend has never been more important – or more complex. From team purchases and supplier invoices to recurring subscriptions and travel expenses, companies need clear visibility and tighter control over every pound that leaves the organisation.

Enter spend control software: the solution that transforms how finance teams manage money. By digitising and automating processes, these tools turn what was once a manual, error-prone task into a proactive, data-driven strategy. The result? Faster approvals, smarter decisions and more time for finance teams to focus on strategic priorities.

We’ll cover what spend control software is and explore five spend control tools that help you regain control in 2025.

Key takeaways:

• Spend control software helps businesses monitor, manage and optimise outgoing spend, replacing manual processes, saving time and reducing errors.
• Different types of tools serve different needs. From all-in-one spend management platforms to AP automation, travel and expense tools, budgeting software and subscription management solutions, there’s a tool for every aspect of controlling spend.
• The right tool gives your finance team control and visibility, ensuring spending stays within policy, budgets are respected and cash flow remains healthy whilst freeing up resources for strategic work.
• When choosing a tool, prioritise features like real-time spend tracking, smart corporate cards and expense management, flexible approval workflows, seamless integrations and actionable insights.

What is spend control software?

Spend control software is all about monitoring, managing and optimising the money going out of a business. At its core, it’s about visibility and control: knowing where every pound goes, ensuring employees spend within policy and making smarter financial decisions in real time.

Staying on top of spend used to be a manual, fragmented process. Finance teams relied on spreadsheets, paper receipts and endless back-and-forth emails to approve expenses, track invoices and reconcile accounts. It wasn’t just time-consuming: it also left plenty of room for errors, overspending and blind spots in company finances.

Today, digital tools have transformed how businesses approach spend control. Instead of juggling spreadsheets, companies can tap into specialised software that automates and streamlines every corner of spend management.

From spend management and corporate card solutions to accounts payable (AP) automation, travel and expense tools, budgeting and forecasting software and subscription management tools, there’s a solution out there for every aspect of spend control.

In short, spend control software turns what was once a reactive, manual process into a proactive, data-driven strategy for smarter financial management.

5 solutions for taking business spend control to the next level in 2025

Still juggling receipts, tracking employee expenses and reconciling invoices across multiple systems? It might be time to swap frustration for control with smarter spend control software. We’ve put together a list of tools that help finance teams monitor, manage and optimise company spend, making processes faster, more accurate and fully transparent.

In the table below, you’ll find a quick overview of the solutions covered:

Spend management and corporate card solutions

The modern backbone of spend control. These platforms bring company cards, expense tracking, approvals and budgets under one roof. Instead of chasing receipts and reconciling spreadsheets, finance teams get real-time visibility into every transaction – and employees get friction-free ways to pay for what they need.

1. Pleo

With more than 1,480 five star reviews, Pleo is Europe’s most loved and trusted spend management platform.

Keeping business spend under control doesn’t have to mean chasing receipts or waiting weeks for approvals. With Pleo, every outlay – from supplier invoices and team purchases to last-minute travel expenses – is tracked in real time, giving finance teams instant visibility into where money is going.

Enforce spending policies and keep budgets on track; with Pleo’s combined smart company cards, invoice management and automated approvals, it’s no sweat. Capture and reconcile invoices instantly whilst managers approve expenses on the spot.

Behind the scenes, automated workflows, categorisation and analytics turn raw spend data into actionable insights. That means fewer hours lost to manual reconciliation and more time spent making strategic, data-driven decisions that keep cash flow healthy and company spending under control.

Pros and key functionalities:

• Real-time spend and invoice tracking: Monitor and reconcile team expenses and supplier invoices instantly – no more missing receipts or untracked payments.
• Flexible spending control: Offers both physical and virtual employee cards with configurable limits, merchant restrictions and policy enforcement.
• Seamless expense and invoice capture: Say goodbye to paperwork. Snap, attach and categorise receipts instantly via the mobile app. 
• Smart automation and approvals: Automate workflows, enforce policies and approve expenses and invoices on the spot for faster, more accurate reconciliation.

Reasons to choose Pleo:

• Fast implementation and onboarding
• Strong customer support and user-friendly interface
• Scalable solution that grows with your business

Pricing: Pleo offers monthly or yearly billing, with prices starting at £9.5 per month for up to 3 users.

What do our users say about Pleo?

“The user interface is clean and intuitive, making it incredibly easy for team members at all levels to get started—no steep learning curve or complicated onboarding processes. Uploading receipts, categorizing expenses, and syncing with accounting systems is seamless. It takes what was once a time-consuming chore and turns it into a few simple taps.”

- Account Manager Szabolcs G., G2

Accounts payable (AP) automation

Invoices can easily become black holes for time and cash. AP automation takes the manual grind out of supplier payments by digitising invoice capture, approvals and payment runs. The result? Faster processing, fewer errors and tighter control over outgoing spend.

2. DocuWare

Manual invoice handling slows down cash flow and leaves room for costly errors. DocuWare digitises the entire accounts payable process – from capturing and storing invoices to routing them for approval and payment.

With automated workflows and secure document management, finance teams can eliminate bottlenecks, gain visibility over outgoing payments and ensure supplier invoices are processed quickly and accurately. That means less paper, fewer delays and tighter control of company spend.

Pros and key functionalities:

• Automated invoice capture and routing: Eliminate manual data entry and ensure every invoice reaches the right approver fast.
• Centralised document storage: Keep all invoices, approvals and payment records securely in one place for easy access.
• Faster supplier payments: Speed up processing to maintain healthy supplier relationships and avoid late fees.

Reasons to choose DocuWare:

• Intuitive and easy to adopt
• Smarter data and document management
• Automation with easy integrations

Source: G2

Pricing: N/A – all pricing is quote-based.

Travel and expense (T&E) tools

Business trips can quickly turn into spend chaos without the right controls. T&E tools bring order to the process – from booking flights and hotels to submitting claims – whilst keeping spend compliant with company policies.

3. TravelPerk

Business travel is a tricky expense to control – but it doesn’t have to be. TravelPerk makes it easy by centralising bookings, enforcing company policies and tracking spend in real time.

TravelPerk gives your employees the flexibility to book flights, hotels and transport within approved budgets whilst your finance team can enjoy full visibility into travel costs before, during and after a trip. With automated expense reporting and built-in compliance, TravelPerk helps you save money and keep corporate travel spend under control.

The best part? With TravelPerk’s seamless integration with Pleo, travel expenses flow directly into your wider spend management system. No duplicate entry, no manual reconciliation and a complete view of company spend – all in one place.

Pros and key functionalities:

• Centralised travel booking: Manage flights, hotels and transport in one platform with company policies built in.
• Real-time spend visibility: Track travel costs as they happen and prevent budget overruns before they occur.
• Automated expense reporting: Save time with instant reporting and seamless receipt capture.
• Seamless Pleo integration: Sync travel spend directly into Pleo for a complete, real-time picture of company expenses.

Reasons to choose TravelPerk:

• Effortless booking experience
• Convenient and easy to use
• Reliable support and management

Source: G2

Pricing: TravelPerk offers a free version. Priced plans start at £99.00 per month.

Budgeting and forecasting software

Budgets shouldn’t be static documents collecting dust. Modern forecasting tools help finance teams model different scenarios, track performance against targets and make smarter decisions in real time. They turn budgets into living, breathing guides for spend.

4. Anaplan

Budgets shouldn’t just be numbers in a spreadsheet – they should guide smarter spending. Anaplan helps finance teams plan, forecast and model different scenarios with precision. By connecting data across departments, it provides real-time insights into how spending decisions impact overall business performance.

From adjusting forecasts on the fly to running what-if analyses, Anaplan turns budgeting into a proactive tool for controlling spend and driving long-term financial resilience.

Pros and key functionalities:

• Dynamic scenario modelling: Run ‘what-if’ analyses to forecast how different spending decisions affect financial outcomes.
• Connected planning across teams: Align finance, operations and leadership on budgets and spending priorities.
• Real-time data updates: Adjust forecasts instantly as new data comes in, keeping plans relevant and accurate.

Reasons to choose Anaplan:

• User-friendly design
• Flexible and adaptable solution
• Powerful features for smarter planning

Source: G2

Pricing: N/A – all pricing is quote-based.

Subscription management tools

SaaS sprawl is real – and those ‘small’ monthly charges add up fast. Subscription management platforms help businesses keep tabs on recurring costs, cancel unused services and avoid paying for software no one uses.

5. Zoho Billing

Recurring subscriptions and billing can quietly eat into budgets if left unchecked. Zoho Billing gives you full visibility and control over subscription-based revenue and costs. With automated invoicing, multi-currency support and detailed reporting, it makes managing recurring spend simple and transparent.

Finance teams can track every subscription in one place, avoid hidden costs and ensure billing stays aligned with budgets. With Zoho Billing, subscription sprawl is kept firmly under control.

Pros and key functionalities:

• Automated recurring invoicing: Manage subscriptions and billing cycles without manual intervention.
• Transparent subscription tracking: See every recurring payment in one dashboard to prevent hidden costs.
• Detailed revenue and cost reporting: Gain insights into recurring spend to keep budgets under control.

Reasons to choose Zoho Billing:

• Actionable insights with analytics
• Automated workflows and payments
• Seamless integrations with robust features

Source: G2

Pricing: Zoho Billing offers monthly or annual billing, with prices starting at £19.00 per month (annual billing).

What to look for in a spend control tool

Managing business spend doesn’t have to be a constant juggling act. With the right tools, you can gain visibility, enforce policies and streamline approvals, allowing your finance team to focus on strategic priorities rather than chasing receipts.

Not every solution is the perfect fit for every business, but certain features are worth prioritising when evaluating a spend control tool:

• Real-time spend tracking: Up-to-date visibility is important. Look for a tool that captures every transaction instantly, whether it’s team purchases or supplier invoices.
• Smart corporate card and expense management: Look for a solution that combines company cards with automated expense tracking, approvals and spend categorisation to simplify daily workflows.
• Customisable approval workflows: Choose a tool that lets you set spending limits and approval hierarchies tailored to your business, ensuring compliance and control.
• Seamless integrations: Make sure your spend control platform connects smoothly with accounting, ERP and other financial systems for faster reconciliation and reporting.
• Automation and actionable insights: Prioritise tools that automate repetitive tasks, flag anomalies and turn spend data into insights, helping you make smarter, strategic decisions.
• Good value for money: Choose a tool that gives you the value you need for a price that won’t break your budget – and one that scales with your business.

The right spend control tool isn’t just about managing expenses: it’s about giving your business the visibility, control and efficiency to handle spend confidently whilst freeing your finance team from manual, error-prone processes.

Final thoughts

Spend control software isn’t just a nice-to-have: it’s a strategic necessity for modern businesses. From all-in-one spend management platforms like Pleo to specialised tools for AP automation, travel, budgeting and subscription management, the right solutions give finance teams the visibility, control and efficiency they need.

By adopting the right combination of tools, businesses can transform spend management from a reactive, manual process into a proactive, strategic advantage. The result is not only improved cash flow and reduced errors, but also a finance function that can focus on driving growth, rather than chasing paperwork.