Purchase requests first
Spend is requested and approved before any PO is raised or order placed.
Webexpenses vs ApprovalPro: Expense Management vs Purchase Approvals
These tools solve different problems. Webexpenses manages employee expenses after they happen. ApprovalPro controls purchasing before the money is spent. Here’s how to tell which one your team needs, or whether you need both.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026
The short answer
Choose Webexpenses if…
- Your main pain is employee expense claims, receipts, and reimbursement
- You need mileage tracking, corporate expense cards, or petty cash
- You run MYOB, Sage, SAP, NetSuite, or another system beyond Xero and QuickBooks
- You want a native mobile app for staff on the road
Choose ApprovalPro if…
- You want spend approved before anything is ordered, starting with a purchase request
- You need purchase order and supplier bill approval in Xero or QuickBooks
- You want every request checked against budget before it’s approved
- You’re a small team and want to start free, not with a per-user minimum
Feature and pricing comparison
What each product is built for, and what it costs a small Australian or New Zealand team.
| Webexpenses | ApprovalPro | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Employee expense management and supplier invoice processing | Purchase approvals and budget control, from request to paid bill |
| Purchase requests and PO approval | Not listed on the Webexpenses website | Yes. Requests become approved POs in Xero or QuickBooks |
| Supplier bill approval | Yes, via invoice processing | Yes, matched to the original PO |
| Budget check before approval | Not listed. Focuses on expense policy enforcement | Every request checked against budget (Flat Rate) |
| Employee expense claims | Yes, with receipt capture, mileage, and reimbursement | Coming soon |
| Expense cards | Yes | Not offered |
| Multi-level approval | Yes. Two approval levels on the SMB plan | Yes, as many levels as needed, including on Free |
| Document capture | OCR receipt capture | AI supplier invoice capture (Flat Rate) |
| Accounting integrations | 40+, including Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, NetSuite, Sage, and SAP. Xero, QuickBooks, and MYOB integration from the Essential plan | Xero and QuickBooks Online, on every plan |
| Free plan | Not listed. 30-day free trial on the SMB plan | Free forever for up to 5 users and 5 documents a month |
| Paid pricing | SMB $3,500 AUD a year (up to 35 licences). Essential from $12 AUD per user a month, minimum 30 users | One Flat Rate plan at US$49 a month |
| Mobile app | Yes | Web app |
Webexpenses details are taken from Webexpenses’ public website (APAC pricing) as of 26 September 2026 and may have changed since. Always check their site for current plans and pricing.
Before the spend vs after the spend
The biggest difference is when each tool steps in. Expense management handles money that’s already been spent: an employee pays, keeps the receipt, and claims it back. The approval checks whether the claim follows policy.
ApprovalPro steps in earlier. A staff member raises a purchase request, it’s approved through your multi-tier approval workflow and checked against budget, and only then does it become a purchase order. When the supplier’s bill arrives, it’s matched to that PO. See the full flow.
If your overspending comes from supplier purchases, POs, and bills, you need control before the spend. If it comes from employee claims and card transactions, you need expense management.
Where ApprovalPro stands out
Built for Xero and QuickBooks teams who want proper purchasing control without an enterprise setup.
Budget checked on every request
Approvers see the budget impact while there’s still time to say no, not at month end.
Start free, stay small
Free for up to 5 users, with no per-user minimum. One flat price when you need more.
Support in your time zone
You talk to the people who build ApprovalPro, in the same time zone as Perth and a few hours from Sydney and Auckland.
Where Webexpenses stands out
Webexpenses is an established expense management platform, used by more than 2,000 businesses and 100,000 users across 90+ countries, with offices in the UK and Queensland. It covers the full employee expense cycle: receipt capture, mileage, expense cards, policy enforcement, and reimbursement, all from a mobile app.
It also connects to a long list of accounting and ERP systems, including MYOB, Sage, SAP, and NetSuite. If employee expenses are your main problem, or you’re not on Xero or QuickBooks, Webexpenses is a strong choice.
Using both together
Because they cover different spend, the two tools don’t overlap much. A common setup is an expense tool for employee claims and card spend, and ApprovalPro for purchase requests, purchase orders, and supplier bills. Both post into Xero or QuickBooks, so your books stay the single source of truth.
ApprovalPro’s Free plan needs no credit card, so you can try the purchasing side alongside your current setup. Comparing other tools? See ApprovalMax vs ApprovalPro.
Webexpenses vs ApprovalPro FAQ
Webexpenses is expense management software: employees capture receipts, claim mileage, use expense cards, and get reimbursed. ApprovalPro controls purchasing before the spend happens: purchase requests, purchase orders, and supplier bills are approved and checked against budget before they reach Xero or QuickBooks.
Yes. They solve different problems. Many businesses use an expense tool for employee out-of-pocket spend and card transactions, and a purchase approval tool for requests, purchase orders, and supplier bills.
At the time of writing, Webexpenses does not list a free plan. Its APAC SMB plan is $3,500 AUD a year with a 30-day free trial. ApprovalPro has a Free plan for up to 5 users and 5 documents per month.
Not yet. Expense claims are on the ApprovalPro roadmap. If employee expense claims, mileage, and expense cards are your main need today, an expense management tool such as Webexpenses is a better fit.
ApprovalPro is built around purchase approval: staff raise a purchase request, it’s approved through multiple levels and checked against budget, then becomes a purchase order in Xero or QuickBooks. Purchase request and PO approval are not listed on the Webexpenses website.
Webexpenses is a trademark of its respective owner. ApprovalPro is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Webexpenses. This comparison is based on publicly available information as of 26 September 2026.