Recpt vs Expensify
Expensify scans receipts well. It is organised around getting money back from an employer, not around an Australian tax return, and that shapes everything.
The short version
Use Expensify if you are an employee whose employer reimburses expenses and wants reports submitted and approved.
Use Recpt if nobody is reimbursing you and the receipts are going on your own Australian tax return.
Side by side
| Expensify | Recpt | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Expense reports for reimbursement | Australian tax deductions |
| Home market | United States | Australia only |
| ATO categories | Not in its vocabulary | D1 to D10 plus property |
| Approval workflow | Yes, submit and approve | No, there is nobody to approve |
| Reads your receipts | Yes | Yes |
| Accountant export | Expense reports | One categorised PDF and CSV |
| Work use percentage | Not the model | Per expense |
What Expensify is for
Expensify is organised around submitting expense reports for reimbursement: employee spends, manager approves, finance pays back. That loop is the product, and it works.
If your employer pays you back for things you buy, that is exactly the tool.
Where it hurts for Australian tax
It is a US product at heart, and the ATO's D categories are not in its vocabulary. Using it for Australian tax deductions means re-mapping everything yourself at tax time, which is the job you were trying to avoid.
There is also no concept of a work-use percentage on an expense, which is central to how Australian deductions actually work when something is part personal and part work.
What Recpt does instead
Recpt only does Australian tax records. Receipts land under ATO deduction categories, each one can carry a work-use percentage, and the export is the categorised summary an accountant wants. There is no approval step because there is nobody to approve it.
How to choose
Ask who is paying you back. If it is your employer, Expensify. If it is the ATO, at the rate of your marginal tax on a deduction, Recpt.
Common questions
Can I use Expensify for my Australian tax return?
You can store receipts in it, but it does not categorise against ATO deduction categories, so you would re-map everything yourself at tax time.
Does Recpt do expense reports for my employer?
No. Recpt has no approval or reimbursement workflow. It is built for deductions you claim on your own return.
What is a work use percentage?
Where something is part work and part personal, you claim only the work-related portion. Recpt records that percentage per expense so the claimable amount is calculated for you.
Which one reads receipts better?
Both read receipts well. The difference is where the receipt ends up: an expense report in Expensify, an ATO deduction category in Recpt.
Recpt is a record-keeping tool, not a tax agent, and this page is general information, not tax advice. Competitor details checked September 2026. Their pricing and features change, so check their sites before deciding.