Is Expensly worth it for a small team?

Even with a single user, Expensly pays off as soon as manual entry costs more than one accountant hour per month. At typical hourly rates, saving a single follow-up pass is often enough.

How long does the switch from Excel to Expensly take?

Initial setup takes just a few minutes. Create an account, connect your accounting system, invite the team. Receipts are captured by photo from day one, migrating existing Excel data is not required.

What happens to my existing paper receipts?

You can photograph them later and upload them to Expensly. The AI reads amount, date and VAT, so you retroactively build a searchable history if it's needed for audits.

Does Expensly recognise all Swiss receipt types?

Yes. Till receipts, invoices and credit card receipts are processed automatically. VAT rates including the flat-rate Saldosteuersatz are recognised correctly.

Do I have to switch my existing accounting software?

No. Expensly syncs with Bexio, Topal, Banana and Abacus, your existing accounting stays untouched. Expensly only replaces the manual capture step.

Manuelle Prozesse

The alternative to Excel and paper receipts

Manual processes have no sticker price, but they do have a time price. Expensly shows you how many hours per month you get back. No shoebox, no month-end panic, no duplicate entry at the accountant.

Try it free

Why teams switch

Loss

Receipts get lost

Thermal receipt ink fades within weeks. Shoebox receipts get overlooked in the month-end rush. Email PDFs disappear into Outlook archives.

Double entry

Double entry at the accountant

Your Excel list lands at the accountant, who retypes every line manually into Bexio, Topal, Banana or Abacus, and bills the hours.

Direct sync

Receipts flow directly into accounting

With Expensly you photograph the receipt, the AI recognises amount and VAT rate, the booking lands automatically at the accountant. The accountant reviews instead of typing.

Expensly vs manual processes at a glance

Expensly vs Manual processes
Feature	Expensly	Manual processes
Receipts automatically archived and searchable
VAT rates auto-detected (incl. Saldosteuersatz)
Direct sync with Bexio, Topal, Banana, Abacus
Excel is free (or already paid via Microsoft 365)
Every employee knows Excel, no training needed
Works offline without internet dependency
Receipts stay audit-ready and searchable
Multi-step approval workflows
Multi-client capable for accountants
Native mobile app
Multi-currency support

ExpenslyManual processes

Automation & audit

Expensly leads here

Receipts automatically archived and searchable

VAT rates auto-detected (incl. Saldosteuersatz)

Direct sync with Bexio, Topal, Banana, Abacus

Receipts stay audit-ready and searchable

Excel strengths

Manual processes lead here

Excel is free (or already paid via Microsoft 365)

Every employee knows Excel, no training needed

Works offline without internet dependency

What Excel can't do

Expensly leads here

Multi-step approval workflows

Multi-client capable for accountants

Native mobile app

Multi-currency support

From photo to booking in seconds

With manual processes, the receipt comes out of the pocket in the evening, lands in a drawer, gets typed up at month-end and is picked up by the accountant for the books. With Expensly, the receipt is photographed right after the purchase, the AI reads amount, date, VAT and vendor, and the data flows straight into Bexio, Topal, Banana or Abacus.

Receipts searchable in a cloud archive

Thermal receipts fade within weeks. Paper receipts vanish into the shoebox. Email PDFs disappear inside the 'Receipts 2026' folder. Expensly stores every receipt in the cloud instantly, full-text searchable, audit-ready, and prepared for the next review.

VAT rates recognised automatically

Swiss VAT rates (8.1 % standard, 2.6 % reduced, 0.6 % flat-rate Saldosteuersatz) get maintained manually in Excel, and reassigned for every booking. Expensly detects the correct rate from the receipt and posts it directly into Bexio, Topal, Banana or Abacus.

What manual capture really costs

What manual capture really costs
Teamgrösse	Expensly	Manual processes	Time saved
1 user	CHF 10	approx. CHF 30	10 min/month
5 users	CHF 50	approx. CHF 150	50 min/month
10 users	CHF 100	approx. CHF 300	100 min/month

ExpenslyManual processesTime saved

1 user

CHF 10approx. CHF 3010 min/month

5 users

CHF 50approx. CHF 15050 min/month

10 users

CHF 100approx. CHF 300100 min/month

Try free

As of May 2026. Assumption: Swiss hourly rate CHF 90, at least 20 min per employee and month for manual expense capture. Manual processes: 20 min × CHF 90/h = CHF 30 per user and month. With Expensly this drops to roughly 10 min per employee. List prices excl. VAT.

Up and running in 3 steps

Create account + install app

Set up your account in minutes, install the app on iOS or Android, invite your team. No setup workshop needed.

Photograph receipts instead of collecting them

Snap the receipt. The AI extracts amount, VAT and supplier automatically. No more shoebox and faded receipts.

Connect your accounting + win time back

Connect Bexio, Topal, Banana or Abacus. Receipts post automatically into the accounting tool. No more Excel lists for your accountant.

Verdict

Choose Expensly when…

You want hours back each month, for higher-value work.
Receipts regularly get lost or fade away.
Your accountant retypes Excel rows manually into Bexio, Topal, Banana or Abacus.

Try free for 7 days

Manuelle Prozesse

Choose Excel and paper when…

You don't want any software cost and prefer to invest the time yourself.
Your receipt volume is so small that month-end work is barely noticeable.
You deliberately work offline and don't want cloud storage.

Common questions about moving from Excel and paper

Also compared

Bexio Go compared Spesen-App compared Receipt recognition

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