The best expense trackers for freelancers, by what you need
There isn’t one best app. There is a best one for how you work: whether you’ll connect a bank, how much you drive, and whether you invoice or file in the same place.
We make Reimburse, which is one of the six. What we say about the others comes from their own sites, checked on September 26, 2026 and linked on each comparison.
Pick by what you need
If you want free, with no bank login, and the tax value of every receipt
Reimburse
Snap a receipt and it is read, filed on its Schedule C line and priced at your own rate, state included. Unlimited and free. It doesn’t detect drives, import transactions, invoice or file.
If you want someone to find write-offs in your transactions and file your return
Keeper
Link your accounts and it scans them for deductions; the annual plans include a return prepared and signed by a tax pro.
If you want your phone catching every drive
Everlance
Automatic trip detection with a free plan for 30 drives a month, plus card syncing and filing on the paid plans. MileIQ does drives alone, free for 40 a month.
If you want invoicing and bookkeeping in the same place
QuickBooks Solopreneur
Bank feeds, invoices with online payment, federal quarterly estimates and a handoff to TurboTax. Hurdlr Pro covers similar ground with live state estimates.
All six at a glance
| App | Best at | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Reimburse | A free expense tracker for the self-employed that shows what every receipt puts back at your tax rate. No bank login. | Free |
| Keeper | Bank-linked write-offs and tax filing | From $20 a month; $199 a year with filing |
| Everlance | Automatic mileage and expenses | Free for 30 detected trips; $89.99 or $119.99 a year |
| QuickBooks Solopreneur | Bookkeeping, invoicing and estimates | Free for 2 receipts a month; $20 or $38 a month |
| Hurdlr | Tracking, live tax estimates and invoicing | $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year; Pro $200 a year |
| MileIQ | Mileage only | Free for 40 drives a month; $11.66 a month billed yearly |
Prices from each product’s own pricing page on September 26, 2026; Hurdlr’s from its App Store listing and help center. They change, so check before you buy. Something out of date? Tell us.
What to decide first
Will you connect a bank?
Bank-linked apps catch transactions you forget, but they also pull in everything personal on the same cards, which you then sort. Receipt-first apps like Reimburse only hold what you add, so the list stays business.
How much do you drive?
If driving is most of your deductible spending, automatic detection in Everlance or MileIQ is worth paying for. If it is a trip a week, logging it takes seconds.
Who files your return?
If you want the app to file, Keeper, Everlance, QuickBooks and Hurdlr offer it on paid plans. If you have a CPA, what matters is a clean year-end packet by Schedule C line.
Do you invoice?
Then you want bookkeeping, not just an expense tracker: QuickBooks Solopreneur or Hurdlr Pro.
Try the receipt-first one.
Free, no bank login. Five questions set your rate, then point the camera at anything you bought for the business.