Stop Losing Receipts – Free Expense Trackers That Work
The honest truth about free expense tracking: it's good enough for most tradies, most of the time. Hubdoc is genuinely free inside Xero and covers 80% of what a tradie needs. Wave is free and handles basic accounting too. The catch? "Free" has real trade-offs at higher volume. Here's where free works and when it's worth paying for more.
By Benjy @ Tradie Scaler
Top Free Expense Tracking Options
Free Expense Tracking Apps — Feature Comparison
| App | Cost | Receipt Capture | AU GST | Xero Sync | Best For | Get It |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubdoc | Free (with Xero) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Native | Xero users — start here | Via Xero → |
| Wave | Free | ✓ | ~ | ✗ | Non-Xero sole traders | Wave Free → |
| Xero Expenses | Add-on (~$6/user/mo) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Native | Multi-staff expense claims | Via Xero → |
| Zoho Expense | Free (1 user) | ✓ | ~ | ~ | Solo tradies, no Xero | Zoho Free → |
| MYOB Lite | ~$15/mo (includes expenses) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | MYOB users | MYOB → |
Prices verified April 2026. "Free" sometimes means free tier with limitations — check provider sites for current terms.
Free Expense Tracking Options — Reviewed for Tradies
If you're on Xero (and most Australian tradies are), Hubdoc is already waiting for you. Activate it in your Xero settings, download the mobile app, and start photographing receipts. The supplier fetch feature is genuinely useful — set up connections to your regular supplier portals (Reece, Tradelink, Bunnings, Telstra) and invoices download automatically without you touching them.
For most tradies with 20–40 receipts per month and mostly digital supplier invoices, Hubdoc is entirely adequate. The workflow is simple enough that you'll actually use it consistently — which matters more than any feature advantage of paid tools that sit unused.
Get Hubdoc Free via Xero →Wave's value proposition is unusual: it's genuinely free accounting software that includes expense tracking, invoicing, and receipt capture at no cost. The business model is based on payment processing fees (charged only if you use Wave Payments) and payroll (a paid add-on). The core accounting and expense features are free with no hidden limits.
For an Australian tradie who isn't on Xero or MYOB and wants a free starting point, Wave is a legitimate option. The main limitations: it's built primarily for the US market, so some Australian-specific features (BAS preparation, ATO-specific reports) require manual work. It also doesn't integrate with Xero, so if you eventually move to Xero you'll need to migrate your data. Use Wave as a starting point, not a long-term home.
Pros
- Genuinely free — accounting + expenses
- No transaction or receipt limits
- Good mobile app for receipt capture
Cons
- US-built — AU BAS features require manual work
- No Xero integration
- Less polished than paid alternatives
Zoho Expense has a genuine free tier for single users — not a trial, a permanently free plan. The mobile app is well-designed, receipt capture works reliably, and you can export data to CSV for importing into your accounting software. It's a better dedicated expense app than Wave's offering, but it doesn't replace accounting software.
The limitation: as soon as you add staff who need to submit expenses, you're into the paid tier. For a sole tradie tracking their own expenses only, the free tier is adequate. For a trade business with employees, look at Xero Expenses or Dext Expense.
Try Zoho Expense Free →Free expense tracking is a trade-off on features, accuracy, and automation. Here's when you should seriously consider spending $30–$50/month on Dext instead:
- More than 30 receipts/month — free tool OCR errors compound quickly at volume
- Physical receipts from job sites — photographed receipts in poor light, crumpled or faded
- GST extraction accuracy matters — wrong GST on BAS has real consequences
- Your bookkeeper spends time on corrections — bookkeeper time at $80/hour costs more than Dext
The ROI calculation is simple: if Dext at $40/month saves your bookkeeper 30 minutes per month at $80/hour, it pays for itself. If you're doing all your own bookkeeping, it saves you 30 minutes of frustrating manual correction. Either way, at the right volume, it earns its cost.
Try Dext When You Need More →Make sure you're claiming everything you're entitled to.
Good expense tracking is pointless if you don't know what you can claim. See the complete guide to tradie tax deductions — tools, vehicle, phone, training, and the ones most tradies miss.
See All Tradie Tax Deductions →Frequently Asked Questions
Hubdoc (included free with Xero Standard and Premium) is the best free option for tradies already on Xero. If you're not on Xero, Wave Accounting is genuinely free and covers both accounting and expense tracking adequately for sole traders. Zoho Expense has a reasonable free tier for individual users. All free options have limitations at high receipt volumes.
Wave's accounting and expense tracking features are genuinely free — the business model is based on payment processing fees and paid payroll features. There are no caps on transactions or receipt uploads. The main limitations are less polished OCR than paid alternatives and limited ATO-specific Australian tax features. For a sole trader looking for free accounting + expense tracking, Wave is a legitimate option.
Most free expense tracking tools handle GST with varying accuracy. Hubdoc and Xero Expenses understand Australian GST because they're built into an Australian-compliant accounting platform. Wave requires manual GST configuration. Free tools tend to require more manual GST review than paid alternatives like Dext.
Pay for expense tracking (like Dext) when you have more than 30–50 receipts per month and free tools are creating bookkeeping errors; your bookkeeper's time correcting OCR errors costs more than the subscription; or you need line-item GST extraction for job cost allocation. The $30–$50/month cost is typically recovered in the first BAS quarter through time savings and fewer corrections.