Concur vs Xero: Expense Management vs Accounting Software Comparison

Compare SAP Concur and Xero for small business financial management. Concur specializes in travel and expense management with custom enterprise pricing, while Xero offers full accounting software from $20/month with basic expense tracking.

Updated 2026-10 · 2026

SAP Concur

Enterprise travel and expense management platform

Customquote-based

Strengths

+Comprehensive travel booking and expense management in one platform
+Advanced receipt scanning with OCR and automatic expense categorization
+Strong corporate card integration and reconciliation

Weaknesses

-Expensive for small businesses, pricing scales quickly with users
-Complex setup and configuration requires significant IT resources
-Overkill for companies without significant travel expenses

Best for

Mid to large enterprises with significant travel budgets and complex expense policies requiring integrated travel booking and expense management

Xero

Cloud accounting software for small businesses

$20month

Strengths

+Full double-entry accounting system with expense tracking included
+Excellent bank reconciliation and automated transaction matching
+Strong invoicing and accounts receivable management

Weaknesses

-Expense management features are basic compared to dedicated tools
-No built-in travel booking capabilities
-Limited approval workflows for expenses

Best for

Small businesses and freelancers needing comprehensive accounting software with basic expense tracking, invoicing, and financial reporting

Feature Comparison

Feature	SAP Concur	Xero
Starting Price	Custom quote (no public pricing)	$20/month (Early plan, up to 20 invoices)
Travel Booking	Integrated travel booking platform	Not available
Expense Tracking	Advanced with policy enforcement	Basic expense categorization
Receipt Scanning	Built-in OCR and mobile capture	Requires Hubdoc add-on
Accounting Features	Limited, requires ERP integration	Full double-entry accounting
Invoicing	Not available	Comprehensive invoicing and AR
Approval Workflows	Multi-level with policy rules	Basic with purchase orders
Corporate Card Integration	Extensive with auto-reconciliation	Bank feed integration only
Financial Reporting	Expense analytics and dashboards	Full P&L, balance sheet, cash flow
Mobile App	Full-featured for expense submission	Basic accounting and invoicing
Multi-Currency	Yes, with travel focus	Yes, with exchange rate tracking
Best Use Case	Travel-heavy enterprises	Small business accounting

The Verdict

Concur and Xero serve fundamentally different purposes. Choose Concur if you're a mid-to-large enterprise with significant travel expenses and need integrated booking, expense management, and policy enforcement. Choose Xero if you're a small business needing comprehensive accounting software where expense tracking is just one component of your financial management needs. For small businesses with travel needs, consider Xero for accounting plus a lighter expense tool like Expensify.

How to switch from SAP Concur to Xero

1Export your expense history from SAP Concur: go to the Reporting module, run a Standard Report (or custom report) covering expense reports, transactions, and receipts, then export to CSV or Excel — ask your admin for a full data extract or API pull if you need multiple years of history.
2Clean up the exported CSV and map Concur's expense categories to a chart of accounts in Xero, since the two systems use different category structures.
3Import historical transactions into Xero using its bank statement CSV import tool, or load older records as journal entries if they don't match a bank feed.
4Connect your company bank accounts and corporate cards directly to Xero via bank feeds, and set up Hubdoc or Dext for ongoing receipt capture since Xero doesn't have built-in OCR.
5Recreate approval workflows using Xero's bill and purchase order approvals, or add ApprovalMax if you need multi-level policy enforcement like Concur provided.
6Run both systems in parallel for one billing cycle, train the team on submitting expenses in Xero, then cancel your Concur subscription once reconciliation matches.

SAP Concur vs Xero: common questions

How do I export my expense data from SAP Concur before switching?+

Use Concur's Reporting module (Cognos-based) to run a Standard or custom report of expense reports and transactions, then export the results as CSV or Excel. For a full historical dump, your admin can also request a data extract through Concur support or pull it via the Concur API if you have developer access.

What expense management features will I lose moving from Concur to Xero?+

You'll lose integrated travel booking, built-in OCR receipt scanning, multi-level policy-based approval workflows, and automatic corporate card reconciliation. Xero covers basic expense categorization and bank feeds, but you'll need add-ons like Hubdoc or Dext for receipt capture and a tool like ApprovalMax for more complex approvals.

Is Xero's cheapest plan enough for a small team handling expenses?+

Xero's Early plan ($20/month) caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, which is tight if your team submits frequent expense claims. Most small teams end up on the Growing plan to get unlimited invoicing and bills, plus the ability to add Hubdoc for receipt capture.

Does Xero integrate with the corporate cards and travel tools we used in Concur?+

Xero connects to most major banks and corporate card issuers through direct bank feeds, so transactions still flow in automatically, but there's no travel booking integration. If travel booking matters, you'll need to keep a separate tool like TravelPerk or Navan alongside Xero.

Is Xero actually cheaper than Concur over a year for a small team?+

Yes, for most small businesses. Concur's enterprise pricing typically runs well above $8-10/user/month once implementation and support fees are included, while Xero is a flat monthly fee regardless of headcount (aside from per-user limits on lower plans). A 10-person team moving from Concur to Xero plus a cheap receipt app usually cuts annual software spend significantly.