Gig-worker expenses · September 20, 2026
Best expense tracking for gig workers (2026)
Mileage, receipts, and a file that is not a glove-box. An enterprise T&E suite is the wrong aisle.
By Gregory GreensteinUpdated September 20, 2026Affiliate disclosure
Gig expense tracking fails when gas, phone, and platform fees live in a camera roll and April is archaeology. The job is: capture the receipt or mileage, keep it out of the personal pile, and hand a CPA a file. This is complementary to solopreneur expense trackers — that page includes Ramp. This page assumes you are a 1099 driver, shopper, or multi-app worker, not a startup issuing cards.
Expensify wins if you want a dedicated receipt product. Wave wins if you also need invoices and a $0 ledger. QuickBooks Online wins when the CPA already lives there. Shoeboxed wins if the leak is a literal shoebox of paper you will mail in.
Receipt scanning is the sibling if capture is the only job. Side-hustle bookkeeping is the sibling if the leak is the whole file. Freelancer banking is the sibling if you still mix payouts with rent.
Prices as of September 21, 2026. Mileage rates and deductible categories are IRS questions, not software features. This is not tax advice. We are not your accountant.
The short list
Public list prices as of September 20, 2026. Promos change. Confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
| # | Product | Best for | Public starting price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expensify | Gig workers who scan receipts all week and want a dedicated expense product | Collect $5 per unique member/month, pay-per-use. Control $18 per included member/month on annual (plus overage), or $36 pay-per-use. Expensify Card discounts exist — that is a spend-linked discount, not list. | 8.3 |
| 2 | Wave | Gig workers who need receipts, the occasional invoice, and a $0 ledger | Starter invoicing and the basic books stay $0. Pro is $19/month or $190/year. Card payments use Wave’s published processing rates. | 8.2 |
| 3 | QuickBooks Online | Gig workers whose CPA already speaks QuickBooks or who will become an S-corp | Simple Start $38/mo; Essentials $85; Plus $140; Advanced $340. Simple Start is the usual gig plan. 50% off three-month intros appear. | 7.9 |
| 4 | Shoeboxed | Workers with a literal pile of paper who will use a mail-in or scan workflow | Shoeboxed publishes scan/mail-in plans on shoeboxed.com. Confirm the live tier — packaging moves. We will not freeze a stale $18 figure. | 7.4 |
01
Expensify
Gig workers who scan receipts all week and want a dedicated expense product
Public pricing: Collect $5 per unique member/month, pay-per-use. Control $18 per included member/month on annual (plus overage), or $36 pay-per-use. Expensify Card discounts exist — that is a spend-linked discount, not list.
Expensify Help pricing pages, reviewed September 21, 2026.
Skip if
You send six receipts a month and already live in Wave. Buying Expensify just to feel organized is how you pay a seat for a job the ledger already does.
Why it ranks
- The product is the receipt. SmartScan and categories exist without a full accounting suite.
- Collect is honest pay-per-use math for a one-person shop.
- Exports into QuickBooks and Xero when a CPA appears.
- The card is optional. You can capture without converting spend onto their rail.
Watch-outs
- Control’s cheap headline often requires their card. Budget list unless that is the plan.
- Inviting a bookkeeper as a member is a line item.
- Mileage still has to be configured honestly. Software does not invent trips.
- If you already code every swipe in Wave, this is a second login.
02
Wave
Gig workers who need receipts, the occasional invoice, and a $0 ledger
Public pricing: Starter invoicing and the basic books stay $0. Pro is $19/month or $190/year. Card payments use Wave’s published processing rates.
Wave pricing (waveapps.com/pricing), reviewed September 21, 2026.
Skip if
You have a bookkeeper who will only open QuickBooks, or you need formal reimbursements for a team. Wave is a starter file.
Why it ranks
- The cheapest honest stack: bank feed, receipt, done.
- You are not paying a per-seat expense tax before the apps pay you.
- Good enough until a CPA asks for a file they already know.
- See Is Wave worth it and side-hustle bookkeeping.
Watch-outs
- Receipt capture is not a mileage science project. Track trips on purpose.
- Payment fees fund the free plan if you invoice.
- You will likely migrate. Export before tax season.
- Not Ramp. You are not issuing team cards.
03
QuickBooks Online
Gig workers whose CPA already speaks QuickBooks or who will become an S-corp
Public pricing: Simple Start $38/mo; Essentials $85; Plus $140; Advanced $340. Simple Start is the usual gig plan. 50% off three-month intros appear.
Intuit public pricing (quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), reviewed September 21, 2026.
Skip if
You send a handful of receipts and will not open the file weekly. Start with Wave.
Why it ranks
- The US CPA network is the product the week this stops being a side app.
- Receipts and bank feeds in a file that survives an S-corp election.
- Mileage features exist — confirm the live QBO grid, not a 2023 blog.
- See Is QuickBooks Online worth it.
Watch-outs
- You still have to categorize.
- List prices stepped in 2026.
- Do not buy Plus for Uber plus DoorDash.
- Payroll is extra if you somehow hire.
04
Shoeboxed
Workers with a literal pile of paper who will use a mail-in or scan workflow
Public pricing: Shoeboxed publishes scan/mail-in plans on shoeboxed.com. Confirm the live tier — packaging moves. We will not freeze a stale $18 figure.
Shoeboxed official site, reviewed September 21, 2026.
Skip if
Everything is already digital. A camera-roll-to-Wave habit is cheaper.
Why it ranks
- The product is getting paper into a digital pile someone can code.
- Useful after a year of glove-box receipts.
- Exports exist so a CPA can still have QBO or Wave.
- Ranks on receipt scanning for the same job.
Watch-outs
- You still need a ledger. Shoeboxed is capture.
- Mail-in is a habit. If you will not mail the envelope, you bought a box.
- Mileage is usually elsewhere.
- Do not stack Expensify and Shoeboxed for the same receipt.
How we picked
The job is US gig capture: receipts, a file, maybe mileage. We scored $0 honesty, CPA adjacency, and whether the product is capture vs a ledger. Ramp stays off — approval and team cards are a startup job. See expense cards if that is you. AI tax bots stay on Aiacent.
Who should skip this page
- W-2 employees getting reimbursed — that is your employer’s Expensify, not this page.
- Startups issuing cards — expense cards and expense management.
- Sellers with inventory — Etsy or ecommerce bookkeeping.
- Anyone who will not separate a business account. Software cannot unmix the week.