Payhawk vs Pennylane (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Payhawk is our pick, scoring 7.1/10 against 6.4/10 for Pennylane on our Finance Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 6/10). Neither Payhawk nor Pennylane lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Payhawk
7.1/10
Payhawk is a modular spend management platform combining Visa corporate cards, expense claims, accounts payable, procurement and travel booking for mid-sized and multi-entity companies.
Pennylane
6.4/10
French accounting, invoicing, cash management and business account platform for freelancers, small businesses, SMEs and the accounting firms that serve them.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.1/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Compliance | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | £149/mo Growth programme (UK/EEA) | €7/mo Starter (freelancer) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | £149/mo Growth programme (UK/EEA) | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Accounts Payable | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | ||
Payhawk vs Pennylane cost by team size
| Team size | Payhawk | Pennylane |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) | €7/moStarter (freelancer) |
| 5 users | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | $299/moTravel | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | $299/moTravel | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Payhawk and Pennylane suit
Payhawk fits enterprise better; Pennylane fits small business and startups better.
| Audience | Payhawk | Pennylane |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 4/10There is a discounted Growth programme for UK and EEA firms under 10 staff, but it is capped and reviewers say the cost is high for small companies. | 9/10The plans and the included business account are built for very small companies and SMEs in France. |
| Enterprise | 7/10It offers SAP, Oracle and Workday connectors, SSO, and PO matching, but very large enterprises may still need deeper procurement suites. | 3/10Reviewers found nothing on multi-entity consolidation, and the product focuses on French SMEs. |
| Startups | 5/10The Growth plan and unlimited employee seats help, but annual contracts and the price floor are less startup-friendly than freemium rivals. | 7/10Reviewers recommend it to startups for cash forecasting, the runway indicator and bundled banking. |
| Accountants and Bookkeepers | Not rated | 9/10Accountants work in the same shared workspace as their clients, and Pennylane reports thousands of partner accounting firms. |
| Finance Teams | 9/10It is built for controllers and CFO teams that need card controls, AP approvals and ERP sync in one place. | Not rated |
| Freelancers | Not rated | 8/10There is a dedicated freelancer pricing track that starts at 7 euros a month. |
| Mid-Market | 9/10Module pricing from several hundred dollars a month, plus multi-entity add-ons, targets companies that have outgrown simple expense apps. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Payhawk
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Integration score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Pennylane
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for startups (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Payhawk
Pros
- Unlimited employee seats, card transactions and document processing in every module, so costs do not scale per employee.
- Very broad native integration list, covering NetSuite, Sage Intacct, SAP, Dynamics, Xero, QuickBooks, DATEV and 30+ HR systems, plus a partner API and MCP connector.
- Strong for multi-entity European groups, with regulated card issuing entities in the EEA, UK and US and balances in six currencies.
- AP module includes 2- and 3-way PO matching, segregation-of-duties controls, and e-invoicing support for Peppol, KSeF, SDI and Finvoice.
- Reviewers often say employees find receipt capture and expense submission in the mobile app quick and easy.
Cons
- Trustpilot (2.8/5) and some G2 reviews describe mid-contract price increases, automatic renewals and difficult cancellations.
- Several reviewers report slow or AI-first support, with replies taking days or weeks.
- Annual pricing, unit fees for admin seats and cards, and add-on prices are not published, so you have to get a quote.
- Initial setup of workflows, custom fields and integrations is described as complex, and some reviewers note sync errors with Xero and with foreign currency refunds.
- It is not a general ledger or payroll system, so it needs a separate ERP or accounting package.
Pennylane
Pros
- Accountants and clients work in the same shared space, which reviewers call its main strength.
- Bank transactions are categorised and reconciled automatically, based on past categorisations.
- A business account with an IBAN and employee cards is included even on the entry plan.
- It is approved for French e-invoicing, and Premium adds electronic filing of VAT and tax returns.
- A 15-day free trial and cancel-anytime billing mean there is no long-term commitment.
Cons
- Reviewers consider it fairly expensive, and there is no free plan.
- Full accounting reports and tax filing are limited to Premium.
- No payroll or CRM of its own; it relies on Payfit, Silae and CRM integrations.
- Users report slow support on complex issues, occasional bugs, and a multi-currency feature that still needs work.
- Pricing for companies with employees is quote-based on the vendor site.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Payhawk scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7.1/10 against 6.4/10 for Pennylane. The largest gap is in Customization: 7/10 for Payhawk and 5/10 for Pennylane.
No, neither Payhawk nor Pennylane lists a free plan.
Pennylane is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 4/10 for Payhawk.
