Pleo vs Shine Comparison
Compare Pleo vs Shine features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Pleo
6.8/10
Pleo is a European spend management platform that gives small and mid-sized businesses company cards, receipt capture, reimbursements and supplier invoice payments.
Shine
6.1/10
French online business account for freelancers and small companies, with Mastercard cards, built-in invoicing, receipt capture and accounting exports.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.8/10 | 6.1/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | £8/user/mo Start | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | £80/mo Start | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | ||
Pleo vs Shine cost by team size
| Team size | Pleo | Shine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £8/moStart | FreeFree |
| 5 users | £40/moStart | FreeFree |
| 10 users | £80/moStart | FreeFree |
| 25 users | £200/moStart | FreeFree |
| 50 users | £400/moStart | FreeFree |
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.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Pleo
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Shine
- Has a free plan (Pleo does not)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Pleo
Pros
- G2 reviewers praise the card and receipt-capture app as easy for employees to use, and Pleo holds a 4.7 rating across roughly 1,400 G2 reviews.
- Per-user list prices are published, starting at £8 per user per month.
- Native accounting integrations cover Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, FreeAgent, Xledger and Twinfield.
- SAML SSO is included even on the entry Start plan.
- The UK entity is authorised by the FCA, and cards are issued under a Mastercard licence.
Cons
- Build and Optimise are billed yearly and require at least three users.
- Transaction charges such as FX fees of up to 2 percent and per-payment fees add to the subscription cost.
- Live chat support is only included on Optimise, and Trustpilot reviewers complain about slow support.
- Some reviewers report weak coverage and support in the US.
- It is not an accounting system and has no general ledger, customer invoicing or payroll.
Shine
Pros
- A real free plan that includes unlimited quotes and invoices with automatic reminders
- Cash deposits through tobacconists, which few online business accounts offer
- Strong Trustpilot ratings of about 4.6 to 4.7 out of 5 across thousands of reviews, and an in-house support team based in France
- Paid plans have a 30-day trial and no commitment
Cons
- As a payment institution it offers no overdraft, loans or interest-bearing account
- Higher fees than some rivals on non-euro card payments and international transfers
- No phone support on the Free plan, and reviewers report accounts blocked without warning
- Garnishment processing fees of 10 percent, capped at 100 EUR, criticised as poorly signposted
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Pleo scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 6.1/10 for Shine. The largest gap is in Analytics: 6/10 for Pleo and 4/10 for Shine.
Shine has a free plan; Pleo does not list one.
Pleo is the better fit for mid-market: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 3/10 for Shine.
