Pleo vs Starling Comparison
Compare Pleo vs Starling 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.
Starling
6.6/10
A UK digital bank business account with built-in invoicing, bookkeeping, and Making Tax Digital tax tools for sole traders and small limited companies.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.8/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | £8/user/mo Start | £7/mo Accounting Plus |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | £80/mo Start | Free Business Account + Accounting Essentials |
| Features | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Pleo vs Starling cost by team size
Starling costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Pleo | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £8/moStart | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 5 users | £40/moStart | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 10 users | £80/moStart | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 25 users | £200/moStart | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 50 users | £400/moStart | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
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 Customization score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (4/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Starling
- Has a free plan (Pleo does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs £80/mo
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
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.
Starling
Pros
- The business account has no monthly fee, and UK transfers, invoicing, and up to five expense cards are free.
- The free Essentials tier includes MTD for Income Tax submissions, which helps sole traders and landlords facing the April 2026 rules.
- VAT returns can be filed to HMRC from inside the banking app for £7 a month until April 2027.
- Bank feeds connect to Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent.
- UK-based support is available 24/7 in the app, and Finder ranked it highly for customer satisfaction in 2026.
Cons
- It is not a full accounting system: there is no general ledger, payroll, or multi-entity support.
- Accountants only get view-only access.
- Only GBP and EUR accounts are available, and new USD account applications are paused.
- Eligibility is strict: directors and people with significant control must be UK residents.
- Overdrafts and loans are not available to new business customers, and there are no branches.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Pleo scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 6.6/10 for Starling. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for Pleo and 9/10 for Starling.
Starling costs less for 10 users: free on its Business Account + Accounting Essentials plan, against about £80/mo on its Start plan for Pleo, billed monthly.
Starling has a free plan; Pleo does not list one.
Pleo is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 4/10 for them, against 2/10 for Starling.
