What Receipt?Compare
Free receipt scanner apps in 2026: what you actually get for $0
Which receipt apps still have a free plan in 2026, what each one includes, and the catches: scan limits, data deleted after a year, manual entry only, or features locked behind paid plans.
Plenty of receipt apps call themselves free. Fewer have a free plan you can keep using, and the free plans that exist differ a lot: some read your receipts automatically, some make you type everything in, and some delete your data after a year. Here's what each one actually includes, as of October 2026.
Short answer If you just need receipts scanned and exported for taxes, look at four things in a free plan: automatic reading (or manual typing), how many receipts a month, how long they're kept, and whether you can export them. Several popular apps, including SparkReceipt, Wellybox and Shoeboxed, no longer have a free plan at all, only trials.
Free plans compared
| App | Free plan | Automatic reading | Limit | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What Receipt? | Yes, no card | Yes | 30 receipts a month | Inbox auto-import and Excel exports are Pro |
| Expensify | Yes | Yes (SmartScan) | No scan limit on the free plan | Categories, tags and accounting integrations need a paid workspace; CSV export is on the web only |
| Foreceipt | Yes | Yes | Up to 100 receipts | Free-plan receipts are kept for 12 months; up to 10 reports |
| Zoho Expense | Yes | Yes | 20 scans per user a month, up to 3 users | Built around expense reports and approvals |
| Smart Receipts | Yes | No, manual entry | n/a | Automatic reading, exports and web access are paid |
| SparkReceipt | No (trial) | |||
| Wellybox | No (trial) | |||
| Shoeboxed | No (money-back guarantee) |
Sources: each vendor's pricing or help pages in October 2026 (Expensify, Foreceipt, Zoho Expense, Smart Receipts, SparkReceipt, Wellybox, Shoeboxed). Free plans change often, so check before you commit years of receipts to one.
Receipt capture you may already have
- Accounting software. QuickBooks Online and Xero both include receipt capture in their subscriptions. If you already pay for one, start there.
- Business bank accounts. Several banks and card programs, including Mercury and Ramp, let you attach receipts to card transactions at no extra cost. It only covers spending on that bank's cards, so personal cards and other accounts aren't included.
What to look for in a free plan
Automatic reading, not just storage
A "scanner" that only saves a photo still leaves you typing in the vendor, date and amount. That's the step most people skip. Check that the free plan reads receipts for you.
A limit that fits your month
Count your receipts for a typical month: paper receipts plus everything that arrives by email. A freelancer with a few subscriptions, some meals and a couple of supplier invoices usually lands between 15 and 40.
How long receipts are kept
The IRS can generally ask about a return for three years, and longer in some cases (here's how long to keep receipts). A free plan that deletes receipts after 12 months isn't a place to keep them. Export them before they go.
Export with no strings
You'll eventually need your receipts somewhere else: in a spreadsheet, with your accountant, or in another app. Make sure the free plan lets you export the data, ideally with the original images too.
Business and personal kept apart
If one card buys both, you'll want to tag receipts as business, personal or by client, so the export your accountant sees contains only what's deductible.
What What Receipt? includes for free
- Capture: the camera (several receipts in a row), photos, PDFs and screenshots. It runs in your phone's browser or on your computer.
- Automatic reading: vendor, date, total, tax and payment method. Messy vendor names are cleaned up, so "STARBUCKS STORE #1234" becomes "Starbucks".
- Categories that learn: correct a category once and similar receipts follow.
- Projects: tag receipts by client, side business or Personal.
- A forwarding address: forward emailed receipts from any mailbox.
- An accountant link: send your accountant one read-only link to the receipts you choose, with totals and a CSV download.
- CSV export, with no card on file.
The free plan covers 30 receipts a month. Pro ($6.99 a month or $59 a year) adds unlimited receipts, automatic import from Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo and other inboxes, recurring-charge alerts and Excel and Zoho Books exports. Start free.
Questions
Is there a completely free receipt scanner app?
Yes. What Receipt?, Expensify, Foreceipt and Zoho Expense all have free plans that read receipts automatically, each with different limits. Smart Receipts is free for manual entry. SparkReceipt, Wellybox and Shoeboxed offer trials, not free plans.
Which free receipt app is best for taxes?
The one that reads receipts automatically, keeps them as long as you need them, and lets you export everything. For a freelancer, it also helps if you can separate business and personal receipts before exporting.
Are photos of receipts accepted by the IRS?
Generally, yes. The IRS accepts electronic copies of records as long as they're accurate, legible and complete. More on digital receipts and the IRS.
What happens to my receipts if I stop using a free app?
That depends on the app. Some keep your data, and some delete free-plan receipts after a set time. Export your receipts, including the original images, before you leave or before any retention limit runs out.
Plan details are from each vendor's public pricing and help pages in October 2026 and may have changed. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@whatreceipt.app and we'll fix it.
