AscendTMS vs Xero Expenses

AscendTMS is transportation management software for freight brokers, carriers, fleets, third-party logistics providers and shippers. Its road-freight tools cover load management, financials and profit monitoring, route review, load documentation, and branch and department management. Load searching, posting and truck matching are included; access to DAT or Truckstop.com services requires a separate subscription. Users can post loads to as many as 53 load boards, though subscriptions may be required. AscendTracker can request a driver's GPS location and status by text message, without a driver app. Carrier checks include verification, qualification and fraud detection using an MC or DOT number. Basic costs $69 a month per user, Premium $119 a month per user, and PRO $149 a month per user. Premium adds accounting functions, while PRO includes shipper profiles and leads, e-signatures, KPI reporting, outbound EDI and order management. The software runs on Android, iOS and the web, and offers a 30-day trial. Subscriptions are monthly, with no setup fees or contract periods and cancellation at any time.

Xero Expenses lets employees submit business expense and mileage claims for approval and reimbursement. Employees can photograph receipts in the Xero Me app; extracted details can prefill a claim. Approvers can approve or decline claims in Xero or Xero Me and track them by status, employee, or account. Approved claims can be paid from a bank account or reimbursed through payroll in the next pay run. Xero turns approved claims into accounts payable bills and records them against the relevant expense account. Employees can submit mileage claims for work travel in a personal vehicle, alongside other expenses. Xero says digital receipts are stored for audit and compliance, and claims include document audit trail details. Expenses is available through Xero on the web and the Xero Me app for iOS and Android. Xero describes its audience as small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers. It offers support through Xero Central and advertises free personalized onboarding with a product specialist for the first 90 days. Pricing is listed from $25/mo, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.