Best Expense Apps for Sole Traders in Australia
Hnry suits sole traders who want tax withheld and BAS lodged automatically for 1% of income (capped at $1,500+GST a year); MYOB Solo ($99/year) suits simple invoicing and GST tracking without payroll; Xero Ignite ($37/month) suits anyone who also needs payroll for one employee; and Expensorr suits keeping receipt-backed records to hand to whichever of those, or an accountant, actually lodges with the ATO.
For an Australian sole trader, "best expense app" splits into two different jobs: capturing what you spent, and, once turnover approaches the GST threshold, tracking GST and lodging a Business Activity Statement with the ATO. The three apps below handle the second job in different ways; a fourth, Expensorr, deliberately only does the first.
Which app fits your situation
What do you actually need this app to do for the ATO?
| Price | BAS/GST lodgement | Bank connection | Payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hnry | 1% + GST per payment, capped at $1,500 + GST/yr | Yes, handled by Hnry's accountants | Via its own payment account | No |
| MYOB Solo | $99/yr ($12 for first 12 months); ~$132/yr if paid monthly | GST tracking built in | Up to 2 accounts | No, at any price |
| Xero Ignite | $37/mo, standard price as of July 2026 | Yes, plus Hubdoc receipt capture | Yes, full reconciliation | 1 employee |
| Expensorr | Every feature free; AI captures metered at 20/mo | No | No, never | No |
Hnry, if you want tax handled as income arrives
Hnry's own pricing page charges 1% plus GST of every payment into your Hnry account, capped at a maximum of $1,500 plus GST a year, with a minimum fee of $0.50 plus GST on individual payments under $50. There's no separate subscription — the fee is the whole cost. Included in that percentage: automated income tax withholding and payment, expense tracking, unlimited invoicing, BAS and GST handling, mileage tracking, automatic allocations to savings or superannuation, and support from sole trader tax specialists.
If irregular income makes a flat monthly subscription feel like the wrong shape, or you'd rather have tax set aside automatically than manage quarterly estimates yourself, Hnry's pay-as-you-earn model is built specifically around that problem in a way none of the other three are.
MYOB Solo, if you want the cheapest GST-aware option
MYOB's Solo product page lists the plan at $99 a year when paid upfront, discounted to $12 for the first 12 months as of this run, or roughly $132 a year if you pay monthly instead. It includes unlimited invoices and quotes, automated tax and GST tracking, expense capture by photo, connections to up to two bank accounts, online and in-person (Tap to Pay) payments, and an in-app Solo Money account. MYOB's own materials don't list a mileage-tracking feature.
Solo has no payroll at any price, so it stops being an option the moment you hire someone. For a sole trader working alone, it's the least expensive way on this page to get invoicing and GST tracking together.
Xero Ignite, if you'll eventually need payroll for one person
Xero's Ignite plan is the entry tier of its current Ignite/Grow/Comprehensive/Ultimate lineup, priced at $37 a month in Australia as of the 1 July 2026 increase (up from $35), per Xero's own Ignite page and confirmed by third-party pricing trackers following the change. It covers up to 20 invoices and quotes a month, bill tracking and batch payments, full bank reconciliation, GST tracking and BAS lodgement to the ATO, document capture through Hubdoc, and payroll for one employee including superannuation. A 90%-off introductory offer for the first three months was live at the time of this check.
If you expect to bring on even one employee, or you specifically want Hubdoc's receipt capture alongside full bank reconciliation, Ignite is built to grow into that in a way MYOB Solo explicitly isn't.
Where Expensorr fits instead
None of the three apps above is what Expensorr is for, and it isn't a substitute for any of them once GST registration applies. Photograph a receipt and the merchant, date, total, and a suggested category come back as a draft you confirm; say what you spent and it parses the sentence the same way. Labels tag a transaction by client or project, wallets separate business and personal balances, and existing history imports from CSV, XLSX, or XLS. Every feature is free, with the paid tier only lifting the 20-scan monthly AI allowance.
What Expensorr does not do: it has no GST tracking or BAS lodgement feature, doesn't connect to a bank at any tier, and doesn't calculate or file anything with the ATO. The Australian government's own guidance sets the GST registration threshold at $75,000 in turnover — below that, clean, receipt-backed records handed to an accountant at tax time is often enough. Above it, you need one of the three apps above, or similar ATO-capable software, for GST and BAS itself. Best expense apps without a bank connection covers the wider no-bank-feed field, and expense tracking for freelancers covers the daily routine.
This page describes what each product does, not what you should lodge or when — check your own GST status and any BAS deadline against the ATO's guidance and your own accountant, not against this article.
What to check before you commit
- Is your turnover near the $75,000 GST threshold?Below it, GST and BAS features may be more app than you need yet
- Does the pricing model match how your income arrives?A percentage fee like Hnry's suits irregular income; a flat fee suits steady income
- Will you ever need payroll, even for one person?MYOB Solo has none at any price; Xero Ignite includes one employee
Choosing in one line
Pick Hnry if you want tax withheld and BAS lodged as income arrives and a percentage-of-income fee suits you; pick MYOB Solo if you want the cheapest way to invoice and track GST with no employees; pick Xero Ignite if you want full bank reconciliation and room to add one employee's payroll; and pick Expensorr if what you actually need day to day is fast, accurate receipt and voice capture with no bank feed, leaving GST and BAS to whichever of the other three, or your accountant, handles it. Best receipt scanner apps and best expense tracker apps for freelancers cover the wider field if ATO lodgement isn't the deciding factor for you yet.
Sources, all checked on 19 September 2026: Hnry's pricing page; MYOB Solo's product page; Xero's Ignite plan page; the Australian Government's GST registration guidance; and the Australian Government's record-keeping guidance. Prices and thresholds change — verify on the vendor's own page and business.gov.au before relying on any of this for a filing deadline.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best expense app for a sole trader in Australia?
It depends on how much of the ATO side you want automated. Hnry withholds tax and lodges BAS as part of a pay-as-you-earn fee, MYOB Solo is a low-cost option for invoicing and GST tracking without payroll, and Xero Ignite adds bank reconciliation and one-employee payroll for $37 a month. Expensorr does none of that — it's a records-only app for capturing receipts and expenses without a bank connection, for a sole trader below the GST threshold or one who hands records to an accountant or BAS agent.
Is Hnry worth it for a sole trader with low income?
Hnry charges 1% plus GST of every payment into your Hnry account, capped at $1,500 plus GST a year, with a minimum fee of $0.50 plus GST on payments under $50, per Hnry's own pricing page. On low income that percentage fee is small in dollar terms, and it comes with automated tax withholding, BAS lodgement, and accounting support built in rather than as separate purchases — worth comparing against a flat-fee app if your income is irregular.
Does MYOB Solo handle BAS lodgement?
MYOB's own product page lists automated GST tracking as part of Solo, which is what BAS lodgement is built from, but Solo does not include payroll at all — the moment you hire someone, you need to move to a full MYOB Business plan. At $99 a year (currently discounted to $12 for the first 12 months), it's the cheapest option here for a sole trader who invoices, tracks GST, and doesn't employ anyone.
Do I need GST or BAS software if I'm under the $75,000 threshold?
Not necessarily. The Australian government's own guidance states you must register for GST once your turnover reaches $75,000, so below that, GST tracking and BAS lodgement features may be more than you need. A records-only app like Expensorr, paired with a simple annual return through your accountant, can be enough until turnover approaches that threshold. This is general information, not advice for your specific situation — check with your own accountant or the ATO.
Does Expensorr handle GST or BAS for Australian sole traders?
No. Expensorr has no GST tracking, no BAS lodgement, and no bank connection at any tier — it captures receipts by photo or voice and keeps organized, exportable records. Once your turnover approaches the $75,000 GST threshold, you need software the ATO recognises for BAS, such as Hnry, MYOB Solo, or Xero. Expensorr can still be where day-to-day receipts get captured, with records exported to whichever of those handles the lodgement.
Track expenses without the data entry
Every Expensorr feature is free, including unlimited wallets, budgets, labels, splits, and 75 currencies. The free plan includes 20 AI receipt scans or voice captures a month. Pro lifts that limit for $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year and changes nothing else.
