Still buried in manual expense reports?
If you’re here, you’re likely looking for a way to stop wasting hours on tedious spend tracking and travel paperwork that slows your finance team down.
And let’s be real—chasing receipts and delayed approvals is why your day feels so frustratingly unproductive and chaotic.
SAP Concur takes a radically different approach by combining expense, travel, and invoice management in one system. Its standout flexibility is perfect if your business demands custom workflows, policy controls, and real-time spend visibility—all backed by deep ERP integration.
In this review, I’ll show you how SAP Concur reduces that daily admin pain using features I’ve tested firsthand.
We’ll break down the unified platform, must-have features, pricing, ease-of-use, and how SAP Concur stacks up against similar tools—all in this SAP Concur review to guide your decision.
You’ll come away with the features you need to simplify spend management and evaluate if this is your best next step.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary
- SAP Concur is an integrated cloud platform that automates travel, expense, and invoice management for large organizations.
- Best for mid-market to global enterprises needing tight spending controls and ERP integration.
- You’ll appreciate its robust policy enforcement and unified system that brings travel, expense, and AP data together.
- SAP Concur offers custom pricing based on modules with no free trial but requires direct sales contact for quotes.
SAP Concur Overview
SAP Concur has been around since 1993, based in Bellevue, Washington, and was acquired by SAP in 2014. Their mission focuses on simplifying and automating travel, expense, and invoice management for businesses.
What sets them apart is how they specialize in serving mid-market and large enterprise clients needing global scalability, policy enforcement, and tight ERP integration. You’ll notice their platform is built for complex corporate environments rather than small businesses.
A smart recent move is their deeper integration with the SAP ecosystem, including real-time data sync with SAP S/4HANA. This and ongoing product updates highlight why SAP Concur review discussions often point to sustained innovation and growth.
Unlike other providers, they emphasize an all-in-one solution combining travel, expense, and invoice automation. This unified approach delivers visibility and control that stand out against competitors focusing on narrower aspects or smaller market segments.
They work with large, often global, organizations across industries like manufacturing, finance, and technology that require advanced compliance and scalable workflows.
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Their current focus is on enhancing automation and analytics capabilities to meet evolving compliance demands and empower finance teams. This focus aligns with what you need if your organization is handling complex T&E and AP processes internationally.
Now let’s examine their capabilities.
SAP Concur Features
Expense reporting usually feels like a grind.
SAP Concur solutions offer more than just expense tracking—they provide an integrated platform for travel, invoicing, and analytics management. These are the five core SAP Concur solutions that address complex spend management challenges and keep your company’s financial processes on track.
1. Concur Expense
Manual expense reports slow everyone down.
When employees spend hours tracking receipts and typing out reports, finance teams deal with delays and errors.
Concur Expense uses smart receipt capture and its ExpenseIt OCR technology to automate data entry, letting users snap photos of receipts and automatically generate expense lines. From my testing, the customizable policy enforcement and multi-level approval workflows really make this feature stand out in controlling spending.
This means you can reduce errors and speed up reimbursements significantly, saving time for both employees and finance.
2. Concur Travel
Booking travel without headaches is tough.
Many teams struggle to follow travel policies and find preferred vendors without wasting time.
Concur Travel simplifies bookings by aggregating flights, hotels, and rentals with policy guidance visible during selection. The solution automatically links travel plans to expense reporting, which is where SAP Concur shines—giving you an end-to-end travel spend process. From my experience, this reduces out-of-policy bookings and streamlines reconciliation.
Your team gets clearer oversight of travel expenses and can adhere to budgets with less friction.
3. Concur Invoice
Processing invoices causes payment delays.
Manual AP processes result in lost invoices and slower approvals.
Concur Invoice automates invoice capture and matches them to purchase orders, routing approvals digitally with complex multi-location support for large organizations. This solution’s PO matching and approval routing capabilities impressed me during testing, especially for enterprises with high vendor volumes.
You end up shortening payment cycles and strengthen vendor relationships through timely payments.
4. SAP Concur Mobile App
Managing expenses on your phone feels clunky.
Many mobile apps for expense management limit functionality or frustrate users with slow navigation.
SAP Concur’s mobile app combines travel booking, receipt capture, and approvals in one interface. What I love about this solution is it lets you manage everything on the go—even if the UI feels a bit dated, it covers all core tasks in one place, reducing follow-up work after trips.
This means your field workforce can handle expenses and approvals anywhere, accelerating workflows.
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5. Analytics and Intelligence
Blurry spend reports hide overspending.
Without unified data, it’s tough to pinpoint savings or policy gaps.
The Analytics solution aggregates all spend data into dashboards and customizable reports, offering a 360-degree view of travel, expense, and invoice spending. From what I found, having all data in one place helps uncover hidden costs and maintain tighter budget control.
This translates into smarter decision-making that drives continuous cost reductions.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Powerful automation for expenses and invoice approvals
- ✅ Unified platform linking travel, expenses, and AP data
- ✅ Extensive customization options for complex spending policies
- ⚠️ User interface feels dated compared to newer competitors
- ⚠️ Mobile app can be slow and occasionally buggy
- ⚠️ Complexity can be overwhelming for smaller businesses
SAP Concur solutions work together as a tightly integrated spend management system, giving you centralized control and visibility across your expense, travel, and invoice processes. This cohesion sets the stage for smoother financial operations and better strategic insights.
SAP Concur Pricing
Confused about what you’ll actually pay monthly?
SAP Concur pricing follows a custom quote model tailored to your company’s unique needs, requiring direct sales engagement to get precise costs. This approach suits businesses that demand flexibility but can make upfront budgeting less straightforward compared to fixed tiers.
Cost Breakdown
- Base Platform: Custom quote, starting around $8-$10/user/month for smaller editions
- User Licenses: Typically $8-$50+ per active user/month, depending on edition and volume
- Implementation: Significant one-time fees, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars
- Integrations: Costs vary widely based on system complexity
- Key Factors: User count, modules selected, global operations, customization level
1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors
Pricing tailored to your business size.
SAP Concur pricing operates mainly on a subscription and per-transaction fee basis that depends heavily on number of users and modules selected. The custom pricing model reflects your unique usage patterns, including expense, travel, and invoice components, plus integration and implementation complexity. From my cost analysis, this means costs can vary widely, so you’ll want to clarify all fee elements upfront to avoid surprises.
Budget-wise, this approach helps keep monthly fees aligned tightly with actual platform use.
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2. Value Assessment & ROI
Is this pricing worth the investment?
Their pricing scales with features and global reach, offering strong value if you need comprehensive travel, expense, and invoice automation. I found the integrated platform’s ROI lies in reducing manual work and policy violations, which often offsets higher license and implementation fees. Pricing may seem high for smaller firms, but businesses with complex compliance needs get significant payback.
From my cost analysis, the result is your budget gets better control over spending and operational efficiency.
3. Budget Planning & Implementation
Plan carefully for total costs.
Implementation fees can be substantial, including configuration, training, and change management. Since SAP Concur pricing does not include public rates, you need to factor in upfront and ongoing service expenses alongside your subscription fees. From my research, expecting tens of thousands initially for a medium-to-large deployment is reasonable. This means your budgeting process should include these to avoid surprises.
So for your business, allocate enough upfront to ensure a smooth rollout and adoption.
My Take: SAP Concur pricing fits mid-market to large enterprises requiring high customization and scalability. The custom model isn’t the easiest for budget forecasting, but it’s necessary for their extensive feature set and global compliance capabilities.
The overall SAP Concur pricing reflects customized enterprise software value aligned with your needs.
SAP Concur Reviews
How reliable are SAP Concur reviews?
From my review analysis, SAP Concur reviews come from a large, diverse user base across platforms like G2 and Capterra, offering insights into both finance professionals and everyday employees. This balanced scope helps you understand real user experiences and reveals patterns related to company size and user roles influencing satisfaction levels.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users are clearly divided in opinions.
From the reviews I analyzed, overall ratings show a split between administrative users and regular employees, with finance teams generally giving high marks for robust features while end-users often report frustration. What stood out is the polarized user experience depending on role, which is a recurring theme in SAP Concur reviews across major sites.
This means your experience will likely hinge on your role and company size.
2. Common Praise Points
Finance teams love its control features.
What stands out in user feedback is how administrators praise the system’s ability to enforce complex policies and offer detailed audit trails. From the reviews, its centralized platform for travel, expense, and invoicing is frequently applauded for streamlining financial visibility and processing accuracy.
This is important if your priority is compliance and integrated spend management.
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3. Frequent Complaints
End-users often complain about usability.
Review-wise, many employees criticize SAP Concur’s interface as outdated and clunky, especially on mobile. What users commonly mention is the mobile app’s sluggish and cumbersome performance, alongside frustration with rigid rules that complicate expense submissions and approvals.
These complaints may be minor annoyances or deal-breakers depending on your user expectations.
What Customers Say
- Positive: “From a back-end administrator point of view, it is brilliant. Customisability is second to none.” (G2 Review, Administrator)
- Constructive: “The user interface is very clunky and looks like it was designed in the early 2000s.” (Capterra Review, End-user)
- Bottom Line: “Having one place for all expenses with a clear approval flow is a huge plus.” (G2 Review, Large Enterprise User)
The overall SAP Concur reviews reflect balanced feedback on strengths and drawbacks, highlighting role-based satisfaction differences.
Best SAP Concur Alternatives
Too many travel and expense tools to choose?
The best SAP Concur alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business sizes, budgets, and specific travel or spending priorities you might have.
1. Expensify
Looking for simplicity and ease of use?
Expensify shines when your main goal is quick employee adoption with a straightforward, mobile-friendly interface. From my competitive analysis, Expensify offers one of the easiest mobile receipt scanning experiences that small to mid-sized companies appreciate, making this alternative perfect if you don’t need complex global compliance or deep ERP integration like Concur provides.
Choose Expensify if your business values usability and cost-efficiency over advanced policy customization or multinational support.
2. Navan (formerly TripActions)
Want a premium travel booking experience?
Navan stands out for organizations that want a modern, tech-forward platform that integrates travel booking and expense management seamlessly. What I found comparing options is that Navan delivers an industry-leading travel booking interface with built-in travel agent support, making this alternative ideal for fast-growing companies focusing heavily on travel convenience.
You should choose Navan if employee travel booking experience and real-time support are your top priorities.
3. Ramp
Interested in combining spend control with corporate cards?
Ramp takes a distinctive approach by combining free expense management software with smart corporate cards, making it attractive for budget-conscious businesses. From my analysis, Ramp eliminates traditional expense reports with integrated card controls, so this alternative works best if you want to streamline spending and reduce manual expense reporting without travel booking needs.
Go with Ramp if you’re a U.S.-based SMB wanting cost-effective card-based expense control instead of a full travel solution.
4. Emburse
Need tailored solutions for specific industries?
Emburse offers a portfolio of products suited to various segments, like legal or professional services, providing more industry-specific features. What I found comparing options is that Emburse’s modular approach fits diverse needs better than one-size-fits-all alternatives, making this alternative worth considering when you seek specialized expense or invoice workflows.
Choose Emburse if you want solutions targeting your sector and don’t need the single, integrated platform Concur delivers.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose SAP Concur: Complex global travel, policy enforcement, and enterprise needs
- Choose Expensify: Simplicity and mobile ease for SMBs without complex needs
- Choose Navan: Premium travel booking with integrated travel agent support
- Choose Ramp: U.S.-SMBs wanting free software paired with corporate cards
The best SAP Concur alternatives rely on matching solutions to your business size and travel priorities rather than just features alone.
Setup & Implementation
Worried about the complexities of deployment?
The SAP Concur review shows that implementation requires a clear plan and dedicated resources, especially for larger organizations. Here’s what you’re looking at with SAP Concur implementation, from setup to adoption challenges.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
Implementation isn’t a one-click install.
SAP Concur implementation often ranges from a few weeks for smaller setups to 6+ months for complex, global rollouts. From my implementation analysis, professional services are necessary for reliable deployment, making this more than a simple plug-and-play solution.
You’ll want to prepare by assigning a dedicated project manager and defining your expense policies early to keep timelines realistic.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
Integration can get tricky quickly.
Your IT team will handle ERP connections, single sign-on setup, and configuring workflows. What I found about deployment is that integration with existing ERP systems adds significant complexity and often requires external expertise.
Make sure your IT staff has bandwidth and experience with API integrations before starting your implementation.
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3. Training & Change Management
User buy-in can be a major hurdle.
Employees face a learning curve with SAP Concur’s interface and new processes. From my analysis, comprehensive user training and change management are critical to avoid frustration and poor adoption during implementation.
You’ll want to schedule ongoing training sessions and involve employee champions to drive acceptance and compliance.
4. Support & Success Factors
Vendor support isn’t always perfect.
Many users find frontline support slow and scripted, with expert help needing escalation. From my implementation analysis, having a clear escalation path speeds resolution and reduces downtime during rollout.
Plan for internal support readiness and have expert contacts lined up to overcome challenges efficiently.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: 3-6+ months depending on rollout complexity
- Team Size: Project manager, finance lead, IT lead
- Budget: Professional services often required beyond license fees
- Technical: ERP integration and single sign-on configuration
- Success Factor: Strong training and change management programs
The SAP Concur implementation calls for dedicated planning and resource commitment but pays off with robust control and visibility when executed thoroughly.
Who’s SAP Concur For
Is SAP Concur the right fit for your company?
In this SAP Concur review, I analyze target users to help you understand whether this solution fits your business profile, team size, and expense management needs, turning research insights into practical fit guidance.
1. Ideal User Profile
Best suited for complex expense and travel management.
SAP Concur shines for mid-market to large enterprises with global operations, especially in industries like consulting, pharma, or manufacturing where controlling decentralized spending is critical. From my user analysis, businesses needing detailed compliance and audit capabilities find it invaluable despite a steeper learning curve.
Your success grows when your finance and admin teams prioritize control and integration with enterprise ERP systems.
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2. Business Size & Scale
Geared toward mid-size to large organizations.
SAP Concur works best in companies with 500+ employees that run multi-location, global travel programs. What I found about target users is that smaller businesses often face unnecessary complexity and higher costs while larger enterprises benefit from scalability and robust policy enforcement.
You should consider your business size carefully—if your operations are centralized and smaller, this may be more software than necessary.
3. Use Case Scenarios
Ideal for managing global T&E and invoice workflows.
Your team will benefit most if you require a unified system for travel booking, expense reporting, and invoice processing with strong auditing and ERP integration. From my analysis, automating complex travel and expense policies across countries is where SAP Concur excels.
Check if your daily workflows involve multiple approvers, policy enforcements, and integration with ERP systems before committing.
4. Who Should Look Elsewhere
Not recommended for small businesses or simple workflows.
SAP Concur may frustrate end-users in small teams or those seeking a modern, intuitive interface due to its dated UI and rigid rules engine. From my user analysis, teams prioritizing ease of use and mobile-first experiences often prefer lighter alternatives.
If your needs focus on straightforward expense tracking without deep customization, solutions like Expensify or Zoho Expense could serve you better.
Best Fit Assessment
- Perfect For: Mid-large enterprises with complex, global spend control
- Business Size: 500+ employees with decentralized operations
- Primary Use Case: Managing global travel, expenses, and invoice workflows
- Budget Range: Higher budgets aligned with enterprise-level investment
- Skip If: Small teams needing simple, user-friendly expense tracking
From my SAP Concur review, this software fits businesses requiring rigorous spend control and integrated workflows rather than those valuing simplicity or small-scale setups.
Bottom Line
Can SAP Concur meet your business needs?
My SAP Concur review thoroughly evaluates its capabilities, pricing, and user feedback to provide a final recommendation tailored for businesses seeking robust travel and expense management solutions.
1. Overall Strengths
Strong enterprise control and integration capabilities.
SAP Concur excels at delivering comprehensive spend policy enforcement and audit tracking that finance teams highly value. Its seamless integration with SAP ERPs offers real-time data synchronization, while combining travel, expense, and invoicing into a single platform improves visibility and financial control.
These strengths matter because they empower organizations to maintain compliance, reduce fraud risk, and streamline reporting for complex mid-market and enterprise environments.
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2. Key Limitations
User experience struggles impact adoption and satisfaction.
The platform’s dated interface and clunky mobile app performance remain common pain points among end users. Complexity intended for control can frustrate employees handling expense reports, while the rigid rules engine often generates confusion around exceptions.
For many organizations, these limitations are a trade-off for robust back-end controls, but they could be deal-breakers if ease of use is your top priority.
3. Final Recommendation
Recommended for mid-market and enterprise buyers.
You should choose SAP Concur if your priority is enterprise-grade spend control and ERP integration within a scalable solution. Based on this review, it suits organizations willing to invest in configuration and user training to maximize benefits despite the cumbersome interface.
Your decision should weigh these factors carefully; schedule a demo and consider your user experience expectations before committing.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended with reservations for complex enterprises
- Best For: Mid-to-large organizations needing strong spend controls
- Biggest Strength: Robust policy enforcement with SAP ERP integration
- Main Concern: Outdated UI and challenging user experience
- Next Step: Request a demo to assess fit for your workflows
This SAP Concur review highlights solid value with important user experience caveats—providing you with confidence to evaluate if it fits your business context.