Navan

What is navan

Navan is a corporate travel and expense management platform that combines travel booking, corporate card management, automated expense capture, and expense policy controls into a single service. The product is aimed at finance teams, travel managers, and employees who need faster expense reporting, tighter policy enforcement, and better visibility into company spending. Navan integrates mobile receipt capture, OCR extraction, and reconciliation features so teams can shorten the time between spend and bookkeeping.

Navan is positioned for organizations that want a unified travel and expense experience rather than separate point solutions. That includes companies that issue corporate cards, reimburse out-of-pocket employee spending, or need to centralize travel bookings alongside expense controls. The platform supports desktop and mobile workflows and emphasizes automated expense data capture, accounting exports, and programmable controls for approvals and spend policies.

Because Navan combines travel and expense functionality, finance teams can link trip itineraries and travel-related fees directly to expense items, reducing duplicate data entry and improving audit trails. The product includes dashboards for spend trends, policy exceptions, and card activity so finance and procurement teams can act on real-time information.

Navan features

What does navan do?

Navan provides the core capabilities organizations use to manage employee travel and expense workflows end to end. Key functions include receipt capture with OCR, automated expense categorization, corporate card reconciliation, travel booking and itinerary linking, approval workflows, and exports to accounting systems.

Navan centralizes spend data so finance teams can apply policy checks automatically and surface exceptions for approvers. The system supports mobile-first capture (photo receipts and OCR), automatic vendor matching, and rule-based categorization to reduce manual entry and accelerate month-end closing.

The platform also includes reporting and dashboards for spend analysis, card activity, and policy compliance. Admins can configure approval chains, set spend limits, and define allowed merchant categories to reduce out-of-policy charges. Navan offers role-based access controls, single sign-on (SSO), and audit logs for compliance and security.

Navan pricing

Navan offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month — basic receipt capture and personal travel booking with limited policy features and no corporate card reconciliation. Intended for single users or trial use.
• Starter: $9/month per user (billed monthly) — expense capture, basic approval workflows, mobile OCR, and desktop reports. $9/month per user represents the month-to-month rate; annual billing typically reduces per-user cost.
• Professional: $19/month per user (billed monthly) — adds corporate card reconciliation, enhanced reporting, accounting exports, multi-level approvals, and dedicated onboarding support. When billed annually this equates to approximately $228/year per user.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — advanced policy controls, dedicated success managers, SSO, data residency options, SLA-backed support, and tailored integrations with ERPs and procurement systems. Pricing for Enterprise is negotiated and depends on volume and required services.

Check Navan's current pricing tiers for the latest rates and enterprise options.

How much is navan per month

Navan starts at $9/month per user on the Starter tier when billed monthly. Monthly billing options are typically higher per user compared with annual commitments; organizations with predictable headcount commonly negotiate multi-year or annual terms to reduce per-user costs.

How much is navan per year

Navan costs approximately $228/year per user for the Professional plan when billed annually based on the monthly-equivalent rates shown above. Enterprise customers receive custom annual contracts that can include seat-based discounts, implementation fees, and service-level commitments.

How much is navan in general

Navan pricing ranges from $0 (free) to custom Enterprise pricing, with common per-user tiers around $9–$19/month. Small teams often start with the lower tiers to evaluate capture and approvals; mid-market teams use the Professional tier for card reconciliation and accounting exports, while larger organizations choose Enterprise for advanced controls and integrations.

What is navan used for

Navan is used to manage employee-initiated spend and travel bookings with a focus on accurate, auditable expense reporting. Common use cases include corporate travel booking and itinerary management, receipt capture and automated expense reports, corporate card reconciliation, and centralized approvals between employees and finance.

Finance teams use Navan to reduce manual data entry, reduce time to reimbursement, and enforce travel and expense policies. The platform helps ensure charges are categorized correctly and routed to the right approvers, improving compliance and reducing the risk of unsupported spend.

Procurement and travel managers use Navan to control negotiated travel rates, monitor supplier usage, and apply travel policies consistently across the organization. The link between travel bookings and expense items also helps identify travel-related refunds, credits, and corporate liability faster.

Pros and cons of navan

Pros:

• Integrated travel and expense: Navan combines booking, card management, and expense reporting, reducing duplicated workflows between separate systems.
• Mobile-first receipt capture: OCR and photo-based receipt capture speed up report creation and minimize lost documentation.
• Accounting integrations: Built-in exports and connectors reduce reconciliation time and improve GL mapping.

Cons:

• Pricing complexity for enterprise customers: Custom Enterprise contracts can make direct price comparisons difficult for small teams evaluating vendors.
• Feature overlap with travel-only providers: Organizations that only need one function (e.g., pure T&E reconciliation) may find some Navan features unnecessary for their use case.
• Migration effort for legacy systems: Moving large historical data sets and complex bill coding from legacy systems may require professional services or a longer implementation timeline.

Operational considerations:

• Implementation: Expect configuration work up front (policy definitions, category mapping, and card feeds). Navan typically offers onboarding support for paid plans.
• User adoption: The mobile app and automated capture reduce friction, but adoption is helped by training and clear expense policies.
• Reporting needs: For advanced finance requirements, confirm that Navan’s export formats and API meet your GL and custom reporting needs before committing.

Navan free trial

Navan commonly offers trial access for small teams or pilot programs so organizations can validate receipt capture, card reconciliation, and booking behavior. Trial periods vary by market and can include access to core expense features and limited travel booking credit or simulated transactions.

Pilots are most effective when they include a representative set of users (employees, managers, and finance admins) so you can test approvals, policy exceptions, and accounting exports. During the trial, collect examples of common expense types and any edge cases (per diems, multi-currency spend, corporate card statements) to validate mappings and rules.

To initiate a pilot or trial, contact Navan’s sales team or request evaluation access through Navan’s contact pages. View Navan's expense features and trial options on the Navan expense page at Navan's expense overview.

Is navan free

Navan offers a Free Plan for individuals or limited evaluation use. The free tier provides basic receipt capture and personal travel booking with restrictions on policy automation, card reconciliation, and accounting exports. Enterprise-grade features and corporate card management are available in paid tiers.

Navan API

Navan exposes programmatic interfaces to connect expense data with accounting systems, HR directories, and custom analytics platforms. Typical API capabilities include endpoints for expenses, receipts, users, corporate cards, and approval workflows. The API supports fetching expense items, posting reconciliations, and pushing approval status updates to external systems.

Common integration patterns include:

• Accounting exports: Push expense lines and journal entries into NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, or custom ERPs using the API or pre-built connectors.
• HR and SSO sync: Automate user provisioning with SCIM and maintain single sign-on via SAML or OAuth to keep employee lists and roles synchronized.
• Webhooks and eventing: Subscribe to events (new expense submitted, card charge posted, approval completed) to trigger downstream workflows such as spend analytics or procurement holds.

Developers should review Navan’s developer documentation for rate limits, authentication methods (OAuth2 or API keys), and payload schemas. For enterprise integrations, Navan provides implementation support and can help map GL codes, tax handling rules, and multi-currency conversions. See Navan's developer resources and integration guides on Navan's API documentation hub at Navan's integration guides.

10 Navan alternatives

• Expensify — Expense reporting with strong receipt OCR, corporate card reconciliation, and straightforward invoicing for SMBs and mid-market teams.
• SAP Concur — Enterprise-grade travel and expense platform with robust auditing, travel supplier connections, and deep ERP integrations for large organizations.
• Brex — Corporate card and spend management platform that combines cards, instant reconciliation, and controls tailored to startups and high-growth companies.
• Ramp — Spend management and corporate card provider focused on spend controls, automated savings insights, and tight accounting workflow integrations.
• Zoho Expense — Cost-effective expense reporting and policy automation integrated into the broader Zoho suite, suitable for small and growing businesses.
• Certify — Expense management platform with flexible approvals, robust reporting, and features aimed at mid-market users.
• Soldo — Prepaid card and expense platform with multi-card controls and top-up workflows for teams that prefer card-first spend management.
• Chrome River — Expense and invoice management with configurable workflows, targeted at complex enterprise environments.
• CardX — Focused corporate card solution that emphasizes reconciliation and fee management for accounts payable workflows.
• Emburse (formerly Nexonia) — Offers expense and invoice automation with strong enterprise accounting integrations and configurable policy engines.

Paid alternatives to Navan

• SAP Concur: Designed for large enterprises with complex travel and auditing needs, and strong supplier network connectivity.
• Expensify: Offers per-user pricing with a well-established mobile OCR and fast receipt-to-report flows useful for distributed teams.
• Brex: Combines corporate cards and expense controls with instant spend visibility, useful where card issuance and control are priorities.
• Ramp: Includes spend analytics and automated savings workflows alongside card issuance for finance-led spend programs.
• Zoho Expense: Lower-cost option with integrated ERP and CRM connectors within the Zoho ecosystem for small and mid-size businesses.

Open source alternatives to Navan

• ERPNext: Open source ERP that includes expense tracking and accounting modules. Suited for teams willing to self-host and customize workflows.
• Odoo (Community Edition): Offers expense modules within a wider open source business application suite; requires implementation effort for scale.
• Firefly III: Personal finance manager that can be adapted for small-team expense tracking and auditing in self-hosted environments.

Frequently asked questions about Navan

What is Navan used for?

Navan is used for corporate travel booking and expense management. Organizations use Navan to capture receipts, reconcile corporate card transactions, enforce travel and expense policies, and export data to accounting systems. It links travel itineraries to expense items so finance teams can audit travel spend more quickly.

Does Navan integrate with QuickBooks and NetSuite?

Yes, Navan offers integrations with major accounting systems including QuickBooks and NetSuite. Those integrations typically provide structured exports or API-based pushes of expense lines, vendor details, and GL mappings to reduce manual journal entry and simplify month-end reconciliation.

How much does Navan cost per user?

Navan starts at $9/month per user on the Starter tier when billed monthly, with higher feature tiers such as Professional at approximately $19/month per user. Enterprise pricing is custom and depends on seat counts and required services.

Is there a free version of Navan?

Yes, Navan provides a Free Plan for limited personal or evaluation use. The free tier supports basic receipt capture and personal travel booking but lacks advanced policy automation, card reconciliation, and enterprise integrations available in paid plans.

Can Navan manage corporate cards?

Yes, Navan supports corporate card reconciliation and feeds. The platform ingests card transactions, matches them to receipts or expense reports, and applies policy checks to flag exceptions, which speeds up reconciliation for finance teams.

Does Navan have a mobile app?

Yes, Navan provides mobile apps for receipt capture and booking. The mobile apps include OCR receipt scanning, quick report submission, and itinerary management so employees can file expenses and view bookings while on the go.

Can Navan handle multi-currency expenses?

Yes, Navan handles multi-currency transactions and conversion. The platform records original transaction currency, supports conversion to the corporate currency, and includes settings for how exchange gains or fees are treated for accounting purposes.

Is Navan secure and compliant for enterprise use?

Navan implements enterprise-grade security controls including SSO and role-based access. The platform offers audit logs, encryption in transit and at rest, and configurable access controls; specific compliance certifications and data residency options are available on Enterprise plans.

How does Navan handle approvals and policy exceptions?

Navan provides configurable approval workflows and automatic policy checks. Approvers receive notifications for exceptions and can review supporting receipts, edit categories, or route items for further review before finance records the expense.

Can I import historical expenses into Navan?

Yes, Navan supports bulk import and migration services for historical expense data. Imports usually use CSV templates or direct API ingestion, and larger migrations can be handled through professional services to preserve mapping to GL codes and approval history.

Navan careers

Navan hires across product, engineering, sales, customer success, and finance roles to support its travel and expense platform. Career pages typically list openings for software engineers who work on backend APIs, mobile engineers for receipt capture and travel apps, and product managers who focus on integrations and finance features.

The company often emphasizes roles that support enterprise deployments — implementation specialists, solutions engineers, and account managers who guide large customers through onboarding and configuration. Benefits and compensation packages vary by region and role, with many listings offering remote or hybrid work options.

To find current openings and role descriptions, check Navan’s careers page or professional recruiting platforms where Navan publishes job listings. Larger organizations looking for partnership roles or reseller opportunities should contact Navan’s partner team through their corporate pages.

Navan affiliate

Navan operates partner and reseller programs that enable travel managers, MSPs, and finance consultancies to refer or resell the platform. Affiliate and reseller relationships typically include access to partner portals, co-marketing resources, and referral incentives depending on the partner tier.

If you run a finance consultancy or travel agency and want to refer customers or integrate Navan into a managed offering, reach out to Navan through their partner pages to understand partner levels, margin structures, and onboarding requirements. Partner-specific resources often include technical integration guides and joint sales enablement materials.

Where to find Navan reviews

You can find user reviews and comparative evaluations on software review sites and industry publications. Look for detailed feedback on Navan’s receipt OCR accuracy, mobile apps, policy enforcement, and accounting export capabilities on platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius.

For vendor comparisons and analyst reports, search for corporate travel and expense management reviews that benchmark Navan against alternatives such as Expensify and SAP Concur. Also review customer case studies and reference customers listed on Navan’s site to understand industry-specific implementations and outcomes.