7 best travel management software for small business (2025)

Managing business travel as a small company often feels like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces. Your employees book flights through different websites, submit crumpled receipts weeks later, and you're left wondering if that $400 hotel stay was actually necessary. 

Meanwhile, you're drowning in expense reports and have no clear picture of where your travel budget is actually going.

The solution isn't hiring a dedicated travel manager — it's finding the right travel management software that can handle booking, policy enforcement, and expense tracking without requiring a team of administrators to run it.

After spending time testing dozens of platforms firsthand, Rippling Travel stands out as the best travel and expense (T&E) software for small businesses because it combines travel booking, corporate cards, and expense management in a single platform that connects directly to your HR data. 

This means your travel policies automatically adjust when someone gets promoted, and expenses flow seamlessly from booking to reimbursement without manual data entry. The result? Less admin work, fewer mistakes, and complete confidence in your travel budget. 

In this piece, we’ll look at the seven best travel management software platforms for small businesses in 2025, and how to choose the right one for your team.

What is travel management software?

Travel management software centralizes how your business handles corporate travel, from the initial booking through expense reimbursement. 

So instead of employees booking travel anywhere they want and submitting paper receipts later, these platforms provide a controlled booking environment where employees can only choose options that comply with your company policies.

The key difference between traditional travel management companies (TMCs) and modern software platforms is control and visibility. 

TMCs typically require you to call an agent for bookings and provide limited visibility into spending patterns. Modern platforms like the ones I'll review below give employees self-service booking while giving finance teams real-time visibility into every dollar spent.

For small businesses, this software category has become essential because it solves three critical problems: 

• Reducing travel costs through negotiated rates

• Ensuring policy compliance without micromanagement

• Eliminating the administrative burden of manual expense processing

In practice, small business travel management software helps corporate travelers book business trips while giving companies online booking tools to manage spending. 

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Quick comparison: Best small business travel management platforms at a glance

Methodology: How I chose these travel management tools

I evaluated these platforms based on six critical factors that matter most to small businesses:

• Booking inventory breadth and quality: Small businesses need access to competitive rates across all major travel categories. Plus, they require extensive travel inventory that rivals consumer booking sites while maintaining cost savings through negotiated rates. I looked at each platform’s supplier coverage and whether employees could find the same options they’d see booking on their own, but with the guardrails that keep spending under control.

• Policy enforcement capabilities: This goes far beyond simple spending limits. I tested how well each platform handles approval workflows, exception handling, and real-time alerts. Superior solutions make compliance feel natural rather than restrictive, guiding employees toward approved options without creating friction.

• Expense automation and integration: Manual expense reporting kills productivity and creates errors. I examined how smoothly each tool captures receipts, categorizes expenses, connects to corporate cards, and syncs with accounting systems. The best platforms eliminate double data entry entirely.

• Cost control and visibility features: Saving on bookings is only part of the equation. A lot of small businesses lack proper systems to track spending patterns across their travel program. I assessed negotiated rates, budget management tools, and spend alerts to see how well each system helps finance teams spot and prevent unnecessary costs.

• Integration capabilities with existing systems: Travel management shouldn’t sit in a silo. I looked at how well platforms integrate with HR, payroll, accounting, and ERP software so travel data flows into core processes without added admin work.

• SMB-specific usability and pricing structure: Enterprise-grade features can overwhelm smaller teams. I evaluated how easy each platform is to implement, the transparency of its pricing, and whether it scales naturally as a business grows.

Deep dive: Full review of each travel management platform

Here’s a closer look at how each platform performs in real business scenarios and where they stand out (or fall short):

1. Rippling Travel & Expense - Best all-in-one solution

Why it stands out: Rippling Travel takes a fundamentally different approach by building travel management on top of your existing HR infrastructure. When an employee books a flight through Rippling, the system already knows their department, role, manager, and spending authority because it's the same platform managing their payroll and benefits.

This integration creates powerful automation that other platforms can't match. When someone gets promoted, their travel approval limits and per diem rates update automatically. When they leave the company, their corporate card and booking access are immediately revoked. 

The expense management integration eliminates the typical friction between the travel booking process and expense reporting. Travel expenses automatically flow into Rippling's expense workflows with receipts attached and proper coding applied. Corporate card transactions sync in real-time, so there's no manual reconciliation at month-end.

Plus, Rippling partnered with Duffel to provide broad travel inventory sourced directly from airlines, GDS providers, and online travel agencies like Expedia Group and Booking.com. The booking experience feels familiar — like using Google for personal travel — but with guardrails that ensure policy compliance.

Where it falls short: Travel options are primarily focused on US travel, although non-US employees can still use the platform. 

Is it right for you? Perfect for SMBs that want to simplify their entire back-office operations, not just travel management. The unified approach pays dividends as you scale because policies and processes automatically adapt to organizational changes.

2. TravelPerk - Flexible business travel management

Why it stands out: TravelPerk offers a booking platform, with access to global flights, hotels, trains, and car rentals at negotiated rates. Its FlexiPerk add-on allows cancellations with up to 80% refunds, giving teams flexibility when plans change. The platform also includes TravelCare for real-time alerts and duty-of-care, GreenPerk for carbon offsetting, and optional VAT recovery services.

Where it falls short: TravelPerk centers on travel booking and policy management. Its own expense features are lighter than dedicated platforms, so companies needing advanced automation or detailed financial reporting may still need an external expense tool.

Is it right for you? TravelPerk works for small businesses that want strong flexibility around cancellations, and optional add-ons like sustainability tracking or VAT recovery. 

Feature snapshot:

3. Navan - Travel and expense management for growing businesses

Why it stands out: Formerly known as TripActions, Navan is a travel and expense management platform that provides broad global inventory across flights, hotels, trains, rental cars, and black cars, while allowing employees to earn loyalty points. Navan includes basic travel policies focused on controlling spend limits; its Navan Rewards program incentivizes cost-conscious hotel bookings by giving employees credits for personal travel.

Where it falls short: Navan does not provide its own HR system, so travel policies and expense settings aren’t automatically tied to employee data. The platform's policy engine is also limited to basic rules — enabling/disabling expense categories, spend limits by category, and maximum spend per participant. Only two approver roles can be configured (Manager or Travel approver), with just one approver allowed per transaction, which constrains businesses needing complex approval hierarchies. Additionally, policies are restricted to six predefined expense categories, making granular spend control difficult.

Is it right for you? Navan is quite useful for companies with frequent international travel or complex expense policies, where automation and employee incentives can deliver measurable savings.

Feature snapshot:

4. SAP Concur - Enterprise-grade capabilities for scaling SMBs

Why it stands out: SAP Concur is a T&E management platform built for businesses that need compliance, reporting, and global oversight. It provides compliance checks, audit trails, and integrations with accounting and ERP systems. The ExpenseIt tool extracts data from receipt photos to simplify reimbursement and maintain records.

Where it falls short: SAP Concur’s broad functionality can feel complex for smaller teams. Implementation and daily use may require more training and configuration than simpler travel platforms. Support is another common concern, with Concur scoring 8.0/10.0 for quality of support on G2 compared to Rippling's 9.3/10.0.

Is it right for you? Concur is best suited for SMBs preparing to scale or those already managing compliance-heavy or multinational operations.

Feature snapshot:

5. Amex GBT Egencia - Global coverage with service options

Why it stands out: Amex GBT Egencia is another travel management platform with global reach. It offers booking tools that incorporate Smart Mix, which applies machine learning to present flight and hotel options. The platform also includes risk management features to help with duty of care obligations, program insights to track expenses, and integration options with other business systems to support reporting and compliance.

Where it falls short: Egencia integrates with Amex GBT for some advanced services, so certain capabilities depend on external connections rather than being native to the platform.

Is it right for you? Amex GBT Egencia is relevant for companies that need global travel coverage, risk management features for duty of care, and integration with existing business systems. 

Feature snapshot:

6. Zoho Expense + Travel - For companies already using Zoho tools

Why it stands out: Zoho Expense extends its expense management platform with a travel module that consolidates booking and policy enforcement. It provides access to global travel inventory through GDSs, NDC integrations, and direct supplier connections. Employees can book flights, hotels, cars, and trains while the system applies automated policy checks and alerts. Additional features include fare re-shopping, applying unused flight credits, duty-of-care notifications, and carbon tracking. 

Where it falls short: The platform’s travel booking features are less extensive than those of larger providers and are most effective when paired with the wider Zoho ecosystem. 

Is it right for you? Zoho Expense + Travel is suited to businesses already using Zoho tools that want to manage travel and expenses in one system. It works best for small and mid-sized companies looking for straightforward policy compliance and cost visibility rather than advanced enterprise features.

Feature snapshot:

7. Tipalti Expenses - Comprehensive T&E automation with global reach

Why it stands out: Tipalti Expenses is part of a broader finance automation platform that covers accounts payable, procurement, and global payments. It supports reimbursements in 200+ countries and 120 currencies through 50+ payment methods, making it useful for businesses with international teams. Features include receipt capture, automated policy checks, multi-level approvals, and reconciliation with ERPs like NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Sage Intacct. 

Where it falls short: Unlike some platforms, Tipalti does not include its own travel booking system. Instead, it focuses on expense and reimbursement automation, which means businesses must connect it with third-party booking tools if they want a full travel solution. 

Is it right for you? Tipalti Expenses is a good option for companies with contract workers or distributed teams or subsidiaries that need multi-currency reimbursements and tighter financial controls. 

Feature snapshot:

Which travel management system is best for your small business?

Choose Rippling if: You want to unify travel, expenses, corporate cards, and HR in one platform. The integrated approach eliminates data silos, provides more control, and automates processes that require manual work in other systems.

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Choose TravelPerk if: You need a travel platform with broad booking options and flexible cancellation policies. It suits companies that book trips frequently but don’t require advanced expense automation.

Choose Navan if: You are a business that wants integrated travel booking and expense management with basic controls. It is designed to adapt as headcount and travel activity increase.

Choose SAP Concur if: You require advanced compliance, audit features, and complex approval workflows. It is often selected by companies preparing for larger-scale operations or strict regulatory requirements.

Choose Amex GBT Egencia if: You require global coverage with optional full-service support. The combination of self-service booking and agent assistance provides flexibility for different types of trips.

Choose Zoho Expense + Travel if: You already use Zoho products and want travel and expense management within the same ecosystem. It covers basic booking and policy enforcement without the scale of enterprise platforms.

Choose Tipalti Expenses if: You want automated expense reporting, reimbursement, and global payment capabilities. It is most relevant for companies with distributed teams that need multi-currency support and spend controls, but that use a separate system for travel booking.

Why Rippling is the #1 travel management solution for small business in 2025

Most travel management platforms treat travel as an isolated business function, requiring manual data entry and process coordination with other systems. Rippling's approach recognizes that travel is just one part of how employees work and spend company money.

By building travel management on the same platform that handles payroll, benefits, and corporate cards, Rippling Travel eliminates the integration challenges that plague other solutions. When an employee books travel, submits expenses, and receives reimbursement, every step happens within the same system with the same data.

This unified approach provides these key advantages:

• Automated policy enforcement: Because travel is tied directly to HR data, policies and approval flows automatically reflect an employee’s role, department, and authority. When someone is promoted or changes teams, their travel limits update instantly without any manual adjustments.

• Cross-department integration: One system across HR, IT, and Finance reduces administrative complexity, prevents data errors, and ensures travel decisions stay consistent with broader company policies.

• Seamless expense flow: Travel bookings automatically become expense entries with the right coding and receipts attached, eliminating duplicate work and reconciliation headaches.

• Real-time visibility: Finance teams see travel spending alongside payroll and expense data, giving them a complete picture of employee costs and enabling better budgeting and cost control.

For small businesses, this means less time chasing receipts, fewer errors in reporting, and clearer insight into how travel fits into overall company spending. Rippling's all-in-one approach delivers the control and visibility of enterprise platforms with the simplicity that small teams need.

FAQs on travel management software for SMBs

What is the best travel management software for small business? 

Rippling Travel & Expense provides the best overall value for small businesses by combining travel booking, expense management, and corporate cards in one platform. The unified approach eliminates integration challenges and provides automated policy enforcement based on HR data.

How do travel platforms save money for SMBs?

Travel platforms reduce costs through negotiated supplier rates, policy enforcement that prevents out-of-policy spending, automated expense processing that reduces administrative overhead, and visibility tools that identify cost-saving opportunities in travel patterns.

Can small businesses negotiate travel rates?

Small businesses typically can't negotiate rates directly with suppliers due to low volume. However, travel management platforms aggregate spending across their customer base to secure negotiated rates that individual small businesses can access.

What's the difference between a TMC and a SaaS travel tool?

Traditional travel management companies (TMCs) provide human agents who handle bookings and provide support, typically charging per-transaction fees. SaaS travel tools provide self-service booking platforms with automated policy enforcement, usually charging monthly subscription fees.

How do travel systems integrate with expense management?

Modern travel platforms automatically create expense entries for bookings, attach digital receipts, and sync with corporate card transactions. This eliminates manual expense report creation and reduces errors in the reimbursement process.