LemSubs vs Spendesk
European spend platform with virtual cards and approval workflows — built for finance teams, not founders
Spendesk is one of the most popular European spend platforms — virtual and physical cards, invoice capture, approval workflows, and accounting sync for Pennylane, Sage, Xero, and Datev. The SaaS subscription view is good if every recurring charge runs through a Spendesk card.
The trade-off is the same one Ramp and Brex have: cards paid by a co-founder personally, annual invoices wired separately, or contractor reimbursements all stay invisible. Spendesk also requires a sales call, a custom quote, and per-seat pricing that quickly becomes four figures per month.
LemSubs gives you the renewal calendar, trial alerts, overlap detection, and category budgets without changing your card stack — and the public price is on the pricing page.
Spendesk pricing
Custom quote; typically €10–€20/user/month plus card fees
Spendesk is best for
European finance teams (10–500 staff) consolidating SaaS spend onto one card and approval layer
Where Spendesk wins
- Strong EU accounting integrations (Pennylane, Sage, Datev)
- Virtual + physical cards with approval workflows
- Receipt capture and invoice OCR
- Multi-entity support for groups
Where Spendesk falls short
- Sales-led pricing — no self-serve plan
- SaaS visibility tied to Spendesk card adoption
- Onboarding and approval setup take weeks
- Overkill for teams under 10 people
Moving from Spendesk to LemSubs
- Export your vendor list from Spendesk (Subscriptions or Suppliers view) as CSV.
- Sign up for LemSubs and pick a workspace for your team.
- Import the CSV using Smart Import; map name, price, and renewal date.
- Turn on 7, 14, and 30 day renewal alerts.
- Invite teammates and set per-category budgets.
- Keep Spendesk for cards and approvals; let LemSubs own renewals.
Frequently asked questions
Is LemSubs a Spendesk alternative?
For the subscription-visibility and renewal-alert layer — yes. For virtual cards and approval workflows — no. Many teams keep Spendesk for cards and add LemSubs for sharper SaaS hygiene.
Does Spendesk show subscriptions paid on personal cards?
No — Spendesk only sees charges that run through Spendesk cards. LemSubs is payment-method-agnostic.
How much does Spendesk cost?
Spendesk uses sales-led pricing; published reseller data puts most teams in the €10–€20/user/month range plus card fees. LemSubs Pro is a flat $7.99/month.