7 Best Pemo Alternatives in the UAE in 2026

In this guide, we'll cover what Pemo does well, what changed in 2026, and the seven best Pemo alternatives in the UAE, with features, pricing, and trade-offs for each.

What are the best Pemo alternatives in 2026?

The best Pemo alternative for most UAE businesses is Alaan, followed by Xpence for teams that only need prepaid cards with controls and Rydoo for reimbursement-heavy teams. Here's the full shortlist:

All prices are as listed on vendor sites at the time of writing and exclude VAT unless stated.

1. Alaan

Best for: UAE businesses that want cards, receipts, approvals, accounting, and vendor payments in one platform, and want cashback on local spend too.

Alaan is a UAE spend management platform that combines Visa corporate cards with expense management, accounting automation, and vendor payments. More than 3,000 businesses across the Middle East use it, and it holds a 4.7 rating on G2, with reviewers scoring it 97% for ease of use.

On paper, Alaan and Pemo cover a lot of the same ground. The differences show up in cashback, vendor payments, and how much of the after-swipe work is automated.

Cashback on domestic and international spend

Alaan Premium pays unlimited 2% cashback on international spend and up to 1% on domestic spend. That second number matters if most of your card spend is in AED: fuel, government fees, office supplies, and local suppliers all count.

invygo, a Dubai car subscription company, has earned more than AED 150,000 in cashback across seven currencies after moving its ad and software spend onto Alaan cards.

Corporate cards with controls built in

You can issue physical and virtual Visa cards, lock them to specific merchant categories, and set daily or monthly limits. Cards work with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and on Premium they can lock automatically when an employee falls behind on receipts.

Receipts and VAT data without chasing

Employees submit receipts through the app, WhatsApp, or email, and Alaan sends reminders for anything missing. The AI receipt scanner pulls out the TRN, VAT amount, and merchant details, and flags duplicates and out-of-policy spend.

With the FTA's new supplier checks in force from 1 October 2026, that data is what you'll want on hand before claiming input VAT.

Accounting sync

Alaan connects directly to Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Wafeq, Odoo, and ERPNext, with Dynamics 365, NetSuite, and SAP on Premium. You set accounting rules once and transactions arrive coded. Here's more on Alaan's accounting automation.

Vendor and contractor payments

You can pay international vendors and contractors through Visa Direct, with approval workflows and automated invoice extraction. The Business Account add-on gives you a dedicated IBAN for domestic transfers plus AP automation for bills.

Alaan's pricing

Alaan has three plans:

• Starter: AED 0/month for up to 10 users, with multiple cards, receipt verification, approval workflows, cross-border transfers, and core accounting integrations.
• Premium: AED 499/month (currently with 3 months free), adding unlimited users, domestic and international cashback, ERP integrations, AI features, and a Customer Success Manager.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, adding dedicated implementation, custom ERP and API integrations, and multi-entity support.

The Business Account and AP automation add-on costs an extra AED 79/month.

Pros and cons

✅ Cashback on domestic spend as well as international on Premium.

✅ Receipt capture over WhatsApp and email, with AI that extracts TRN and VAT data.

✅ Vendor payments and AP automation alongside cards.

✅ Direct integrations with most UAE accounting tools and global ERPs.

❌ Premium is AED 100/month more than Pemo's Premium, so low-spend teams should check the cashback maths.

❌ The free plan caps at 10 users, and a dedicated IBAN is a paid add-on rather than included as standard.

2. Xpence

Xpence is a spend management platform that issues integrated prepaid Visa cards, operating in the UAE and Bahrain. It launched in the UAE in 2022 in partnership with Visa.

Features

• Card controls: Issue physical and virtual cards, set limits per employee, and freeze cards instantly, with control over online, international, and ATM use.
• Invoicing: Create and send invoices from the same platform.
• Automated bookkeeping: Transactions are categorised automatically for your books.

Pricing

We couldn't find published pricing on Xpence's UAE site, so you'll need to contact their team for a quote.

Pros and cons

✅ Detailed card-level controls.

✅ Available in Bahrain as well as the UAE.

❌ No public pricing to compare against.

❌ Like Pemo, it runs on a prepaid balance that needs topping up.

3. Rydoo

Similar to: Spendesk.

Rydoo is an expense management tool built around the receipt-to-reimbursement flow, with tax, per diem, and mileage rules for more than 80 countries.

Features

• Receipt scanning: Turns a photo into a submitted expense in seconds.
• Smart Audit: AI checks expenses for errors and policy breaches, included on Enterprise.
• Card reconciliation: Matches transactions from Visa, Mastercard, and Amex cards on Pro and above.
• Integrations: QuickBooks and Xero on Pro, with NetSuite, SAP, and Dynamics 365 as add-ons on higher plans.

Pricing

According to Rydoo's pricing page, Essentials is $9/user/month and Pro is $11/user/month, billed annually from five users. Business and Enterprise are custom-priced.

Pros and cons

✅ Fast receipt scanning that employees actually use.

✅ Strong multi-country compliance for per diems and mileage.

❌ Rydoo's own cards are only included from the Business plan.

❌ Per-user pricing grows quickly with headcount.

4. Spendesk

Similar to: Rydoo.

Spendesk is a spend management platform that combines employee spending, reimbursements, and invoice processing, with OCR that reads receipt details automatically.

Features

• Real-time monitoring: Finance sees missing receipts and errors as they happen.
• Mobile reimbursements: Employees photograph a receipt and the claim enters the approval flow.
• Duplicate invoice detection: Catches repeated invoices before payment.

Pricing

Spendesk uses custom pricing, so you'll need a sales call for a quote.

Pros and cons

✅ Invoices and employee spend in one tool.

✅ Good budgeting controls by team or department.

❌ No public pricing.

❌ Built primarily for European businesses, so check card availability and VAT handling for a UAE entity.

5. BILL

Similar to: Tipalti.

BILL covers AP, AR, and spend management under one login, with card spend running through its Divvy card.

Features

• AP automation: Bill capture, approval routing, and payments from one dashboard.
• AR and invoicing: Track what customers owe alongside what you owe suppliers.
• Spend management: Budgets, card controls, and real-time spend tracking.

Pricing

BILL's financial operations plans start at $49/user/month for Essentials, then $65 for Team and $89 for Corporate, with custom Enterprise pricing.

Pros and cons

✅ Covers both payables and receivables.

✅ Accessible entry price for small AP teams.

❌ Built for the US market, so confirm availability for a UAE-registered entity.

❌ Per-user pricing adds up once you include approvers.

6. Tipalti

Similar to: BILL.

Tipalti is a global accounts payable platform, supporting payments to 200+ countries in 120+ currencies on its higher tiers, with expense management layered on top.

Features

• Global payouts: 50+ payment methods for suppliers worldwide.
• Supplier self-onboarding: Suppliers add their own details, which cuts back-and-forth for AP.
• ERP integrations: NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and QuickBooks, among others.

Pricing

Tipalti's accounts payable plans start at $99/month, with per-invoice and per-payment fees charged on top.

Pros and cons

✅ Excellent for high-volume, multi-currency supplier payments.

✅ Unlimited users on its plans.

❌ Much of its tax tooling is built for US reporting.

❌ Heavier setup than a card-first platform.

7. HSBC Virtual Card

Similar to: Other bank-issued commercial card programs.

HSBC lets businesses generate single-use and multi-use virtual card numbers to pay suppliers through its online portal.

Features

• Unique card numbers: A new number per supplier or transaction limits fraud exposure.
• Reconciliation reporting: Custom data fields for tracking supplier spend.
• Fraud protection: Zero-liability protection on each virtual card.

Pricing

HSBC doesn't publish pricing, so you'll need to go through the bank's application process.

Pros and cons

✅ Bank-grade security for large-value payments.

✅ Easy fit if your treasury is already with HSBC.

❌ A payment tool, not an expense platform, so receipts and approvals need another system.

❌ No public pricing.

Summing it up

Pemo is a capable platform with a generous free plan. The 2026 plan changes and new FX fee mean it's worth checking whether it's still the best fit for how your company spends, especially if a lot of that spend is in AED or foreign currencies.

If you want cards, expenses, accounting automation, and vendor payments in one platform, with cashback on local as well as international spend, Alaan is the strongest Pemo alternative for UAE businesses in 2026. Xpence is a closer swap if prepaid cards are all you need, and Rydoo or Spendesk fit better if reimbursements are the main job.

The quickest way to decide is to run your own month through the table above. Book a demo with Alaan and we'll do the maths with you on your actual spend.

FAQs

What is the best alternative to Pemo in the UAE?

For most UAE businesses, Alaan is the best Pemo alternative. It covers corporate cards, receipt capture, accounting sync, and vendor payments, and its Premium plan pays cashback on both domestic and international spend.

Is there a free alternative to Pemo?

Yes. Alaan's Starter plan is free for up to 10 users and includes multiple cards, receipt verification, approval workflows, and core accounting integrations.

How does Alaan's cashback compare with Pemo's?

Alaan Premium pays unlimited 2% on international spend and up to 1% on domestic spend. Pemo Premium pays up to 2% on international spend and nothing on domestic spend, with domestic cashback only available as a custom rate on Enterprise.

Does Pemo charge an FX fee?

Yes. According to Pemo's help centre, companies whose KYB is approved on or after 1 July 2026 pay a 3.68% foreign exchange fee, VAT included. Always ask any provider for its FX fee before comparing costs.

How long does it take to switch from Pemo?

Card-first platforms usually take days rather than weeks. The main work is issuing new cards, moving recurring subscriptions and ad accounts across, and reconnecting your accounting software.