Every receipt, categorised, in seconds
Quick receipt capture and categorisation for sole traders and freelancers - date, category, description, vendor, payment method and amount, all in one sortable register you can edit in place. A calendar view and a summary tab keep the whole log readable at a glance, expenses persist between sessions, and you can export the lot as CSV or PDF whenever you need it.
Every expense in a single sortable table - date, category, description, vendor, payment method and amount, each row colour-coded by category. Click "+ Add expense" to open a quick form, and the pencil icon on any row opens the same form to edit it.
A totals strip above the register shows what you've spent per category at a glance - click a category card to filter the table down to just that spend.
Switch to the Calendar tab for a full month view - each day with expenses shows its total spend and expense count at a glance. Click any day to filter the register straight to it.
The Summary tab rolls the current log up into total spend, average expense, days with expenses, your top category and the date range covered.
Search by description or vendor, filter by payment method, and click any column header to sort by date, category or amount - ascending or descending.
Materials, Fuel, Tools & Equipment, Subsistence, Travel, Office & Admin and Other - enough structure to see where money goes, without a category picker that gets in the way.
Expenses persist between sessions, so the log builds up into a real running record - close the app and reopen it, and everything you've logged is right where you left it.
Export the whole log as a CSV file or a formatted PDF whenever you need it - for your own records, an accountant, or a tax return.
The sample data and copy lean towards trade and site work, but nothing in the app enforces it - any sole trader or freelancer who wants a simple expense log can use it.
A light/dark toggle that remembers your choice, and a randomised sample expense log - a fresh, realistic set of rows every time - to explore the app before you start logging your own. Your own currency symbol and categories are editable in Settings.
Wave is a well-known free cloud accounting platform that also does expense tracking. It's built as a full bookkeeping suite with paid add-ons - here's how a focused, one-off desktop expense log compares for a sole trader who just wants a fast, private expense register.
| Feature | Expense Logger | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | £4.99 one-off after trial | Free Starter plan; receipt scanning & bank feeds need Pro at $16-19/month |
| Works fully offline | ✓ | ✕ |
| Needs an online account to use | ✕ | ✓ |
| Automatic bank feed & receipt-scan import | ✕ | ✓ |
| Full double-entry accounting & invoicing | ✕ | ✓ |
| Category totals and a calendar spend view | ✓ | ~ |
| Export to CSV or PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| One account across a whole app portfolio | ✓ | ✕ |
Comparison based on Wave's publicly listed pricing and features as of August 2026 (waveapps.com, business.org) - pricing and features change over time, so check waveapps.com for current details. Wave is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is for informational purposes and isn't sponsored by or affiliated with Wave.
A closer look at the register, calendar and summary tabs.
A category-totals strip above a sortable register
Daily spend on a calendar, colour-coded by category
A summary rollup, not just a pile of rows
Expense Logger is a Windows desktop app, free to try from the Microsoft Store.
Yes - Expense Logger uses the same shared Metre2 account as Vector, Forma and every other Keystone app. Sign in once and it works everywhere.
The sample data and copy lean towards trade and site work, but nothing in the app enforces it - any sole trader or freelancer who wants a simple expense log can use it.
Not yet - Expense Logger captures date, category, description, vendor, payment method and amount. Photo attachments are worth revisiting once real usage data exists.
Expenses persist on your device between sessions and in any file you export - nothing is uploaded anywhere. They don't currently sync across multiple devices.
Yes - click any category card to filter the register to just that category, and use the payment method dropdown or the search box to narrow further. Click a column header to sort by date, category or amount.
Yes - click the pencil icon on any row to open it in the same quick-edit form used for adding a new expense.
Yes - the Calendar tab shows a full month at once, with the day's total spend and expense count on every day that has expenses logged. Click a day to filter the register straight to it.