Not sure which connection to set up first? Use the guides below. You can combine most Track Spend sources with App Discovery (Google Workspace).
KPI cards and charts use charges only — from statement CSV imports or Plaid. Invoice integrations (Gmail, Drive, forward email) add supporting documents, not dashboard totals. See How data enters ClearSpend. Quick picker
| Your goal | Start here |
|---|
| Populate KPI cards and charts | Import a statement, statement CSV or Plaid |
| Attach invoice proof for reconciliation | Upload invoices, Gmail, or Google Drive |
| Auto-import invoices from email | Gmail |
| Sync PDFs from a shared folder | Google Drive |
| Detect charges from your card | Connect your card (Plaid) |
| Discover who uses which apps | Google Workspace |
| Renewal alerts in Slack | Slack |
Gmail vs Google Drive vs forward email
| Method | Best when | Ongoing? |
|---|
| Gmail | Invoices arrive as email with PDF attachments in a Gmail inbox | Yes — scheduled sync |
| Google Drive | Finance saves PDFs to a shared Drive folder (e.g. /ClearSpendDocuments/) | Yes — scheduled sync |
| Forward email | You don’t want OAuth, or invoices land in Outlook/other mail | Manual per message (or inbox rule) |
| One-off upload | Single missing invoice | No |
Most finance teams: connect Gmail (or forward) for invoices and Google Workspace for app discovery. They solve different problems.
Plaid vs CSV statement upload
| Method | Best when |
|---|
| Plaid (card link) | Ongoing charge detection from linked accounts; no manual exports |
| Import subscriptions / CSV upload | One-time backfill from a card export; no card OAuth |
Subscriptions: Overview vs Transactions vs Needs review
| Tab | One row per | Use it to |
|---|
| Overview | Subscription (latest charge) | Portfolio view, export, bulk actions |
| Transactions | Individual payment | Reconcile a specific charge, audit history |
| Needs review | Invoice-only detections (no charge yet) | Triage before Overview; amounts excluded from KPIs until charge arrives |
Something wrong?
| Problem | Fix |
|---|
| Invoices not appearing | Check Activity or wait for first sync |
| Hit integration limit | Upgrade plan — Billing |
