Best Mileage Tracking Apps for Canadian Freelancers in 2025
Manual mileage logbooks are a CRA compliance risk. Here's what to look for in a mileage tracking app — and how to choose the right one for your situation.
Sarah Tremblay
CPA, Tax Advisor
The CRA requires mileage logbooks to be contemporaneous — recorded at the time of each trip, not reconstructed later. This single requirement makes a dedicated mileage tracking app vastly superior to a paper logbook or spreadsheet: every entry is automatically timestamped, location data is GPS-verified, and there's no temptation to 'fill it in later.'
What a CRA-Compliant Mileage App Must Do
- Record date, start location, end location, and distance for every trip
- Allow you to add a business purpose for each trip
- Automatically record odometer readings or calculate total kilometres accurately
- Export a complete logbook report in PDF or CSV format
- Timestamp entries so it's clear they were recorded at trip time, not reconstructed
Manual vs. Automatic Trip Detection
Apps with automatic trip detection (via GPS and accelerometer) start and stop tracking without you touching your phone. This is the most accurate method and eliminates missed trips. The trade-off is battery usage and occasional false positives (e.g., a long walk). Semi-automatic apps prompt you when they detect you're in a vehicle. Manual apps require you to tap 'Start trip' — lowest battery impact, highest risk of forgetting.
ReceiptOne includes mileage tracking built into the same app as your receipt scanning — so your vehicle logbook and expense receipts are in one place when you prepare your T2125.