The 10 Best AP Automation Software Tools In 2024
Are you looking for the best accounts payable automation software to streamline your accounts payable processes?
Automation is a fundamental part of running any business efficiently. If accounts payable (AP) takes up too much of your precious time, it’s time to consider automated solutions.
Selecting the right AP automation software can seem overwhelming, as various vendors offer an array of features, such as invoice processing automation, expense management, and payment optimization services.
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Don’t worry—our comprehensive guide contains all the information necessary to help you find the best AP automation software for your business this year!
We’ve reviewed the features, benefits, and pricing of top AP automation software to help you find the best solution for your business.
Ready to automate your AP AND not worry about it anymore? Keep reading!
Best All-In-One Platform
QuickBooks
Best Overall Platform
Stampli
Best for Small Businesses
Bill.com
What Are the Best AP Automation Software Tools?
In today’s fast-paced business world, every business needs to streamline its processes to stay ahead. Automating accounts payable (AP) in the vast AP automation software market is one way to improve your business’s efficiency.
Some of the best AP automation software tools include the following:
- QuickBooks Online – Best All-In-One Automation Software Tool
- Stampli – Best Overall AP Automation Software Tool
- Bill.com – Best AP Automation Software Tool for Small Businesses
- Lightyear – Best AP Automation Software Tool for Large Enterprises
- Tipalti – Best AP Automation Software Tool for International Business
- Glean – Best AP Automation Software Tool with Built-in AI
- Airbase
- Ramp
- Ascend
- Sage Intacct
These software tools automate tasks such as invoice processing, vendor management, payment processing, and early payment discounts. These automation solutions streamline these tedious tasks, allowing businesses to save time, reduce errors, and improve their bottom line.
Gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace by implementing one of these top AP automation software tools today!
#1) QuickBooks Online – Best All-In-One Automation Software Tool
QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software solution designed to help businesses manage their finances. It offers features such as AP Automation, invoicing, expense tracking, real-time budgeting and forecasting tools, and payroll processing.
It also comes with comprehensive financial reporting capabilities, allowing users to generate customizable reports that can be shared easily with stakeholders.
The platform integrates with third-party applications such as point-of-sale systems, eCommerce platforms, and payment processors.
Key Features
- Automated accounts payable processes
- Comprehensive budgeting and forecasting tools
- Accessible from anywhere, anytime
- Real-time financial reporting capabilities
- Integration with third-party apps for streamlined workflow
- Automated payroll
Pricing
Quickbooks offers flexible pricing with plans starting at $25 per month for their Simple Start option. Choose from Essentials, Plus, or Advanced tiers for expanded features to suit your business needs.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
QuickBooks is a powerful all-in-one financial tool that helps businesses save time and money by automating many of their financial tasks, including AP automation.
#2) Stampli – Best Overall AP Automation Software Tool
Overview
Stampli is an automated invoice and payment processing platform that simplifies and automates the accounts payable process.
It provides features like invoice routing, approval workflows, and reconciliation tools to help businesses streamline their AP processes.
Stampli also has a secure cloud-based platform, which allows users to access data from anywhere with an internet connection.
Key Benefits
- Automates invoice routing and approval workflow
- Secure cloud platform for easy access to data
- Offers reconciliation tools and analytics capabilities
Pricing
Stampli offers straightforward, usage-based pricing, ensuring you only pay for what you use. For more details, you can request a quote from their site.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Stampli is the best overall accounts payable automation tool for businesses looking to streamline their processes and make data accessible from anywhere.
#3) Bill.com – Best AP Automation Software Tool for Small Businesses
Bill.com is an automated accounts payable solution that helps businesses streamline their financial management processes and free up resources for more important tasks.
It integrates with leading accounting solutions, allowing users to process invoices faster, track payments in real-time, and manage vendor relationships all from one dashboard
Bill.com also offers a comprehensive suite of features such as cash flow tracking, unlimited invoicing, and automated fraud detection.
Key Features
- Automated accounts payable processes
- Streamlined invoice processing
- Real-time visibility into cash flow
- Comprehensive budgeting and forecasting tools
- Accessible from anywhere, anytime
- Automated fraud detection capabilities
- Highly customizable and easy
Pricing
Bill.com offers tiered pricing starting at $45 per user per month, with plans for both businesses (Essentials, Team, Corporate, Enterprise) and accountants (BILL AP & AR Partner, BILL Spend & Expense Partner). Additional features and services are available for extra fees.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Bill.com streamlines financial operations for small businesses, particularly focusing on AP and AR management and automation.
#4) Lightyear – Best AP Automation Software Tool for Large Enterprises
Overview
Lightyear is an automated invoice and payment processing platform that helps large businesses streamline their accounts payable processes.
It provides features such as multi-level approval workflows, automated reconciliation of payments, and vendor management capabilities.
Lightyear also offers integration with popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks Online and Xero, making it a great choice for businesses looking to optimize their AP processes.
Key Benefits
- Multi-level approval workflows
- Automated reconciliation of payments
- Vendor management capabilities
- Integration with popular accounting software
Pricing
Lightyear offers three pricing plans: Starter, Business, and Enterprise. Prices start at $149 per month and can go up depending on the additional credits your business may need.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Lightyear is a great accounts payable automation tool with features including multi-level approval workflows, automated payment reconciliation, and vendor management.
#5) Tipalti – Best AP Automation Software Tool for International Business
Overview
Tipalti is an accounts payable automation software that helps international businesses streamline their AP processes.
It offers features such as automated invoice processing, vendor payments, multi-level approval workflow, and analytics capabilities to help businesses manage their business payment processes easily and efficiently.
Tipalti also integrates with popular accounting software like QuickBooks Online and Xero, making it an excellent choice for businesses already using other popular accounting tools.
Key Benefits
- Automates AP and invoice processing
- Vendor payments
- Multi-level approval workflow
- Analytics capabilities
- Integrates with popular accounting software
Pricing
Tipalti’s pricing is customized to your business needs, so you are required to contact them for a quote. Their pricing model scales as your business grows, offering flexibility and advanced features for complex payables operations.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Tipalti offers solutions for financial automation, including accounts payable, procurement, and global payments, which works great for international businesses.
#6) Glean – Best AP Automation Software Tool with Built-in AI
Glean is an AI-driven platform that helps businesses automate their financial processes. It automates tasks such as data collection, financial forecasting, and analytics.
The platform uses natural language processing to extract insights from various raw financial data sources, including ERPs, spreadsheets, and text documents. Glean also offers predictive analytics capabilities so businesses can better understand how their financial strategy will perform in the future.
With Glean, businesses can quickly identify trends in their data and develop strategies to optimize operations and drive growth. The platform also provides features such as automated reporting, budgeting tools, and financial dashboards for easy monitoring and tracking of performance metrics.
Key Features
- Automated customer segmentation and targeting
- Lead generation from multiple channels
- A/B testing to optimize campaigns
- Personalized content delivery
- Real-time analytics and reporting
- Powerful AI capabilities to boost the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
Pricing
Glean.ai empowers seamless collaboration with unlimited users across all plans. Pricing is based on transaction volume, not headcount, ensuring cost-effective spend management for teams of any size.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Glean is an AI-powered financial tool that helps businesses automate financial tasks, such as data collection, AP automation, financial forecasting, and analytics.
#7) Airbase
Overview
Airbase is an integrated accounts payable and expenses management platform that streamlines the entire process from invoice processing to payment.
Airbase also offers vendor payments, expense approvals, and automated accounting reconciliation features. With its intuitive user interface, Airbase makes it easy for users to manage their AP processes quickly and efficiently.
It also integrates with popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero, making it an excellent choice for companies using these tools.
Key Benefits
- Automates invoice processing and vendor payments
- Offers expense approval and automated accounting reconciliation
- Integrates with popular accounting software
- Intuitive user interface
Pricing
Airbase offers three pricing plans: Standard, Premium, and Enterprise, depending on the number of employees. You can request a quote for packages on their site.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Airbase is an excellent accounts payable software that is easy to use, integrates with accounting software, and automates many of the tedious AP tasks.
#8) Ramp
Overview
Ramp is an all-in-one accounts payable automation software streamlining the entire AP process from invoice processing to payment.
It offers automated data entry, vendor management, and reconciliation tools.
Ramp also integrates with popular accounting software like QuickBooks Online and Xero, making it easy for businesses already using these tools.
Key Benefits
- Automates data entry
- Vendor management capabilities
- Reconciliation tools
- Integration with popular accounting software
Pricing
Ramp offers three pricing plans: Ramp, Ramp Plus, and Enterprise. Prices start at $15 per user per month, and a customizable value assessment for the Enterprise plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Ramp is a complete financial management platform for businesses to manage corporate spending, simplify expense reporting, and automate AP.
#9) Ascend
Overview
Ascend is an accounts payable automation software that simplifies the AP process. It provides automated invoice processing, multi-level approval workflow, and vendor management capabilities to help businesses streamline their processes.
Ascend also integrates with popular accounting software like QuickBooks Online and Xero. With its powerful features, flexible pricing plans, and easy-to-use interface, Ascend is an ideal choice for businesses of any size.
Key Benefits
- Automates invoice processing
- Multi-level approval workflow
- Vendor management capabilities
- Integrates with popular accounting software
Pricing
Ascend offers a free plan for basic payment management and customizable paid plans designed to fit your business’s specific needs.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Ascend is a great accounts payable software tool for businesses looking to streamline their processes and make data accessible from anywhere.
#10) Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct is cloud-based financial management software designed to help businesses manage their finances. It offers a suite of powerful capabilities, including automated accounts payable solutions, cash flow tracking and forecasting tools, budgeting and reporting features, and more.
The platform also provides real-time access to data, allowing for better visibility into spending patterns and performance insights. Its customizable dashboards provide key insights to help businesses make more informed decisions, and its fraud detection capabilities offer additional peace of mind.
Key Benefits
- Automates accounts payable processes
- Comprehensive budgeting and forecasting tools
- Offers real-time visibility into cash flow
- Accessible from anywhere, anytime
- Automated fraud detection capabilities
- Highly customizable and easy-to-use interface
- Complete suite of financial management features
Pricing
Sage Intacct uses a subscription-based pricing model with costs tailored to your specific requirements. Factors influencing price include the number of users, business entities, and the modules (features) you need.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Sage Intacct is a powerful, versatile solution for businesses seeking a comprehensive financial management system that can grow and offers automation.
What Is AP Automation Software?
Accounts Payable (AP) automation software tools streamline the process of managing invoices, payments, and cash flow.
They automate data entry and validation tasks, eliminate manual processes, reduce errors and delays, improve visibility into spending patterns, and allow for fast payments to vendors.
The accounting system connects with existing ERP and other accounting, finance, and procurement software systems. The intuitive user interface makes managing payment cycles, reviewing invoices, and approving payments easy. It also offers built-in fraud detection capabilities to help detect any suspicious activity in real time.
AP automation software provides customizable reporting tools for business owners to better understand their finances. This allows them to detect discrepancies quickly while providing more accurate data for decision-making.
Overall, this software is a great way to improve the efficiency and accuracy of accounts payable processes, helping you cut costs and increase cash flow. It provides a simple solution that can be fully customized to fit the unique needs of your business.
How Can AP Automation Software Benefit You?
AP automation software can help businesses save time and money by streamlining the accounts payable process.
It eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and automates repetitive tasks. This can lead to faster processing times and improved accuracy in payment cycles.
Businesses also benefit from increased visibility into spending patterns, which allows them to better understand their finances without manually reviewing and analyzing data. This can help identify any discrepancies quickly, allowing for a more informed decision-making process.
AP automation software also offers fraud detection capabilities, providing an extra layer of security against malicious activity. This can help protect businesses from fraudulent charges or payments that could damage their reputations.
In addition, automating the accounts payable process can help businesses improve customer satisfaction. By reducing processing times and eliminating the need for manual data entry, customers receive their payments faster and more accurately. This improved customer experience ultimately leads to better relationships and increases customer loyalty.
Overall, AP automation software provides a simple and cost-effective account payable automation solution that can significantly benefit your business by improving accuracy, efficiency, and financial visibility. It helps reduce time-consuming manual processes so you and your business can focus on what matters: growing your profits.
Buyers Guide: How We Conducted Our Research
We researched and evaluated various AP automation solutions to find the best ones available. We looked at various criteria, such as ease of use, features, integrations, customer support, pricing structure, and more. After careful consideration, we compiled our findings into this buyer’s guide.
We hope our research proves useful in helping you find the best AP automation solution. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
Final Thoughts on Accounts Payable Software
Best All-In-One Platform
QuickBooks
Best Overall Platform
Stampli
Best for Small Businesses
Bill.com
AP automation is a great way to reduce manual workloads, improve the accuracy and visibility of financial data, and increase customer satisfaction.
Automating accounts payable processes is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape.
We hope this AP automation guide will help you find the perfect solution for your needs and budget. With the right software, you can improve the accuracy and efficiency of your AP process and save time for more important tasks.
Good luck with your search! We are confident that with our guidance, you will find the best fit for you. Happy shopping!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Accounts Payable Automation?
Accounts payable automation, also known as AP automation, is the process of streamlining manual accounts payable processes through software. This helps to reduce time-consuming manual tasks and improve accuracy, efficiency, and visibility into finances.
What are the benefits of AP Automation?
There are several benefits to automating accounts payable processes. These include improved accuracy and visibility, reduced time-consuming manual tasks, decreased risk of errors, streamlined payment tracking and reporting capabilities, and improved customer satisfaction.
How do I choose an AP software?
When selecting an AP automation provider, consider the features that best fit your needs. Also, look for providers with a good reputation and solid customer reviews. Finally, make sure to compare prices to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.
How can I learn more about AP automation?
For more information about AP automation and how to choose the right provider, read our buyer’s guide here. You can also do your own research and find additional resources online.
Is AP automation worth it?
Yes, AP automation is an excellent investment for businesses of any size. Automating accounts payable processes helps save time and money, reduce the risk of errors, improve financial visibility, and increase customer satisfaction.
What is a typical implementation timeline for AP automation?
Each implementation timeline will depend on the complexity of your processes and the provider you choose. Generally speaking, most implementations can be completed within two weeks.
Can AP automation help me save money?
Yes, AP automation can help businesses save time and money by reducing the need for manual processes and improving accuracy. Additionally, automating accounts payable processes can help companies reduce the risk of errors and streamline payment tracking and reporting capabilities.
