ApprovalMax vs Circulus

ApprovalMax automates accounts payable and receivable approvals and gives businesses controls for financial processes. Its accounts payable workflow covers capture, verification, approval, and payment, with multi-step workflows and configurable approval rules. Xero plans list unlimited workflows and approvals. Accounting integrations include Xero, QuickBooks Online, and Oracle NetSuite, with two-way data sync listed; Airwallex, Dext, and Slack are also supported. From Slack, users can approve, reject, or comment on documents. Plans range from unlimited workflows, users, and approval steps with a full audit trail to options adding bill-to-PO matching, budget checks, supplier onboarding, journal approvals, custom workflows, API access, and AI capture. iPhone and Android apps support submitting and approving requests, and web and API access are listed. ApprovalMax says it is ISO 27001 certified and offers single sign-on, two-factor authentication, and automatic logout after 15 minutes of inactivity. Customer data is processed in Microsoft Azure data centres in Ireland, with backups in the Netherlands. It is a paid service with no free plan, a 14-day trial, and pricing on request.

Circulus automates accounts payable and bill processing for enterprises and small-to-medium businesses. Its cloud platform routes invoices through multi-step, rules-based approvals, codes line items, supports role-based access and handles multiple entities. Purchase orders can be matched on a touchless two-, three- or four-way basis. Invoice capture uses OCR, email and uploads; other intake routes include web forms, feeds, EDI/XML, FTP, PO box services and a web scan interface. Circulus says its extraction handles semi-structured and handwritten data with 99%+ accuracy from day one. Users can track activity through audit trails, search, dashboards, reporting and internal communication tools. Payments include checks, ACH and virtual cards, with supplier onboarding and payment notifications for ACH and virtual cards. Android and iOS apps support invoice access, review and approval. Named integrations include QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Sage 100 Contractor and Oracle R-12. The Circulus AP Automation plan is $481 a month; additional users cost $36/month on limited-access plans, with per-payment fees of ACH $0.49, check $1.69 and virtual card free. An SMB trial runs 30 days; full SMB bill-payment features require an active QuickBooks account.