ApprovalMax vs Esker Accounts Payable Automation

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.

Esker Accounts Payable Automation handles invoice processing for large companies and complex finance organizations, from receipt through posting to an ERP. AI and machine learning extract and structure invoice data; invoices without detected exceptions can proceed without manual intervention. Business rules compare invoice details with purchase orders and goods receipts, and configured workflows route invoices to approvers based on rules such as entity, amount or cost centre. The supplier portal gives suppliers visibility into invoice and payment status and supports communication and issue resolution. The cloud platform supports AP processes across ERP environments, multiple entities, and dashboards with KPIs and insights. Esker lists pre-built integrations for SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and Sage, along with REST APIs and file exchange. Esker Anywhere lets users review, approve, hold or return invoices on Apple and Android devices. Invoice and workflow history is archived for traceability. The product is paid, with pricing available on request; there is no free plan or trial.