ApprovalMax vs Lightyear

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.

Lightyear is an accounts payable, purchase order and expense management platform for automating finance administration. It extracts invoice data, supports approval workflows and statement reconciliation, and keeps searchable documents for archiving and reporting. Teams can create and approve purchase orders, record goods received and match orders and receipt notes against supplier bills. Its iOS and Android apps support document capture, approvals and collaboration; mobile approvals require Double Approval or higher in company settings. Lightyear offers API and integration options for accounting software, ERPs and other finance systems, with an additional monthly fee possible depending on requirements. Essentials costs $199 a month for 125 credits, while Standard costs $319 a month for 250 credits. Exported invoices, supplier statements and purchase orders use one credit each; an employee expense report uses three. Browser uploads are limited to 10 MB and supported image and document formats. There is no free plan, but a 30-day trial is listed. The maker is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.