Lightyear vs Ramp AP

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.

Ramp AP handles invoice capture, approval routing, and vendor payments through an accounts payable workflow. Ramp says its OCR captures invoice details and line items with 99% accuracy. Bills can be routed to configured approvers, and administrators can control who views, approves, or pays them while maintaining separation of duty. Payment options include ACH, same-day ACH, card, check, domestic wire, and international wire. The free Bill Pay tier includes core features without a monthly software fee, but payment charges vary: standard ACH costs $0.59, checks $1.99, same-day ACH $10, domestic wires $15, and SWIFT USD wires $20. Ramp Plus is listed at $15 a month, plus a platform fee based on team size, and offers a free 30-day trial. Ramp AP can operate without Ramp corporate cards or expense management, and vendors need no Ramp account to receive payment. It connects with named accounting tools including QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Acumatica, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Access is listed for web, Android, iOS, API, and extension; Ramp says it has no native Mac or Windows desktop app.