I Examined G2’s 7 Finest Accounts Payable Automation Software program

Are you able to imagine that for some time, I used to be really in company procurement, coping with meals elements? And if there’s one factor I bear in mind clearly, it’s how painful the accounts payable course of was. Invoices piled up, approvals bought misplaced in electronic mail chains, and last-minute discrepancies turned easy funds into full-blown crises.

That have gave me an enormous appreciation for finance groups that take care of this at scale. Even immediately, many are caught with guide bill processing, gradual approvals, and fee errors, points that one of the best accounts payable automation software program may simply clear up.

Considering again to these days, I wished to see simply how a lot AP automation has developed. So, I examined over 25 instruments to seek out those that actually simplify bill processing, automate approvals, and enhance money move visibility. In case your workforce is uninterested in chasing approvals and fixing errors, these handpicked seven instruments are value contemplating.

7 finest AP automation software program I like to recommend

Again once I labored in procurement, I spent means an excessive amount of time coping with gradual approvals, lacking buy orders, and fee delays. Belief me, I do know the struggles!

One of the best accounts payable automation software program doesn’t simply make issues sooner. It eliminates inefficiencies, reduces errors, and retains your entire AP course of operating easily. However not each software will get it proper. Some make life simpler, whereas others create as many complications as they clear up.

I wished to chop via the noise and discover out which of them really assist with bill processing and approvals and provides finance groups higher management over funds. Right here’s how I went about it.

What I prioritized when testing AP automation instruments

I thought-about the next elements when evaluating one of the best accounts payable automation software program.

• Bill processing and information seize: Manually getting into bill particulars wastes time and is liable to errors. I appeared for platforms that mechanically seize information from invoices utilizing AI and optical character recognition (OCR). One of the best AP automation instruments go additional by matching invoices to buy orders and receipts, stopping duplicate funds, and decreasing guide reconciliation.
• Approval workflows that scale back bottlenecks: One of many largest complaints I’ve seen from finance groups is how lengthy it takes to approve invoices. To hurry up the method, I centered on software program that lets customers customise approval workflows, arrange automated routing, and set off real-time notifications.
• Seamless integrations with different enterprise instruments: AP automation software program isn’t useful if it doesn’t sync with present accounting and enterprise useful resource planning programs. I prioritized instruments that combine easily with widespread ERPs and different main monetary platforms, decreasing the necessity for guide information entry and guaranteeing up-to-date monetary data.
• Fraud detection and compliance controls: Monetary fraud and compliance violations are main dangers in accounts payable. I checked whether or not every platform had built-in fraud detection, automated duplicate bill flagging, audit trails, and compliance monitoring.
• Automated vendor funds: AP groups take care of a number of distributors, currencies, and fee strategies. I appeared for software program that helps ACH transfers, wire funds, digital playing cards, and worldwide funds whereas offering options like early fee reductions and automated reconciliation.
• Actual-time reporting and money move visibility: Finance groups want clear, real-time insights into excellent invoices, fee schedules, and general money move. I centered on platforms that provide customizable dashboards, spend analytics, and predictive reporting so companies can keep forward of their monetary obligations.
• Person expertise and buyer assist: I worth environment friendly, quick, and user-friendly software program. I assessed every platform’s intuitiveness and reviewed the standard of buyer assist, guaranteeing finance groups may obtain immediate help when points come up.

The listing beneath comprises real person evaluations from the accounts payable automation software program web page. To be included on this class, an answer should:

• Ship customizable workflows to streamline repetitive accounts payable duties equivalent to information entry
• Embrace doc seize and imaging options to transform paper invoices into digital paperwork
• Course of massive volumes of provider paperwork equivalent to invoices or credit score memos
• Present a single repository for customers to look and retrieve AP paperwork
• Match provider invoices with corresponding buy orders to precisely monitor the quantities owed
• Supply approval processes for funds, debits, or any modifications to AP transactions
• Adjust to accounting requirements and rules for AP processing
• Combine with accounting software program, ERP, or superior monetary programs equivalent to company efficiency administration (CPM)

*This information was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some evaluations could have been edited for readability.

BILL AP/AR brings invoicing, approvals, and vendor funds into one simplified area for finance groups trying to ditch guide spreadsheet work and follow-ups.

Certainly one of BILL’s largest strengths is its user-friendliness. The format is clear, and actions like importing invoices, including distributors, or scheduling funds take only a few clicks. Even I, with restricted AP expertise, was capable of get snug rapidly. That ease of use may help shave hours off the month-to-month workflow and get rid of confusion.

Vendor administration additionally felt smoother than I anticipated. BILL shops detailed vendor profiles and allows you to automate fee reminders. I may maintain monitor of fee historical past, tax paperwork, and even communication logs in a single place. The method makes vendor relationships extra clear and fewer reactive.

The approval workflow choices are one other main win. You’ll be able to assign customized roles, route approvals throughout departments, and monitor each determination with full visibility. It’s an incredible match for groups that need inner controls with out pointless bottlenecks. I appreciated how straightforward it was to arrange multi-step approvals.

Fee processing velocity is one space that might be higher. I observed the transfers can take a number of days, which isn’t best when a vendor wants a fast turnaround. That delay provides somewhat friction to an in any other case clean course of.

Primarily based on my analysis and talking to my colleagues in operations, I additionally discovered that buyer assist didn’t at all times come via when wanted. Some questions took days to reply, and dwell chat wasn’t constantly accessible. Whereas there’s a good assist middle, I discovered myself counting on trial and error greater than I’d like. Fairly a couple of G2 customers additionally resonate with this sentiment.

The sync with different accounting instruments principally works; there have been a couple of bumps early on. I bumped into duplicate transactions and a few lacking entries when syncing payments. It took further time to reconcile these points manually. With common checks, it is manageable, however I wouldn’t name the combination 100% dependable out of the field.

What I dislike about BILL AP/AR:

• Funds don’t undergo immediately, so I needed to consider a delay when scheduling vendor payouts. It’s not a dealbreaker, nevertheless it does require extra ahead planning.
• There have been a couple of hiccups in information syncing, and I spent a while double-checking entries. I additionally observed occasional mismatches that took further time to wash up.

What G2 customers dislike about BILL AP/AR:

“Downloading experiences from invoice.com is a really tedious course of. There are lots of sycnc errors whereas syncing with different software program like Sage Intact and so forth.”

– BILL AP/AR Evaluate, Manoj B.

Sage Intacct is a cloud-based monetary administration resolution for rising companies and organizations with advanced accounting wants. It covers core modules like normal ledger, accounts payable and receivable, reporting, and multi-entity consolidation.

I appreciated how user-friendly the core navigation was. The format is clear, menus are logically grouped, and customary actions are straightforward to seek out. I didn’t have to depend on guesswork to find options or settings. As soon as I bought the hold of the workflow, duties like bill approvals and journal entries flowed rapidly.

The reporting engine is one among Sage Intacct’s standout options. I may slice information by division, location, or venture and customise experiences with filters and dimensions. It gave me the flexibleness to see financials from a number of angles, which is one thing many different programs battle with. For data-driven groups, this can be a big win.

I used to be additionally impressed by how simply Sage Intacct dealt with a number of entities. Managing inter-company transactions, consolidations, and entity-specific permissions was simple. It made overseeing parent-child relationships a lot simpler and rolling every little thing into unified experiences when wanted.

That mentioned, not every little thing got here simply—particularly the superior options. It took time (and a few exterior assist) to discover ways to totally use dimensions, automate workflows, or optimize reporting layouts. This can be a little bit of a ramp-up for groups with no devoted administrator.

There have been additionally a couple of persistent bugs that interrupted sure workflows. Challenge monitoring didn’t at all times behave as anticipated, and my colleagues who’ve labored with Sage reported minor glitches when switching between entities. These weren’t dealbreakers, however they did require follow-up.

The reporting instruments, whereas highly effective, may’ve been extra intuitive. A few of the setup choices felt buried, and I needed to experiment fairly a bit to get experiences to look the best way I wished. As soon as issues have been configured, they labored properly, however the path to get there wasn’t at all times clean.

What I dislike about Sage Intacct:

• It took some time to wrap my head round extra superior options, and I wanted some exterior assist to get essentially the most from it.
• Sure modules typically really feel barely unstable, particularly when juggling entities.

What G2 customers dislike about Sage Intacct:

“I dislike how lengthy it initially takes to get to the wanted pages. Having to open a number of tabs makes looking out simpler and cuts down on the period of time I spend ready for the web page to load. It will be simpler for me if every little thing I wanted to do with one bill might be executed from the identical web page. I steadily need to refund invoices, and this cannot be executed from Intacct. I’ve to go to Intacct to seek out the data and take it to Braintree (each EFT and CC variations). There’s a couple of week’s ready interval for every little thing to course of and sync; then I’ve to make use of Intacct to verse on one web page and reprocess on one other. It is not very straightforward to study at first, both. Since there are such a lot of back-and-forth steps, quite a lot of guide fixes, and one factor at a time, it takes quite a lot of persistence and asking questions. The phrases are extra geared in direction of accountants and never a billing assist workforce”

– Sage Intacct Evaluate, Amber J.

Stampli simplifies bill administration and approvals and works alongside your present accounting system to assist route invoices sooner and scale back guide information entry. The software is very widespread amongst finance groups that want extra visibility and collaboration of their AP workflows.

Bill processing in Stampli is clean and quick. I used to be capable of add, route, and monitor invoices with minimal effort, and the system does an incredible job of auto-filling key fields. I preferred how approvers have been looped in mechanically, which sped up turnaround time. Even with excessive volumes, every little thing feels straightforward to handle.

Buyer assist stood out in a great way. Anytime I had questions, whether or not it was setup-related or about particular workflows, I bought useful responses rapidly. I by no means felt caught ready for a repair, which gave me extra confidence within the software general. The assist workforce clearly is aware of the platform inside and outside.

The interface is straightforward, trendy, and straightforward to study. I didn’t want a lot coaching to get began. The navigation is intuitive, and customary duties are only a click on or two away. For a finance software, it’s refreshingly simple.

One limitation I bumped into was round funds. Stampli doesn’t deal with all fee situations, and relying in your trade, there could also be restrictions. This meant I nonetheless needed to depend on different programs for the ultimate fee step, which broke the move a bit. 

Exporting processed invoices got here with its personal set of challenges. As soon as one thing is exported or marked full, modifying turns into tough. That rigidity led to a couple do-overs once I caught small errors too late. A bit extra flexibility right here would go a good distance.

What I dislike about Stampli:

• Funds aren’t totally supported for each trade. I observed that this disconnect provides a bit of additional coordination when closing the loop on vendor payouts.
• As soon as invoices are exported, making corrections isn’t straightforward, which brought about me a couple of duplicate efforts.

What G2 customers dislike about Stampli:

“There are some options that my workforce is ready for Stampli to implement, and a few issues aren’t as clean as I would like. For instance, I would like to see fee info instantly on the bill web page or, on the very least, have a hyperlink from the bill web page to the fee web page, just like how invoice.com does it. This may make issues a lot smoother when checking on the standing of invoices and offering remittance info for distributors. Moreover, ACH funds take longer than different programs like invoice.com. A brand new expedited fee choice has been launched lately, nevertheless it prices cash and has a cap on the fee quantities allowed to be expedited. Would like to see sooner funds general and finally no cap on expedited funds.”

– Stampli Evaluate, Laura B.

Airbase is a spend administration platform that mixes expense monitoring, approvals, reimbursements, and digital playing cards into one centralized system. It’s designed to assist finance groups acquire extra management over firm spending whereas bettering visibility throughout departments.

Airbase’s spend administration options gave me extra real-time management than I anticipated. The digital playing cards make assigning budgets and monitoring utilization straightforward and scale back last-minute surprises throughout reconciliations. I additionally preferred how spending limits and insurance policies might be set upfront, serving to stop overspending earlier than it occurs.

The cellular app provides quite a lot of flexibility. I may add receipts, submit reimbursements, and approve bills whereas on the go. It got here in useful throughout journey, and the fast picture add function meant I didn’t have to save lots of piles of paper receipts. It made protecting issues updated really feel much less like a chore.

Total, the interface is clear and intuitive. The format makes it straightforward to seek out key options without having a walkthrough, and most actions, like creating a brand new request or submitting a report, take only a few clicks. It appears like a platform constructed to take away friction from on a regular basis duties.

That mentioned, the cellular app expertise wasn’t at all times constant. Sometimes, receipt uploads stalled or didn’t undergo the primary time. I double-checked submissions way more than I would like when counting on cellular.

There have been additionally some hiccups with how receipts have been matched to transactions. In a couple of instances, the auto-matching didn’t work, and I needed to re-attach recordsdata manually. It wasn’t tough to repair, however I may see it slowing issues down for customers dealing with massive volumes of bills.

The approval course of labored properly general however lacked some flexibility in additional advanced workflows. If a request wanted rerouting or needed to undergo a number of layers, it wasn’t at all times clear tips on how to regulate the move. It bought the job executed, nevertheless it felt a bit inflexible in edge instances.

What I dislike about Airbase:

• The cellular app typically struggles with receipt uploads, so through the testing section, I bought into the behavior of double-checking every little thing.
• Approval routing normally works properly, however making adjustments mid-flow takes a couple of extra steps than I anticipated.

What G2 customers dislike about Airbase:

“Whereas Airbase is incredible, there are a few minor issues I would prefer to see improved. Sometimes, the automated categorization of bills is not excellent, and I’ve to manually regulate it. It isn’t an enormous deal, however it could be even higher if the AI was a bit extra correct. Additionally, whereas the cellular app is nice, I’ve observed that typically it may be somewhat gradual to load, particularly when I’ve quite a lot of receipts to add. These are simply minor inconveniences, although, and so they actually do not outweigh the various advantages of utilizing Airbase.”

– Airbase Evaluate, Kyle C.

Whereas SAP Concur is finest identified for expense and journey administration, it additionally performs an vital position in automating elements of the accounts payable course of—particularly in terms of worker reimbursements and non-PO spending. For corporations with excessive volumes of journey bills or decentralized spending, Concur helps construction approval workflows and retains reimbursement cycles shifting. It’s not your typical AP resolution however fills a important hole in broader spend management.

The cellular app is one among Concur’s most useful options. I may snap an image of a receipt, assign it to an expense, and submit it without having to open my laptop computer. It is useful throughout work journeys when it is advisable maintain issues shifting. For groups on the go, the app actually helps scale back delays in reimbursement.

Expense administration feels structured and scalable. I may escape classes, monitor spending by division, and fix documentation with only a few clicks. The automated reminders helped me keep away from lacking receipts or leaving experiences in draft. It might probably make month-to-month closeouts far much less chaotic.

The approval workflow was one other robust level. Requests transfer easily via the chain, and notifications make it straightforward for managers to evaluation and log off. I preferred that you may customise roles and arrange multi-layer approvals. That flexibility is a plus for finance groups attempting to keep up management.

That mentioned, the cellular expertise wasn’t at all times flawless. Sometimes, receipts wouldn’t sync with the suitable expense, or I needed to re-upload photographs that didn’t course of correctly. It wasn’t frequent, however sufficient to make me double-check submissions.

The desktop interface may use a refresh. Some menus really feel buried, and I needed to click on round to seek out historic experiences or view pending duties. It is tremendous as soon as you understand the place issues dwell, however the preliminary studying curve is steeper than anticipated.

There have been additionally moments when the system felt gradual or unresponsive, particularly when submitting experiences with many attachments. Nothing crashed, however load instances added up when managing a number of entries. It’s not a dealbreaker, simply one thing that requires persistence.

What I dislike about SAP Concur:

• Some options within the cellular app really feel inconsistent, particularly when receipts don’t connect correctly the primary time.
• The interface takes some getting used to, and I discovered myself clicking round greater than I anticipated early on.

What G2 customers dislike about SAP Concur:

“Person interface! It’s actually unhealthy. Issues are too descriptive, nothing icon-based. If the GUI is made extra graphical, the dashboard would look cool and would keep away from us to maintain looking for issues, and it helps us to discover issues simply slightly than somebody instructing us to navigate.”

– SAP Concur Evaluate, Adarsh S.

Ramp automates expense workflows for companies, enhancing management over spending. Whereas it’s not a complete accounts payable system, Ramp manages a good portion of the day by day bills that finance groups oversee.

Ramp’s card administration system is likely one of the most effective I’ve tried. With only a few clicks, I may subject digital playing cards immediately, set spending limits, and assign playing cards to departments or initiatives. It helps present real-time visibility and forestall unauthorized purchases, making managing recurring or one-off bills a lot simpler.

Receipt administration can also be a main power. I can textual content or electronic mail receipts, and Ramp auto-matches them to the proper transaction. This easy course of reduces the standard follow-up emails and retains groups forward through the month-to-month shut.

I used to be impressed by how environment friendly the entire platform felt. From approvals to categorization to syncing with accounting instruments, every little thing moved rapidly and with out friction.

The one actual limitation I observed was worldwide utilization. Ramp works nice for U.S.-based groups, however utilizing playing cards overseas or with worldwide distributors launched a couple of hiccups. It’s one thing international groups will wish to plan round in the event that they’re hoping for seamless protection.

Exporting information for accounting was typically trickier. Whereas a lot of the experiences have been accessible, formatting them for extra advanced use instances took further effort. I often needed to regulate columns or manually arrange fields earlier than importing elsewhere.

What I dislike about Ramp:

• I observed that Ramp doesn’t provide a lot assist for worldwide funds or utilization, so some spending needs to be dealt with individually.
• Customizing exports for particular accounting wants wasn’t at all times intuitive, and I spent further time cleansing up experiences.

What G2 customers dislike about Ramp:

“Downsides for me should not with the ability to pay worldwide wires in international transactions, and a few higher dashboards for spend over time would assist.”

– Ramp Evaluate, Gabriel F.

Tipalti is a worldwide payables automation platform that handles every little thing from bill consumption and approvals to vendor onboarding and cross-border funds. The platform integrates with widespread ERPs and likewise consists of built-in fraud prevention.

Tipalti actually shines within the bill processing workflow. It mechanically routes approvals, flags duplicate invoices, and helps standardize formatting throughout distributors. I can simply monitor progress at every step, which helps keep away from bottlenecks afterward. The time saved right here is instantly noticeable.

Vendor onboarding is quick and structured. I discovered it straightforward to gather tax varieties, banking particulars, and compliance paperwork multi functional portal, so distributors don’t need to electronic mail info forwards and backwards. As soon as they’re within the system, every little thing runs extra easily. It reduces guide errors and saves quite a lot of follow-up time.

Buyer assist was additionally constantly useful. Whether or not it was strolling via an integration subject or answering particular reporting questions, the Tipalti assist workforce felt accessible and responsive. I did not have to attend lengthy for a reply, which made the educational curve simpler to handle.

That mentioned, the reporting instruments are purposeful however restricted. I discovered it tough to create customized experiences or export information in exactly the specified format. It labored properly for primary overviews, however deeper evaluation typically required guide cleanup in spreadsheets.

Search performance is also improved. When on the lookout for particular funds or vendor data, the outcomes weren’t at all times intuitive or full. It slowed me down when answering fast inner questions or pulling up previous actions.

What I dislike about Tipalti:

• I typically needed to export uncooked information and reformat it manually to get the breakdowns I wanted for reporting.
• Search outcomes weren’t at all times related, so I typically needed to dig round to seek out the document I wanted.

What G2 customers dislike about Tipalti:

“There are some extra advanced payout guidelines I would like to include into our payout routine, nevertheless it’s not but doable. In an ideal world, Tipalti may do pay-ins and payouts, so I would not want one other PSP for this, however perhaps sooner or later.”

– Tipalti Evaluate, Kristi H.

Looking for an invoicing software as an alternative? Try this listing of the 8 finest free invoicing software program for 2025, ranked and reviewed by my colleague.