- 250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
- 95+ years of combined experience covering small-business and personal finance.
- 75+ categories of best business software selections.
- Objective and comprehensive business accounting software ratings rubric. (Learn more about our star ratings.)
Best Accounts Payable Software
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
QuickBooks Online Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one solution | $30/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200. | 50% off for first three months or free 30-day trial. | Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website |
Xero Learn more on Xero's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one solution | $15/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on Xero's secure website |
FreshBooks Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for All-in-one solution | $19/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website |
Stampli | Best for Accounts payable automation software | N/A Quote-based. | N/A | |
Lightyear | Best for Businesses with high bill and purchase order volume | $149/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $399, $699. | 30-day free trial | |
Bill.com | Best for Low-cost, high-value accounts payable software | $45/month Per user. Additional pricing tiers (per user, per month): $55, $79. | N/A | |
AvidXchange | Best for Industry-specific accounts payable software features | N/A Quote-based. | N/A | |
Tipalti | Best for Customer support | $129/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): custom. | N/A | |
Airbase | Best for Multicurrency bill pay | N/A Quote-based. | N/A |
Our picks for
All-in-one solution
If you prefer an all-in-one software solution that can handle your accounting needs along with your accounts payable, or bill paying, requirements — without needing to consider which software integrates well — then one of these accounting mainstays may do the job for you. QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks require you to purchase one of the higher-tier plans to access the accounts payable features, while Xero’s cheapest plan limits you to only five bills per month.
QuickBooks Online
on QuickBooks Online's secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200.
for first three months or free 30-day trial.
Pros
- Easy to share information with your accountant and to find QuickBooks experts and online resources if needed.
- More than 750 app integrations, including live, in-house bookkeeping.
- Robust feature set includes thorough record-keeping, comprehensive reporting, excellent invoicing and inventory management, plus a capable mobile app.
- Daily phone support and 24/7 chat support in all plans.
Cons
- Expensive compared with the competition.
- Limited account users with each plan.
Xero
on Xero's secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Unlimited users in all pricing plans.
- Integrates with more than 1,000 third-party apps.
- Feature set includes an excellent mobile app and suite of reports, capable invoicing features, plus automated bill and receipt capture through Hubdoc.
- Simple layout and easy to use.
Cons
- No phone number for customer support listed.
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
FreshBooks
on FreshBooks' secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Stay in touch with clients through the FreshBooks mobile app and get notified when invoices have been viewed or become overdue.
- Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
- Track time and add billable hours to invoices in all plans.
- Weekday phone support in all plans.
Cons
- Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails for accountants to review.
- Highest-tier Select plan only comes with two users (additional users add $11 per month) and lower-tier plans put limits on billable clients.
- Least expensive plan lacks double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access.
Our pick for
Accounts payable automation software
Take advantage of the benefits that accounts payable automation software can offer your business by replacing time-consuming, manual processes with paperless, automated workflows. Stampli’s automation software for bill payment enables you and your team to focus on more business-critical tasks and ensures your bills get paid quickly and accurately.
Stampli
Quote-based.
Pros
- Dedicated communication channel for invoices consolidates all activity related to each invoice for easy record-keeping.
- Bot alerts you to duplicate invoices.
- Audit and reporting tools.
- Mobile app available.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
Our pick for
Businesses with high bill and purchase order volume
Due to Lightyear’s unique pricing structure — pay a monthly fee to purchase credits, which are then exchanged on a 1:1 basis for each bill, statement or purchase order — which rewards higher-volumes of purchasing and bill paying with discounted credits, this software is a better fit for businesses that process a large number of purchase orders and bills each month.
Lightyear
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $399, $699.
Pros
- Unlimited number of users.
- Live support.
- Mobile app, available for iOS and Android.
- Free trial.
Cons
- Price can be a deterrent for smaller businesses.
- Requires upgrade to handle purchase orders.
- Least expensive package only processes 125 bills or statements per month.
Our pick for
Low-cost, high-value accounts payable software
Bill.com’s pricing tiers come in on the lower end, compared with others on this list. Even bundling its accounts payable and accounts receivable software comes in at a reasonable price point and will fetch you tools for bill and invoice management along with automated syncs with your accounting software.
Bill.com
Per user. Additional pricing tiers (per user, per month): $55, $79.
Pros
- Plan options available that bundle receivable and payable software.
- Customize approval workflows for paying bills.
- Accept multiple payment methods from customers (ACH, card, check); sync received payments directly with your accounting software.
- Customer support available via live chat or call-back request.
- Mobile app available.
Cons
- Least-expensive plan includes manual integration only with accounting software.
Our pick for
Industry-specific accounts payable software features
AvidXchange is one among many on the market offering accounts payable automation software. It stands out, however, for its features tailored to a variety of industries, including real estate, healthcare, technology, financial services and construction.
AvidXchange
Quote-based.
Pros
- Integrates with many accounting software packages.
- Live support.
- Offers tool for advanced analytics and business insights.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- No mobile app.
- No free trial.
Our pick for
Customer support
Although several providers on this list offer live customer support, Tipalti stands out for its multichannel customer support. You can reach the team seven days a week by phone and email and on weekdays by chat. The company advertises its fast response time and high satisfaction rating for the support team.
Tipalti
Additional pricing tiers (per month): custom.
Pros
- Automated purchase order matching.
- Live support by phone, email and chat.
- Includes machine learning technology for assigning accounting codes and approval routes.
Cons
- No mobile app for accounts payable.
- No free trial.
Our pick for
Multicurrency bill pay
With the ability to pay bills in more than 145 currencies across more than 200 countries, Airbase is a strong accounts payable software solution for businesses with international vendors.
Airbase
Quote-based.
Pros
- Self-service vendor portal.
- Automated purchase order matching.
- Mobile app.
Cons
- Email and ticket support only.
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- Receive bills from vendors and/or creditors.
- Transfer important data from each bill to your accounting system.
- Confirm the bill amount is correct and whether it requires specific approval before payment is sent.
- Generate and send a payment for each bill.
- Record that each bill is paid.
- Avoid unexpectedly running out of cash. Keeping track of what invoices are outstanding helps you understand how much cash you’re going to need and when, so you can keep your business running smoothly.
- Get discounts. Many vendors offer discounts for paying early or charge fees for paying late. Good AP software will help you make the most of those deadlines so you don’t throw money away.
- Avoid having to hire extra people. It can take a lot of time to manually key in data from bills, generate payments and make journal entries, which can mean hiring more people if there’s no technology or systems to speed up the work.
- Prevent errors. Accounts payable software can help detect whether you’ve already paid a bill and confirm whether the bill amount is correct.
