The top 6 BILL.com Competitors for AP Automation and Expense Management

BILL, at its core, is a cloud-based software platform for bookkeeping. Recently, the company acquired Divvy, Invoice2go, and Finmark in an effort to offer an “all-in-one” expense management solution.

It’s sort of like when the Brooklyn Nets acquired Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden — consolidation doesn’t ensure cohesion. Plus, Divvy’s clunky, manual processes are still apparent in the new BILL platform.

If you’re looking for truly unified spend management with robust AP automation that increases efficiency and accuracy, you may need to look into other options.

Here are some key reasons why you might consider exploring alternatives to BILL.com:

Feature limitations

While most AP platforms offer useful features for small businesses, most fall short for businesses with high transaction volume and lots of vendor payments.

For starters, you want a solution that enables automated purchase order (PO) matching. This way, you can save time and ensure that you actually received what you ordered at the agreed-upon price.

Also, you might find BILL’s approval routing to be insufficient. More advanced solutions offer customizable, multi-level approval chains that can be tailored to department, spend category, or amount. For example, your company’s travel and expenses (T&E) might have to be approved by a manager, while your software invoices might require the approval from the finance team. If you want these requests to go to the right approver automatically every time, you’ll probably want to look at BILL competitors.

It’s also critical to have all of your systems stay in sync automatically — i.e. every credit card transaction should be reflected in your general ledger. It’s more than a time-saver — it’s critical for maintaining accurate financial data. If you’re looking for direct integrations with top ERPs and accounting systems, you can do better than BILL.

Without two-way integrations, finance teams may find themselves manually transferring data between systems, negating much of the efficiency gained through automation and increasing the likelihood of error.

Lack of international payment capabilities

BILL supports payments to over 130 countries. But there are BILL competitors with stronger coverage. You need a solution that supports local-currency wires/payments to virtually any country and offers a local-currency credit card for making payments that is accepted in 210 countries and territories.

The right solution can help you save money on foreign exchange (FX) fees by directly reimbursing employees in their local bank accounts and currencies. That’ll delight your employees, too, because that’ll help avoid any payment delays.

With local billing and the ability to pay card statements from local bank accounts in local currency, you can also avoid the reporting headaches that come with intercompany transactions.

Pricing that doesn't align with your needs

BILL offers four different accounts payable and accounts receivable (AR) plans. The most basic Essentials plan is $45/month per user. Their Team plan, with more granular controls, is $55/month per user. For companies that actually want to customize their AP processes, there’s BILL’s Corporate plan at $79/month for each user.

Companies looking for enhanced security and customer support have to go up to the next tier — the Enterprise package — and negotiate their price.

BILL’s pricing structure might not be the most cost-effective for all businesses, especially for companies with hundreds or thousands of employees. And it can get really costly in the long run for companies with high payment volume.

When you’re looking at BILL and alternatives to BILL.com, be sure to consider the monthly costs, your expected transaction fees (i.e. FX fees), and the overall scalability of the plan.

Even if your company can get by with BILL’s Team plan today, you’ll probably have to upgrade to the Corporate or Enterprise plan in the near future. And that’ll cost you a whole lot more. It’s best to look for an AP solution that will scale with you.

Integration challenges with existing software

Your AP automation solution should offer robust integrations with the software that your company already uses. BILL might not sync well with your existing ERP and accounting platforms.

Direct, two-way accounting integrations can save your company hours on preparing, reviewing, and exporting expenses. A native integration with your ERP, for example, can enable custom rules and field mapping for a bidirectional sync of expense data, giving you a single source of truth.

A disjointed spend management solution

Even after acquiring Divvy and other companies, BILL primarily serves as an AP automation tool. And its patchwork to building a solution can be felt in the disjointed interface. Some businesses may find the product to be incomplete, which can mean adding additional software subscriptions.

Instead of BILL, businesses might seek a more comprehensive, integrated solution that includes corporate cards, expense management tools, and bill pay in addition to AP automation software.

Now that we’ve explored those potential features, here’s a closer look at the top BILL.com competitors.

Brex is designed to meet the needs of businesses at every stage of growth. Unlike BILL and other BILL competitors, Brex provides AP automation, bill pay, global corporate cards, expense management, business banking, and more — all in a single, user-friendly interface.

Businesses use Brex to automate manual tasks like vendor onboarding, invoice processing, multi-level approvals, payments, and reconciliation – allowing AP teams to focus on higher-impact work. Beyond that, Brex provides companies with one scalable solution for bill pay, purchase cards, and T&E, simplifying expense management for AP, finance, and employees.

Key features

• Automated bill pay: Brex bill pay cuts down on data entry for AP teams by automating everything from approvals to vendor onboarding to invoice capture. It’s easy to customize multi-level approval flows by fields like amount, vendor, and employee role, and automatically route reviews to the right manager. You can onboard vendors in seconds — just enter their email address, and Brex will send them a link to enter their payment info. Brex also makes it easy to capture itemized invoices — simply import via email forwarding, direct and drop, bulk upload, or having vendors email them to you directly. Brex AI will capture every detail, match the invoice to the right PO, and draft a payment.

• Flexible global payments: BILL supports payments to some countries, but they only cover around 130 countries. Brex, on the other hand, is a truly global solution that enables fast global wires in virtually any currency. Plus, Brex offers a truly global credit card that can be issued in 20+ currencies and accepted in 210 countries and territories. And Brex local billing enables global entities to pay card statements from local bank accounts in local currency, avoiding hefty FX fees. In total, Brex enables spending in 40+ currencies — more than BILL or the other BILL.com competitors — via credit cards, wires, and ACH.

• Robust integrations: Brex offers direct, two-way integrations with leading accounting software, ERPs, and even HRIS platforms to simplify all of your workflows. Thousands of Brex customers — including SeatGeek and DoorDash — use its award-winning NetSuite integration to automate their month-end close. From QuickBooks to ADP to Zapier, Brex integrates with virtually any software you can think of to drive efficiency and data accuracy.

• Corporate credit cards: Brex credit cards have expense management built-in to ensure in-policy spend at the point of purchase. With Brex, companies can easily spin up cards to cover vendor expenses, procurement spend, travel expenses, employee stipends, or any other purchase. No matter the use case, you can provision spend limits for any need and have your expense policy auto-applied with every swipe.

• Auto-generated receipts and memos: Brex auto-generates receipts for 1,000s of merchants and uses AI to automatically fill in key details. That’s a huge time- and headache-saver for AP, finance, and employees who are sick of tedious expense report tasks. With other BILL.com alternatives, employees have to snap and submit pictures of receipts after every transaction — and details like the transaction date may go missing.

• 24/7 customer support: Brex offers 24/7 support via live chat via desktop or its five-star mobile app, plus real human support over the phone when you need it. BILL, meanwhile, only provides live support on weekdays with limited support on weekends and no support on holidays. Most of the other BILL.com competitors only offer support via ticketing systems or email which can leave customers waiting for days.

Why people prefer Brex over BILL.com

Companies prefer Brex to BILL for its comprehensive spend management software that goes beyond basic AP automation. Brex offers global corporate cards, expense management, business bank accounts, and bill pay in a single, user-friendly interface. Its automated bill pay system streamlines processes from vendor onboarding to invoice capture, with customizable approval flows.

Superhuman, the email client that helps businesses and consumers get through their emails in record time, increased its own operational efficiency by switching from from BILL to Brex.

“Now, we basically put all of our spend into Brex, including employee spend like travel stipends and team events. The same goes for our departmental spend, so we’re no longer using Expensify or BILL,” said Andrew Maher, Head of Finance at Superhuman. “With Brex, all of our spend lives in one place. And every expense is categorized within the appropriate budget.”

Brex's corporate credit cards come with built-in expense management and policy enforcement. For global businesses, Brex provides superior coverage with cards accepted in 210 countries and territories, issued in 20+ currencies. Brex's robust integrations, including an award-winning NetSuite integration, enable seamless data flow across systems.

The platform's AI-powered features — like auto-generated receipts and memos — significantly reduce manual work, saving time that can be redirected towards higher-impact work. Plus, you can issue corporate purchasing cards for procurement use cases like operational spend with preset, auto-enforced controls to enable purchases and eliminate surprises.

“We’ve seen a huge shift in accounts payable from being a back-office data entry function to a powerhouse of information that creates a decision maker and stakeholder.”

— Tiffany Miller, Director of Accounts Payable, Empire Portfolio Group

Additionally, Brex's 24/7 customer support outshines BILL's limited support hours.

Brex vs BILL.com

Pricing

Brex offers a range of plans, starting with the free Essentials plan. Essentials includes AP automation software, bill pay, global corporate cards, business bank accounts, and integrated expense management. BILL.com’s free starter plan only includes basic spend and expense management.

From there, companies can upgrade as needed. Brex Premium ($12/user) includes additional features like custom procurement workflows, configurable expense policies, and dedicated support for admins. The Brex Enterprise plan — designed for global, multi-entity companies — adds additional functionality like custom compliance and audit reports.

Airbase offers corporate cards, expense management, and accounts payable capabilities in one platform. Founded in 2017 and based in San Francisco, it provides basic spend control features and integrates with common accounting software.

Key features:

• Corporate cards

• AP automation capabilities

• Automated approval workflows

• Real-time general ledger sync

• Audit trails

Why people prefer Airbase over Concur

Customers choose Airbase over BILL for its wider range of spend management features. While BILL focuses primarily on AP automation, Airbase offers a fuller suite with corporate cards, expense management, and advanced approval workflows. Additionally, Airbase's accounting and HRIS integrations are said to be more robust than BILL’s.

Brex vs Airbase

Pricing:

Airbase doesn’t list its pricing up front. Instead, it’s negotiable and largely dependent on a company’s transaction volume. Currently, Airbase offers three plans — Standard (200 employees or less), Premium (500 employees or less), and Enterprise (10,000 employees or less).

Melio caters to the middle market in the small business payments space. The platform helps SMBs manage bill payments and invoicing. The service allows users to pay vendors using various payment methods, including credit cards and bank transfers. Melio also offers simple scheduling features for recurring payments and accounting software integrations.

In 2023, BILL was rumored to be acquiring Melio, but the deal did not go through.

Key features

• Online bill payments to vendors

• Scheduling for recurring payments

• Credit card payments for bills

• Simple invoice creation and sending

• QuickBooks and other accounting integrations

• Free ACH transfers between bank accounts

Why people prefer Melio over BILL.com

Melio stands as a solid BILL.com competitor for small businesses. Melio’s pricing structure makes it much more accessible. And, while BILL charges fees for sending and receiving ACH, it’s free with Melio.

Pricing

Melio doesn’t charge recurring subscription fees. Instead, Melio makes its money from transaction fees when users pay via credit cards or debit cards.

Spendesk, based in Paris, is a corporate spend solution for small businesses. The platform includes virtual and physical credit cards, plus invoice management tools. Spendesk supports approval workflows and offers some expense tracking capabilities. It also offers receipt scanning capabilities to help improve the expense reporting process.

Key features

• Physical and virtual employee debit cards

• Invoice processing automation

• Approval workflow routing

• Receipt scanning

• Budget tracking

• Audit trails and fraud prevention

Why people prefer Spendesk over BILL.com

Spendesk’s interface is more intuitive than BILL’s, though it’s not as user-friendly as other BILL.com competitors like Brex. Customers have also found that Spendesk’s QuickBooks and Xero integrations are more robust than BILL’s.

Another plus for Spendesk is its receipt matching feature, which uses OCR technology to read over receipts and help verify their validity. It’s a step up from BILL, though other BILL alternatives like Brex are better at capturing receipt details. Brex also auto-generates receipts for thousands of merchants, eliminating the need for receipt collection for most purchases.

Pricing

Spendesk uses a custom pricing model rather than listing fixed rates for its plans. Pricing is tailored to each company based on factors like size and specific expense management requirements.

Coupa is a cloud-based procurement and accounts payable solution. The platform offers third-party integrations with AMEX, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, HSBC, and other credit card providers. In recent years, Coupa has acquired other companies in the expense management space to expand its offerings.

Key features

• AP and procurement automation

• Supply chain management

• Third-party integrations with legacy credit cards

• Forecasting tools

Why people prefer Coupa over BILL

Coupa stands as a better procurement and invoicing solution than BILL, as those are its main areas of focus. Customers may also find that Coupa’s implementation process is simpler than BILL’s.

Enterprise companies prefer Coupa to BILL, which is mostly made for small businesses. Still, out of all the BILL.com alternatives, Brex represents the most scalable solution for growing companies.

Pricing

Coupa’s free offering includes basic features, but the costs climb as you add more features. The top-tier plan, which includes an integration with QuickBooks, costs $4,800 per year. Other fees to watch for include Coupa’s Premium Support — a package with 6 hours of web conferencing support — costs $499 a year.

With Brex, customers have access to integrations and 24/7 support at no extra charge.

Procurify, based in Vancouver, automates purchasing and accounts payable processes. Their platform focuses on streamlining procurement workflows, from purchase requests to approvals and receiving. Procurify offers basic expense management features and integrates with common accounting software. Still, its functionality is mostly centered around the purchasing cycle rather than comprehensive financial management.

Key features

• Spend management and tracking

• Real-time reporting

• Approval workflow routing

• Automatic PO matching

• ERP integrations

Why people prefer Procurify over BILL

Procurify’s automatic OCR invoice capture may be better at auto-populating bills. Some users who have tried both platforms report that Procurify is better at auto-categorizing purchases than BILL.

Still, similar to BILL, Procurify is not built to serve large companies. When it comes to BILL.com alternatives for fast-growing startups, mid-market companies, and enterprises, Brex stands as the best option.

Pricing

Procurify employs a customized pricing model rather than offering standardized rates. Prospective clients are required to speak with Procurify's sales team for a tailored quote. The pricing structure is determined based on factors such as organization size, user count, and specific feature requirements.

While each BILL.com competitor offers unique features, Brex is the most comprehensive and scalable spend management solution for businesses of all sizes. Brex goes beyond basic AP automation with global corporate cards, global expense management, business banking, and automated bill payment — all in one easy-to-use platform.

Brex bill pay streamlines processes from vendor onboarding to invoice capture, with customizable multi-level approval flows. This level of automation and customization surpasses BILL's more basic approval routing capabilities.

For global businesses, Brex offers superior coverage with cards accepted in 210 countries and territories, issued in 20+ currencies. BILL, meanwhile, only supports payments to 130 countries. Plus, Brex enables you to send local-currency wires/payments to virtually any country. And Brex's local billing capabilities also help avoid FX fees while regional operating budgets limit intercompany transactions.

Brex's robust ERP integrations — including the award-winning NetSuite integration — enable a reliable flow of financial data, ensuring that every expense is reflected in your company’s general ledger. Plus, Brex’s HRIS integrations make it easy to manage onboarding and offboarding. You can sync Brex with Workday, Gusto, Deel, or any of the top 40 HR systems to automatically assign virtual corporate cards to incoming employees – and automatically deactivate cards if they leave or change roles.

With auto-generated receipts and auto-populated memos, Brex AI can mitigate the risk of human error and save serious time. Brex customers save their employees and managers up to 4,000 hours a year by automating documentation and reviews. On top of that, Brex saves finance teams up to 250 hours a year through accounting automation.

The bottom line: BILL is mostly an AP automation tool with some expense management tools for smaller businesses. But Brex offers a truly unified spend solution that provides real-time visibility into spending, allowing your company to control expenses proactively rather than reactively.

Ready to see how Brex can streamline your financial operations and fuel your company's growth? Schedule a demo with Brex today.