Compare the top five invoice processing software with AP automation in the US (2025)

- •What is invoice processing software?
- •How does an invoice processing software system work?
- •The top invoice processing software providers in the US in 2025
- •Top features to look for in invoice processing software providers
- •Compare the top invoice processing software providers in the US
- •What questions should you ask when onboarding an invoice processing software provider?
- •Why businesses choose Airwallex for invoice processing and AP automation
Whether you're a mid-market company scaling globally or a finance team buried in manual AP tasks, the right invoice processing software can be a game-changer. Processing a high volume of invoices manually slows teams down, introduces errors, and creates unnecessary friction across finance operations.
In this guide, we compare five leading US providers that go beyond basic bill scanning. These platforms combine automation with real financial workflows, letting you extract invoice data, route approvals, make payments, and reconcile with your accounting system.
📌 Looking for expense management software to track reimbursements, issue cards, or manage T&E spend? Check out our guide to the top expense management tools. This article focuses specifically on platforms that automate invoice workflows, approvals, and vendor payments, particularly for teams managing complex or global accounts payable (AP) operations.
What is invoice processing software?
Invoice processing systems are software tools designed to handle invoices and streamline businesses' accounts payable processes. The top invoice processing software minimizes manual data entry and reduces human errors, enhancing efficiency, speeding up payment cycles, and improving vendor relationships.
Other features of automated invoice processing systems include automated data extraction, invoice validation, approval workflows, and flagging errors in bill payments. Robust controls and approval processes can help boost company spend compliance.
Many invoice processing solutions integrate with existing accounting software systems, providing real-time visibility of spending and reporting capabilities. The best invoice processing software will include a full suite of spend management tools, allowing you to process invoices and track, manage, and control your global spend from a centralized location.
How does an invoice processing software system work?
Think about how your team currently handles invoice processing. Do they use one system for uploading and tracking invoices and another for internal approvals? Once approved, do they have to switch back to the financial system to pay the invoice before manually reconciling everything in your business's accounting software?
Invoice processing software brings these processes together. With the proper invoice processing software, you’ll be less likely to miss payment deadlines and lose control of your cash flow, and more likely to find the reconciliation process much smoother.
Here’s how it generally works:
Bills are uploaded, and invoice information is entered into the invoice processing system. The best invoicing process software will enable you to do this via direct upload or by simply emailing the bills to a specific address. All relevant invoice data will be automatically captured and recorded using optical character recognition (OCR) technology.
Invoice details are verified against purchase orders and then routed to approval. The top invoice processing software will allow a multi-layer, custom-designed approval workflow tailored to your business needs.
Once approved, the invoice is queued for payment. Many companies still do this on an external financial system, separate from their invoice processing software. However, unified platforms that combine software with financial infrastructure are now available, allowing for direct bill payments within the same system.
Paid bills are then reconciled in accounting software against invoices and purchase orders. Often, this is a manual and time-consuming process. However, top providers will have integrations that automatically sync paid bills to your accounting software.
Finally, you can draw unique and valuable insights from your invoice processing software to understand your company's spending and identify areas for improvement.
Get real-time spend visibility, globally
The top invoice processing software providers in the US in 2025
All five platforms below support invoice processing and AP automation to varying degrees. However, they differ in global capabilities, accounting integrations, general ledger (GL) automation, and native payment workflows. Here's how they stack up.
1. Airwallex
Airwallex is an end-to-end financial platform with a suite of spend management tools, including Bill Pay, its automated invoice processing solution.
Bill Pay gives businesses greater control over accounts payable by letting them upload, approve, pay, and reconcile bills across multiple currencies, all within the Airwallex Business Account. Because it’s connected to Airwallex’s global financial infrastructure, businesses can pay vendors in over 120 countries using local payment rails without needing to re-enter their payment details in their online banking portal. AI-powered automation extracts invoice data, checks for duplicates, and verifies payment details, while multi-layer approval workflows help enforce internal controls.
With batch transfers, teams can also pay up to 1,000 vendors at once. Integrations with leading accounting software make reconciliation faster by automatically syncing payments and account data.
2. Tipalti
Tipalti is an end-to-end accounts payable automation platform that simplifies invoice processing and global payouts. It offers AI-driven invoice matching, automated approvals, and real-time payment tracking, reducing manual work and compliance risks. Supporting payments in over 190 countries, Tipalti is ideal for companies managing high-volume international transactions. Its built-in tax compliance and fraud detection features help businesses mitigate risk while ensuring smooth financial operations.
3. Brex
Brex is a financial platform combining corporate cards, bill pay, and expense management. It offers automated invoice entry, approval, and payments via ACH, checks, or wires. Businesses can also track expenses in real-time with AI-powered receipt matching and categorization. Brex supports multi-currency transactions and integrates with accounting software, but doesn't provide full AP automation.
4. Airbase
Airbase is a spend management platform that offers features for invoice processing, corporate cards, and employee reimbursements. It supports invoice uploads, OCR-based data extraction, multi-layer approvals, and bill payments via ACH or wire. Airbase also includes accounting automation through rule-based GL coding and integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, and Sage Intacct. While US-based businesses primarily use it, it also supports global payments and multi-entity workflows.
5. Ramp
Ramp focuses on accounts payable solutions, including corporate cards and expense management, designed to streamline financial operations. It uses powerful AI tools to help businesses automate invoice processing, including capturing invoice details, matching with purchase orders, and scheduling payments. Ramp supports payments via ACH, checks, and wires and provides tools for tracking expenses, setting spend controls, and integrating with accounting software for seamless reconciliation.
Top features to look for in invoice processing software providers
When researching the right choice of invoice processing software for your business, here are some of the top features and capabilities you should look for.
Time-saving automation features that are seamless to set up. Your invoice processing software should give your team back hours each week by offering a variety of automation features to eliminate the tedious manual data entry tasks associated with the accounts payable process.
The ability to create multi-layer approval workflows unique to your business. Be sure you can create multi-layer approval workflows for specific roles in your business to stay in line with company spending policies and ensure no invoices slip through the cracks.
New levels of visibility and control through real-time categorization, tracking, and reporting. Your invoice processing software should ideally be part of a larger, comprehensive spend management platform that features real-time spend visibility, making it easy to stay on top of your due invoices.
Unified software with financial infrastructure to avoid manual data duplication across systems. Choose invoice processing software that lets you directly pay bills in multiple currencies at market-leading FX rates without manually duplicating data across to banking systems and re-entering invoice and payment details.
Flawless integrations with your existing accounting software. You should be able to automate your reconciliation process by integrating it with your existing accounting software. Make sure you can import data, such as your chart of accounts, and sync bills and payments for smoother processing.
Platforms built on global financial infrastructure. While many invoice processing and spend tools are built around cards or expense workflows, platforms that start with a global wallet foundation can offer more flexibility and control. These solutions allow businesses to collect, hold, convert, and spend funds in multiple currencies, helping to reduce unnecessary foreign exchange conversions, simplify global payments, and improve operational efficiency as they scale.
Compare the top invoice processing software providers in the US
Here’s how each provider compares across invoice automation, approval workflows, payments, and global financial capabilities.
| Airwallex | Tipalti | Brex | Airbase | Ramp |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Invoice OCR and data extraction | ✅ | ✅¹ | ⚠️ OCR for receipt capture; limited invoice processing capabilities² | ✅³
| ✅⁴ |
AI-powered validation and matching | ✅ AI detects duplicates and automates approval workflows | ✅ Performs 2-way and 3-way PO matching with machine learning validations⁵ | ⚠️ Basic AI for expense categorization; lacks invoice matching⁶ | ✅ AI + rules engine detect errors and automate invoice workflows³
| ✅ AI matches invoices to POs and receipts using 2-way or 3-way matching⁷ |
Custom approval workflows | ✅ | ✅⁸ | ✅⁹ | ✅¹⁰ | ✅⁷ |
Batch payments | ✅ | ✅⁸ | ⚠️ Supports bulk invoice uploads and bulk approvals, but payments may still be processed individually depending on workflow setup¹¹ | ✅³ | ✅¹² |
Bill creation and general ledger coding | ✅ Create and code bills in-platform or import | ✅ Assign GL codes without direct ERP access¹³ | ✅ Auto-map transactions to GL codes¹⁴ | ✅¹⁵ | ✅ Automates GL coding using AI and predefined rules¹⁶ |
Accounting integrations | ✅ Integrates with major ERPs and accounting software like Xero, NetSuite, QuickBooks | ✅ Integrates with major ERPs like NetSuite and Intacct⁸ | ✅ Integrates with QuickBooks and NetSuite¹⁷ | ✅ ✅ Integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, Sage Intacct¹⁸ | ✅ Integrates with major ERPs like NetSuite and QuickBooks⁷ |
Global financial infrastructure (wallets, FX, payouts, and collections) | ✅ Complete business account with global wallet, FX engine, and spend tools in one platform | ⚠️ Strong AP automation, but limited to payables workflows¹ | ⚠️ Card-led platform; payments and AP workflows aren't wallet-based¹⁹ | ⚠️ Supports international payments but lacks multi-currency wallets or global collection accounts³ | ⚠️ US-centric card + AP workflows; no global wallet or FX infrastructure⁴ |
What questions should you ask when onboarding an invoice processing software provider?
What automation capabilities does your software have? Invoice processing software with AI and automation capabilities can save your team a lot of time and ensure data consistency and accuracy. Understand the software's approval workflow capabilities and the level of customization available. Are notifications available to remind your team when payments are due? AI can also be helpful in invoice processing software, supporting data extraction from invoices and transferring information to payment systems.
Are there other spend management software products available with your solutions? Invoice processing solutions that are part of a larger suite of spend management tools can simplify your financial management by providing a more comprehensive view of your cash flow across the business.
How does your software support multi-currency and international payments? Understand if your invoice processing solution combines financial infrastructure to streamline invoice payments. If so, ensure they have the payment capabilities to handle payouts in multiple currencies and countries.
What integrations do you offer? Most popular invoice-processing software providers offer integrations with major accounting and ERP tools to help streamline your operations. Choose a provider that integrates seamlessly with your existing software.
Why businesses choose Airwallex for invoice processing and AP automation
For finance teams managing global invoice workflows from approval to reconciliation, Airwallex offers a unified platform built on global financial infrastructure.
With Airwallex, you can connect invoice workflows directly to real-time payments, multi-currency wallets, and accounting systems, streamlining AP operations from end to end. Teams can:
Upload, approve, and code invoices automatically
Pay vendors in 150+ countries with batch transfers and market-leading FX rates
Avoid unnecessary conversions by paying directly from multi-currency wallets
Auto-convert funds at competitive FX rates when needed
Reconcile with NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Xero
Monitor global AP activity and employee spend from one centralized dashboard
Bill Pay is just one part of Airwallex’s global spend management suite. With Corporate Cards and in-built Expense Management, businesses can also issue virtual cards, enforce spending policies, and track every transaction in real time – all powered by the same multi-currency infrastructure.
Whether you’re paying suppliers, reimbursing employees, or expanding globally, Airwallex provides the flexibility, control, and visibility modern finance teams need without the friction of siloed tools.
Sources:
https://tipalti.com/ap-automation/
https://www.brex.com/platform/brex-ai
https://www.airbase.com/modules/ap-automation/bill-payments
https://ramp.com/accounts-payable
https://tipalti.com/resources/learn/ai-invoice-processing/
https://www.brex.com/spend-trends/accounting/invoice-matching
https://ramp.com/blog/how-to-automate-invoice-processing
https://tipalti.com/resources/learn/ap-automation-software-basic-capabilities/
https://www.brex.com/spend-trends/cash-flow-management/automated-invoice-processing
https://www.airbase.com/features/advanced-approvals
https://www.brex.com/support/bill-pay-overview
https://ramp.com/blog/batch-payments-and-more-2024-bill-pay-upgrades
https://tipalti.com/ap-automation/invoice-management/
https://www.brex.com/support/general-ledger-accounts
https://www.airbase.com/sheets/platform
https://support.ramp.com/hc/en-us/articles/7317831293203-Accounting-rules-and-automation
https://www.brex.com/spend-trends/accounting/accounts-payable-software-solutions
https://www.airbase.com/integrations-overview
https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card
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Erin is a business finance writer at Airwallex, where she creates content that helps businesses across the Americas navigate the complexities of finance and payments. With nearly a decade of experience in corporate communications and content strategy for B2B enterprises and developer-focused startups, Erin brings a deep understanding of the SaaS landscape. Through her focus on thought leadership and storytelling, she helps businesses address their financial challenges with clear and impactful content.
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