ApprovalMax leads on compliance depth and scalability. Lightyear leads on support and pricing transparency.
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From $49.50/org/mo (published) Read our full ApprovalMax review
$199 to $319/mo (published) Read our full Lightyear review
Scores from our independent reviews of both tools. Prices verified 12 Nov 2026.
| Fact | ApprovalMax | Lightyear |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Xero/QBO SMBs and accounting firms | UK and ANZ SMEs on Xero or QBO |
| Price | From $49.50/org/mo (published) | $199 to $319/mo (published) |
| Pricing model | Published per-organisation plans, moving to usage tiers | Published credit tiers: per document, unlimited users |
| Implementation | Low | Low |
| Time to go live | A few days (vendor) | 4 to 6 weeks (vendor) |
| Agent readiness | 2 / 5 | 2 / 5 |
| AF score | ✓ 72 / 100 | 68 / 100 |
✓ marks a clear edge. Prices are as each vendor publishes them, verified 12 Nov 2026.
Each dimension is scored 0 to 100 in the full reviews. The chip shows the leader's margin.
Published per-organisation plans, moving to usage tiers
Published credit tiers: per document, unlimited users
ApprovalMax, 72 to 68 on our 100-point rubric.
ApprovalMax: From $49.50/org/mo (published). Lightyear: $199 to $319/mo (published).
ApprovalMax: A few days (vendor). Lightyear: 4 to 6 weeks (vendor).
ApprovalMax rates 2 and Lightyear rates 2 out of 5 on our agent-readiness test.
A straight answer from our research on both tools.
