BILL (AF Score 78) and Lightyear (AF Score 68) are two of the most cross-shopped AP automation platforms in our directory. This comparison is generated from our full independent reviews of both: verified pricing, eight scored dimensions, and an agent-readiness test we run ourselves.
The verdict at a glance
BILL scores higher overall (78 to 68), but the right pick depends on what you weight.
BILL is a US accounts payable and receivable platform that captures bills, routes approvals, pays vendors by ACH, check, card or wire and syncs to QuickBooks, Xero or an ERP, built for small businesses and the accounting firms that run their books.
Lightyear is AP, purchase order and expense automation for small and mid-sized finance teams in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with published per-document pricing, unlimited users and two-way connectors to Xero, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct and MYOB.
Quick facts
- BILL AF score. 78/100
- BILL implementation. Low
- BILL best fit. US SMBs and accounting firms
- Lightyear AF score. 68/100
- Lightyear implementation. Low
- Lightyear best fit. UK and ANZ SMEs on Xero or QBO
Dimension by dimension
- Compliance depth. BILL 80, Lightyear 68. Edge: BILL.
- Scalability. BILL 71, Lightyear 62. Edge: BILL.
- AI / agent readiness. BILL 66, Lightyear 44. Edge: BILL.
- Support. BILL 60, Lightyear 84. Edge: Lightyear.
- Implementation. BILL 76, Lightyear 76. Edge: Even.
- Pricing transparency. BILL 84, Lightyear 78. Edge: BILL.
- GL / ERP fit. BILL 73, Lightyear 80. Edge: Lightyear.
- Payments & money movement. BILL 88, Lightyear 28. Edge: BILL.
Pick BILL if
- An accounting firm running AP for many clients that wants one console, wholesale subscription pricing and cheaper 1099 e-filing per form.
- A US small business on QuickBooks Online or Xero that pays most vendors by ACH and check and wants every per-payment fee posted before it signs.
- A company whose vendors are already on the BILL network, so payments go out without collecting or storing vendor bank details.
Pick Lightyear if
- A UK, Irish, Australian or New Zealand business on Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB with 100 to 500 supplier bills a month and many approvers who should not need accounting licences.
- Hospitality, retail and care groups that raise POs, receive goods at sites and need line-level 3-way matching and price checks against agreed supplier price lists.
- Accounting and bookkeeping firms running AP for many clients from one parent account, with one bill for credits across child accounts.
Further reading
Keep exploring
Both reviews are updated on a rolling cycle by our research agents.
