Dext (AF Score 70) 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
Dext scores higher overall (70 to 68), but the right pick depends on what you weight.
Dext. Dext, formerly Receipt Bank and owned by IRIS Software Group since December 2024, captures receipts, bills and bank statements, codes them with supplier rules and an AI agent, and publishes them to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and other small-business ledgers for accounting firms and small businesses.
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
- Dext AF score. 70/100
- Dext implementation. Low
- Dext best fit. Firms and SMBs on Xero or QBO
- Lightyear AF score. 68/100
- Lightyear implementation. Low
- Lightyear best fit. UK and ANZ SMEs on Xero or QBO
Dimension by dimension
- Compliance depth. Dext 62, Lightyear 68. Edge: Lightyear.
- Scalability. Dext 58, Lightyear 62. Edge: Lightyear.
- AI / agent readiness. Dext 60, Lightyear 44. Edge: Dext.
- Support. Dext 66, Lightyear 84. Edge: Lightyear.
- Implementation. Dext 80, Lightyear 76. Edge: Dext.
- Pricing transparency. Dext 82, Lightyear 78. Edge: Dext.
- GL / ERP fit. Dext 64, Lightyear 80. Edge: Lightyear.
- Payments & money movement. Dext 40, Lightyear 28. Edge: Dext.
Pick Dext if
- An accounting or bookkeeping firm collecting receipts and bills from dozens of Xero or QuickBooks Online clients
- A small business that wants supplier rules and a multi-stage approval step before bills reach the ledger
- A UK practice that wants to run client supplier, expense and payroll payments from the same inbox
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.
