Lightyear vs Airbase

by Gralio Feb 21, 2025

Lightyear and Airbase are both spend management solutions, but they cater to different needs. Lightyear excels in AP automation with a user-friendly approach, while Airbase provides a broader platform encompassing expense management and corporate cards. Choose Lightyear for streamlined AP automation with excellent customer support and accounting software integrations. Choose Airbase for a more comprehensive spend management solution with procurement and corporate card functionalities.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 1744 reviews and 60 websites, saving 10 hours, 11 minutes of reading.

Lightyear

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Airbase

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About

Lightyear is a cloud-based software that automates purchasing and accounts payable processes for businesses. Its features help businesses save time and money by streamlining approvals, extracting data from invoices, and providing insights into cash flow. Lightyear integrates with popular accounting software and is designed for small to enterprise-sized businesses across various industries. It has a strong reputation with numerous awards and positive customer reviews.

Airbase is a spend management platform designed for mid-sized businesses. It combines expense management, accounts payable automation, and corporate cards in one platform. Airbase helps businesses track spending, automate approvals, and simplify accounting processes, from purchase requests to reconciliation. Airbase integrates with popular accounting software and aims to improve financial control and compliance.

Summary

Main difference

Lightyear is a comprehensive accounts payable automation software best suited for businesses prioritizing user-friendly interface, strong customer support, and seamless integrations with accounting software like MYOB and Xero. Airbase offers a broader spend management platform, including expense management and corporate cards, making it a better choice for businesses needing integrated spend control and procurement tools.

Relative strengths of Lightyear (compared to Airbase)

Stronger customer support and user experience, evidenced by positive reviews and high ratings on G2 and Capterra.
Seamless integration with popular accounting software such as MYOB and Xero, catering to businesses already invested in these ecosystems.
Focus on core AP automation features like automated invoice processing, approvals, and duplicate invoice detection, simplifying accounting tasks.

Relative weaknesses of Lightyear (compared to Airbase)

Lacks integrated expense management and corporate card features offered by Airbase, limiting its spend management capabilities.
Pricing based on credits per document processed may become less cost-effective than subscription-based models for high-volume processing.
Some users report slow connection issues and areas for improvement in bulk purchase order and three-way matching processes.

What companies are using Lightyear and Airbase?

No data

Who should use Lightyear VS. Airbase

Lightyear is a cloud-based purchasing and accounts payable automation software designed for businesses of all sizes. It streamlines approvals, extracts invoice data, and offers cash flow insights. Users praise its user-friendly interface, excellent customer support, and time-saving automation. However, some users have reported slow connection issues and tedious three-way matching. Lightyear integrates with popular accounting software and offers a 30-day rolling contract with unlimited users.

Airbase is a user-friendly spend management platform praised for its virtual cards and streamlined expense reimbursements. It simplifies accounting processes from purchase requests to reconciliation, offering convenient receipt scanning and auto-fill. However, some users find the mobile app lacking and have reported issues with recent receipt upload updates.

Best fit for small to enterprise-sized businesses.
Ideal for various sectors, including Hospitality, Retail, Construction, Technology, and Manufacturing.

Best for mid-sized businesses seeking streamlined spend management.
Ideal for businesses in finance, e-commerce, real estate, media, software, government, marketing, and professional services.

Lightyear and Airbase features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Guided Procurement

Partially supported

Lightyear offers procurement automation but guided buying and no-code routing are not explicitly confirmed.

Supported

Airbase offers guided procurement to automate intake and ensure compliance with no-code routing.
AP Automation

Partially supported

Lightyear automates AP processes, including PO matching and ERP integration. Amortization, FX payments, and multi-subsidiary support are not confirmed.

Supported

Airbase provides touchless AP, from bill pay to purchase orders, amortizations, FX payments, and multi-subsidiary support. It syncs with ERPs and offers a vendor portal.
Corporate Cards

Not supported

Lightyear does not support corporate card programs.

Supported

Airbase supports virtual and physical corporate cards, pre-approvals, and ERP integration.
Receipt uploading

Supported

Lightyear supports uploading receipts via browser, mobile app, and email.

Supported

Airbase allows uploading receipts via mobile app, email, and bulk uploads.
Receipt management

Supported

Lightyear supports uploading, storing, and matching receipts to expenses.

Supported

Airbase allows users to upload, store, and match receipts to expenses.
Apple Pay support

Not supported

Apple Pay is supported for deposits, but not for expenses.

Supported

Airbase supports Apple Pay for its corporate cards, both physical and virtual.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

No data
Customer Service

No data

No data
Ease of Use

No data

No data
Reliability and Performance

No data

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Ease of Implementation

No data

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Scalability

No data

No data

Lightyear and Airbase Pricing

Lightyear offers a 30-day rolling contract with unlimited users and sub-entities on all plans. The pricing includes a tiered structure based on the number of credits required, with discounts for higher credit volumes. Each credit allows the processing of a single document, such as an invoice or purchase order. Additional costs may apply for system integration based on usage.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Airbase offers spend management software with different pricing options based on the company size. They offer custom packages, so businesses can choose the modules they need. To get a quote for any of their plans, you need to contact Airbase directly.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Lightyear and Airbase review insights

Users love

User-friendly interface and easy to navigate.
Excellent and responsive customer support.
Time-saving automation of invoice processing and approvals.
Seamless integration with accounting software like MYOB and Xero.
Effective duplicate invoice detection.

User-friendly interface praised by many.
Virtual card feature is popular and easy to use.
Receipt scanning and auto-fill are convenient.
Expense reimbursement process is streamlined and quick.

Users dislike

Slow connection issues and occasional performance lags.
Bulk purchase order process needs improvement.
Three-way match process is tedious.
Duplicate invoices aren't caught until after the workflow.
Limited ability to bulk upload historical invoices.

Mobile app is underwhelming with limited functionality.
Recent update to uploading receipts is disliked.
Inaccurate exchange rates.
No option to batch receipts for a single event.

Lightyear and Airbase Ratings

G2

5.0/5

(16)
Capterra

4.9/5

(156)

G2

4.8/5

(1573)
Glassdoor

3.9/5

(80)

Company health

Employee growth

9% increase in the last year

9% decrease in the last year

Web traffic

20% increase in the last quarter

13% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data

April 2022 - $252M

How do Lightyear's invoice automation features compare to Airbase's broader spend management tools?

Lightyear focuses primarily on invoice automation, offering features like automated data extraction, approvals, and integration with accounting software. Airbase, while also providing invoice automation as part of its toolset, offers a broader spend management approach that encompasses expense management, corporate cards, and procurement in addition to AP automation. Therefore, while both handle invoice processing, Lightyear specializes in that area, while Airbase provides invoice automation within a wider suite of financial tools.

Which product, Lightyear or Airbase, better addresses the needs of a rapidly scaling business?

While both Lightyear and Airbase offer valuable features for financial automation, Lightyear appears better suited for a rapidly scaling business. Lightyear's tiered pricing structure based on usage provides greater flexibility and scalability compared to Airbase's custom quotes, which may require more negotiation and potentially limit scaling agility. Furthermore, Lightyear's higher website traffic growth and positive customer reviews suggest broader market adoption and satisfaction, signaling a more mature and reliable platform for a growing business. Though Airbase has some appealing features, the lack of transparent pricing and negative employee growth raise concerns about its long-term stability and scalability.

What are the advantages of Lightyear?

Lightyear offers transparent pricing with a clear per-credit cost and tiered plans, unlike Airbase's custom quotes. User reviews highlight Lightyear's user-friendly interface, strong customer support, and effective invoice automation. Specifically, Lightyear's duplicate invoice detection is praised, while Airbase users complain about a cumbersome receipt upload process. Finally, Lightyear exhibits positive employee growth, suggesting ongoing investment and development, compared to Airbase's declining employee count.

What are the disadvantages of Lightyear?

Lightyear suffers from occasional slow connections and performance lags. Some users find the bulk purchase order process and three-way matching tedious. Additionally, duplicate invoice detection isn't foolproof, sometimes flagging duplicates after workflow completion. Finally, bulk uploading historical invoices is limited.

Is Lightyear cheaper than Airbase?

It is not possible to definitively determine whether Lightyear is cheaper than Airbase. Lightyear provides some specific pricing tiers based on credits per document, while Airbase requires contacting them for custom quotes. Without knowing the specific needs and volume of a potential customer, a direct price comparison cannot be made.

Alternatives to Lightyear and Airbase

Coupa

Coupa is a cloud-based software platform that helps businesses of all sizes manage their spending. It brings together all your spending information, from sourcing and purchasing to invoices and expenses, in one place. This gives you greater control and visibility, helping you save money, improve efficiency, and make smarter decisions. Coupa integrates with other systems like your ERP, and offers tools for managing vendors, automating tasks, and analyzing spending patterns.

Emburse Certify AP

Emburse Certify AP is a cloud-based software designed to automate and streamline the accounts payable process for businesses. It eliminates paperwork by handling invoice management, approvals, and payments online, allowing for remote work and increased efficiency. This gives finance teams better spending visibility and control, enabling them to focus on strategic tasks. Key features include automated workflows, invoice capture, online payment processing, and detailed spending insights.

Rydoo

Rydoo is an expense management software that simplifies and automates expense reporting for employees and finance teams. It offers a mobile and web application for tracking expenses, mileage, and managing payments. Rydoo helps businesses gain better control over spending, enforce company policies, and integrates with other financial software. Over 12,000 companies use Rydoo globally.

Xero

Xero is online accounting software designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features including automated bank reconciliation, online billing, and financial reporting. Xero integrates with hundreds of third-party business apps and offers a real-time view of your business finances. Its focus on automation and user-friendly design makes it a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline their financial management.

Spendesk

Spendesk is a spend management software that combines corporate cards, expense reports, and invoice payments in one platform. It helps mid-sized businesses track spending, automate approvals, and simplify accounting. Features include budgeting, virtual cards for online purchases, and integrations with accounting software. Spendesk aims to save businesses time and money by streamlining the entire spending process and providing real-time visibility into company finances.

Glean.ai

Glean.ai is an AI-powered accounts payable software designed for mid-sized and growing companies in the US. It helps you understand and manage your vendor spending better. Glean.ai automates tasks like invoice processing, approval workflows, and payments, saving you time. Its data analysis tools give you insights into spending patterns and potential savings opportunities, like identifying duplicate invoices and benchmarking vendor prices. This allows you to negotiate better deals and improve your overall financial efficiency.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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