Review: 12 best spend management software platforms for busy controllers in 2024

For finance teams, managing spend is time-consuming. More are turning to spend management platforms to help them control and keep track of cash outflows in less time to get around this challenge. 

However, there are a lot of options on the market. This guide is designed to help busy finance teams evaluate and select the right spend management platform for their business.  

What is spend management?

Spend management is a practice businesses use to manage different types of non-payroll spend, reduce costs while upholding product and service quality, and maintain positive supplier relationships. 

Businesses have different categories of spending that they need to track to generate accurate financial statements, control costs, identify potential savings opportunities, ensure policy compliance, and understand overall financial health.

Business spending can fall into one of several categories. 

1. Direct procurement or invoice spend 

Direct procurement is a process by which businesses secure the materials needed to make the products they sell to customers. For example, a CPG beverage brand must procure ingredients for the drinks they sell to customers, which is where invoices come in. 

This type of spending is typically handled via invoice, where a business receives goods and an invoice from a supplier that they must pay by a given deadline. When the product or service is received, the purchased items are compared to the buyer’s purchase order or the instructions given to the seller. The invoice is approved, and payment is sent. 

Businesses receive and pay invoices for this type of spending because it provides an audit trail, facilitates financial reporting, and provides an opportunity for effective working capital management. 

Successful direct procurement spend management requires collaboration between procurement, which focuses on securing goods and vendor management, and accounts payable (AP), concerned with executing vendor payments and supporting accounting. 

2. Indirect procurement or non-invoice spend

Indirect procurement, or non-invoice spend, is purchasing goods and materials needed to support a business's day-to-day operations. Another name for this is travel and expense spend (T&E), typically handled via corporate cards and reimbursements, not invoices.

If a roofing contractor arrives at a site with the supplies they procured ahead of time for the job and finds out that more materials are needed, it’s not practical for them to go through an invoice-issuing process with Home Depot. 

It’s easier to purchase the additional supplies needed with a corporate card, making sure to upload the receipt and important transaction data the finance team will use later at the close. Managing this type of spending is referred to as expense management. 

An overview of different spend methods

Businesses leverage various spending avenues to facilitate different types of transactions. Here, we'll expound on them to give you a clearer picture.

• Accounts Payable (AP): Typically used for procurement or larger invoices, including SaaS, are commonly facilitated through AP. These represent significant expenses incurred to support business running or acquiring critical inputs.
• Corporate Credit Cards: Often used for day-to-day operational needs or smaller transactions.
• Expense Reimbursements: Also used for day-to-day T&E expenses and other employee-incurred spending.
• Direct Bank Transactions: These include checks, ACHs, and wires, often used for substantial payments or funds transfers as part of AP process. 
• Payroll: This represents the salaries, wages, bonuses, and other employee compensation paid via ACH deposit.
• Less common methods include reverse ACH pulls (e.g., for tax payments on 3rd party sites) and physical one-off checks.

Spend management involves tracking these spending avenues and understanding where certain types of spending are more likely to occur. 

For example, procurement or larger invoices critical for running the business rely on AP, whereas T&E is often associated with expense reimbursement or credit cards.

However, no spending category is exclusively tied to a single spending method, so it's essential to have a system that consolidates all these into a single view.

How expense management and spend management differ

Expense management is a systematic approach businesses employ to track, analyze, and control employee-initiated spending related to day-to-day company operations. Spend management encompasses organization-wide spending, accounting for invoice (accounts payable), and non-invoice (T&E) spend. 

Spend management gives businesses a more comprehensive overview of cash flow and expenses, an important concept to remember as you evaluate different spend management platforms later in this post. 

For example, a corporate card provider may offer a connected expense management platform that can be beneficial but requires you to work with a different point solution to automate and control AP spending.

Note: At Rho, these systems work better together, so our platform integrates corporate cards, expense management, AP automation, and banking in one place.

What is an example of spend management?

Liquid Death is a popular sparkling mineral water company that has taken the world by storm with its virality-focused brand marketing campaigns. The idea: Make drinking water in social settings just as normal as drinking alcoholic beverages by incorporating eye-catching container designs that you would expect from your local brewery’s IPA line. 

In this example, procurement would include strategic sourcing of aluminum, ink, and other important materials, relationship management with vendors, and payment processing. Their suppliers then send invoices with payment details and deadlines, which would be collected and processed by an AP specialist. Meanwhile, their marketing department purchases a LinkedIn ad using a company card. 

The finance team’s ability to track both spending categories, conduct spend analysis, identify opportunities for cost savings, reconcile all transactions in the general ledger, and generate accurate financial reports are part of the holistic spend management process. 

What are the benefits of spend management?

Signs your spend management process is effective and efficient include: 

Overspending is rare. Your finance team prevents excessive spending that can impact your profitability. 

Financial reporting is a smooth process. Every expense transaction and paid invoice has been accounted for in the general ledger, and it wasn’t an overly manual, time-intensive process. 

You uncover opportunities for savings. Management can quickly identify spending trends and consider ways to reduce spending or obtain more competitive pricing from vendors.

Your vendors love you. Vendors are receiving timely payments, and you are potentially unlocking early-payment discounts. 

Supply chain disruptions are few and far between. Management can review data on prices paid to vendors, quantities purchased, the number of days to receive shipments, and any quality issues. If a vendor is not meeting expectations, managers can take action to resolve the issue.

What is spend management software?

Spend management software helps finance teams automate many or all of the manual tasks that go into processing invoices via accounts payable and T&E employee spending. 

Here is a table of processes involved in both spending categories that you should look for when evaluating spend management and procurement management SaaS providers.

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The best spend management platform has the following qualities: 

• You can process expenses and reimbursements on the same platform to pay dozens of invoices. 
• All transaction data is synced, preventing issues that cause headaches regarding month-end close. 
• Automation that streamlines traditionally manual processes like chasing approvals and expense receipts, coding transaction data in the general ledger, and payments. 
• Clear expense reporting can help you analyze spending and identify opportunities for cost savings. 
• It is an intuitive, easy-to-use user interface that is just as easy in the hands of an employee as it is with a member of finance. 
• Strong controls that help prevent wasteful spending and enforce policy compliance. 
• Saves your team time to focus on high-impact work. 
• Either integrates with or includes vendor management software features.

Consider these qualities as you evaluate the top spend management platforms on the market, which we cover in the next section.

The 12 best spend management software tools for CFOs in 2024

1. Rho

Rho is the most comprehensive finance platform thousands of American middle-market businesses use to automate their CFO suite: payables, expenses, treasury, banking services, accounting, and more.                                     

Features

With Rho, you can manage and automate employee expenses and vendor invoice payments in one platform that connects with your ERP. 

In the Rho platform, you can configure Rho Cards with customizable spend rules that help enforce your expense policy, monitor budget spending, and collect documentation like receipts. When a Rho Card is used, employees receive notifications via SMS or the Rho mobile app to upload their receipts to the platform. 

You can just as easily pay vendors using Rho as opposed to multiple applications or providers. Rho allows you to automate your AP in a single workflow — from invoice to payment — with integrated accounting to eliminate manual tasks and speed up processing. All spend data then syncs live into Rho and can be sent to your ERP in seconds, thanks to our native integrations. 

Pros

• End-to-end finance: Rho offers expense management and other capabilities like AP, banking services, treasury, and corporate cards – all in one platform. 
• Holistic spend management: With T&E expenses and AP automation in one platform, organizations using Rho get a full picture of spending. 
• Free service: The Rho platform has zero platform fees.
• Robust multi-entity capabilities: Rho is designed for scale, from 10-person growth-stage startups and 200-plus employee, multi-entity businesses.
• 24/7 customer support: Available to assist with implementation and questions.

Cons

• Straight cashback vs. points: Some companies prefer legacy corporate card solutions like Amex or Capital One for the point rewards they offer, even if that impacts process speed. 

Integrations

Rho integrates with QuickBooks Online, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and Sage Intacct. 

Rho also supports flat-file CSV exporting, so you can automatically tailor transaction categorization to your business needs. Read more about our accounting integrations here.

Pricing & Fees

The Rho platform is free, with no fees for users, payments, accounts, or the overall platform.  

2. Spendesk

Spendesk is primarily a corporate card and expense management platform that provides some AP functionality. Note that Spendesk does not serve businesses in the US.

Features

Spendesk offers customizable approval workflows and spend rules that help you digitize your expense policy. When you pay for an expense using a Spendesk card, the platform accurately captures receipt data and categorizes data to the correct GL codes—a fully automated approval process.

Spendesk stores transaction data in the software and account reconciliations are automated. The platform provides real-time reports for management. Spendesk also offers AP automation capabilities, including invoice scanning, purchase order approvals, and payments, but requires a third-party banking connection to facilitate ACHs. 

Pros

• The platform is intuitive: Users can easily navigate the platform.
• Receipt uploads: Customers can take a photo of a receipt and quickly upload it to the platform.
• Workflows: Several reviewers commented that the workflows are seamless and easy to implement.

Cons

• Approval delays: Some users note that approved spending needs to be updated as approved in all cases. Approved spending may stay in review status in error.
• Recurring expenses: Several users said they must enter monthly data for recurring expenses. Recurring expenses are not fully automated.
• Customer service: Several G2 reviews note that customer service response time could be more prompt. 
• High cost: Spendesk is expensive, according to several reviewers on G2. 

Integrations

Spendesk provides integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, and NetSuite.

Pricing

Spendesk requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote.

Spendesk vs. Rho

Spendesk users point out approval delays, problems with spending category reporting, and recurring expenses that need to be fully automated. Rho offers a frictionless spend management process that allows a business to scale. 

Spendesk is expensive, according to several reviewers, and the Rho service is free. Rho also provides cash management and treasury services that Spendesk does not offer.

3. Navan

Navan is a popular travel expense management and expense platform alternative to SAP Concur, thanks to its strong, user-friendly UI, ability to adapt to your corporate card solution, and built-in travel booking capabilities. Navan does not offer AP automation, so it may make sense to pair Navan with another platform like Rho to establish complete spend management. 

Features

Navan’s platform automates transactions processed with Visa and Mastercard or using a Navan corporate card or your corporate card. Transactions are categorized and reconciled automatically. Employees are reimbursed within days across 45 countries and 25 currencies.

Users can set controls for employee spend and have access to real-time analytics.

• Receipt submission: Users can take a photo of a receipt after making a payment, and the software automatically posts the related expense.
• Notifications: Cardholders receive a notice to upload a receipt immediately after each purchase.
• Spending controls: Once management sets spending controls, cardholders are kept aware of the limits in place.

Integrations

Navan offers accounting integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, and more.

Pricing

Expense management is free for a company’s first 50 monthly active users. Navan requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote for businesses with more than 50 monthly active users. 

Why Navan + Rho

Did you know that Rho and Navan work well together? Pair Rho’s corporate card, banking, AP automation, and treasury with Navan’s best-in-class expense management and travel booking platform. Learn more today. 

4. Ramp

Ramp is a spend management system offering corporate credit cards, invoice processing, payables financing, and vendor payments. Ramp’s services are designed to control spend and optimize finance operations, all on a single platform.

Features

Ramp Bill Pay is the company’s AP processing system. The platform uses AI to extract data from invoices and can perform 2-way matching with POs. Invoice data is automatically routed for approval, and users can pay by check, card, ACH, or international wire. 

Ramp Flex is embedded in Ramp Bill Pay. Flex allows users to finance invoice payments to vendors. Ramp will pay vendors when requested and can choose to repay Ramp over 30, 60, or 90 days.

Ramp Flex fees for financing are based on the customer’s current cash balances, revenue and commerce data, and credit bureau information. Fees may change from one invoice to the next.

Pros

• Receipt matching: Users can easily match receipts sent by text or email.
• Reporting: Ramp provides a useful set of real-time reports.
• UX intuitive: The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate.

Cons

• Cost: Ramp has recently transitioned to paid plans, so specific features like accounting integrations and multi-entity support now require subscriptions. 
• Customer support: Ramp does not provide live phone support.
• Expense categories: The platform needs to provide more customization for expense categories, according to some reviews.

Integrations

QuickBooks, Netsuite, Xero, Sage, and other ERP platforms

Pricing

Some of Ramp’s basic features, like corporate cards and expense management, are free to use. Ramp Plus and Ramp Enterprise offer paid features available for a cost. These include a dedicated account manager, ERP integrations, and customer permissions.   

Ramp vs. Rho

Vs Ramp, Rho fully integrates AP and banking, eliminating late payments, optimizing cash management, and improving spend visibility – for free. Reviewers believe that Rho provides an easier setup process compared to Ramp.

In addition, Ramp has rolled some advanced features like ERP integrations and AP automation into paid Ramp Plus and Ramp Enterprise plans. Meanwhile, Rho offers 24/7 customer support at no additional cost, and reviewers prefer Rho’s customer support team.

5. Airbase

Airbase is a spend management platform for small and midsize companies. It combines comprehensive accounts payable, a corporate card program, and employee expense reimbursements into one system.

Features

Invoice data is scanned using AI, and users can view all invoice data and related communications within a single platform. Airbase provides 2-way and 3-way invoice matching and automated approval workflows. Users can choose from multiple payment options.

‍Pros

• Workflows: Users can easily customize workflows.
• ERP integrations: Effective integrations with Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and other software providers.
• Ease of use: The platform is easy to navigate from a user perspective.

‍Cons

• Expensive fees: Fees charged for reimbursements, bill payments, and custom NetSuite fields.
• Performance: Both the desktop and mobile platforms sometimes freeze or don’t load data on the first try, according to some reviewers.
• Time lag before payments: According to some customer reviews, there is too much time between debiting the user’s bank account and paying funds to the vendor.

Integrations 

NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero. Additional integrations for bank and credit card apps.

Pricing

Airbase offers Standard, Premium, and Enterprise pricing levels. Airbase requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote. 

Airbase vs. Rho

Airbase is effective for expense management but lacks the more robust banking and treasury features in the Rho platform. In addition, Airbase follows a subscription-based software fee model so that costs can add up, whereas the Rho platform is free. 

Reviewers prefer Rho for ease of setup, administration, and customer support.

6. BILL Spend & Expense (formerly Divvy)

Following BILL’s announced acquisition of Divvy, BILL rebranded the Divvy credit card and expense management platform as BILL Spend & Expense. The company provides the BILL Divvy credit card, an AP automation solution, and accounts receivable software.

Features

BILL Spend & Expense provides multiple ways to import invoices into the platform. Users can set up customized approval workflows and pay by ACH, check, card, or international wire. Data can be synced to accounting software and ERPs.

Pros

• User experience: Users comment that the app is easy to use and to navigate.
• Account reconciliations: Software automates most of the month-end cash account reconciliations.
• Budgeting: The platform codes expenses to the correct budgets, and the budgets are linked to the proper general ledger accounts.

Cons

• QuickBooks integration: Several reviewers mention problems with the QuickBooks integration. Syncing reimbursements and other transactions can be difficult.
• Customer support: Some Divvy customers feel that the quality of customer service has sharply declined after the purchase by BILL.
• Reporting: The platform needs to provide more reporting customization. Some reviewers want reports that drill down into shorter periods.

Integrations

Integrations with Sage, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and QuickBooks. See the comments above regarding QuickBooks integration issues.

Pricing

BILL Spend & Expense requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote.

BILL Spend and Expense vs. Rho

BILL Spend and Expense gets mixed reviews on customer support performance. Some reviewers believe that customer support during initial setup is effective but that resolving issues after installation is difficult. Rho has a consistently responsive customer service team.

BILL users report problems with syncing all data from BILL to QuickBooks. Rho users have a better user experience with the QuickBooks integration.

The BILL Spend and Expense has a complicated process for earning corporate card points and rewards. Rho offers a more straightforward cashback rewards system and integrations with accounts payable, commercial banking, and treasury management functionality.

7. Brex

Brex provides corporate cards, expense management, travel, and bill pay software solutions.  The platform offers real-time expense tracking and variance reporting. Brex’s customers can do business in several different currencies.

Features

Brex collects invoices by email and uses OCR technology to scan and upload data into the platform. Users can create automated approval workflows. The software can manage one-time or recurring payments using ACH, check, or wire. Brex offers several ERP integrations.

Pros

• Mobile functionality: Users can easily take photos of receipts and upload them for expense coding with the mobile app.
• Brex corporate card: The corporate card streamlines expense processing, and receipts can be easily posted as card expenses.
• Reimbursements: Brex makes employee reimbursements easier to process.

Cons

• Customer support: Several reviews point out that customer support needs to be more responsive.
• Cashback point values: Some reviewers were upset that Brex devalued cashback points without advance notice to customers.
• Bank transfers: Brex needs to process bank transfers faster, according to some reviewers.

Integrations

Brex provides ERP integrations with NetSuite, Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks.

Pricing

The company offers three pricing levels: Essentials, Premium, and Enterprise. Brex requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote.

Brex vs. Rho

While Brex largely targets VC-backed startups, Rho’s business spend management solution is purpose-built to scale with both growth-stage and middle-market companies.  

Rho offers a holistic approach to integrating corporate cards for T&E and AP automation. The Brex solution could be more streamlined. 

Several Brex users report problems with access to customer service. Rho, on the other hand, provides live expert service 24/7. Brex charges fees for its expense management platform, and the Rho platform is free. 

8. Procurify

Procurify is a cloud-based procurement software. The company automates the AP process from procure to pay and provides several procurement features that assist with contract management, supplier management, and sourcing. Procurify offers virtual cards, manages budgeting, and provides a mobile app.

Features

The platform’s AP solution uses OCR to scan and upload invoice data into the platform. The software performs 2-way invoice matching, and users can set up customized workflows. Procurify streamlines the account reconciliation process and integrates with several ERPs.

Pros

• User interface: Easy to use and navigate.
• Punchout system: Improves communications between purchase managers and vendors.
• Mobile app: Reviewers commented that the mobile app is user-friendly.

Cons

• Receipts processing: Receipts cannot be uploaded to the platform as PDFs, according to several reviewers.
• Editing POs: Several reviewers pointed out that POs cannot be changed once they are uploaded into the platform.
• QuickBooks integration: There are some problems with syncing data in the QuickBooks integration, according to some users.

Integrations

Integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Pricing

Procurify has four different pricing plans, and the least expensive plan starts at $1,000 per month for small businesses under 100 employees. Prices vary based on several factors. Procurify requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote.

Procurify vs. Rho

Rho provides a fully integrated corporate card and AP automation solution streamlining spend management. Procurify users need help with uploading receipts and changing PO data. In addition, the Procurify QuickBooks integration needs to be fixed.

Procurify has a complicated and expensive pricing model, while Rho is free.

9. Expensify

Expensify is a spend management tool for expense management, corporate cards, and bill payment. The company also offers payroll and travel management services.

Features

Expensify Bill Pay allows users to upload invoices and other expense data. The information is scanned and coded into the platform, and users can set up automated approvals. Customers can choose several payment options, and Bill Pay can manage recurring payments.

Pros

• Reimbursement process: Straightforward process with the ability to reimburse using direct deposit.
• Mobile app: Using the app is intuitive and easy to navigate.
• Reports tool: Reports can be created and easily shared with other people.

Cons

• Receipt processing: Users need help scanning and uploading receipts on mobile and desktop. OCR does not always work well, and incorrect details are often picked up from receipts.
• Product promotions: Several reviewers received too many inquiries promoting additional products. Too many pop-ups and notifications.
• Billing practices: Several reviewers noted that the billing process could be clearer. Some believed that they were charged incorrectly after canceling Expensify.
• Customer support: Many reviewers pointed out a lack of support and that issues were left unresolved for weeks or months.

Integrations

Expensify integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, Sage, and other accounting platforms.

Pricing

Expensify offers three pricing plans for businesses.  If less than 50% of company spend is on the Expensify card, businesses pay a fee based on the amount of card use.

Expensify requires you to book a sales call to get a specific quote based on your expected card use.

Expensify vs. Rho

Capturing receipt data can be difficult using Expensify. Rho’s spend management process lets you capture real-time receipts without glitches. 

Several Expensify reviewers noted a need for more follow-up on customer support issues, and Rho customer support is available 24/7. Expensify has a confusing price structure that some believe is too expensive. Rho does not charge platform fees.

10. Rippling

Rippling offers one dashboard with expense management, corporate cards, bill pay, and payroll services. Rippling also provides IT services and HR capabilities for businesses. The company does not offer AP automation services.

Features

Customers use Rippling Bill Pay to pay, track, and manage company bills in one place. Users can upload and scan invoices into the platform. Businesses can build customized workflows in minutes and spend less time manually reviewing expenses. Payments using credit card, check, ACH, and wire transfers.

Pros

• User interface: Reviewers commented that the interface is easy to navigate.
• Uploading receipts: The uploading process is straightforward and seamless.
• Communications: The platform streamlines communications between the AP staff and approvers.

Cons

• Customer support: Several reviewers had very negative feedback on support. Support is only available by chat, the support team did not provide accurate responses, and tickets were not resolved for weeks.
• Expensive: Several reviewers felt that the platform was too expensive, given the functionality provided.
• Billing issues: Some reviewers had problems with inaccurate billing.
• AP Automation: Users must find another vendor to automate AP, and the 3rd party vendor’s software may not integrate with Rippling’s platform.

Integrations

Rippling has ERP integrations with NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Online, and Xero.

Pricing

Rippling’s pricing starts at $8 per month per user. Rippling requires you to book a sales call for a specific price quote.

Rippling vs. Rho

Rippling had the most negative customer service feedback in our review. Users complained about chat-only support, incorrect answers, and unresolved ticket issues. 

Rho offers live expert service 24/7, and the experienced support team quickly responds to user issues. Rippling charges monthly fees per user, and the Rho platform is free.

11. SAP Ariba

Ariba provides spend management software, which SAP acquired in 2012. Ariba integrates with other SAP finance and operational solutions. The platform allows users to set up rules and workflows and provides automated invoice processing. 

Features

Ariba captures invoice data and codes information into the software. The platform uses your workflows to process invoices and provides 3-way invoice matching. Using Ariba increases the accuracy of invoice data processing and speeds up approvals. 

The platform frees your staff from time-consuming processes to focus on strategic initiatives.

Pros

• Platform flexibility: Users commented that the platform is customizable and adaptable.
• User-friendly: Several reviewers mentioned the user-friendly interface.
• Vendor support: Ariba offers effective vendor support functionality.

Cons

• Learning curve: Requires significant training to use all features and benefits fully.
• Integrations: Complex and time-consuming to complete.
• Expensive: Ongoing licensing costs and maintenance expenses.

Integrations

SAP Ariba cloud integration components allow you to integrate your SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA backend system with trading partners and SAP Ariba solutions.

Pricing

SAP Ariba requires you to book a sales call to get a specific price quote.

SAP Ariba vs. Rho

SAP Ariba is an expensive platform to learn how to use, and system implementation is difficult. Integrations are time-consuming to set up and require additional company resources. Rho offers an intuitive spend management solution that is easy to learn and implement.

SAP Ariba is enterprise-grade spend management software that typically has expensive contract fees. The Rho platform is free to use, with the added benefit of having built-in AP, banking, and treasury. 

12. Mercury

Mercury offers checking and savings accounts, corporate cards, venture debt, and treasury services for businesses. Set custom limits for corporate cards and pay vendors via ACH, wires, checks, and foreign exchange. Mercury does not provide AP automation software.

Features

Users can auto-forward invoices from an existing AP email or have approved vendors email them directly. Recurring payments can be automated, and Mercury integrates with accounting software and ERPs.

Pros

• Implementation: Setting up the platform is easy, according to several reviewers.
• User interface: Mercury provides anis intuitive user interface.
• Virtual cards: Cards can be accessed, issued, and managed easily.
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Cons

• Customer service: Several reviewers pointed out problems contacting customer support, and problems were not resolved quickly.
• Deposit processing: Deposits take too long to process, according to several reviewers.
• Mobile app: According to reviewers, the mobile app needs to be improved.
• AP automation software: Users must find a third party to automate AP, and the third party’s solution may not be integrated with Mercury’s platform.

Integrations

Mercury provides read-and-write API access, but the user must set up the automation. Mercury offers a few ERP integrations. 

Pricing

Mercury is free to use, but the platform charges fees for several features. Mercury requires you to book a sales call for a specific price quote.

Mercury vs. Rho

Mercury focuses on banking and payments, and the platform does not offer a robust AP automation solution. Rho customers can use a single platform for corporate cards, AP automation, commercial banking, and treasury.

Mercury customers need other software products to manage all of the tasks Rho offers.

How to pick the best spend management software

A Gartner 2023 survey reports that setting a finance technology strategy is a top priority for CFOs. Spend management software should be part of that strategy.

The right spend management platform is the one your employees enjoy using that doesn’t add significant costs to your operational expenses, automates all or some of your expense processes, and gives you the control and real-time visibility to run your business efficiently. 

Research spend management providers and ask industry peers about their spend management software. Create a list of the top provider candidates and set up demos with those providers.

Here are just a few questions you should consider as you evaluate different offerings: 

• How does the platform work, and does it meet my requirements? 
• Does the platform’s workflow mesh well with my organization, or will some change management be required? 
• What level of customizability does the platform offer for my organization? 
• What positive (or negative) downstream effects could the platform have on my business’s other finance processes, like month-end close?
• Does the platform integrate with my ERP?
• What features does the platform offer? 
• What are the drawbacks of the platform? 
• How much does the software cost? 
• Is there a mobile app for employees on the go?
• Will my employees love the experience? 

Get answers to these questions during each demo, and create a spreadsheet that compares the answers across all providers. Use the comparisons to evaluate and select a software solution.

Wrap-Up: Choose the best spend management software

After reviewing the different spend management software solutions on the market, think about the features and tools that are most important for your business.

And if you still need help choosing the best spend management software, let's make this easy.

If:

• End-to-end functionality to capture, record, approve, and pay expenses
• Full integration with corporate cards for easier expense management
• A scalable platform that grows as you grow

All wrapped up in unbeatable pricing and live customer support available 24H Mon-Fri, 10-7pm ET on weekends sounds nice to you, so you should consider Rho.

Schedule time with a Rho payments expert today!

Competitive data was collected as of November 21, 2023, and is subject to change or update.