Comparison · Light vs Airwallex
Light vs Airwallex
Airwallex is a global financial platform: business accounts that hold 20+ currencies, transfers to 200+ countries, multi-currency Visa debit cards, expenses, bill pay with approvals, purchase orders, payment acceptance and billing, synced into the accounting system you keep. Light is the agentic ERP that is the ledger, with AP, AR, corporate cards, procurement, vendor payments on local rails in 80+ countries and multi-entity consolidation in one system.
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Light and Airwallex, compared
| Feature | Light | Airwallex |
|---|---|---|
| One system for payments, spend and the general ledger | Yes | No |
| Vendor payments on local rails in 80+ countries | Yes | Yes |
| Corporate and virtual cards | Yes | Yes |
| Bill capture with approval routing | Yes | Yes |
| Customer invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Consolidated financial statements for the group | Yes | No |
| Local books for entities outside the United States | Yes | No |
4 week implementation
KPMG global partnership
Remove 4+ tools
700+ apps
The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Keep the payment with the posting
The Airwallex platform syncs transactions into your accounting system. In Light, the bill, the approval, the payment and the ledger entry share the same system and audit trail.
- 01
Consolidate the group, not only its balances
Light consolidates entities and currencies continuously, with group reports that drill down to the transactions behind the numbers.
- 02
Check the payments requirements
Airwallex covers multi-currency accounts, low-margin FX and payment acceptance across many markets. If that is the job, a payments platform fits beside the ledger. Light fits a finance team running a growing group.
When to choose Light
- 01
The ledger is included
Light is the system of record: spend, AP, AR and the general ledger in one platform, so there is no separate ERP to choose.
- 02
The close happens in one place
The card transaction, the receipt and the ledger entry sit in one system, so there is nothing to match across systems.
- 03
Group accounts, not a dashboard
Consolidated financial statements come from the ledger itself, across every entity and currency.
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fastest growing companies
See how finance teams run lean and global on Light.
Read customer stories-
“We evaluated several vendors. Light won because it covers our full finance stack, revenue, AR, AP, expenses, and consolidation, without stitching together a patchwork of point solutions.”
Tanja, Director of FinanceOmnea -
“Even though we’re three entities, it’s like I’m running a finance department for one entity.”
Thobias, Finance ManagerAlva Labs -
“I really like that Light’s AI already gives me suggestions, GL accounts, cost centers, tax codes. I don’t have to start from scratch.”
Cédric, Finance ManagerOper Credits -
“Nine times out of ten the AI matches everything and posts it to the right account. One click and you’re done.”
Jeppe, CFOKeyShot
Built for the daily work
Bills through to payment
Capture invoices, route approvals and pay vendors from the same system.
Room to grow
One ledger built to handle billions of transactions across your business.
Trace every number
Open a report and drill straight into the transactions behind it.
Spending, under control
Expenses, vendors and cards connected to your ledger.
Expenses
Collect receipts, approve expenses and track spend as it happens.
Vendors
Keep supplier details, bills and approvals together. Apply your purchasing rules as work moves through.
Cards
Issue cards for employees and vendors. Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. Send receipts through Slack, Teams or email.
Frequently asked questions
Does Airwallex keep the books?
The Airwallex platform syncs transactions into QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite and other accounting systems. Its separate accounting product, T:0, is for startups operating in the US.
Do we have to replace our Airwallex cards?
No. Add your Airwallex cards to Light as an external card account and bring the transactions in by CSV upload or a continuous push through the Light API. From there the transactions are handled like Light card spend: cardholders are asked for receipts, AI matches and codes each transaction, and it posts to the ledger. Your cards and your plan stay with Airwallex. If you later move to Light cards, the card transaction and the ledger entry become one record.
Does Light pay suppliers abroad?
Yes. Approved bills pay from your own bank accounts on local rails in more than 80 countries.
When does Airwallex fit?
When you need multi-currency accounts, cross-border transfers and card acceptance and plan to keep your accounting system.
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