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Comparison · Light vs Aleph

Light vs Aleph

Aleph is an AI-native FP&A platform that connects your data, strategy and spreadsheets. Finance teams keep working in Excel or Google Sheets, or in its web app, while Aleph brings data in from the ERP, CRM and HRIS through no-code connectors. It is strong at collaborative budgeting, driver-based forecasting, dashboards and AI variance explanations. It is not a general ledger: actuals flow in from accounting systems such as NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Intacct. Light is the agentic ERP where budget, forecast and multi-entity reporting run on the posted ledger itself, so budgets are compared with the actual books, not with data copied out of them.

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At a glance

Light and Aleph, compared

Light and Aleph, compared
FeatureLightAleph
General ledger and accounting system of recordAleph: an FP&A and data layer that reads from your ERP, CRM and HRIS, not a ledger itselfYesNo
Budget, forecast and budget-vs-actual reportingAleph: a core strength: collaborative budgeting, driver-based forecasting and AI variance explanations, in Excel, Google Sheets or the web appYesYes
Actuals come straight off the posted ledger, with no import stepAleph: actuals come in through connectors from accounting systems such as NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Intacct, with mapping logic to transform themYesNo
Dashboards and management reportingAleph: offered: dashboards and reporting built on the data connected from your systemsYesYes
Accounts payable and accounts receivable ledgersAleph: not covered; AP and AR stay in the ERP or accounting system Aleph connects toYesNo
Corporate cards and spend managementAleph: not offered; Aleph is a planning and data platformYesNo
Vendor payments on local railsAleph: not a payments productYesNo

The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.

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Budget inside the ledger

Aleph brings data in from your ERP through connectors. Light runs budget, forecast and variance on the posted ledger, with every number drilling to its source documents.

  1. 01

    Keep daily finance together

    Light runs the general ledger, bills, invoicing, cards, payments and consolidation in one product. Agents complete routine work within your controls, with a record of every action.

  2. 02

    Check the planning requirements

    Aleph covers driver-based forecasting, scenario models and collaborative budgeting in Excel and Google Sheets. Light budgets and forecasts on the ledger, and its own FP&A and Management Reporting apps are free with your Light plan. If you need deeper planning than that, Light also connects to dedicated planning tools such as Abacum and Drivetrain.

When to choose Light

  1. 01

    Budget against the books

    Budgets and forecasts are built on the ledger's own structure, and variances are split into operational and currency effects.

  2. 02

    Group reporting is always current

    Every entity rolls up in real time, with drill-down to the source document and no exports.

  3. 03

    One product for all of finance

    Ledger, cards, bills, billing and consolidation run in one product, so no data has to move between systems.

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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
1 / 4

Built for the daily work

A bill open in Light on a laptop
01

Bills through to payment

Capture invoices, route approvals and pay vendors from the same system.

02

Room to grow

One ledger built to handle billions of transactions across your business.

A laptop with reports on a desk
03

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.

Managing expenses on the Light mobile app
01

Expenses

Collect receipts, approve expenses and track spend as it happens.

Light open on a laptop in a quiet booth
02

Vendors

Keep supplier details, bills and approvals together. Apply your purchasing rules as work moves through.

A Light card beside a phone and a laptop on a desk
03

Cards

Issue cards for employees and vendors. Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. Send receipts through Slack, Teams or email.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aleph a general ledger?

No. It plans and reports on data connected from your ERP, CRM and HRIS, in your spreadsheets or its web app.

Does Light do budgeting and forecasting?

Yes. Budgets and forecasts are built on the ledger's own structure, and variances are split into operational and currency effects.

When does Aleph fit?

When your team plans in Excel or Google Sheets and needs driver-based forecasts and scenarios on top of systems you plan to keep.

See Light at work

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