80+
Countries with local payment rails, native to the ledger
Comparison · Light vs Campfire
Light vs Campfire
Campfire is an AI-native ledger that orchestrates a separate stack of spend tools. Light unifies the general ledger with native AP, AR, procurement, corporate cards, and expense management in a single AI-native platform, built for global, multi-entity finance.
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Revenue Tillo runs on Light across 8 entities
76%
Cut in Tillo's month-end processing time
4
People on the finance team scaling Lovable to $500M revenue
Compare Light vs Campfire
| Light | Campfire | |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation | Weeks, with a dedicated implementation team and account manager included | Weeks, startup-focused |
| Architecture | One AI-native ledger; consolidation posts as transactions happen | AI-native GL for high-growth startups; spend delegated to partners |
| Agents | Agents complete work end to end inside your controls; every action logged and attributable | LAM and Ember automation on the ledger |
| Configuration | Astra learns from your data and suggests workflow and configuration changes to increase performance; applied in-product, no consultants | Standard configuration |
| Subscription management | Contract-based invoicing and deferred revenue automated | AR and invoicing native |
| Spend management | Corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, expense capture via Slack, Teams and email, native to the ledger | Via Brex, Ramp |
| Global bill pay | AP and vendor payments executed on local rails in 80+ countries, from the ledger itself | Via BILL, Tipalti |
| Advanced reporting | Real-time multi-entity reporting with instant drill-down; no spreadsheet exports | Real-time reporting for startups |
| SaaS metrics | ARR, MRR, NRR, churn and cohort metrics computed from the ledger and contracts, in real time | SaaS-focused reporting built in |
| Global coverage | Local payment rails in 80+ countries; multi-entity, multi-currency by default | US-centred |
Why finance teams choose Light over Campfire
Campfire is a credible AI-native ledger for high-growth US startups, with automation (LAM and Ember) and SaaS-focused reporting. Like its peers, it draws the platform line at the ledger: cards and spend live in Brex or Ramp, bill pay in BILL or Tipalti. The standard build is 3 products and the seams between them.
Light collapses the build into one platform: ledger, cards, expenses, AP execution, procurement, consolidation and reporting, with agents running the flow end to end and nothing to reconcile across seams at month-end.
Agents can only chase what they can see
When receipts and card transactions live outside the ledger, its automation cannot chase them. Light's agents chase receipts in Slack and Teams, code the transaction, and post it, because spend is native to the same ledger they operate.
Built for the global group, not only the US startup
Campfire is US-centred. Light runs multi-entity groups across the US, Europe and APAC with local payment rails and tax logic in 80+ countries, continuous consolidation with eliminations and FX, and audits completed at customers with $500M ARR.
Where Campfire fits
A US startup replacing QuickBooks with a modern ledger, already committed to Brex or Ramp, is Campfire's home ground. When the second country arrives or spend needs to live inside the same controls as the ledger, the stack argument tips to Light.
Signs you’ve outgrown Campfire
The stack is still 3 products
Campfire plus Brex plus a bill-pay tool is the standard build. Light collapses that into one platform, so nothing reconciles across seams at month-end.
Agents can't chase what they can't see
Receipts and card transactions live outside the ledger, beyond the reach of its automation. Light's agents chase receipts in Slack and post the result, because spend is native.
Built for the US startup, not the global group
Multi-entity across Europe and APAC, local rails and tax logic are where startup-focused platforms thin out. That territory is Light's default.
“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.”
TanjaDirector of Finance, Omnea
Top 3 reasons leaders pick Light over Campfire
An all-inclusive platform
Leverage native products for AP, AR, Procurement and budgeting that seamlessly leverage AI and integrate to Slack and Teams.
Superior performance
Whether you are processing 100,000 or 50 million transactions, the Light Ledger is based on a hyper-performant database.
Beautiful reporting
Stop the reporting headache of spreadsheets, and get fast, intuitive reports with instant drill-down capabilities.
More reasons to love Light
Enjoy integrated products that both finance and the employees enjoy using.
Expense Management
Automate expense approvals, track spending in real-time, and gain insights with AI-powered analytics.
Vendor Management
Streamline vendor relationships with simplified onboarding, tracking supplier performance, and enforcing procurement policies.
Cards
Issue vendor and employee cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay globally. Upload receipts via Slack, Teams or email.
Frequently asked questions
Is Light a good alternative to Campfire?
Yes. Both are AI-native ledgers; Light adds native spend, global payments and procurement, and runs multi-entity groups across 80+ countries rather than a US-centred base.
We already use Brex or Ramp. Does that matter?
It works, but every month reconciles the seam between spend tool and ledger. On Light the seam does not exist, and the retired subscriptions usually pay for the difference.
How does implementation compare?
Both are fast. Light ships with a dedicated implementation team and account manager, and includes the global rails and tax logic startups grow into.
Does Light do SaaS reporting like Campfire?
Yes: real-time SaaS metrics (ARR, MRR, NRR, cohorts) computed from the ledger and contracts, plus multi-entity reporting with drill-down.