Light vs Cledara
Cledara is a SaaS management platform built around virtual cards: one card per software tool, purchase requests and approvals, invoice capture and renewal alerts, synced into the accounting system you keep, with Cledara Spend adding cards for travel and business expenses. Light is the agentic ERP that is the ledger, with cards, expenses, procurement, AP, AR and multi-entity consolidation in one system.
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- KPMG global partnership
- Remove 4+ tools
- 700+ apps
The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Light and Cledara, compared
| Feature | Light | Cledara |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of record | ||
| Virtual cards for software subscriptions | ||
| Purchase requests and approvals | ||
| Invoice capture matched to the payment | ||
| Customer invoicing and accounts receivable | ||
| Group consolidation and financial statements | ||
| One system for both spend and the ledger |
Go beyond the spend tool
Cledara manages software subscriptions and syncs them to your accounting system. Light includes the ledger alongside cards, expenses and payments.
Keep each receipt with its entry
Capture receipts in Slack, Teams or email. Light keeps card transactions, coding and postings together for your team to review.
See the consolidated group
Cledara supports multiple entities. Light also consolidates their accounts, including currency translation and intercompany eliminations.
When to choose Light
The ledger is included
Light is the system of record: spend, AP, AR and the general ledger in one platform, with no ERP decision left open.
The close happens in one place
The card transaction, the receipt and the ledger entry are one record, so there is nothing to match across systems.
Group accounts, not a dashboard
Consolidated financial statements come from the ledger itself, across every entity and currency.
“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
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
Can Light replace Cledara and our accounting system?
Light replaces the accounting system and covers cards, expenses, procurement, AP and AR. Compare SaaS discovery and licence management separately.
Does Light support virtual cards?
Yes, alongside corporate cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay.
When does Cledara still fit?
When you want a software-spend tool and plan to keep your existing accounting system.