Comparison · Light vs Datarails
Light vs Datarails
Datarails is an Excel-native finance platform for FP&A, consolidation, month-end close management and cash visibility. Finance teams keep working in their own Excel models while Datarails pulls in data from ERPs, CRMs, HRIS, banks and other sources, and it handles budgeting, forecasting and scenario modelling well. It is a layer that reads from your accounting system rather than the accounting system itself. Light is the agentic ERP where the ledger, the consolidation and budget-versus-actual are the same system, so the numbers you plan against are the books.
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Light and Datarails, compared
| Feature | Light | Datarails |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of recordDatarails: an Excel-native planning and reporting platform that connects to your ERP or accounting system, not a ledger itself | Yes | No |
| Multi-entity consolidationDatarails: built in: multi-entity consolidation with FX conversion, intercompany eliminations and allocations, on data pulled from your source systems | Yes | Yes |
| Budget, forecast and budget-vs-actual varianceDatarails: a core strength: budgeting, rolling forecasts, scenario modelling and budget-vs-actual, all inside Excel | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts payable and accounts receivable ledgersDatarails: AP and AR stay in the ERP or accounting system Datarails connects to | Yes | No |
| Corporate cards and spend managementDatarails: Datarails Spend Control manages vendor contracts and software subscriptions; cards and expenses sit in other tools | Yes | No |
| Vendor payments on local railsDatarails: Datarails Cash gives live bank visibility and cash forecasting; it does not execute payments | Yes | No |
| Drill-down from group figures to the source bill or invoiceDatarails: live drill-down into the data synced from your source systems; the bills and invoices themselves are held in the ERP | Yes | No |
4 week implementation
KPMG global partnership
Remove 4+ tools
700+ apps
The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Budget on the books
Datarails plans on actuals synced from your ERP into Excel. Light budgets and forecasts on the ledger's own structure, and every variance drills to the documents behind it.
- 01
Keep daily finance together
Light runs bills, invoicing, cards and payments alongside the general ledger and consolidation. Agents complete routine work within your controls, with a record of every action.
- 02
Check the planning requirements
Datarails covers driver-based and scenario planning in Excel. 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
- 01
Budget against the books
Budget and forecast on the ledger's own structure, with variances split into operational and currency effects.
- 02
Group reporting is always current
Every entity rolls up in real time, with drill-down to the source document and no exports.
- 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
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
Is Datarails a general ledger?
No. It plans and reports on data from your ERP and other connected systems, inside Excel.
Can Light replace our planning tool?
Light does budget, forecast and variance on the ledger. If you need driver-based models or scenarios, a dedicated planning tool is the right answer.
When does Datarails fit?
When your team wants to keep planning in Excel on top of an ERP you plan to keep.
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