Comparison · Light vs Esker
Light vs Esker
Esker is finance process automation for large organisations that sits on top of the ERP: source-to-pay with sourcing, supplier management, contracts, procurement, AP invoice capture, purchase order and receipt matching, approvals and payment processing, and order-to-cash with order management, customer invoice delivery, e-invoicing in 60+ countries, cash application, collections and deductions, with AI throughout and connectors for 70+ ERPs that stay the system of record. Light is the agentic ERP where the ledger, the payables and the receivables are the same system, with corporate cards, procurement, vendor payments on local rails in 80+ countries and consolidation built in.
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Light and Esker, compared
| Feature | Light | Esker |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of record | Yes | No |
| AI invoice capture and coding | Yes | Yes |
| Purchase order and receipt matching with approval routing | Yes | Yes |
| Procurement: purchase requests and purchase orders | Yes | Yes |
| Customer invoicing, collections and cash application | Yes | Yes |
| Financial statements and month-end close in the same system as AP and AR | Yes | No |
| One system for both payables and the ledger | 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 transaction together
Esker posts coded invoices into your ERP, and the ERP keeps the ledger. In Light, the invoice, the approval, the payment and the ledger entry share the same system and audit trail.
- 01
Run both sides of finance in the ledger
Light runs customer invoicing and receivables alongside payables, cards and procurement, in the ledger itself. You no longer need an automation suite with a separate ERP behind it.
- 02
Consolidate in the same system
Light consolidates entities and currencies continuously, and pays suppliers on local rails in more than 80 countries.
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
Pay suppliers from the ledger
Approved bills pay from your own bank accounts on local rails in 80+ countries.
- 03
Close every entity at once
Consolidation and eliminations update as transactions post.
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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
Is Esker a general ledger?
No. It is a source-to-pay and order-to-cash automation suite that keeps your ERP as the system of record.
Does Light handle invoice approvals and purchase orders?
Yes. Approvals, purchase orders and PO matching run in the same ledger as the payment.
When does Esker fit?
When you are keeping your ERP and automate high volumes of supplier and customer invoices across many countries.
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