Comparison · Light vs finway
Light vs finway
finway is finance software for the German Mittelstand that runs purchasing, invoice processing, pre-accounting, payments, company cards, travel expenses and budgets, and hands the prepared bookings to DATEV or another accounting system. Light is the agentic ERP itself: one ledger where the bills, the cards, the billing and the consolidation of every company are one system.
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Light and finway, compared
| Feature | Light | finway |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of recordfinway: prepares bookings (Vorkontierung) and hands them to DATEV, Lexware, ADDISON, Agenda, SESAM or BMD, where the books are kept | Yes | No |
| Multi-entity accounting and consolidationfinway: runs several companies with cross-company budget and spend reports; the books and the consolidation stay in the accounting system | Yes | No |
| Accounts payable and vendor bill payfinway: invoice capture, three-way matching, multi-step approvals and SEPA bulk transfers through a connection to your bank | Yes | Yes |
| Corporate and virtual cardsfinway: virtual and physical Mastercard debit and prepaid cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, in EUR, GBP or USD | Yes | Yes |
| Expense capture and approvalsfinway: receipts submitted in the app, with per diem and mileage calculated for travel expenses | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts receivable and customer invoicingfinway: the product covers purchasing, supplier invoices, payments, cards and expenses | Yes | No |
| One system for spend and the general ledgerfinway: spend and payables run in finway; the ledger runs in DATEV or the accounting system | Yes | No |
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The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Keep the books where the bills are
finway captures, matches, approves and pays supplier invoices, then hands pre-coded bookings to DATEV or another accounting system. Light's agents code, match and post bills inside its own ledger, under your finance team's controls, with every action logged.
- 01
Consolidate every company
finway runs several companies with cross-company budget and spend reports, and the consolidation stays in the accounting system. Light holds every entity on one ledger and consolidates as transactions post, with intercompany eliminations included.
- 02
Put billing in the same ledger
finway covers purchasing, supplier invoices, payments, cards and expenses. Light also runs customer invoicing, contract billing and deferred revenue, so both sides of the business post to the same books.
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, with no ERP decision left open.
- 02
Close every entity at once
Consolidation and eliminations update as transactions post.
- 03
Billing and revenue in the books
Contract invoicing and deferred revenue post straight to the ledger, so nothing needs a tie-out.
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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 finway a general ledger?
No. It prepares bookings and hands them to DATEV, Lexware, ADDISON, Agenda, SESAM or BMD, where the books are kept.
Does finway consolidate several companies?
It runs several companies and reports spend across them; the consolidation happens in the accounting system. Light consolidates every entity on one ledger as transactions post.
When does finway fit?
When you are a German SME keeping its books in DATEV and want purchasing, approvals, payments, cards and travel expenses in one tool in front of it.
Does Light work with DATEV?
Yes. Light exports DATEV Buchungsstapel, while the ledger, consolidation, bills, cards and billing stay in Light.
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