Comparison · Light vs ibana
Light vs ibana
ibana handles incoming and outgoing invoices, payment runs, card statements and coding in one platform, with agents doing the routine work, and exports the bookings to BMD, DATEV or RZL. Light is one agentic ledger where bills, vendor payments, cards, billing and consolidation sit in the same books.
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Light and ibana, compared
| Feature | Light | ibana |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of recordibana: codes invoices to your chart of accounts and exports the bookings to BMD, DATEV or RZL, where the books stay | Yes | No |
| Accounts payable and vendor bill payibana: invoice intake by email, PDF or e-invoice, approval rules with four-eyes release, and payment runs exported as SEPA XML or ISO 20022 files | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts receivable and customer invoicingibana: tracks open items, sends dunning levels on schedule and matches incoming payments; outgoing invoices are imported | Yes | Yes |
| Agents that complete work, not only suggestibana: an invoice agent approves or routes invoices under policies you review, with every decision logged | Yes | Yes |
| Group consolidation and intercompany eliminationsibana: handles invoices and payments across multiple entities and exports the bookings; group accounts are prepared in the accounting system | Yes | No |
| Subscription billing and deferred revenueibana: recurring invoices cover the supplier bills you receive each service period | Yes | No |
| Financial statements (P&L, balance sheet)ibana: Insights shows spend and income by period; financial statements come from the accounting system the bookings export to | Yes | No |
4 week implementation
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The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Keep the books in one place
ibana approves and codes invoices and exports the bookings to BMD, DATEV or RZL. Light's agents capture, code and post bills inside its own general ledger, under your finance team's controls.
- 01
Pay and bill from the ledger
ibana exports payment runs as files for your online banking and follows up on open items. Light pays approved bills on local rails and handles customer invoicing, contract-based billing and deferred revenue in the same books.
- 02
Run every entity on one ledger
ibana handles invoices and payments across multiple entities and exports the bookings. Light holds every entity on one ledger and consolidates as transactions post, with intercompany eliminations included.
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
Cards and expenses built in
Spend posts to the same ledger as everything else.
- 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 ibana a general ledger?
No. It automates invoices, approvals, payment runs and dunning, and exports the bookings to BMD, DATEV or RZL, where the books stay. Light is the general ledger itself.
Does ibana consolidate entities?
It handles invoices and payments across multiple entities and exports the bookings; group accounts are prepared in the accounting system. Light consolidates every entity on one ledger as transactions post.
When does ibana fit?
When you are keeping BMD, DATEV or RZL as the books and want invoice intake, approvals, payment runs and dunning automated beside them.
Does Light issue cards?
Yes. Light issues corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and the spend posts to the same ledger as the bills and the accounts.
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