Comparison · Light vs Melio
Light vs Melio
Melio, a Xero company, is bill pay and invoicing for US businesses: pay any vendor by ACH, check, wire or card, get paid by invoice or payment link, pay vendors in 80+ countries through Wise, and sync it all two-way into QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero or NetSuite, with one login across entities. Light is the agentic ERP that pays bills from the ledger itself, on local rails in 80+ countries, with cards, AR, multi-entity consolidation and agents in the same system.
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Light and Melio, compared
| Feature | Light | Melio |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of recordMelio: two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero and NetSuite | Yes | No |
| Multi-entity accounting and consolidationMelio: one login across entities with a combined payments dashboard; each entity's books stay in its own accounting system | Yes | No |
| Accounts payable and vendor bill payMelio: ACH, same-day ACH, printed checks, wires, pay by card, pay over time, with approval workflows | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor payments on local rails in 80+ countriesMelio: vendors abroad paid in their currency through Wise, from a US business | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts receivable and customer invoicingMelio: invoices and payment links; ACH free to receive | Yes | Yes |
| Subscription billing and deferred revenueMelio: one-off invoices and payment links; revenue accounting happens in the connected ledger | Yes | No |
| Corporate and virtual cardsMelio: vendor bills can be paid with the cards you already hold, even where the vendor takes only ACH or checks | Yes | No |
| Agents that work inside the ledgerMelio: Agent Mel and AI bill capture work in the payments product; the ledger is the accounting system you connect | Yes | No |
4 week implementation
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Remove 4+ tools
700+ apps
The world's most demanding finance teams run on Light.
Pay bills from the ledger
Melio captures and pays vendor bills and syncs them two-way into QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite. Light pays approved bills from the ledger itself, on local rails in 80+ countries, so the bill, the payment and the posting are one record.
- 01
Consolidate every entity
Melio gives a group one login across entities with a combined payments dashboard, while each entity's books stay in its own accounting system. Light holds every entity on one ledger, with eliminations and consolidated statements posting as transactions happen.
- 02
Cards and billing in the books
Melio lets you pay vendors with the cards you already hold and send one-off invoices and payment links. Light issues corporate and virtual cards from the ledger and runs contract-based invoicing and deferred revenue in the same system.
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
Pay suppliers from the ledger
Approved bills pay from your own bank accounts on local rails in 80+ countries.
- 03
One ledger for every entity
Add a company, a country or a currency without adding another system.
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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 Melio a general ledger?
No. It is bill pay and invoicing that syncs two-way into QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero or NetSuite.
Does Melio handle several entities?
Yes, with one login across entities and a combined payments dashboard; each entity's books stay in its accounting system. Light consolidates every entity on one ledger as transactions post.
Can Light pay vendors abroad?
Yes. Approved bills pay from your own bank accounts on local rails in 80+ countries, from the ledger.
When does Melio fit?
When a US business keeps QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite as its ledger and wants flexible vendor payments and simple invoicing on top.
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