80+
Countries with local payment rails, native to the ledger
Comparison · Light vs NetSuite and Business Central
Light vs NetSuite and Business Central
NetSuite and Business Central are for mid and large enterprises and take a long time to implement. With Light you go live quickly, and get native cards, AP, procurement controls as well as consolidated reporting and multi-entity accounting.
Book a demo$2B
Revenue Tillo runs on Light across 8 entities
76%
Cut in Tillo's month-end processing time
4
People on the finance team scaling Lovable to $500M revenue
Compare Light vs NetSuite and Business Central
| Light | NetSuite and Business Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation | Weeks, with a dedicated implementation team and account manager included | 6–18 months SI-led (NetSuite); 3–9 months VAR-led (BC) |
| Architecture | One AI-native ledger; consolidation posts as transactions happen | Batch ERPs; BC keeps each company in its own database |
| Agents | Agents complete work end to end inside your controls; every action logged and attributable | Copilots; assistive only |
| Configuration | Astra learns from your data and suggests workflow and configuration changes to increase performance; applied in-product, no consultants | Admin and VAR-led |
| Subscription management | Contract-based invoicing and deferred revenue automated | SuiteBilling add-on; ISV add-ons on BC |
| Spend management | Corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, expense capture via Slack, Teams and email, native to the ledger | Marketplace partners |
| Global bill pay | AP and vendor payments executed on local rails in 80+ countries, from the ledger itself | Payment runs and bank exports |
| Advanced reporting | Real-time multi-entity reporting with instant drill-down; no spreadsheet exports | SuiteAnalytics; Power BI on BC |
| SaaS metrics | ARR, MRR, NRR, churn and cohort metrics computed from the ledger and contracts, in real time | Customization or separate tools |
| Global coverage | Local payment rails in 80+ countries; multi-entity, multi-currency by default | Broad (NetSuite); per-country packs (BC) |
Light vs the mid-market ERP shortlist
The mid-market shortlist usually reads NetSuite versus Business Central: the cloud suite versus the Microsoft estate. One wants a SuiteScript admin, the other a VAR on retainer; one consolidates with configuration, the other with per-company databases and add-ons. Both keep the operating model where your team does the work and the system records it.
Light is the third option that changes the model: one ledger, native spend and payments, agents doing the work, close running continuously.
Implementation: weeks against both timelines
NetSuite runs 6 to 18 months SI-led; BC runs 3 to 9 months VAR-led. Light runs in weeks with its own implementation team and account manager included, and the finance team operates it directly afterwards.
Consolidation without configuration projects
On either incumbent, group reporting is something you set up: SuiteAnalytics saved searches or BC consolidation add-ons over separate databases. On Light, the group view is the default: continuous consolidation with eliminations and FX, drillable to any entry.
Copilots vs agents
Text Enhance and Dynamics Copilot draft and summarize. Light's agents code, match, reconcile, chase and post inside approval thresholds, with every action logged, which is what turns the close from an event into a property of the system.
Spend and payments
Both incumbents delegate modern spend to marketplace partners. Light issues cards, captures receipts in Slack and Teams, and executes payments on local rails in 80+ countries, natively.
Signs you’ve outgrown NetSuite and Business Central
Both roads lead to an admin
NetSuite wants a SuiteScript admin; Business Central wants a VAR on retainer. Light is run by the finance team, with a dedicated account manager included.
Consolidation is configuration
Group reporting arrives via setup projects and add-ons on either platform. Light consolidates continuously across entities as transactions post.
Copilots describe; agents do
Both vendors ship AI that summarizes and drafts. Light's agents complete the work: coding, matching, reconciling, chasing, logged and inside your controls.
“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.”
TanjaDirector of Finance, Omnea
Top 3 reasons leaders pick Light over NetSuite and Business Central
An all-inclusive platform
Leverage native products for AP, AR, Procurement and budgeting that seamlessly leverage AI and integrate to Slack and Teams.
Superior performance
Whether you are processing 100,000 or 50 million transactions, the Light Ledger is based on a hyper-performant database.
Beautiful reporting
Stop the reporting headache of spreadsheets, and get fast, intuitive reports with instant drill-down capabilities.
More reasons to love Light
Enjoy integrated products that both finance and the employees enjoy using.
Expense Management
Automate expense approvals, track spending in real-time, and gain insights with AI-powered analytics.
Vendor Management
Streamline vendor relationships with simplified onboarding, tracking supplier performance, and enforcing procurement policies.
Cards
Issue vendor and employee cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay globally. Upload receipts via Slack, Teams or email.
Frequently asked questions
NetSuite or Business Central or Light?
NetSuite if you want the broadest cloud suite and will staff an admin; BC if your VAR relationship is core; Light if you want agents doing the finance work on one ledger with native spend, implemented in weeks.
How does Light handle a Microsoft-centric team?
Approvals and receipt capture run natively in Teams, and reporting exports to Excel; you keep the Microsoft workflow without the per-company ERP.
What does migration look like?
Weeks with Light's implementation team, whether the source is a NetSuite instance or a set of BC company databases.
Which is cheapest to own?
Sticker prices differ, but the owning costs are the admin (NetSuite), the VAR hours and ISVs (BC), or neither (Light, one platform with implementation included).
See the Light
Ready to un-ERP? The world's most complex finance teams already did.