Comparison · Light vs Quadient AP
Light vs Quadient AP
Quadient AP (formerly Beanworks) is accounts payable automation for growing and mid-sized finance teams: it captures invoices, matches them to purchase orders, routes approvals and pays suppliers, then syncs everything to QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite or Dynamics GP. Light is the agentic ERP itself: one ledger where the bills, the approvals, the payments and the books are one system.
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In detail
Light and Quadient AP, compared
| Feature | Light | Quadient AP |
|---|---|---|
| 01General ledger | One agentic ledger; consolidation posts as transactions happen | Syncs coded invoices, purchase orders and payments into QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite, Dynamics GP or another accounting system, which holds the ledger. |
| 02Several entities | Every entity sits on one ledger and rolls up to one group view. | AP runs across entities in a shared environment. The books and the consolidation stay in the accounting system. |
| 03Supplier invoices | Agents code, match and post inside the controls you set. Every action is logged. | Invoice capture, purchase order matching and approval routing. |
| 04Paying suppliers | AP and vendor payments executed on local rails in 80+ countries, from the ledger itself | Cheque, ACH, virtual card and wire payments through payment partners. |
| 05Expenses | Corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, expense capture via Slack, Teams and email, native to the ledger | An Expenses plan with receipt capture, category mapping and a mobile app. |
| 06Cards | Cards issued in Light. Spend posts to the same ledger as everything else. | Virtual cards as a supplier payment method. Employee spend comes in as expense receipts. |
| 07Customer invoicing | Contract-based invoicing and deferred revenue automated | Sold as a separate product, Quadient AR. |
Also in Light
One product for all of finance
Ledger, cards, bills, billing and consolidation share one data model, so nothing moves between systems.
Implementation is included
A dedicated Light team moves your entities onto Light in weeks, with an account manager included.
Group reporting is always current
Every entity rolls up in real time, with drill-down to the source document and no exports.
Agents do the routine work
They code, match and post inside the controls you set, with every action logged.
Keep bills in the ledger
Quadient AP captures, matches and approves invoices, then syncs them to QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite or Dynamics GP. Light's agents capture, code and post bills inside its own ledger, under your finance team's controls, with every action logged.
- 01
Pay suppliers from the books
Quadient AP pays by cheque, ACH, virtual card or wire through payment partners. Light pays approved bills from your own bank accounts on local rails in more than 80 countries, and the payment posts to the ledger as it happens.
- 02
Run every entity on one ledger
With Quadient AP the books and the consolidation stay in the accounting system. Light holds every entity on one ledger and consolidates as transactions post, with intercompany eliminations included and drill-down to the source document.
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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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
What happened to Beanworks?
In November 2022 Quadient renamed Beanworks "Quadient Accounts Payable by Beanworks". It is now sold as Quadient AP, alongside Quadient AR in Quadient's finance automation suite.
Is Quadient AP a general ledger?
No. It automates payables and syncs them into the accounting system you already run. The ledger stays there.
When does Quadient AP fit?
When you are keeping QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite or Dynamics GP and want invoice capture, PO matching, approvals and supplier payments automated on top of it.
Does Light issue cards as well as pay bills?
Yes. Light issues corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and card spend, bills and payments post to the same ledger.
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