Matching from the first session
Connect QuickBooks, upload a real invoice batch, and review matched results the same day — evaluation happens on your invoices, not a slide deck.
Time-to-value measured in minutes, not an implementation project
Comparison
Aequo AP vs Lightyear
Flat plans with unlimited documents up to each tier vs credit-based pricing per document
Available now
QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central are available today.
Fast setup
QuickBooks-led teams can connect, upload a batch, and review matching in under 30 minutes.
Pricing clarity
Starts at $199/month with unlimited users and no per-user pricing traps.
Safe to evaluate
Audit trail, approval controls, and exception workflows are built into the product from day one.
Need the canonical facts? Review current pricing, integrations, and availability.
Lightyear and Aequo AP both publish prices, include unlimited users and offer a free trial. Lightyear prices by credits: Essentials is $199 a month for 125 credits and Standard $319 for 250, with goods received notes and 3-way matching from Standard; each invoice, supplier statement and purchase order uses a credit, and an integration fee may apply. It also includes expense management and supplier statement reconciliation, and offers UK plans in pounds (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP charges $199, $699 or $1,999 a month flat for up to 250, 1,000 or 5,000 documents, includes 3-way matching on every plan, and has live integrations with QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central.
Key Industry Data
- Essentials $199/125 credits, Standard $319/250 credits, Professional custom; GRNs and 3-way matching from Standard; integration fee may apply; 30-day free trial (checked 2026-11-09): Lightyear pricing (US) (2026)
- Essentials £130 and Standard £179 a month; unlimited users and sub-entities on every plan (checked 2026-11-09): Lightyear pricing (UK) (2026)
- "Trusted by 9,500+ businesses"; integrates with Xero, Sage, NetSuite, QuickBooks, MYOB and AccountsIQ (checked 2026-11-09): Lightyear home page (2026)
- Aequo AP plans run $199-$1,999 per month with unlimited users and a 14-day free trial: Aequo AP pricing page (2026)
Low-friction next step
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What is Aequo AP?
Lightyear is a fit for SME finance teams that want purchase orders, expenses and supplier statement reconciliation in one tool, priced per document, with pound-sterling plans for the UK; Aequo AP is a fit for SMB and mid-market teams on QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books or Business Central that want 3-way matching and exception handling on every plan at a flat monthly price. Both publish prices, include unlimited users and offer a free trial.
What is Lightyear?
Lightyear (The Lightyear Corporation Ltd) sells AP automation, purchase orders and expense management for SME finance teams in sectors such as hospitality, retail, care and healthcare, and says it is "trusted by 9,500+ businesses" (lightyear.cloud, checked 2026-11-09). It prices by credits: each exported bill, credit note or receipt, each supplier statement and each purchase order uses one credit, and an employee expense uses three (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09).
Feature Comparison
See how Aequo AP compares to Lightyear across key features
| Feature | Aequo AP | Lightyear |
|---|---|---|
Pricing Model How each vendor charges | Flat plan price: $199, $699 or $1,999/month for up to 250, 1,000 or 5,000 documents; Enterprise quoted | Credits: Essentials $199 (125 credits), Standard $319 (250 credits), Professional custom (500+); overage at an unpublished per-credit rate |
3-Way Matching Invoice, PO and receipt matched | 2-way and 3-way matching on every plan, including Starter | Goods received notes and 3-way PO matching from Standard ($319); purchase orders from Essentials |
Integration Fees Cost of connecting your accounting system | Accounting integrations included in the plan price | "An additional monthly fee may apply" depending on your accounting software; amount not published |
Accounting Systems Ledgers each connects to | QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central live; Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct in early access | Xero, Sage, NetSuite, QuickBooks, MYOB and AccountsIQ |
Users Seat model | Unlimited users on every plan | Unlimited users and sub-entities on every plan |
Free Trial Hands-on evaluation | 14-day free trial, self-serve signup | 30-day free trial on a monthly rolling contract |
Statements and Expenses Beyond supplier invoices | Supplier invoices only; no expense reports or statement import | Automatic supplier statement reconciliation and expense management on every plan |
Exception Handling What happens when a match fails | Exception queue with variance detail and suggested resolutions | Automated price checking against supplier price lists and line-level 3-way matching; no exception-resolution workflow described |
Pricing Currency Currency of published plans | US dollars | US dollar and pound-sterling plans (Essentials £130, Standard £179) |
Pricing Model
Aequo AP
Flat plan price: $199, $699 or $1,999/month for up to 250, 1,000 or 5,000 documents; Enterprise quoted
Lightyear
Credits: Essentials $199 (125 credits), Standard $319 (250 credits), Professional custom (500+); overage at an unpublished per-credit rate
3-Way Matching
Aequo AP
2-way and 3-way matching on every plan, including Starter
Lightyear
Goods received notes and 3-way PO matching from Standard ($319); purchase orders from Essentials
Integration Fees
Aequo AP
Accounting integrations included in the plan price
Lightyear
"An additional monthly fee may apply" depending on your accounting software; amount not published
Accounting Systems
Aequo AP
QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central live; Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct in early access
Lightyear
Xero, Sage, NetSuite, QuickBooks, MYOB and AccountsIQ
Users
Aequo AP
Unlimited users on every plan
Lightyear
Unlimited users and sub-entities on every plan
Free Trial
Aequo AP
14-day free trial, self-serve signup
Lightyear
30-day free trial on a monthly rolling contract
Statements and Expenses
Aequo AP
Supplier invoices only; no expense reports or statement import
Lightyear
Automatic supplier statement reconciliation and expense management on every plan
Exception Handling
Aequo AP
Exception queue with variance detail and suggested resolutions
Lightyear
Automated price checking against supplier price lists and line-level 3-way matching; no exception-resolution workflow described
Pricing Currency
Aequo AP
US dollars
Lightyear
US dollar and pound-sterling plans (Essentials £130, Standard £179)
Why do teams switch from Lightyear to Aequo AP?
Key advantages that make teams choose Aequo AP
3-way matching on every plan, from $199/month; Lightyear starts it at $319 on Standard
A flat monthly price for up to 250, 1,000 or 5,000 documents, so purchase orders and statements do not draw down credits
Accounting integrations included in the plan price, with no separate integration fee
An exception queue that explains each failed match and suggests a resolution
What are common Lightyear challenges?
Limits stated or left out on Lightyear’s own public pages
Purchase orders, supplier statements and expenses use credits as well as invoices: each PO and statement costs one credit and each expense three, so 250 Standard credits can cover well under 250 invoices (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09).
Overage beyond the plan's credits is billed at a per-credit rate that is not published (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09).
An integration fee "may apply" depending on your accounting software, and the amount is not published (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09).
How does Aequo AP pricing compare to Lightyear?
Lightyear publishes Essentials at $199 a month for 125 credits and Standard at $319 for 250 credits, with Professional (500+ credits) priced on request; UK plans are £130 and £179. Goods received notes and 3-way matching start on Standard, every invoice, statement and purchase order uses a credit, and an integration fee may apply (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing and /en-gb/pricing, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP charges $199, $699 or $1,999 a month flat for up to 250, 1,000 or 5,000 documents, with 3-way matching and integrations on every plan.
Workflow Proof
Why teams evaluate Aequo instead of Lightyear
Early buyers want a safer evaluation path, clearer pricing, and less implementation drag than legacy AP software typically provides.
Nothing is typed twice
Approved invoices post back to your accounting system as coded bills, so review does not turn into a second round of data entry.
Less manual entry and cleaner month-end reconciliation
Trial-first, not project-first
Teams that want AP automation without enterprise rollout overhead can validate fit in a free trial before committing to anything.
Faster evaluation and simpler team rollout
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Lightyear cost?
Lightyear publishes Essentials at $199 a month for 125 credits and Standard at $319 for 250 credits; Professional, for 500 or more credits, is priced on request. In the UK the plans are £130 and £179. An integration fee may apply depending on your accounting software (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP is $199, $699 or $1,999 a month flat.
What is a Lightyear credit?
A unit of usage. Each exported bill, credit note or receipt with line items, each supplier statement and each purchase order uses one credit, and each employee expense uses three. Extra credits can be billed at your per-credit rate if overage is enabled (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09).
Does Lightyear do three-way matching?
Yes, from the Standard plan. Lightyear lists goods received notes and 3-way purchase order matching on Standard ($319 a month) and Professional, with purchase orders available from Essentials (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP includes 2-way and 3-way matching on every plan, including the $199 Starter plan.
Which is cheaper at 500 invoices a month?
Lightyear's Professional plan covers 500 or more credits and is priced on request, so it cannot be compared on list price (lightyear.cloud/en-us/pricing, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP Growth is $699 a month for up to 1,000 documents with unlimited users.
Does Lightyear integrate with QuickBooks and Xero?
Yes. Lightyear names Xero, Sage, NetSuite, QuickBooks, MYOB and AccountsIQ among its integrations (lightyear.cloud, checked 2026-11-09). Aequo AP connects to QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central; Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct are in early access.
Can Lightyear or Aequo AP pay suppliers?
Neither pricing page lists supplier payments. Aequo AP vendor payments are coming soon; today approved bills sync to your accounting system and you pay them from there or from your bank.
Comparison Methodology
How we evaluate Aequo AP vs Lightyear
Last reviewed 2026-03-23
- Product availability and integration status are taken from public Aequo AP product pages and current navigation labels.
- Pricing comparisons use public list pricing where available and are dated on-page so they can be reviewed and updated.
- Feature comparisons focus on invoice capture, matching depth, exception handling, ERP connectivity, rollout effort, and pricing model.
- When a capability is not yet publicly available, Aequo AP labels it as coming soon or waitlist instead of presenting it as live.
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An approval workflow add-on compared with full AP automation
Aequo AP vs Dext
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Aequo AP vs Yooz
Volume-priced AP and procure-to-pay vs published flat plans
QuickBooks Online Integration
Capture, match, approve and check invoices before they become bills in QuickBooks Online, which stays your system of record
Xero Integration
Capture, match, approve and check invoices before they become bills in Xero, which stays your system of record
Best AP Automation Software (2026): 12 Compared
Twelve AP automation tools (BILL, Tipalti, Stampli, Ramp, AvidXchange, Medius, Melio, Yooz, ApprovalMax, Coupa, Dext and Aequo AP) compared from each vendor’s own pages, with picks by company size and ERP, known limitations and a worked cost example.
Ready to switch from Lightyear?
Book a 30-minute walkthrough: we'll map your current approvals and vendors onto Aequo AP and show the migration path. Or start a free trial.
90%
Automation Rate
30 minutes
Typical Setup
14-Day
Free Trial