For accounting, bookkeeping and outsourced AP firms
Review every client bill before it reaches QuickBooks Online
Aequo AP is the review step in front of whatever each client already pays from: QuickBooks Bill Pay, Melio, BILL or the bank. It reads and codes the bill, matches it to the purchase order and receipt, flags likely duplicates and routes it to the client for approval, and only then posts it to QuickBooks Online. It does not move money.
Four problems from the bookkeeper’s chair
If you run AP for several client companies, these are the calls that eat the week. Here is what each one looks like, and what Aequo AP does about it.
A client’s books changed by a payment tool’s sync
You reconciled the month, then a sync from another app changed transactions in the client’s QuickBooks file, and now you are reconciling work you did not do.
What Aequo AP does: Aequo AP reads vendors, accounts and bills from QuickBooks Online without changing them. It writes a bill or vendor credit only after a person approves it, and only once every line is coded to an account.
The same vendor bill paid twice, because it came by email and through a portal
The vendor emailed the invoice and also uploaded it to a portal. Two people entered it, one from each, and both copies went out in the payment run.
What Aequo AP does: When a new bill has the same vendor, invoice number and amount as one already on file, or the same file arrives twice, Aequo AP flags it and holds it until someone clears the flag.
Paying for seats for people who only approve
The owner approves five bills a month, the operations manager approves two, and each of them costs a full user licence in the tool, so clients push back on adding the approvers they should have.
What Aequo AP does: Every public plan has unlimited users and no per-seat fee. A client owner can approve from an emailed link without an account, up to a per-workspace limit that is $10,000 by default.
A bill paid without the owner ever approving it
A bill went from the inbox to the payment run on the strength of a forwarded email, and the owner finds out when the vendor calls about something else.
What Aequo AP does: Bills that come through Aequo AP reach QuickBooks Online only after they are approved, so the payment run starts from approved bills, and each approval is in a downloadable audit trail.
Move one client this afternoon
Start with one client, not the whole book. Typical setup takes 30 minutes, and the client keeps paying exactly as it does today.
Connect the client’s QuickBooks Online
Create a workspace for the client and connect QuickBooks Online. Vendors, accounts and the bills already in QuickBooks come across, and nothing in the client’s file is changed.
Add every approver, at no extra cost
Invite your staff, the owner and anyone else who signs off. Users are unlimited on every public plan, and the owner can approve from an emailed link without creating an account, up to the workspace’s link-approval limit ($10,000 by default).
Set the approval rules
Route by amount, vendor and department, so the owner sees the bills that need the owner and nothing else.
Run last month’s bills in parallel
Upload last month’s bills and compare Aequo AP’s coding, PO matches and duplicate flags with what was entered. Leave the copies unapproved: nothing posts to QuickBooks Online until someone approves it, so the books are untouched.
Check last month’s bills for duplicates first
Before you move anything, drop one bills export per client into the free duplicate bill checker. It runs in your browser, so your clients’ files are not uploaded, and it lists likely duplicates to check: the same invoice number written two ways, the same amount on nearby dates, and the same invoice under two spellings of a vendor name.
Working across clients
Each client company is its own workspace, with its own QuickBooks Online or Xero connection, approvers and rules, so one client’s bills never land in another client’s books. One login can belong to several client workspaces and switch between them.
Pricing is per workspace: $199 (Starter), $699 (Growth) or $1,999 (Scale) a month, each with unlimited users and no per-seat fee. Talk to us about pricing for firms.
What Aequo AP does, and what it does not
Does today
- Reads each bill and suggests GL coding; every line must be coded to an account before it can post
- 2-way and 3-way matching (PO, receipt, invoice) on every plan
- Flags likely duplicate bills and holds them until someone clears the flag
- Exceptions queue for price, quantity and other mismatches
- Approval rules by amount, vendor and department, with approval from an emailed link
- Downloadable audit trail of who approved what, and when
- Live accounting connectors: QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central
Does not
- Move money. Aequo AP does not pay vendors; that is coming soon. Clients keep paying from QuickBooks Bill Pay, Melio, BILL or the bank.
- Connect generally to every ERP. Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct are in early access.
- Combine clients in one workspace. Each client company is its own workspace, with its own connection, approvers and rules.
Keep the payment tool each client already uses
Aequo AP reviews; the payment tool pays. These pages set out how they fit together, from each vendor’s own published pages.
- Aequo AP and QuickBooks Bill PayReview in Aequo AP, pay from QuickBooks Online.
- Melio alternativesPayment tools compared, and where Aequo AP sits in front.
- Aequo AP vs MelioPricing, approvals and sync, side by side.
- Aequo AP vs BILLPer-user pricing, matching and sync compared.
- What to export before you cancel BILLBills, documents, approval history and vendors, in order.
- Bill approval workflows in QuickBooks OnlineIntuit’s workflow and how approval rules work in Aequo AP.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aequo AP replace QuickBooks Bill Pay, Melio or BILL?
No. Aequo AP is the review step in front of whatever the client pays from. It reads and codes the bill, matches it to the PO and receipt, flags likely duplicates and routes approval, then posts the approved bill to QuickBooks Online. The client pays it from QuickBooks Bill Pay, Melio, BILL or the bank. Aequo AP does not move money.
Will Aequo AP change my client’s QuickBooks Online file?
Not until someone approves a bill. Aequo AP reads vendors, accounts and bills from QuickBooks Online without changing them, and writes a bill or vendor credit only after a person approves it, with every line coded to an account.
Can a client owner approve bills without an Aequo AP account?
Yes. The owner can approve from an emailed link without an account, up to a per-workspace limit that is $10,000 by default. You can also add the owner as a user, which costs nothing extra because every public plan has unlimited users.
How does Aequo AP work across several clients?
Each client company is its own workspace, with its own QuickBooks Online or Xero connection, approvers and rules. One login can belong to several client workspaces and switch between them, so your staff use one sign-in for every client.
How much does Aequo AP cost for a firm?
Pricing is per workspace, so per client company: $199 (Starter), $699 (Growth) or $1,999 (Scale) a month, each with unlimited users and no per-seat fee. Talk to us about pricing for firms.
Can I check a client’s past bills for duplicates first?
Yes. Export the client’s bills from QuickBooks Online or Xero as CSV and add them to the free duplicate bill checker. It runs in your browser, so the file is not uploaded, and it lists likely duplicates to check.
Which accounting systems does Aequo AP connect to?
QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Business Central are live. Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct are in early access.
Put one client’s bills through review this week
Connect QuickBooks Online, add the approvers, and run last month’s bills alongside your current process. Nothing posts until someone approves it.