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The right AP automation software codes each cost correctly before the money leaves. Most tools are built to pay bills. Far fewer tell you, before you pay, which job, location or entity each line belongs to and whether the right person has seen it.
MakersHub is AP automation for organizations that track spend by project, location, program or entity, and it comes first here for teams whose bills split that way.
What should you look for in AP automation software?
- Does it track spend by project, location, program or entity? A tool that codes only the bill header leaves the split to someone in accounting.
- Who sees the bill before it's paid? Approval should go to the person responsible for that cost, with the coding already on the bill.
- Does the sync run both ways, line detail included? If not, the rekeying just moves, so check your exact system, QuickBooks Desktop included.
- Does it match bills to POs line by line? A bill can add up and still carry one wrong line.
- What happens to the price as you grow? Per-user pricing climbs with approvers; per-transaction fees climb with volume.
How do the top tools compare?
Ratings reflect each vendor's public documentation.
No tool wins every row. Tipalti leads on global payments, Ramp on cards, and Stampli matches MakersHub on QuickBooks Desktop. MakersHub leads on the rows that decide whether each cost is coded right before it's paid. Each entry below explains the ratings.
How did we rank these tools?
We ranked each tool on the five questions above and gave the first one the most weight: whether each line of a bill gets coded to its own job, location or entity. MakersHub leads there; every other tool in the table is rated Partial. On approvals, PO matching and QuickBooks Desktop sync, it shares Full ratings with others. Tipalti leads on global payments and Ramp on corporate cards, so if either is your main problem, start with that tool’s entry.
Makershub:
- Reads every part of every bill, every line included, and uses that context to code it and route it.
- Codes each line to the right job, phase, cost code, class or entity as it reads.
- Provides Three-way PO match, line by line, so discrepancies surface before the bill posts to the ledger.
- Routes approvals against the coded cost.
- Offers direct two-way ERP sync across QuickBooks, Intuit Enterprise Suite, NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Xero.
The 7 best AP automation tools of 2026
1. MakersHub
Best for: Best for growing businesses that track spend by project, location, program or entity, with every line of every bill coded to the right one and approved before it's paid.
MakersHub reads every part of every bill, codes each cost to the right place and puts it in front of the right people before it's paid. A supplier bill that covers three jobs gets coded to three jobs. MakersHub matches each line to the purchase order, so discrepancies surface before the bill posts to the ledger, and routes approval to the person responsible for that cost.
MakersHub has cut down manual entry, reduced errors to practically zero, and is our source of truth when checking invoices instead of QuickBooks because it is faster.
Van Martin Roofing
AP/AR manager, Jaclyn Fryman
At a glance: Line-item invoice coding to the right project, location or entity; approvals routed to the right person; three-way PO matching; and bill payments, with two-way sync to QuickBooks, Intuit Enterprise Suite, NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Xero.
Where another tool fits better: MakersHub isn't a card program or a global payments platform. For those, look at Ramp or Tipalti.
See MakersHub code one of your bills
2. BILL
BILL makes sense if your bills are simple and your accountant already runs it.
Most bookkeepers know BILL, and it covers AR alongside AP. It codes bills at the header, though, and per-user pricing climbs as you add approvers.
MakersHub codes each line to its own job, location or entity, and adding approvers doesn't add cost.
3. Ramp
Ramp makes sense if cards and expenses are the priority and bills come second.
Ramp puts bill pay next to corporate cards and expense management, with a free core tier. Job-cost coding isn't its focus, and its QuickBooks Desktop connection runs on manual IIF file export and import, not a live sync.
MakersHub starts from the bill: each line coded to the right job, location or entity, with two-way sync to QuickBooks Online and Desktop.
4. Stampli
Stampli makes sense if your team wants every vendor and approver conversation kept on the bill.
Stampli keeps coding, approvals and vendor questions on the bill, and its assistant, Billy the Bot, suggests coding and approvers. The difference is when the coding happens.
MakersHub codes each line before review, so the approver sees the cost already coded to the job, location or entity.
5. Tipalti
Tipalti makes sense if you pay suppliers in dozens of countries and currencies.
Tipalti pays suppliers in more than 200 countries and 120 currencies and collects W-8 and W-9 forms. If your challenge is coding each line to a job or entity, not paying across borders, MakersHub is built for that job.
6. AvidXchange
AvidXchange makes sense if getting suppliers paid is the problem and your bill data is already clean.
AvidXchange is payment-first, with a broad supplier payment network. Payment-first tools assume the bill data arrives clean. MakersHub gets it clean first, with each line read, coded and reviewed before payment.
7. Your accounting system's own AP
Your accounting system's own AP makes sense at low bill volume, where one person enters, codes and approves.
QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Xero all record bills and handle basic approvals, but someone still keys each line. Many teams weigh AP software against their next AP hire, not another vendor.
Who uses MakersHub?
It's built for businesses whose spend splits across projects, locations, programs or entities, including construction firms, manufacturers, trades businesses and accounting firms.
- Construction. Each line coded to job, phase and cost code; materials matched to the PO line by line; approval by the person who owns that job. See our guide to construction accounts payable software.
- Manufacturing. Three-way match at the line level; each line allocated to the right cost center; approval routed by department. More on AP automation for manufacturers.
- Trades. Bills from the field and multiple sites coded to the right job, with QuickBooks kept as the system of record and each bill routed to that project's approver. More on AP automation for trades.
- Accounting firms and CAS teams. Line-item coding per client entity, across a whole client book from one login, with no double entry. More on AP Automation for accounting.
We removed 40 hours of manual data entry a month.
Locke Buildings
General manager, Andy Price
Code bills to your jobs, sites or entities.
Frequently asked questions
Table of Contents
About MakersHub
MakersHub is AI-first accounts payable automation for businesses that track spend by job, project, program or entity. It captures every line of every bill, codes it, routes approvals and pays vendors, with native two-way integrations to QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero and Intuit Enterprise Suite. MakersHub is rated 4.9 out of 5 on G2 (October 2026). Every dollar has a job. Hold yours accountable.