At first glance, ApprovalMax and Rillion can look similar because both support automated accounts payable workflows. Look closer, though, and the way they handle approvals, purchasing and finance processes starts to diverge. This comparison explores those overlaps and differences in detail.
ApprovalMax takes supplier invoices from capture through checks, approval and payment, with purchase orders connecting the process to what the business agreed to buy. Rillion also automates AP, but sells purchasing and PO matching as add-ons. Purchase-order approvals and Capture are included from Standard. Bill-to-PO matching is available on Advanced and Premium for Xero and QuickBooks Online, and you can run the whole thing on your own ledger for 14 days first.
Create and approve purchase orders before suppliers begin work, then connect incoming bills to the purchasing and approval process.
| ApprovalMax | Rillion | |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice capture | ApprovalMax Capture reads supplier invoices automatically, which reduces manual entry. Included in current Xero and QuickBooks Online plans. | Invoice capture and line-data extraction |
| Purchasing before spending | Raise and approve purchase orders before a supplier starts work, so nothing arrives unannounced. Included from Standard on Xero and QuickBooks Online. | Purchasing available as an add-on |
| Invoice checks and matching | Check the bill against what you agreed to buy and catch differences before payment. Bill-to-PO matching and budget checks on Advanced and Premium; three-way matching on NetSuite. | PO matching sold as an add-on, with multiple-PO matching and tolerance handling |
| Approval speed and flexibility | Independent reviewers approve at the same time instead of queueing, with substitutes and reminders so absence never stalls a bill. | Configurable invoice rules with AI-assisted routing on specified plans |
| Supplier payments | ApprovalMax Pay sends approved bills in 35 currencies across 150+ countries, in batches of up to 200. Available to UK businesses using Xero. | Payments service for US businesses |
| Customer invoicing | Create, approve and send customer invoices on every plan, so errors are caught before a client sees them. Sales quotes, and invoicing from an approved quote, on Xero Advanced and Premium. | Focused on the payables side |
| Accounting integrations | Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite, each with its own product and document coverage. | NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage and SAP products |
| Pricing and included participation | From £35.83 per organisation per month billed yearly (Standard Small, Xero and QuickBooks Online, excluding tax), with unlimited active approvers. Overage limits apply (rates). NetSuite quoted separately. | Essential, Professional and Premium packages by configuration and invoice volume; unlimited users; no trial |
Product and pricing sources: ApprovalMax Xero plans; ApprovalMax QuickBooks Online plans; ApprovalMax NetSuite scope; Rillion plans; Rillion integrations; Rillion multi-entity management; Rillion for NetSuite; Rillion approval workflows; Rillion PO matching.
Rillion is AP automation built for invoice processing and matching across a broad ERP range. ApprovalMax covers purchasing, payables and receivables end to end on Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite, in one subscription.
Packaging is where it bites. Rillion sells purchasing and PO matching as add-ons and confirms in its FAQ that there is no trial, so evaluation means a demonstration and a proposal. ApprovalMax includes purchase-order approvals and invoice capture from the entry plan, adds full sales-side control, and lets you run it on your own ledger for 14 days first.
ApprovalMax supports sequential and parallel approvals, substitute approvers and reminders. Rillion also supports configurable invoice rules, with AI-assisted routing on selected plans.
In ApprovalMax, specify who must approve, which reviews can run together and who steps in during an absence. Finance can see which decisions are outstanding before the bill moves forward.
Keep the purchase request, captured invoice, approvals and payment decisions connected, so finance can follow the transaction without reconstructing it from email.
ApprovalMax has dedicated products for Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite. Rillion's integration range covers NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage and SAP products, making it the broader option for businesses outside the Xero and QuickBooks Online world.
On NetSuite a buyer has a genuine choice, and the two describe different things. ApprovalMax runs approval workflows and related accounting controls; Rillion supports invoice processing, matching, routing and an archive connected to NetSuite. The deciding factor is which product covers more of the work your team actually does.
ApprovalMax includes purchase-order approvals from the Standard plan, with matching availability depending on the accounting product and plan, and three-way matching on the NetSuite plan. Rillion sells PO matching as an add-on, and documents matching one invoice to several POs plus price and quantity tolerance handling.
ApprovalMax includes PO approval from Standard, with bill-to-PO matching on Advanced and Premium for Xero and QuickBooks Online. Rillion sells purchasing and PO matching as add-ons, including matching one invoice to several POs and checking price or quantity tolerances.
Matching highlights a difference between the bill and order. The approval route identifies who can accept it. A £15 variance on a £1,000 order might be an agreed charge or a supplier error; keep the explanation with the bill before payment.
Rillion includes invoice line-data extraction. ApprovalMax Capture is included from Standard on Xero and QuickBooks Online and feeds the approval process, with bill-to-PO matching on Advanced and Premium.
Rillion's Payments service serves US businesses. ApprovalMax Pay sends approved bills in 35 currencies across 150+ countries in batches of up to 200, available to UK businesses using Xero. The NetSuite product prepares and approves bill payments before NetSuite generates the file.
ApprovalMax provides document approval records, audit reports and a read-only Auditor role for review access. Rillion supports invoice histories, a searchable archive and entity-level permissions.
ApprovalMax keeps the request, reviewers, decisions and supporting documents together. An auditor can trace who authorised a transaction and why without asking the original reviewer to reconstruct it.
ApprovalMax prices by accounting product, feature plan and document allowance, and offers a 14-day trial. Rillion's Essential, Professional and Premium packages are priced by configuration and invoice volume; evaluation is by demonstration, with no trial.
Both include unlimited users. ApprovalMax's trial lets finance run its own invoices and purchasing workflows before subscribing.
Rillion charges separately for purchasing and PO matching; its Payments add-on serves the US. ApprovalMax Pay is available to UK businesses on Xero. In the NetSuite workflow, bills and payments are approved before NetSuite generates the payment file.
Try ApprovalMax free for 14 days to see its approval workflow with your team.
Choose ApprovalMax if:
Rillion may suit if:
For finance teams on Xero, QuickBooks Online or NetSuite, ApprovalMax gives you purchasing, approvals, payment and AR in one subscription, and is the only one of the two you can try before you buy.
ApprovalMax connects invoice capture, purchasing, checks, approvals and payments, with customer-invoice workflows alongside AP. Rillion automates invoice processing and matching across a wider ERP range. ApprovalMax includes PO approvals from Standard for Xero and QuickBooks Online; Rillion sells purchasing and matching as add-ons.
ApprovalMax offers a 14-day trial, so Xero and QuickBooks Online teams can run their own invoices and purchasing workflows before subscribing. Rillion offers demonstrations and does not offer a trial.
Yes. Rillion supports configurable invoice rules, with AI-assisted routing on selected plans. ApprovalMax lets finance define mandatory reviewers, sequential and parallel steps, thresholds, substitutes and reminders.
Yes. ApprovalMax has dedicated Xero and QuickBooks Online products with their own plan structures, multi-step approval rules and invoice data extraction from Standard, and purchase-order approvals included. Rillion's integration range is oriented towards NetSuite and larger ERP systems.
Yes, and the offerings differ in emphasis. ApprovalMax's NetSuite plan includes approval workflows plus three-way matching and coverage of journal entries, expense reports, vendor return authorisations, sales orders and sales invoices. Rillion supports invoice processing, matching, routing and an archive connected to NetSuite.
No. Current ApprovalMax plans for Xero and QuickBooks Online include unlimited active approvers, so adding a reviewer adds no seat charge. Price is set by feature plan, organisation count and approved-document volume rather than the number of people in the workflow.
Yes. ApprovalMax's NetSuite product covers journals, expense reports, vendor return authorisations, sales orders and sales invoices. Xero includes customer-invoice workflows, with journals on Advanced and Premium. These records can receive the same review and audit discipline as supplier bills.
ApprovalMax runs sequential and parallel approvals across Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite, with purchase-order approvals included and unlimited approvers on current Xero and QuickBooks Online plans.
Bring the right managers into bill and purchase approvals while finance keeps control of the accounting process.
Bring your AP process together. Start your 14-day ApprovalMax trial.
Product and pricing details checked on 14 September 2026. Payment availability and eligibility depend on country, accounting integration and payment method.