Best AP Software for Small Business (2025)

Small businesses need AP software that’s affordable, easy to use, and integrates with their accounting system. You don’t need enterprise features—you need to process invoices efficiently without adding headcount.

What Small Businesses Need

Before diving into options, understand what matters for small business AP:

Top Picks for Small Business

1. Melio — Best Free Option

Best for: Very small businesses focused on cost

Melio offers free ACH payments with optional premium features, making it the most affordable entry point for AP automation.

Key Features: - Free ACH payments - Pay by card (vendor receives ACH) for 2.9% fee - QuickBooks and Xero sync - Basic approval workflows - Schedule payments - Vendor payment tracking

Pricing: - ACH: Free - Card payments: 2.9% - Express check: $20 - International: 1.5%

Pros: - Can’t beat free for basic needs - Simple, clean interface - Pay by card and earn rewards - Quick setup

Cons: - Limited invoice capture/OCR - Basic approval features - No accounts receivable - Fewer integrations

Best for: Businesses processing 10-50 invoices/month who want to save on transaction fees.

2. Bill.com Essentials — Best Overall

Best for: Growing small businesses wanting comprehensive AP

Bill.com’s entry-level plan offers full AP automation at a reasonable price point.

Key Features: - Email invoice forwarding - OCR data extraction - Approval workflows - ACH, check, and card payments - International payments - Mobile app for approvals - AR invoicing included

Pricing: - $45/user/month - ACH: $0.49 - Check: $1.69

Pros: - Complete solution - Excellent QuickBooks/Xero integration - Both AP and AR - Good mobile experience - Strong vendor management

Cons: - Per-user pricing adds up - Basic OCR compared to premium tools - Customer support can be slow

Best for: Businesses processing 50-200 invoices/month who want a full-featured platform.

3. QuickBooks Bill Pay — Best for QuickBooks Users

Best for: Businesses already deeply in the QuickBooks ecosystem

If you’re all-in on QuickBooks, their native bill pay keeps everything in one place.

Key Features: - Native QuickBooks integration - Schedule and track payments - ACH and check payments - Vendor management - Bill capture via mobile

Pricing: - Included with some QuickBooks plans - Check: $1.25 - Same-day ACH: $10 - Standard ACH: Free (with qualifying plans)

Pros: - No separate system to manage - Already have it if using QuickBooks - Simple payment scheduling - Free ACH on higher-tier plans

Cons: - Limited approval workflows - Basic compared to dedicated AP tools - Only works with QuickBooks

Best for: Small teams using QuickBooks who want simplicity over features.

4. Plooto — Best for Canadian Businesses

Best for: Canadian small businesses with domestic and US payments

Plooto is designed for the Canadian market with excellent CAD and USD support.

Key Features: - Invoice capture with OCR - Two-way QuickBooks/Xero sync - CAD and USD payments - Approval workflows - Payment scheduling - Bulk payments

Pricing: - Team: $25/user/month - Domestic payments: $0.50-1.00 - USD payments: $4.99 - International: 1.5%

Pros: - Built for Canadian businesses - Good multi-currency support - Simple approval workflows - Reasonable pricing

Cons: - Limited outside North America - Fewer advanced features - Smaller company (less resources)

Best for: Canadian businesses with US vendors.

5. Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) — Best for Receipt/Invoice Capture

Best for: Businesses with lots of receipts and paper invoices

Dext focuses on capturing and organizing financial documents, with solid AP capabilities.

Key Features: - Best-in-class OCR - Mobile receipt capture - Email invoice forwarding - Multi-currency support - Extensive integrations - Document storage

Pricing: - Business: $24/month (20 documents) - Professional: $48/month (100 documents) - Scale pricing available

Pros: - Excellent document capture - Great mobile app - Handles receipts and invoices - Strong QuickBooks/Xero integration

Cons: - Per-document pricing can surprise you - No built-in payments - Approval workflows are basic

Best for: Businesses with lots of paper documents or receipts to process.

Comparison Table

*With qualifying QuickBooks subscription

How to Choose

By Monthly Invoice Volume

By Primary Need

By Accounting Software

What About Free Options?

Truly Free

Melio offers free ACH payments. You pay only for card payments (2.9%) or express options.

Wave Payments (part of Wave accounting) offers free bank payments.

Free Trials

Most paid options offer trials: - Bill.com: Free trial available - Dext: 14-day trial - Plooto: 30-day trial

When Free Isn’t Enough

Move to a paid solution when you need: - Robust approval workflows - Better OCR/invoice capture - More integrations - Vendor portals - Advanced reporting

Implementation Tips

Start Simple

1. Connect your accounting software first
2. Set up bank accounts for payments
3. Forward a few invoices to test
4. Add approvers once basic flow works

Quick Wins

• Set up email forwarding for invoices
• Enable mobile approvals
• Create vendor records for top 10 vendors
• Schedule a weekly payment run

Common Mistakes

• Adding too many approvers too soon
• Not testing with real invoices first
• Skipping the accounting integration
• Trying to automate everything at once

Key Takeaways

• Melio is the best free option for basic AP needs
• Bill.com offers the best overall value for small business
• QuickBooks Bill Pay works if you’re already all-in on QuickBooks
• Start with the basics and add complexity as needed
• Your accounting software integration is the most important factor

Want to give your vendors a consistent way to submit invoices? See how BillerPlus creates a professional intake experience →