ApprovalMax vs. QuickBooks Online

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ApprovalMax
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
ApprovalMax provides approval workflow automation for cloud accounting platforms such as Xero and QuickBooks Online. It replaces paper- and email-based approval processes with multi-step and multi-role automated approval workflows that enable automated notifications to approvers, automated audit trails, and mobile approvals. Approval workflows include: Invoice approvals / bill review and bill approval Purchase order approval, including the functionality to create…
$54
per month
QuickBooks Online
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.
$38
per month
Pricing
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Editions & Modules
ApprovalMax Standard
$54
per month per organization
ApprovalMax Advanced
$83
per month per organization
ApprovalMax Premium
$121
per month per organization
Simple Start
$38
per month
Essentials
$75
per month
Plus
$115
per month
Advanced
$275
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscount available for annual pricing and for management of multiple organizations.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Features
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Payment Management
Comparison of Payment Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
8.0
1 Ratings
7% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Customizable Approval Policies9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Document Management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Payment Status Tracking9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Payment Audit Trail9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Bill Detection4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounts Payable
Comparison of Accounts Payable features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
8.5
1 Ratings
21% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Automated Accounts Payable Processes9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Vendor Management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.0
111 Ratings
6% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.3101 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.353 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.593 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.166 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.872 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.0
101 Ratings
8% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings6.983 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.083 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.4
172 Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.6137 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.3162 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.3
198 Ratings
6% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.4185 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.6192 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.0176 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.9
215 Ratings
4% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.8181 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.8198 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.2181 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.0204 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.4188 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.184 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.984 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.138 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.466 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.867 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.1102 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.5112 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.730 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.059 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.159 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings7.744 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.4128 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.949 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.873 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.648 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.792 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
6.8
77 Ratings
7% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.672 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.039 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.243 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.529 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.7
130 Ratings
3% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings7.880 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.776 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings8.298 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.398 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.038 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.741 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.134 Ratings
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User Ratings
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.3
(230 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(27 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(146 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(6 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(70 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.7
(7 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
1.3
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
2.0
(3 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
4.9
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
4.9
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
ApprovalMax
As mentioned previously - able to send invoice based on amount , program code and division code ,supplier is very useful feature ; If an invoice does not fit into approval process than it is rejected and an email is received mentioning the reason
Read full review
Intuit
I appreciate the ability to auto-generate invoices for recurring transactions, which saves time, as well as the option to set up auto-generated transactions. The report option is super helpful when reviewing information, as you can click to view the details in the report without having to go back and forth.
Read full review
Pros
ApprovalMax
  • choice based on Program codes / division codes - we use Xero accounting system and we have 22 program codes and 11 divison codes ; once invoice is entered in Xero depending on relevant program code and divison code, Approval max automatically send invoice to relevant person depending on approval workflow process . One manager could be handling multiple divison and program codes; if our approval work flow process is properly designed - it is accurate in sending invoice to relevant manager.
  • invoice can also send to various managers based on General ledger codes ; this flexibility makes useful when manager is handling only certain nature of expenses regardless of program codes / divisionl.
  • Approval process can also be designed based on level of amount ; and level of amount is derived from our Delegation policy. it makes audit of application of delegation policy easy ; we give copy of delegation policy and print of approval work flow process to auditor.
Read full review
Intuit
  • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
  • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
  • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
  • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
  • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
Read full review
Cons
ApprovalMax
  • date and time of change in approval process ; for example if Mr. A was responsible for all expenses above $1000 in Oct 23 and from Nov 23 it is changed to $5000 . in Dec 23 if it is checked - it will show approval limit of $5000 ; but will not show from which date limit was changed. Auditor always asks this question when the limit was changed in approval max - we cannot prove it.
  • If there is audit trail of who made the changes , when and what changes were made ; will be good.
  • when we are in main page of seeing invoices awaiting approval - there are hundreds of invoices - searching for one invoice from particular supplier is very cumbersome job - we have to go by each and every invoice in order to find that invoice ; it will be good if we have search function on main page itself ; in current scenario we have to go to report section - input all filters and than search for that particular invoice.
Read full review
Intuit
  • The upsells have gotten worse over time and are on every screen in the most awkward positions. I don't need a constant reminder to upgrade, especially on a very old account that's paid thousands over the years.
  • The interface has never been especially intuitive, but I was an old Quicken user and it was somewhat familiar. Over time, it's gotten worse, and in the last 2 years, the program seems to move things more often than I would expect.
  • The software constantly adds features that I don't want and want to turn off, but the interface is so difficult to use that I find myself skipping it. Imagine seeing a message that the system recognized invoices that hadn't been paid so it prepared reminder notices for you that can be sent at the click of a button. Who thinks using canned reminders that you've never seen is a good thing?
  • A lot of functionality seems to derive from connecting your bank accounts to QBO. I don't want Intuit to have an always-on connection to any bank accounts, even checking.
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Likelihood to Renew
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
Read full review
Usability
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
I had very little trouble setting up the program and migrating from our old accounting system. The daily usage is also very intuitive and easy. Anytime we run into minor trouble with the program, there are always tons of help available on YouTube, so we don't even look up the online manual anymore.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
Read full review
Performance
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
Everything process has its bugs lately with the new interface. Nothing has worked smoothly since this all began last month.
Read full review
Support Rating
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
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Implementation Rating
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
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Alternatives Considered
ApprovalMax
Read full review
Intuit
As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking functionality on the Online version to be much more streamlined and user friendly.
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Scalability
ApprovalMax
No answers on this topic
Intuit
As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
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Return on Investment
ApprovalMax
  • It has certainly made a positive impact ; it is definately worth its value ; when we are processing hundreds of invoices every fortnight ; getting approval of invoices in timely manner for all invoices is of paramount importance . as approval max has its own app - approval can be done on mobile phone also ; this is particularly helpful when staff is travelling .
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Intuit
  • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
  • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
  • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ApprovalMax Screenshots

Screenshot of where approval processes are set up  – no matter how simple or complex.Screenshot of the interface to build approval steps that follow any business rules – whether approvals happen one after another, all at once, or only in certain cases. The user can also control who approves based on things like amount, supplier, account code, or category.Screenshot of where to approve bills and purchase orders the way that works best.Screenshot of the interface that matches bills to approved purchase orders from the same supplier to keep coding accurate and control spending. Unmatched bills can also be stopped from being approved.Screenshot of where to mention others in comments to bring them in or get their input – even if they’re not part of the original approval. If they don’t have access, a prompt to add them as a Watcher is sent. Mentions work on web and mobile, sending notifications as soon as access is granted.Screenshot of where to raise purchase orders, approve requests, and extract key details from bills and purchase orders – all on the go with the ApprovalMax mobile app for iOS and Android.

QuickBooks Online Screenshots

Screenshot of the accounting and bank transactions interfaceScreenshot of an overview of the accounting inventoryScreenshot of book marksScreenshot of the business tax overviewScreenshot of the customer hubScreenshot of the dashboard