Why Stampli Outperforms AvidXchange for Modern Finance Teams

Stampli does what Avid can’t. It always has.

AvidXchange’s recent acquisition by Corpay and TPG raises questions about its future direction, leaving many finance teams to evaluate alternatives for their accounts payable automation. Beyond the acquisition concerns, there’s a more fundamental question worth asking: Is AvidXchange truly built to address the core needs of modern finance teams?

A closer examination reveals that AvidXchange’s underlying architecture – built primarily to facilitate payments rather than optimize AP workflows – creates inherent limitations that increasingly impact midmarket finance operations. Stampli’s AP-first approach offers a fundamentally different solution designed specifically for today’s finance challenges.

The AP-first advantage: Why it matters for your team

AvidXchange began as a payment network that added AP functionality over time. This origin still shapes its core architecture and priorities. Stampli, in contrast, was designed from day one to automate accounts payable workflows first, with payments as a complementary capability rather than the driving focus.

This architectural difference creates several meaningful advantages for finance teams:

1. True workflow flexibility vs. rigid structures

AvidXchange forces companies into fixed structures that often require technical involvement to modify. Stampli mirrors your existing processes, approval hierarchies, and workflow preferences without requiring you to conform to a predetermined model.

This flexibility means:

• Approval workflows can match your organizational structure, not a generic template
• Custom fields can be added without technical assistance
• Document routing and handling adapts to your processes, not the other way around

For finance teams with unique requirements or multiple entities, this flexibility eliminates workarounds and exceptions that create additional manual work.

2. AI that actually saves time, not just marketing hype

While AvidXchange only introduced its first AI capabilities in April 2025, Stampli has been developing and refining its AI core since 2015. This experience gap is evident across several critical functions:

Invoice data extraction accuracy: Stampli’s AI achieves 99.5% accuracy on line-item extraction through continuous learning from millions of processed invoices.

Intelligent GL coding: Stampli’s AI doesn’t just recognize recurring vendors – it learns from coding patterns across similar invoices, entities, and users to make increasingly accurate GL coding recommendations.

Exception handling: When anomalies occur, Stampli flags potential errors or compliance issues before they create downstream problems.

This mature AI translates directly to time savings, with customers reporting 75% faster invoice processing and 87% faster approvals after switching from AvidXchange to Stampli.

3. ERP integration depth that eliminates data silos

While AvidXchange often relies on middleware or batch processing for ERP integration, Stampli builds and maintains direct, field-level connections with 70+ ERP systems including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, Oracle Fusion, and Microsoft Dynamics.

These native integrations deliver real-time, bi-directional data synchronization, all dimension and custom field support without additional configuration, accurate validation against master data before processing, and complete audit trails that reconcile perfectly with your ERP.

For finance teams, this integration depth means no more reconciliation headaches, missing data fields, or synchronization delays that create month-end bottlenecks.

4. Built for teams, not just AP clerks

AvidXchange restricts user access and employs a one-size-fits-all interface that impedes collaboration. Stampli provides unlimited user accounts with role-based permissions, allowing everyone involved in the AP process to participate directly. Approvers can review and authorize from any device, budget owners maintain visibility into spending against their budgets, vendors can check payment status and respond to queries within the platform, department leaders can track their team’s invoices and approvals, and finance leaders gain complete visibility across the entire process.

This collaborative approach eliminates email chains, reduces follow-up calls, and accelerates approvals by bringing everyone into a unified workspace.

5. Modern procurement + AP in one seamless flow

Unlike AvidXchange, which lacks an employee portal for purchase requests and offers limited PO matching capabilities, Stampli provides a complete procure-to-pay solution. Employees can submit purchase requests through a simple interface, AI converts free-text requests into structured data, configurable approval workflows route requests appropriately, budget controls prevent unauthorized spending, and POs flow seamlessly into the AP process for efficient matching.

By connecting procurement and AP in a single platform, Stampli eliminates the disconnects that typically cause matching exceptions, approval delays, and month-end reconciliation problems.

Real-world results from finance teams who switched

The benefits of Stampli’s AP-first approach aren’t theoretical – they’re proven in the experiences of finance teams who have made the switch from AvidXchange:

Wenspok Companies: From “epic fail” to efficiency breakthrough

Wenspok Companies, operating 67 Wendy’s locations, described their previous AP solution as an “epic fail” before switching to Stampli. After implementing Stampli with full integration to Sage Intacct, they achieved:

• 75% faster invoice processing (from 27 days to just 8)
• 87% faster approvals
• 73% faster monthly credit card close

The company’s Controller attributed these gains to Stampli’s intuitive interface, configurable workflow engine, and AI-driven automation that adapted to their specific needs rather than forcing process changes.

Alden Renewables: 25x efficiency gain

When Alden Renewables needed to migrate from QuickBooks to NetSuite, they recognized their AP process required a similar upgrade. After implementing Stampli, they experienced:

• 25x efficiency improvement in AP processing
• Reduction from five full-time AP specialists to just one person dedicating 20% of their time
• Annual labor cost savings of $150K-$200K

The company’s Finance Director noted that Stampli’s ability to adapt to their workflows and integrate seamlessly with their new ERP was crucial to achieving these results without disrupting operations.

Why settle for less than an AP-first solution?

As the fintech landscape evolves, the distinction between payment-first and AP-first platforms becomes increasingly important. AvidXchange’s acquisition by Corpay only amplifies its payment-centric focus, while Stampli continues to innovate around the core needs of finance teams:

• Flexibility to match your specific processes
• AI that delivers tangible efficiency gains
• Deep ERP integration that eliminates data silos
• Collaborative workflows that engage all stakeholders
• End-to-end capabilities from procurement through payment

For finance teams seeking true automation rather than just digitized paperwork, the choice is clear: an AP-first platform designed around your workflows will always outperform a payment platform that treats AP as a secondary concern.

Explore what AP-first means for your team

Ready to experience the difference an AP-first platform makes? Schedule a Stampli demo focused on your specific ERP integration and workflow needs to see firsthand how the right architecture can transform your finance operations.