Clearline vs ApprovalMax
ApprovalMax is approval software that sits on top of Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite, with deep rules for bills, purchase orders, expenses and more. Clearline starts earlier: it gets supplier invoices in, reads them, checks them, and then takes them through approval.
Checked against ApprovalMax's own published pages, October 2026
Which one fits depends on what you're fixing
Pick ApprovalMax if
- Approvals are the whole job: purchase orders, expenses, journals and contracts, all through detailed rules.
- You run Xero, QuickBooks Online or NetSuite and bills already get into it without trouble.
- You want budget checks before approval, or batch supplier payments in the same place (payments are UK only).
- Approvers want to sign off from a phone app or Slack.
Pick Clearline if
- Getting invoices in and read correctly is half the problem, and you want that included rather than added on.
- Suppliers send invoices in mixed formats and languages, from many places.
- You want changed bank details and repeat invoices caught before approval even starts.
- You run Zoho Books, Odoo, Sage, SAP Business One or MYOB.
Clearline and ApprovalMax, line by line
| Topic | Clearline | ApprovalMax |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Finance teams who need supplier invoices checked and approved before they're paid. | Finance teams who want approval rules for bills, purchase orders, credit notes, expenses and other requests. source |
| Getting invoices in | WhatsApp, email forwarding from approved addresses, and drag and drop upload. Every invoice is read and filled in as part of the product. | Bills come from your accounting software. Reading uploaded invoices is the Capture add-on, billed monthly by document volume. source |
| Approval rules | Every invoice is approved before it reaches your books, with a record of who approved what and what changed. | Multi-step and multi-entity rules on every plan. Auto-approvals, review steps and version history from the Advanced plan. source |
| Purchase orders | Reads the PO number off each invoice and matches it to the open order in Odoo or Zoho Books. | Purchase order approvals on every plan. Matching bills to purchase orders from the Advanced plan. source |
| Paying suppliers | Not built in. Approved bills are paid from your accounting software or bank as usual. | Pay add-on for UK businesses, with batch, international and Open Banking payments. source |
| Accounting software | Xero, Zoho Books, Odoo, Sage, QuickBooks, SAP Business One, NetSuite and MYOB. | Xero, QuickBooks Online and Oracle NetSuite. source |
| How you pay | No public price list yet. Request a demo and we'll quote on your monthly invoice volume. | Three plans priced per organisation per month, with unlimited users and approvals. Capture and Pay cost extra. source |
| Trying it | Guided demo. No self-serve trial yet. | Free trial, no card needed. source |
What changes for the system you run
Most of the decision comes down to where the bills end up. Find yours below.
Xero
ApprovalMax connects to Xero too. source
Approved invoices land in Xero as bills, already filled in and ready to pay.
Clearline with Xero →Zoho Books
Zoho Books isn't on ApprovalMax's published list of integrations. source
Every approved invoice becomes a bill in Zoho Books, filled in and ready for payment.
Clearline with Zoho Books →Odoo
Odoo isn't on ApprovalMax's published list of integrations. source
Invoices arrive in Odoo as vendor bills, ready for your team to check and pay.
Clearline with Odoo →Sage
Sage isn't on ApprovalMax's published list of integrations. source
Approved bills post straight into Sage, filled in and ready for your accounts team.
Clearline with Sage →QuickBooks
ApprovalMax connects to QuickBooks too. source
Approved invoices land in QuickBooks as vendor bills, already filled in and ready to pay.
Clearline with QuickBooks →SAP Business One
SAP Business One isn't on ApprovalMax's published list of integrations. source
Approved invoices post straight into SAP Business One as A/P invoices, filled in and ready to review.
Clearline with SAP Business One →NetSuite
ApprovalMax connects to NetSuite too. source
Approved invoices post into NetSuite as vendor bills, filled in and ready for your accounts team.
Clearline with NetSuite →MYOB
MYOB isn't on ApprovalMax's published list of integrations. source
Approved invoices land in MYOB as bills, already filled in and ready to pay.
Clearline with MYOB →The checks that happen before a bill is paid
Changed bank details get flagged
Every invoice's bank details are checked against what that supplier used last time. A new account number doesn't slip through quietly.
Repeat invoices are held, not posted
Same invoice number from the same supplier, even with a different amount, is stopped for review before anyone pays it twice.
A quote never becomes a bill
Proformas and credit notes are recognised for what they are, so they don't land in your books as something to pay.
Rejections go back to the supplier
Reject an invoice and Clearline drafts the reply in the original thread, so the supplier hears why without your team writing it from scratch.
Switching doesn't have to be all at once
- 01
Decide where approval lives
Pick one approval step. Running invoices through Clearline and then again through ApprovalMax means every bill gets signed off twice.
- 02
Connect your accounting software
Log in with the accounting account your team already uses. There's nothing to install.
- 03
Point invoices at Clearline
Forward supplier invoices from your existing inbox, or have it forward them automatically. Keep ApprovalMax for purchase orders or expenses if you rely on it there.
Clearline vs ApprovalMax, answered
Is ApprovalMax better at approvals than Clearline?
For complex rules, yes. If you need approvals for purchase orders, expenses, journals and contracts with budget checks along the way, ApprovalMax goes further. Clearline focuses on supplier invoices and the checks that come before approval.
What does Clearline do that ApprovalMax doesn't include?
Getting invoices in and read is the core of Clearline, not an add-on. Invoices arrive by WhatsApp, email or upload in any layout, and Clearline flags changed bank details and repeat invoices before anyone approves them.
Can we use Clearline and ApprovalMax together?
You could, but your team would approve every invoice twice. Most teams are better off choosing one approval step, or keeping ApprovalMax only for purchase orders and expenses while supplier invoices go through Clearline.
Does Clearline create purchase orders or pay suppliers?
No. Clearline matches invoices to purchase orders already open in your accounting software, and approved bills are paid the way you pay them today.
How current is this comparison?
Everything about ApprovalMax comes from ApprovalMax's own pricing pages, checked in October 2026, with links at the bottom of this page. If something has changed, tell us at hi@clearlinebooks.net and we'll fix it.
Sources
ApprovalMax is a trademark of its owner. Clearline isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ApprovalMax. Details about ApprovalMax come only from its own published pages, checked October 2026. Plans and features change, so check ApprovalMax's site before deciding.
See your own supplier invoices go through Clearline
Tell us how invoices reach you today and which accounting software you run. We'll show you what changes.
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