Compare the 8 Best Coupa Alternatives and Competitors

Comparison criteria.

Here’s the criteria we used to evaluate Coupa alternatives:

• Sophistication of features
• Overall user experience
• Pricing model
• Ratings provided by customers

Overview: Coupa alternatives and competitors.

1. Airbase.

Airbase is an award-winning P2P platform focusing on delivering the best ROI in the areas of spend management, intake, accounts payable automation, and corporate cards.

Airbase supports advanced approval workflows across subsidiaries

Best features.

• Holistic P2P solution: Integrated procure-pay-close solution that combines guided intake, advanced AP automation, mature expense management, and flexible corporate card programs.
• Touchless expense reporting: Automated expense reports from uploaded receipts, emailed invoices, and bills, saving time and ensuring accuracy.
• Advanced approval workflows: Drag-and-drop, no-code builder to create approval workflows and forms to capture relevant documents and information for all stakeholders.
• Rapid reimbursements: Seamless and quick reimbursement of expenses in multiple countries and currencies.
• Comprehensive audit trail: Automatic capturing of transactions, POs, requests, invoices, approvals, payment details, and expense reports.
• Travel booking integration: Compliant travel booking and spend made easy with TravelPerk integration.

Airbase G2 rating: 4.8/5

Airbase pricing.

In addition to Standard, Premium, and Enterprise packages, Airbase offers custom packages for businesses with unique needs. The modules of Guided Procurement, Expense Management, Corporate Cards, and AP automation can also be purchased individually.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Mid-market to early enterprises (with 50 to 10,000 employees).
• Solution needs: Businesses in search of an all-in-one procure, pay, close solution that is easy to implement and use.

2. Basware.

Basware is one of the Coupa alternatives to consider if you are looking for e-invoicing, purchase assistance, AP automation, and tax compliance. It uses ML and AI to code and match invoices while enabling the management of POs and invoices from a single place. However, unlike Coupa, Basware lacks features, such as corporate cards, sourcing, and payment capabilities.

Automated capturing of invoices in all formats

Best features.

• Invoice matching: AI and ML-powered matching of POs, invoices, and receipts and routing of invoices through approval flows.
• Automated coding: Non-PO invoices are automatically coded using SmartCoding technology based on the supplier’s invoice history and other invoice dimensions.
• PDF data extraction: SmartPDF extracts information from emailed PDFs and converts them into invoices.
• Vendor management: The Supplier Portal provides visibility into payment statuses, facilitates the conversion of purchase orders into invoices, and offers pre-built templates for uploading invoices.
• Purchase assistance: Employees are directed to the best purchasing channel while the platform offers catalog management tools and a marketplace to connect with suppliers.

Basware G2 rating: 4.0/5

Basware pricing.

Pricing information is not available on Basware’s website.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Small and mid-market businesses (SMBs) and large businesses.
• Solution needs: Businesses in search of Coupa alternatives with robust e-invoicing, purchase guidance, and tax compliance features.

3. Braintree.

As a subsidiary of PayPal, Braintree is a payment solutions provider for e-commerce businesses. In addition to offering third-party integrations with shopping carts, Braintree allows merchants to accept and send payments using multiple payment methods. Unlike other Coupa competitors listed here, Braintree does not offer AP automation, spend management, or procurement features.

Supports multiple payment methods

Best features.

• Fraud mitigation: ML-enabled fraud detection tools, 3D Secure 2 authentication, and customizable rules to detect fraud.
• Transaction insights: Control Panel and advanced search tools offer insights on batch-wise transactions, transaction disputes, and payment methods while custom reports can be generated via Braintree API.
• Multiple payment methods: Merchants can accept payments via PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, digital wallets, credit, and debit cards in 45 countries and in 130+ currencies.
• Flexible payment options: Automated recurring billing based on pricing plans and the ability for merchants to offer buy now, pay later options.

Braintree G2 Rating: 3.4/5

Braintree pricing.

Braintree charges a transaction fee for various payment methods, including cards, digital wallets, PayPal, Venmo, and ACH Direct Debit. For cards and digital wallets, the transaction fee is 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction, while Venmo transactions incur a fee of 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction. ACH Direct Debit transactions have a fee of 0.75% per transaction.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: SMBs and enterprises.
• Solution needs: E-commerce companies and multinational businesses looking for global payment solutions.

4. Kissflow Procurement Cloud.

Kissflow Procurement Cloud offers a range of tools for businesses to build their custom apps, workflows, and forms while integrating them with their preferred tech stack. In contrast with some of the alternatives to Coupa we have listed here, Kissflow Procurement Cloud is not entirely a no-code solution.

Drag-and-drop builder to build custom forms

Best features.

• Interactive form builder: Drag-and-drop form builder that allows users to build custom forms with 25 field types.
• Workflow designer: Conditional logic-based workflows with parallel branches, flexible permissions, and more for efficient process management.
• Reporting tools and data visualization: Tabular reports, charts, and pivot tables that users can customize with filters.
• Integration capabilities: Connectors to integrate with third-party applications, including ERPs.
• Templates: Pre-designed templates for creating purchase orders (POs), purchase requests, vendor enrollment, accounts payable, and more.

Kissflow Procurement Cloud rating: 4.8/5

Kissflow Procurement Cloud pricing.

Kissflow’s Basic plan, which offers limited features, starts at $1500, while the Enterprise plan is available with custom pricing.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Small to large businesses.
• Solution needs: Companies that are looking for a low-code platform to build custom apps, workflows, and integrations.

5. mjPro.

Among its array of offerings, mjPRO stands out as a SaaS-based eProcurement system. In addition to a vast supplier database and configurable workflows, mjPRO offers robust auction and RFx capabilities, making it one of the viable Coupa alternatives.

Pre-built templates to handle procurement functions

Best features.

• On-the-go approvals. Android mobile app enables workflow approvals, access to analytics, and notifications.
• Procurement templates: Pre-built templates and drag-and-drop functionality to handle diverse purchases.
• Spend analytics: Dashboard with insights into spend data by department, project, and user in addition to purchaser performance and vendor categorization.
• Supplier collaboration: Real-time messaging and discussion rooms to foster communication with procurement stakeholders.
• Auction tools: AI/ML-enabled Auto RFQ, multiple auction strategies with integrated auctions, and RFx processes for optimal pricing.
• Custom workflows: Approval workflows for bid opening, RFQ creation, and technical approvals.

mjPro G2 rating: 4.7/5

mjPro pricing.

Pricing information is not available on mjPRO’s website.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Small to large businesses.
• Solution needs: Business looking for eProcurement, auction, and supplier collaboration tools.

6. Procurify.

If you’re on the lookout for easy-to-use Coupa alternatives, Procurify may be a good choice. The platform helps businesses handle the procurement process right from purchasing to vendor management and approvals to payment.

Unified AP automation and purchasing

Best features.

• Purchase requests: Product catalog, automated purchase request creation, approvals via desktop or mobile with real-time status updates, and in-app chat for discussions.
• Expense management: Physical and virtual cards with spend limits, custom workflows, and spend analytics.
• Automated PO creation: Based on approval, spend categorization, blanket purchase order capabilities, and management of recurring spend.
• OCR invoice capture: Automatic bill creation from forwarded invoices and reconciliation through PO matching processes.
• Payment scheduling capabilities and ACH payment processing upon approval.
• Vendor management tools: Including onboarding, vendor approvals, and centralized vendor records.

Procurify G2 rating: 4.6/5

Procurify pricing.

Procurify’s website has not listed pricing information.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Mid-market.
• Solution needs: Companies seeking a simple procurement solution along with expense reporting and budgeting tools.

7. SAP Ariba.

SAP Ariba emerges as one of the top Coupa alternatives with overlapping features such as spend management, supply chain collaboration, invoicing, and procurement. While Coupa focuses on spend management and offers procurement transparency, SAP Ariba’s ability to handle complex procurement needs sets it apart.

AI-powered purchase recommendations

Best features.

• Guided purchase: AI-powered recommendations, centralized product catalog, and spot-buy capabilities from pre-enabled marketplaces.
• Supplier vetting: Supplier risk assessments and a three-tier vetting process to ensure adherence with purchase policies.
• Purchase repository: Central repository to store procurement data and documents, including POs, contracts, requisitions, invoices, and sourcing details.
• Sourcing tools: RFx management and assistance in identifying sourcing opportunities and negotiating contracts.
• Invoicing capabilities: Automated invoice routing, customizable workflows, and compliance tools to help meet e-invoicing requirements across 190+ countries.

SAP Ariba G2 rating: 4.1/5

SAP Ariba pricing.

Pricing information is not available on the website.

*Exchange rate: £1= $1.27.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Mid-market and large enterprises.
• Solution needs: Companies that are looking to digitize procurement, sourcing, and invoicing processes.

8. Yooz.

Yooz is one of the Coupa competitors to explore if you are looking for AP automation, batch invoice management, PO matching, and supplier relationship management.

Users can add attachments in multiple formats to purchase requests

Best features.

• PO automation: Attachments, including video and audio files can be added to purchase requests to fast-track approval decisions.
• Invoice capturing: Support for capturing invoices, POs, and other documents via email, imports, mobile, and more.
• GL coding: PO matching and GL coding using ML, AI, and big data.
• Payment system: Automated payments via the YoozPay platform and syncing of transactions with ERPs.
• Document segregation: YoozStamp automatically categorizes documents and invoices, preventing duplication.

Yooz G2 rating: 4.4/5

Yooz pricing.

While Yooz provides a 15-day free trial, the Gold Edition plan is priced based on the number of documents processed.

Customers and best suited for:

• Company size: Small to large businesses.
• Solution needs: Businesses in search of a basic AP automation platform with document segregation capabilities.

Airbase vs Coupa.

In this head-to-head Airbase vs Coupa comparison, we dissect the features and capabilities of each platform.

What does Airbase do?

Airbase is designed to help businesses save time and money while maximizing the efficiency of their procure, pay, and close processes. Its modules are equipped with advanced features to streamline P2P workflows, ensure compliance, and provide actionable spend insights.

Airbase solutions.

Guided Procurement.

The module provides a cohesive intake experience by offering detailed procurement guidance to employees while enabling stakeholders to maintain visibility and control over the procurement process. With comprehensive guidance on relevant documents, forms, and approvals required for each purchase request, Airbase boosts employee experience and adoption.

Admins can create advanced, no-code forms and approval workflows using a drag-and-drop builder, a feature that Coupa lacks.

The platform integrates with Slack, Jira, Ironclad, DocuSign, and more to automate workflows across these systems, ensuring reviews and approvals from IT, legal, finance, and procurement departments are seamless.

Accounts Payable Automation.

Airbase offers one of the most mature and nuanced AP automation solutions in the industry that efficiently addresses the key pain points of businesses. Right from multi-subsidiary support to comprehensive audit trails, from accelerated month-end closing to simplified vendor onboarding, Airbase has what it takes to deliver a holistic P2P experience.

With automated invoice capturing, deep integrations with ERPs, custom approval workflows, and 3-way PO matching, Airbase ensures accuracy and compliance throughout the AP process. Direct payment support enables users to make secure global payments across 200+ countries and 145+ currencies. Airbase’s bill payment system automates payment by calculating the ideal time to make a payment ensuring it is received on time.

Expense Management.

With this module, Airbase eliminates the need to use disparate systems and the manual processes involved in managing expenses, such as submitting receipts, creating expense reports, and tracking spend across the company. Employees can take a snap of their receipts on their mobile and the platform converts it into an expense report in an instant by combining OCR, AI, and ML.

Mileage data, virtual card transactions, and expenses related to travel seamlessly flow into the platform, while admins can approve them on the mobile app. The Airbase system automates reimbursements across 14 currencies and 44 countries.

Corporate Cards.

Airbase’s industry-leading cards program goes beyond Coupa’s offering. In addition to virtual cards, Airbase provides physical cards with pre-defined spend limits for offline spend in addition to partner card options. Unlike Coupa, Airbase also offers unlimited cash back for all categories of spend.

Users can view details on all transactions and monitor spend on Airbase’s spend management system. Airbase auto-categorizes expenses and syncs transactions with 70+ ERPs including Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and QuickBooks Online.

What does Coupa do?

Coupa is a comprehensive spend management platform that helps businesses streamline procurement, accounts payable, and invoicing. Apart from tools for sourcing and purchasing, Coupa offers solutions for contract management, budgeting, and supply chain collaboration.

Procurement.

Coupa Procure combines the purchasing function with contract, inventory, services procurement, and budget management tools to streamline procurement. The platform guides users on making compliant purchases by integrating requisition policies, enabling supplier comparisons, offering community insights, surfacing volume discounts, and preferred pricing. Coupa automates approval flows based on management hierarchy while supervisors can approve requests via the mobile app.

In addition, Coupa offers supplier risk and purchase order management tools, such as real-time alerts on risks, visibility over the status of each PO, supplier portal for notifications on disruptions in supply, and the ability to send POs to suppliers via multiple channels.

Sourcing.

Coupa offers a range of sourcing tools, such as a database of pre-vetted suppliers and filters to narrow down on suppliers based on various criteria. Employees can collect bids, use templates to create sourcing events, and collaborate with suppliers.

The platform supports the management of complex sourcing events by capturing data from suppliers to facilitate meaningful comparisons across factors such as corporate social responsibility, risk profile, and others.

AP automation.

Coupa supports e-invoicing and leverages OCR and AI to capture details from bills and invoices. In contrast to Airbase’s native and deep integrations with ERPs, Coupa does not offer out-of-the-box integrations. Instead, it relies on middleware providers, including SnapLogic and WebMethods to integrate with ERPs, making the process tedious and time-consuming.

Cards and global payments.

Coupa Pay partners with TransferMate to enable users to make cross-border payments in numerous countries and currencies. Unlike Airbase, Coupa does not offer physical cards but allows admins to issue virtual cards based on invoices or POs, restricting their usage to a specific vendor. Automating approvals and reconciliation of card statements back into the accounting system reduces manual and time-consuming processes.

In summary.

While Coupa offers a variety of spend management tools, it falls short when managing decentralized spend, a key requirement that Airbase fulfills for mid-market and early enterprise companies.

Coupa also lacks some of the features that Airbase offers, such as physical cards, card spend workflows, no-code intake workflows, straight-line amortization, and receipt management inbox.

Another significant differentiator is the user interface and experience. Coupa’s outdated UI makes it difficult for users to carry out simple transactions. Coupa’s lengthy implementation process and steep learning curve involved in utilizing the platform’s features add to users’ dissatisfaction.

In comparison with Coupa’s G2 rating of 4.2, Airbase has a rating of 4.8 and is the #1 ranked Invoice and AP Automation solution with over 1,400 reviews. Apart from being easy to implement, Airbase is recognized as one of the most user-friendly platforms that boosts adoption.

Airbase is also the top choice for businesses that prioritize vendor fraud prevention. While Coupa uses an AI tool to flag suspicious transactions, Airbase offers robust fraud mitigation tools and a dedicated fraud investigation team that operates 24/7.

Airbase’s spend analytics provide a clearer view of spend at all levels and provides important efficiency metrics to help teams improve their processes to save time and money.

See how Airbase represents the next generation of P2P solutions — book a demo with us!