Best for
Best for small businesses that want to pay vendor bills and collect invoice payments without adding a per-seat licence on top of the accounting system they already run.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Accounting & Invoicing Comparison
Melio vs. Payhawk
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for finance teams that want cards, travel, supplier invoices and procurement under one policy engine with a native ERP sync.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Melio | Payhawk |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free; Core from $25 / month Go is free for one user with five free ACH payments a month. Core is $25 / month plus $10 per user, Boost $55, Unlimited $80 with users included; 20 percent off with annual billing. Transaction fees apply on top, for example $0.50 per ACH beyond the plan allowance, $1.50 per mailed check and 2.9 percent for card payments. | From £149 / month The fixed-price Growth Program, for UK and EEA single-entity businesses with fewer than twenty employees. The four core modules are otherwise quoted individually and scale with seats, cards and usage. |
| Free trial | Not stated | Yes, a 7-day free trial for eligible Growth Program customers |
| Users | Not stated | More than 6,000 companies, per the vendor |
| API | A B2B payout API and embedded payments for partner platforms, rather than a general customer API | Yes, developer APIs for custom integrations |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Invoicing and quotes | Yes, branded invoices with a built-in payment link, automated reminders and payment by card or bank transfer, with customers paying without a Melio account | Incoming supplier invoices through the Accounts Payable module, which automates invoice processing and pays suppliers globally, with the Procurement module covering the purchase request and compliant order beforehand. Customer invoicing and accounts receivable are not among the listed modules |
| Bookkeeping and bank feeds | No general ledger of its own; bills, invoices and payments sync two-way with QuickBooks Online, Xero, QuickBooks Desktop or NetSuite depending on the plan | No general ledger of its own. Native two-way sync with NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Finance, Exact Online, Pennylane, AFAS and DATEV, with CSV and XLS export templates for SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business One and ByDesign, Sage 50, 100 and 200 and Cegid, plus an Accounting Template Builder for the rest |
| Expenses and receipts | Yes, on every plan including the free one: connect the credit or debit cards already in use, and each time one is used the spender is prompted by text or e-mail to upload the receipt, which is then stored, categorized and synced to QuickBooks or Xero | Yes, Visa debit and credit cards issued instantly with granular controls and real-time limits, receipt capture, and AI handling receipt chasing, approval routing and policy enforcement automatically |
| Tax and compliance | W-9 collection and 1099 automation, from the Core plan upwards | VAT support rather than filing: the TravelPerk integration handles invoice matching and VAT recognition, and the 60 Dias integration retrieves VAT receipts automatically |
| Payroll | No payroll. Melio pays vendors and contractors and handles W-9 collection, TIN validation and 1099 e-filing through Tax1099, but running employee payroll is not part of the platform | No payroll module. HR and payroll systems including Workday, ADP, Deel, BambooHR, Gusto, Paychex, PayFit, HiBob, Factorial, Lucca and Nmbrs connect through integrations, with more than thirty others listed |
| Reports and exports | A dashboard that tracks outgoing payments and what is owed and when, plus a payment history export as CSV over a chosen date range of up to twelve months back, carrying the date, status, invoice number, amount, customer name and who initiated each payment, and downloadable Audit Trail reports; the ledger reports themselves stay in the synced accounting system | Trip reports are generated automatically and expenses grouped for approval and export to the ERP, and every AI agent action is kept in a full audit trail. Global payments run at a 0.3 percent foreign exchange rate across 115 currencies |
| Integrations and API | A B2B payout API and embedded payments for platforms that want to build on Melio's payment rails, rather than a general customer API | Yes, developer APIs for advanced integrations alongside the pre-built connectors, an Accounting Template Builder for custom CSV and XLS exports, and a Solution Partner Program for systems that are not supported directly |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Chat, Phone | Not stated |
| Onboarding | Not stated | Documentation and knowledge base |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, NetSuite, Meta, Amazon Business | more entries NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Exact Online, Pennylane, AFAS, DATEV, Odoo, TravelPerk, Workday, BambooHR, HiBob |
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Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Melio Free; Core from $25 / month Payhawk From £149 / month
- API Melio A B2B payout API and embedded payments for partner platforms, rather than a general customer API Payhawk Yes, developer APIs for custom integrations
- Invoicing and quotes Melio Yes, branded invoices with a built-in payment link, automated reminders and payment by card or bank transfer, with customers paying without a Melio account Payhawk Incoming supplier invoices through the Accounts Payable module, which automates invoice processing and pays suppliers globally, with the Procurement module covering the purchase request and compliant order beforehand. Customer invoicing and accounts receivable are not among the listed modules
- Bookkeeping and bank feeds Melio No general ledger of its own; bills, invoices and payments sync two-way with QuickBooks Online, Xero, QuickBooks Desktop or NetSuite depending on the plan Payhawk No general ledger of its own. Native two-way sync with NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Finance, Exact Online, Pennylane, AFAS and DATEV, with CSV and XLS export templates for SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business One and ByDesign, Sage 50, 100 and 200 and Cegid, plus an Accounting Template Builder for the rest
- Expenses and receipts Melio Yes, on every plan including the free one: connect the credit or debit cards already in use, and each time one is used the spender is prompted by text or e-mail to upload the receipt, which is then stored, categorized and synced to QuickBooks or Xero Payhawk Yes, Visa debit and credit cards issued instantly with granular controls and real-time limits, receipt capture, and AI handling receipt chasing, approval routing and policy enforcement automatically
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Melio
Strengths
- Free plan for a single user, with five free ACH payments a month
- Charged per company rather than per seat, with users included outright on the Unlimited plan
- Pays vendors by card even where the vendor accepts only a bank transfer or check
- Invoicing and payment collection are included at no extra software cost
- International payments to more than 80 countries in 15 currencies
Limitations
- Not a general ledger; a separate accounting system is still needed
- Transaction fees apply on top of the subscription, including 2.9 percent for card payments
- QuickBooks Desktop sync needs Boost and NetSuite sync needs Unlimited
Payhawk
Strengths
- Cards, expenses, travel, accounts payable and procurement on one platform
- Native two-way sync with major ERPs, including DATEV, AFAS, Pennylane and Exact Online
- Four AI agents that work inside existing policies and approvals with an audit trail
- Global payments at a 0.3 percent foreign exchange rate across 115 currencies
- A fixed-price entry program with a published amount for small UK and EEA businesses
Limitations
- The four core modules carry no published prices; every quote comes from sales
- Costs scale with seats, cards and usage, plus optional add-ons on top
- Advanced ERP and HRIS integrations, budgets and extra entities are paid add-ons
- The fixed-price Growth Program is capped at ten cards and ten seats and limited to single-entity UK and EEA businesses
- Not a general ledger, so a separate accounting system is still needed
- No customer invoicing or accounts receivable
Plans
Pricing
Melio
- Go Free One user, five free ACH payments a month and $0.50 per additional one. Includes payment by card, AI bill capture, international payments and invoicing.
- Core $25 / month plus $10 per user $20 per month plus $8 per user with annual billing. Twenty free ACH payments a month, QuickBooks Online and Xero sync, batch payments, approval workflows, W-9 and 1099 handling, priority chat support.
- Boost $55 / month plus $10 per user $44 per month plus $8 per user with annual billing. Fifty free ACH payments a month, QuickBooks Desktop sync, advanced user roles, vendor credits, premium phone support.
- Unlimited $80 / month $64 per month with annual billing. Unlimited users at no extra cost, unlimited free ACH payments and NetSuite sync.
- Platinum Not stated Custom pricing for high-volume businesses paying more than $300,000 a month by card, with custom transaction fees and priority processing.
Payhawk
- Growth Program £149 Per month, fixed. For UK and EEA single-entity businesses with fewer than twenty employees. Includes ten cards and ten user seats (eight employee, two admin) and up to fifteen invoices and fifteen reimbursements a month, with a 7-day free trial for eligible customers.
- Cards & Expenses Not stated Quoted on request. One of the four core modules; pricing scales with admin seats, cards included and usage.
- Accounts Payable Not stated Quoted on request. Invoice processing and global supplier payments, priced on the number of invoices among other variables.
- Procurement Not stated Quoted on request. Purchase requests through to compliant orders, priced on purchase order volume among other variables.
- Travel Not stated Quoted on request. In-policy booking, approval and reconciliation.
- Add-ons Not stated Quoted on request. Advanced ERP integrations, enterprise HRIS integrations, budget tracking, additional entities and a credit line.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Melio
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
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Payhawk
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
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Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Melio https://melio.com · checked against the official source on 2026-09-02
Payhawk https://payhawk.com · checked against the official source on 2026-09-09
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.