What are the best accounts payable platforms with real-time spend tracking?

Hey everyone!

I’m exploring accounts payable (AP) platforms with strong spend tracking capabilities to help our finance team standardize payables, monitor cash flow in real time, and reduce risks. For an enterprise-size setup, the priority is to move away from manual reconciliation and gain visibility into spend patterns while ensuring compliance and efficiency.

Based on peer reviews and leader listings on G2, here are five tools that stood out for AP automation and spend insights:

1. Tipalti: Overall, it was very easy to track spending and manage APs. It also had strong reviews for global payables automation. But how well does it handle cross-entity reconciliation without manual intervention?
2. Stampli: Loved the UI and procure-to-pay centralization. It was also praised for its invoice management and fraud detection. Does it scale effectively for multi-location enterprises?
3. Airbase: Combines spend management with AP for easier tracking. G2 reviewers highlight usability, but can it balance policy enforcement with flexibility?
4. Baseware: We were impressed by its exhaustive integration capabilities. But is the ROI or time-to-value shorter than that of base ERP add-ons?
5. Coupa – One of the best for spend management and approvals. Highly rated for spend visibility and benchmarking. But does the platform justify its cost for mid-market teams?

To the G2 community, if you've worked with an accounts payable platform with real-time spend tracking in the past or reviewed it on G2

1. What's the ideal success metric that you seriously track to measure ROI?
2. Did you see more improvements in real-time spend visibility, risk reduction, or supplier compliance?
3. How do you benchmark payback: faster closes, fewer duplicate payments, or better supplier co-ordination?

Would love to hear from finance leaders and AP managers who’ve deployed these tools in real-world setups.