A guide for growing businesses: What to look for in an AR automation software + a list of the best accounts receivable platforms in the market today (updated for 2025)
So you're looking for the best accounts receivable software? Let's see, you're either finally ready to ditch the spreadsheets and manual invoice chasing, or you're unhappy with your current AR solution and looking for something better. We got you. We're glad you landed on this page.
As a growing company ourselves, we know how crucial it is to have a simple, automated AR system to manage cash flow. Between the payment delays, reconciliation nightmares, and complicated billing scenarios, accounts receivable management can be overwhelming.
Arguably, choosing the right AR automation software is one of the most important operational decisions a growing business can make.
In this guide, we'll walk you through some AR criteria, top tools on the market, and how to choose the right one for your needs. Ready to transform your collections process? Read on to learn how to find the solution that's just right for your business.
But first, let's talk about your very first invoice, or accounts receivable process. Yes, all growing businesses have an AR story!
Maybe you sent your first invoice from a Word doc template or manually created one in Excel. Then, you tracked that payment on a spreadsheet, pulled up your bank statement daily, and celebrated when you matched your first payment. Eventually, you added columns for aging buckets, payment terms, and customer notes.
That's just about as basic as your AR management can get! As soon as you start adding more customers, complex billing models, including tiers, usage-based pricing, or milestones AR software becomes a crucial part of your business's growth story.
In fact, you find out immediately that your AR platform is essential to your cash flow from that point onwards.
When do you need to get your AR out of a spreadsheet and into automation software?
Having a spreadsheet-based AR system is still common among smaller companies. We are not against spreadsheets! If you're an Excel wizard, things like aging reports and cash flow projections can be done with some spreadsheet magic.
Here at JustPaid users have the ability to email the custom complex contract to us, and our system will prepare the billing schedule with unique billing items, and run revenue projections and analysis in real time at any given moment.
However, you do need a single source of truth that you can always refer back to. Especially for dynamic payment-related transactions, you want the most updated data stored and accessible in one place.
We've seen businesses move into AR software in the early stages, as soon as they're processing 20+ invoices monthly, dealing with recurring billing, or managing multiple payment terms. AR spreadsheets simply do not scale and often lead to errors and missed collections opportunities.
The best accounts receivable software is designed not only for managing invoices, but for optimizing cash flow. You know you need AR software when you're starting to think about:
AR management can become complex and expensive quite quickly, especially when you factor in the cost of delayed payments and manual follow-ups. Investing in reliable AR software can transform your cash position at a time when you need capital for growth.
You know you need to manage receivables, but do you really need AR software?
When thinking about investing in accounts receivable software, you need to start with your WHY. Each business has unique contexts and cash flow objectives. Knowing what's important to your business now and in the future will help you choose the right tools that will scale with you.
Here are some reasons why investing in the right AR software is important:
Your company's cash position determines everything—from meeting payroll to investing in growth. The right AR software ensures collections happen systematically and predictably from day one.
Let's face it, chasing payments and reconciling accounts manually drains your team's energy. Smart AR software automates these workflows, eliminating hours of repetitive work and giving you back valuable time.
When cash is tight, every day matters. Professional AR systems don't just track payments—they accelerate collections through automated reminders and intelligent follow-ups.
Your payment collection process reflects your professionalism. Managing collections manually invites awkward conversations and strained relationships. The right AR software ensures consistent, professional communication that preserves customer goodwill.
Before you know it, board meetings demand cash flow forecasts, aging analysis, and collection metrics. Effective AR software transforms scattered data into actionable insights with real-time dashboards.
Rebuilding broken AR processes is like renovating while running a restaurant—messy, expensive, and disruptive. Starting with robust software creates clean, reliable processes that support your journey from startup to scale-up.
What are the things to consider when choosing the right AR automation platform?
When selecting an AR platform, choose one that enables quick implementation. Look for solutions that let you import existing customer data, invoices, and payment history, becoming operational within days. If it takes over a week just setting it up (and no one available to help!), it might indicate potential admin issues down the road.
The best AR tools offer guided setup processes and automation features that minimize manual data entry. Having migration support is also a good indicator of the customer support you'll receive.
Evaluate how intuitive the platform feels for all team members. Finance teams want to spend less time on admin work and more time on strategic initiatives. Effective AR software provides a clean, straightforward dashboard that your team can navigate without specialized training.
Consider whether the platform offers helpful features like automated workflows, intelligent payment matching, and clear visualizations of cash flow metrics.
Here at JustPaid, we believe that the best AR software is not just built for managing invoices but for ensuring healthy cash flow. Therefore, the best AR platform has robust automation and AI capabilities.
Look for AR software that can efficiently handle:
Your AR software isn't an island—it needs to connect seamlessly with your existing tech stack. Essential integrations include:
Data-driven decisions require robust analytics. Look for platforms offering:
AR software pricing varies widely. Consider:
When cash flow is on the line, support matters. Evaluate:
Which are the best AR platforms on the market today? Here are platforms we think solve the AR challenge particularly well, ordered based on their suitability for growing businesses.
The AI-Native Approach to AR
JustPaid takes a fundamentally different approach to AR automation by putting AI at the center of everything. While other platforms bolt on AI features, JustPaid was built from the ground up to leverage machine learning for smarter collections and cash flow optimization.
Pricing:
The Established Player
Bill.com is the incumbent in the space, offering a comprehensive platform that handles both AP and AR. They've built their reputation on approval workflows and payment networks, making them popular with traditional businesses.
Pricing: $45-55/user/month plus transaction fees (can get expensive fast with multiple users)
The Enterprise Choice
Sage brings decades of accounting software experience to their AR module. It's comprehensive and feature-rich, built for companies that need extensive customization and reporting capabilities.
Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing (typically $35,000+/year)
The Revenue Operations Platform
Maxio focuses specifically on B2B SaaS companies, combining billing with revenue recognition and SaaS metrics. They understand the unique challenges of subscription businesses.
Pricing: Starts at $599/month, scales with revenue volume
The Modern Billing Platform
Sequence is a newer entrant focusing on developer-friendly billing infrastructure. They emphasize quoting functionality and flexibility, allowing companies to build custom billing flows.
Pricing: Usage-based, starting around $500/month
The Subscription Specialist
Chargebee has carved out a niche in subscription management, offering sophisticated tools for recurring billing, dunning, and revenue recovery.
Pricing: $299/month starter, scales significantly with volume and switches to the percentage based billing
When evaluating AR software options, you want a platform that meets your current needs and budget while scaling with growth. Growing businesses have different requirements from enterprise companies. Look for features useful for your stage. Non-negotiables are automated workflows, real-time reporting and analytics, integration capabilities, payment processing, and intelligent collections.
AR software eliminates error-prone manual processes, accelerates collections, ensures consistent follow-ups, and provides clear visibility into cash flow. It's particularly valuable for reducing DSO and improving working capital, both necessary for business growth.
AR software pricing ranges from FREE trials for growing businesses to enterprise solutions costing $10,000+ monthly. Costs vary depending on invoice volume, feature complexity, and support needs.
JustPaid offers transparent pricing starting with a FREE trial, with plans scaling based on your invoice volume and feature requirements. No hidden transaction fees or integration costs.
The best AR software depends on your specific needs. If you're a growing business focused on automation and cash flow optimization, JustPaid offers all the tools you need to transform your collections process. JustPaid is the best AR platform if you care about reducing manual work, accelerating payments, and creating predictable cash flow.
"The JustPaid platform is simple, easy to use, and the team is super responsive to all of our needs. I love that we can bill and not have to worry. I love that any contract I sign uses AI and that AI will read the contract and then parse everything and generate invoices, saving us hours of time.
We've cut our DSO by 30% and reduced invoice disputes by half. The automated reminders are so natural that customers actually respond better than when we were sending manual follow-ups."
—MATE ZGOMBIC, FOUNDER OF CAPTABLEPRO
"JustPaid is made to help startups like ours. We're scaling fast and need to bill our customers in an easy way. With JustPaid, implementation took less than 30 minutes and the team is stellar—they get startups and are supporting us as we scale!
Daniel and team are the BEST we have worked with. They have not only enabled us to bill our customers faster, but have also gone a step ahead and actually helped us look amazing with our customers. Our cash flow has never been more predictable."
—KRISHANG TODI, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF AEG
Ready to transform your accounts receivable? JustPaid combines powerful automation with intelligent AI to deliver the most comprehensive AR solution for growing businesses. From automated invoicing to predictive cash flow analytics, we've built everything you need to optimize collections and accelerate growth.
Get started free and see why thousands of businesses trust JustPaid to power their receivables.
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A comprehensive guide for growing businesses: What to look for in AR automation software and a list of the best accounts receivable platforms in the market today (updated for 2025)
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