ApprovalMax

ApprovalMax adds robust approval workflows and financial controls on top of Xero, QuickBooks Online and NetSuite. It is used by tens of thousands of businesses to make sure bills and invoices get approved by the right people before they are paid.

What it does well: it is quick to connect and set up, and workflows can be simple or multi-level as needed, with approvers nudged by email. The audit trail is a standout: when a bill is approved, ApprovalMax attaches the full approval history into Xero, which makes audits much easier. It has added receipt capture with OCR, and budget visibility so approvers see the impact of each spend.

Where it falls short: the budget tracking only counts bills routed through ApprovalMax, so journals posted directly in Xero are missed, which can confuse the picture. Some complex approval rules hit customisation limits, and adopting it makes you rethink your whole approval process, which needs the whole team on board to land well.

Best for: practices and businesses on Xero, QuickBooks or NetSuite that need proper spend controls, multi-level approvals and a clean audit trail.

Verdict: the go-to approvals and controls layer for the Xero and QuickBooks world, and excellent for audit readiness. Treat the budget tracking as approximate, and invest a little time designing your workflows up front.