When it comes to efficient management of expenses, businesses need reliable, user-friendly tools that can help streamline processes while ensuring compliance. Certify and SutiExpense are two popular expense report management platforms that provide comprehensive solutions for expense tracking, receipt management, policy compliance, and integrations with the accounting systems. 

In this article, we'll look at the key features of both platforms, highlighting their pros and cons to help you choose the best option for your business requirements. 

Comparing Certify Vs SutiExpense: At A Glance

Features 

Certify 

SutiExpense 

Expense Tracking 

AI-driven OCR, integration with corporate credit cards, and real-time tracking 

OCR-powered tracking, voice-activated chatbot, GPS mileage tracking 

Receipt Management 

AI-powered receipt capture, integration with multiple sources (Amazon, Uber) 

OCR-powered receipt management with a centralized repository 

Policy Compliance 

Line-item and report compliance checks, automatic violation flags 

Customizable rules with AI-powered audits for policy enforcement 

 Integration 

Integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Xero 

Integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, FreshBooks, Sage, and Microsoft Dynamics GP 

Analytics And Reporting 

Standard and advanced reporting with Emburse Analytics for drill-down insights 

Real-time analytics with predictive features powered by SutiDAnalytics 

Pricing 

Custom pricing with a 14-day free trial 

Starts from $6/Active Submitter/month with a 15-day free trial 

What Is Certify?

Certify Invoicing software, now known as Emburse Professional, is a comprehensive travel, expense, and invoice management solution. The platform offers various valuable features to help businesses manage their finances efficiently and strategically. Some of its key capabilities include financial reporting, invoice management, expense tracking, tax management, budgeting and forecasting, bank reconciliation, payroll processing, audit trials, and more.  

The software assists businesses of all sizes across various industries, like legal, healthcare, higher education, banking and finance, accounting, construction, and manufacturing. 

Unique Features Of Certify 

  • Built-In Travel Policies: Enhances compliance and streamlines business travel management by integrating company travel guidelines directly into the booking and travel experience
  • Accounts Payable Automation: Uses AI and OCR to streamline invoice processing by matching invoices to purchase orders and automating approval workflows
  • InstantAudit: Automatically detects and flags any policy violations in expense reports, minimizing friction and ensuring adherence to company policies
  • In-Application Feature Training: Offers in-app support and training to users directly on the platform. This function provides real-time, contextual guidance, allowing users to successfully browse and use features without leaving the application

Pros And Cons 

Pros

  • Multi-currency support feature ensures accurate financial reporting across regions  
  • Seamless integration with travel booking tools simplifies the travel and expense processing 
  • Real-time approval tracking helps managers monitor the progress of approvals in real time and increases visibility 

Cons 

  • The system sometimes struggles to accurately identify duplicate entries, leading to errors in expense reporting 
  • Customer support response times can vary, leading to delays in issue resolution 

What Is SutiExpense?

SutiExpense by SutiSoft is a cloud-based, AI-powered expense management platform. It offers features like expense reports, expense audit rules, credit card integration, budget controls, receipt processing, and more. SutiExpense addresses concerns linked with manual expense tracking to help ensure accuracy and compliance. 

The software is mostly suitable for businesses of all sizes in industries, including manufacturing, health care, finance, government, and professional services. 

Unique Features Of SutiExpense 

  • Voice-Activated Chatbots help users create reports, add expenses from receipts, transactions, or expense category icons, and submit credit card charges through simple text and voice commands
  • Budget Controls allow businesses to set spending limits for employees, departments, or projects. It offers real-time analytics and charts that show allocated budgets, expenses, and remaining funds
  • Alternate/Proxy Approvers let businesses set backup approvers who handle expenses when someone is absent or on vacation, so approvals stay on track
  • GPS Mileage Tracking provides automated, point-to-point mileage calculation via its mobile app. By activating GPS tracking, users can start and stop the function that captures the exact route followed during business travels

Pros And Cons 

Pros 

  • The policy enforcement feature is valuable to ensure compliance with company expense policies 
  • Multi-level approval hierarchies help streamline the expense approval process 
  • The comprehensive audit trail feature enhances transparency and accountability in expense reporting  

Cons 

  • Some users reported that deleted receipts cannot be easily retrieved 
  • Sometimes, the mileage tracking features record incorrect routes, leading to inaccurate reimbursement amounts 

Certify Vs SutiExpense: Key Features Comparison

1. Expense Tracking

Emburse provides a comprehensive expense management system that simplifies expense reporting. Users can capture receipts via mobile devices or email, with embedded Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology capturing crucial insights such as date, amount, currency, merchant, and expense type. This automation reduces manual entry while improving accuracy.

The software integrates with corporate credit cards, allowing for instant transaction and receipt matching, and real-time expense tracking. Additionally, a configurable business rules engine ensures policy compliance by highlighting out-of-policy expenses prior to submission.

SutiExpense simplifies expense management by allowing users to capture and upload receipts, automatically extract critical data with OCR technology, and organize expenses into reports. The software supports the attachment of receipts to specific costs and real-time tracking of expenditures. GPS-based mileage tracking allows accurate calculation of travel distances.

It also integrates with major corporate credit cards, automatically turning transactions into reports to save time. Its voice-activated chatbot allows users to generate, submit, and monitor expenses using simple speech commands. These tools enable businesses to streamline expense submissions, increase accuracy, and ensure compliance with internal policies.

Winner: SutiExpense, for its valuable, unique features like GPS mileage tracking and voice activated chatbot that set it apart from Certify.

2. Receipt Management

Certify offers a robust receipt management module that streamlines expense reporting by utilizing multiple capture methods. Users can capture receipts by using mobile devices, desktop uploads, or by sending digital receipts to a designated email address. The platform also allows for manual entry for those who prefer it.

Once receipts are collected, its AI-powered system automatically extracts key data such as the date, amount, merchant, and category, eliminating the need for manual entry. Receipts are also saved in a centralized receipt wallet, making them easier to retrieve and arrange for expense reporting purposes. Integration with various receipt sources, including Amazon Business, Uber, and travel booking applications, accelerates the process by immediately syncing receipts into the system.

SutiExpense incorporates a comprehensive receipt management function to simplify the expense reporting process. Users can upload receipts to the system by cellphone photos or email. The platform employs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to automatically extract critical information from receipts, therefore eliminating manual data entry and enhancing accuracy.

All collected receipts are saved in a centralized repository, making them conveniently available for future use. SutiExpense also enables multi-currency expenses, converting values into the company's designated currency and providing manual adjustment options for foreign transactions

Winner: Certify, with its AI-powered data extraction and integrations with receipt sources. SutiExpense lacks advanced integrations and automation.

3. Policy Compliance

Certify manages expense policies through line-item and full-report compliance checks. The system applies 'Line-Item Compliance' to report violations or issue warnings requiring corrections or justifications.

Built-in 'Submit Compliance' rules simplify setup and provide consistent enforcement across all expense reports. This automation enables companies to ensure policy adherence while lowering manual review efforts.

SutiExpense allows businesses to create customized expense rules across departments, blocking or demanding explanations for non-compliant costs. Users can define limits and spending policies, ensuring that expense submissions adhere to predefined guidelines.

A business rules engine automatically enforces policies, and AI-powered audits detect issues like vendor limits and per diem restrictions.

Winner: SutiExpense, for its combination of highly customizable rules and AI-powered audits that offers an advanced and flexible compliance framework as compared to Certify.

4. Integrations

Certify provides a diverse set of integrations focused on streamlining the expense management process. It integrates with popular accounting and ERP platforms like NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, and Xero to provide smooth data synchronization.

It also integrates with CRM and HR systems like Salesforce and Rippling, as well as travel providers like Lyft, to allow for automated receipt imports. Custom integrations are also enabled via APIs, allowing companies to personalize the platform to their specific requirements.

SutiExpense features a wide range of integrations to streamline expense management and increase operational efficiency. It effectively integrates with major accounting platforms such as QuickBooks, NetSuite, FreshBooks software, and Sage, allowing for seamless data syncing. It works with analytics technologies to deliver real-time insight into spending patterns.

The platform also integrates with external applications such as Microsoft Dynamics GP and Salesforce, improving workflow productivity. SutiExpense also supports ACH payment methods for speedy reimbursements and travel booking integration, which instantly imports travel data into expense reports.

Winner: It’s a Tie. Both Certify and SutiExpense offer integrations with major accounting platforms. The choice is based on the individual needs of your organization. Certify stands out with additional integrations to HR systems and travel providers. SutiExpense excels with integrations to Microsoft Dynamics GP, Google Workspace, and support for ACH payments.

5. Analytics And Reporting

Certify provides a robust reporting and analytics module that provides detailed insights into company expenditures. Its standard reporting package allows users to create, store, and share custom reports, and export data in different formats like Excel or PDF. The software also enables users to analyze spending trends in order to make more informed budgeting decisions.

For more advanced needs, Emburse Analytics provides interactive dashboards, drill-down capabilities, and automated reporting, enabling companies to gain real-time insights, track policy compliance, and combine data from several sources.

SutiExpense's integration with SutiDAnalytics (a web-based business intelligence tool) allows businesses to create customized reports and dashboards, providing valuable insights into travel and expense spending. Users can track key performance indicators (KPIs) and spending patterns across departments in real time.

The platform also integrates data from several sources and uses predictive analytics to forecast patterns, assisting companies in identifying potential cost-saving opportunities and making informed decisions.

Winner: SutiExpense, with advanced customization and predictive analytics, that Certify lacks.

Which Is Better: Certify Vs SutiExpense?

Certify and SutiExpense both provide strong expense management solutions, but each offers a unique set of features tailored to distinct business needs. Certify's AI-powered receipt management, seamless travel integration, and robust compliance capabilities make it an excellent choice for businesses seeking ease of use and accuracy. 

SutiExpense, on the other hand, offers advanced capabilities like voice-activated chatbots, GPS mileage tracking, and predictive analytics, providing greater customization and flexibility, particularly for companies that rely on data-driven decisions. 

Your choice is based on whether you want a simple, user-friendly solution or more customization and extensive analytics.