Cleo Pay is a hospitality-focused AP automation platform with $0 ACH transaction fees, same-day payments, and a flat-rate price. Stampli is a generalist AI-driven AP platform targeted at mid-market businesses, with sales-led pricing that is typically not published. For restaurants, venues, hotels, and event production teams, Cleo Pay offers purpose-built features like AI category matching for hospitality charts of accounts, one-link vendor onboarding, and multi-location P&L segmentation that Stampli does not provide out of the box.
Book a DemoAssumptions
5 users (3 GMs + 1 finance lead + 1 approver), 200 vendor payments/month, QuickBooks Online sync.
| Cost Item | Cleo Pay | Stampli |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription | Flat fee (contact for pricing) | Sales-led quote (typically scales with users and volume) |
| ACH Transaction Fees | $0 (200 payments) | Not published. Typically quoted per-payment. |
| Expedited Payments (10/mo) | $0 | Not published |
| Implementation Fees | $0, included | Mid-market platforms typically charge a setup fee |
| Predictability | One number you can budget against | Quote varies by deal; renewal pricing can climb |
Stampli is a powerful AI platform, but its pricing opacity makes budgeting hard for restaurants, venues, and event teams operating on thin margins. Cleo Pay publishes flat pricing with $0 ACH fees so AP cost is a known number, not a variable expense.
Ready to see how Cleo Pay works for your business?
Book a demoStampli's product is built around Billy the Bot, an AI assistant that lives next to every invoice and surfaces context, anomalies, and suggested approvers. It is one of the more mature AI experiences in the AP category and a key differentiator for Stampli. Cleo Pay also uses AI for invoice capture, line-item extraction, vendor matching, and category mapping, but applies it specifically to hospitality charts of accounts. The result for restaurants and venues is fewer manual reclassifications and faster month-end close, because the model is tuned to food, beverage, COGS, and multi-location workflows rather than generic SMB categories.
Both platforms integrate with QuickBooks. Stampli supports a broad range of ERPs including QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, and SAP. That breadth is a real advantage for businesses on enterprise ERPs. Cleo Pay is QuickBooks-native, with a single deep integration tuned for hospitality. Class and location codes for multi-location P&L are mapped automatically, vendor sync is bi-directional, and reconciliation marks bills paid in QuickBooks the moment the ACH clears. For restaurant groups, venues, and event production companies operating on QuickBooks Online, the Cleo Pay integration removes the manual mapping work that mid-market platforms typically push onto the finance lead.
| Feature | Cleo Pay | Stampli |
|---|---|---|
| QBO Support | Native integration | Yes |
| QB Desktop Support | On roadmap | Yes |
| Multi-Location Mapping | Native class/location code mapping | Configurable, typically requires implementation work |
| Category Mapping | AI-powered automatic matching for hospitality COA | AI suggestions, broader use case |
| Other ERPs Supported | QuickBooks-first | NetSuite, Sage Intacct, MS Dynamics, SAP, more |
Cleo Pay uses a one-link vendor portal. The vendor receives a single URL, enters their banking details, W-9 information, and payment preferences, and is payment-ready the moment they submit. There is no back-and-forth between your finance team and the vendor. Stampli supports vendor invites and self-service profile completion, but the experience is built around the AP team driving the process. For hospitality businesses adding new vendors constantly (a new brewery, a new produce supplier, a new contractor for a one-off event), the time saved by handing the work back to the vendor compounds quickly.
Stampli has strong reviews for its core product and AI assistant, and is typically deployed at mid-market companies with a dedicated finance team. Cleo Pay is built for hospitality operators who are often the GM, the bookkeeper, and the controller all at once. Support is staffed by people who understand the pace of vendor payments in restaurants and events. There are no ticket queues, no callback scheduling, and the team is available during the windows that matter for hospitality.
See how Cleo Pay stacks up against other AP automation platforms.
Cleo Pay is a hospitality-focused AP automation platform with $0 ACH transaction fees and same-day payments. Bill.com is a broad SMB solution that charges $0.59 per ACH payment, takes 4 business days for standard transfers, and starts at $45/user/month. For restaurants, venues, and hotels, Cleo Pay offers purpose-built features like AI category matching, one-link vendor onboarding, and multi-location P&L segmentation that Bill.com does not provide.
CompareCleo Pay is a hospitality-focused AP automation platform with $0 ACH transaction fees and same-day payments. Melio is a general SMB bill pay tool that charges $0.50 per ACH payment after a limited free monthly allocation, takes 3 business days for standard transfers, and starts at $25/month with per-user fees on most plans. For restaurants, venues, and hotels, Cleo Pay offers purpose-built features like AI category matching, one-link vendor onboarding, and multi-location P&L segmentation that Melio does not provide.
CompareCleo Pay is a hospitality-focused AP automation platform with $0 ACH transaction fees and same-day payments. Tipalti is an enterprise-grade global payables platform that charges ~$1 per domestic ACH, starts at $99/month, and typically requires 4-6 weeks to implement. For restaurants, venues, and hotels, Cleo Pay offers purpose-built features like AI category matching, one-link vendor onboarding, and multi-location P&L segmentation that Tipalti does not provide.
CompareZero transaction fees. Same-day ACH. Flat pricing. Built for hospitality teams that move fast.
Comparison based on publicly available information as of 2026-05. Features and pricing may change.