A high-quality purchasing management software should: 

• Support purchasing workflows and make it easy for everyone in your organization to acquire the supplies and materials as needed. 

• Enable proactive spend controls and offer spend reports to identify purchasing patterns and cost savings opportunities.  

• Provide real-time inventory monitoring to track what’s on hand and prevent unnecessary spending. 

ProcureDesk is a procure-to-pay (P2P) software brand, which means our system supports purchasing and accounts payable workflows. We’ve compiled this guide to discuss our solution and review other top-rated purchasing management software (based on user reviews). 

We include recommendations for small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Click on the section that fits your business size to see the top-rated solutions:

• ProcureDesk — scalable software to support teams at all growth stages 
• Options for small teams — including Order.co, Tradogram, and Tipalti Procurement 
• Options for mid-sized companies — including Precoro, Procurify, and Procurement Express 
• Options for enterprises & global corporations — including Coupa, SAP Ariba, and Jaggaer 

ProcureDesk

Scalable, Customizable Purchasing Management System to Optimize Processes & Support Savings 

ProcureDesk is a highly scalable and customizable P2P automation system for all team sizes; we work primarily with smaller but fast-growing businesses looking to scale. 

Our software supports:

• Purchasing: Create a controlled purchasing hub for others to shop independently.

• Real-time order tracking: Monitor POs through the lifecycle and catch order issues as they arise. 

• Budgeting: Set budgets by department, vendor, spend category, individual, and more. ProcureDesk even supports granular budget controls by allowing you to set hierarchies and tolerance levels.  

• Invoice processing & approval workflows: Centralize vendor invoices, automatically match them with POs and receipts, and push approved invoice data to your accounting system to dispatch payments. 

• Spend analysis: Dissect spending in different categories over different periods with various out-of-the-box reports. 

We also provide an inventory management module to support our core purchasing management features. You can track real-time inventory across multiple locations from our desktop or mobile apps. 

You can even automate replenishments to maintain a stock of must-have materials and supplies.

How ProcureDesk Supports the Purchasing Process 

We show procurement teams how to create a purchasing hub with all approved vendors and products. 

The ProcureDesk procurement platform supports 200+ punchouts with popular sites (Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club, Thermo Fisher, Uline, Apple, Dell, Grainger, etc.), so you can link those sites in seconds. You can also build custom catalogs with products from vendors we don’t natively integrate with. 

During onboarding, we’ll show you how to set budgets, design requisition forms, and create approval processes to control purchasing and spending. 

As mentioned, you can set budgets in various ways, and our system will prevent spending once budgets are met (or you can set rules for managing purchases when no budget is available). 

Users can see available budgets while shopping and specify the budget they’d like to use when purchasing. 

Approval trees, requisition forms, and routing rules streamline request management by enabling ProcureDesk to automatically approve or deny certain order types and send requests to the appropriate reviewer(s). 

After setup, you can share platform access and set permissions. Users can then log in (we use SSO for secure authentication), browse approved vendors, view available budgets, build shopping carts, and submit carts for review. 

ProcureDesk has a user-friendly interface and intuitive functionality. With vendor sites opening directly in our platform, there’s virtually no learning curve or training period. 

ProcureDesk notifies reviewers of new purchase requests so they can address them promptly. 

Our system also provides omnichannel approval tools so reviewers can respond to requests via ProcureDesk desktop or mobile apps, email, or Slack. 

After orders are approved, our system converts the purchase request to a purchase order (PO) and sends the PO to the vendor. Users can view all POs, along with current spending and available budgets, directly from the main dashboard. 

We also notify requesters of order status, including approvals or denials (with reasons). They can track orders through delivery and verify receipts. (More on that in the next section.) 

Here’s a brief overview of the purchasing experience: 

Purchase Order Tracking & Receipt Management 

Our system automatically sends POs and tracks orders through fulfillment and delivery, so you can address delays or other issues with orders as they occur. 

ProcureDesk does this with a combination of three features: 

• Order acknowledgments: Vendors can comment directly on POs to let you know when they expect to work on orders. 

• Advanced Shipping Notices (ASN): Vendors can share expected ship dates and tracking numbers so you can monitor orders as they’re shipped out and in transit. 

• Receipt management module: ProcureDesk prompts receivers to upload a picture of the physical goods receipt or packing slip when orders are delivered. They can share details on item quantities and conditions to ensure the order was fulfilled accurately. 

Accounts Payable Automation Suite 

Our complete P2P solution also provides an accounts payable automation module to support invoice processing and payment workflows. Here’s how it works: 

1. Teams centralize vendor invoices in ProcureDesk to avoid manual file keeping and detect duplicate invoices easily. Teams can add invoices to our system using e-invoicing, vendor portals, email integrations, or manual uploads. 
   
   
2. ProcureDesk extracts essential information from invoices using optical character recognition (OCR) technology — such as headers, line items, and amounts.
   
   
3. Our system automatically matches invoices with the corresponding PO and receipt. If a receipt is unavailable, our system nudges the purchaser to upload one so the accounts payable team doesn’t have to waste time searching for it.
   
   
4. ProcureDesk automatically flags invoices that can’t be matched or that have issues. Our system notifies the accounts payable department of these discrepancies and routes flagged invoices to specific users. 
   
   
5. Matched invoices can be routed to an AP team member for a final review, pushed directly to your accounting system to initiate payment, or a combination of both. 

Our features save time by eliminating manual processes and improve supplier relationships by enabling prompt, on-time payments, which can result in extra perks like early payment discounts.

ProcureDesk integrates with all major accounting systems, including QuickBooks (Online and Enterprise), NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Bill.com. 

ProcureDesk Spend Analysis Dashboard

ProcureDesk provides several spend analysis reports to help you learn more about your organization’s purchasing habits and budgetary requirements. 

You can view spending over different timeframes and zoom in on spending by vendor, category, user, department, project, and more. Then, you can use these insights to guide decision-making when establishing or negotiating vendor contracts, optimizing budgets, modifying purchasing rules, and more. 

You can also export reports to share with stakeholders or integrate with business intelligence systems to leverage ProcureDesk spend data in other financial reports. 

Inventory Management Module

We offer a variety of add-on modules to supplement our core procure-to-pay software features — including inventory management. 

This module, available on ProcureDesk’s desktop and mobile apps, allows everyone in your organization to view real-time inventory, regardless of location. Users can then check for available materials or supplies before ordering new items. 

This module also supports teams by: 

• Automating reorders and maintaining stock levels. 

• Preventing unnecessary ordering or spending. 

• Providing transparent details about inventory items, including quantities, purchase dates, SKU numbers, and expiration dates. 

• Reducing waste. If items on inventory have an expiration date, ProcureDesk can warn you of upcoming expirations so you can use those materials. 

• Offering reporting insights on inventory usage. This helps managers understand what teams require so they can forecast and plan for future spending.  

Packages & Getting Started 

To get started with ProcureDesk, you can schedule a free demo with our team. We’ll walk you through our procurement solution, address your challenges and requirements, and show you how ProcureDesk can enhance your processes. 

Then, you can choose from three solutions: 

• The Procurement Automation package ($598/month) includes our features to support purchasing, PO tracking, and spend analysis. 

• The Procure-to-Pay Automation package ($948/month) includes everything in the above package plus our AP automation module and accounting integrations. 

• A custom enterprise package.   

Our core packages include ten user seats (with the option to add more as needed) and free white-glove onboarding to configure ProcureDesk to your requirements.

Additionally, you can supplement ProcureDesk with add-on modules, including: 

• Inventory management (explained above).

• Vendor contract management — to store all contracts in a central repository and set notifications for renewals. 

• Expense management — to generate expense reports automatically, consolidate company spending, and manage reimbursements. 

Purchasing Management Software for Small Businesses 

In this section, we discuss Order.co, Tradogram, and Tipalti — but you can also explore more PO systems for small businesses here. 

Order.co is great for small teams who purchase primarily on e-commerce sites and haven’t started working directly with suppliers. Teams who partner with suppliers should consider Tradogram or Tipalti. 

Order.co

As mentioned, Order.co is a solution for managing and controlling purchasing on e-commerce sites. It’s great for small businesses and startups that primarily shop online and don’t yet work with suppliers. 

Order.co is highly configurable, so you can create a custom catalog with approved products across all vendor sites and enable convenient shopping within the platform. Users can filter products in various ways to build consolidated carts and submit orders for review. 

Order.co also offers virtual spend cards to manage business spending outside of product catalogs, such as software subscriptions or travel expenses. 

This solution simplifies payment workflows with a bulk payment feature. It consolidates all bills to calculate one lump total, then distributes funds automatically across accounts. 

Although Order.co doesn’t include a complete inventory management module, they do offer a supply management feature to monitor purchased items.   

Features 

• Custom purchasing catalogs 
• Virtual cards with spend limits 
• Budget tracking & spend management 
• Approval workflows
• Purchasing management & automated order processing 
• Order tracking 
• Supply management to monitor inventory levels 
• Reporting dashboard to analyze spend data  
• AP tools, including a bulk payment feature (so you can send funds to all vendors at once)
• Integrations with accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct), LeafLink, and Workday 

Pricing 

Order.co doesn’t list pricing publicly; you must contact their team to learn more. 

Tradogram

Tradogram is a great starting platform for small teams that work directly with suppliers. 

The paid package — only $168/month — supports unlimited suppliers, catalogs, and transactions to manage all purchasing within Tradogram. This solution also offers a limited free plan to try the platform before opting for the paid plan. 

In addition to features that support purchasing, such as PO management, budget controls, automated approvals, and routing rules, Tradogram offers inventory management and AP automation to support purchasing workflows.

Tradogram receives good reviews for customer support and ease of use, but reviewers note that the system lacks flexibility and customization options.  

Features 

• Unlimited number of suppliers & catalogs
• Purchase requisition management 
• Purchase order management 
• Budgeting tool 
• Approval routing 
• Reporting 
• Vendor management 
• Project management 
• Inventory management 
• Expense management 
• AP automation: invoice tracking, two- and three-way invoice matching
• Integrations with accounting software (QuickBooks Online & Desktop, Sage Intacct, Xero, Netsuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365) 

Pricing 

Tradogram offers a free limited plan to test features and process a few orders. The paid plan is $198/month and includes full feature and integration access, supporting unlimited suppliers and transactions. 

A notable limitation is user seats: the paid plan only supports 9 users. Teams of 20 or more must opt for a custom package, making Tradogram most suitable for small businesses. 

Tipalti Procurement 

Tipalti Procurement is part of the broader Tipalti software ecosystem, making this procurement software a good fit if you already use Tipalti’s accounting and AP automation tools. 

Small teams often prefer Tipalti for its affordability and ease of use. Its solutions also integrate well, allowing you to expand your tech stack as you grow. 

Tipalti’s procurement software supports purchasing by allowing you to create a custom purchasing hub, set budgets and purchasing rules, and automate approvals. It can also manage PO creation and dispatching to save time and ensure orders are sent promptly. 

Tipalti’s procurement module includes features to manage supplier relationships and analyze spending. If you’re interested in AP automation, you can purchase one of Tipalti’s supporting software. 

Notably, Tipalti lacks punchout options and doesn’t include inventory management. 

Features 

• Purchase request management 
• PO approval workflows 
• PO management 
• Supplier management 
• Contract management 
• Advanced reporting dashboard to support spend analysis 
• Integrations with accounting software & other business applications (ERPs, HRIS, ticketing systems, Amazon, and Slack)

Pricing 

Tipalti doesn’t share pricing for its procurement software online; you must schedule a demo to learn more. 

Purchasing Management Solutions for Mid-Sized & Growing Teams

The following sections discuss Precoro, Procurify, and Procurement Express procurement management software. These are pricier and include more punchouts and customization options than starter solutions. 

Precoro 

Precoro is suitable for mid-sized teams because it has an advanced feature set with: 

• Controls and automation to support purchasing workflows
• Multi-location support
• Multi-currency and multi-lingual features
• AP automation and integrations with most major accounting systems   
• Vendor portals, vendor contract management, and free onboarding for vendors 

Not to mention, pricing puts it out of reach for smaller teams. 

Precoro is generally easy to use and get started with, so even remote teams can learn the platform without lengthy onboarding times. 

The downside here is limited punchout catalogs and confusing pricing. 

• Precoro only lists Amazon and Staples as available punchouts. And historically, they’ve limited procurement managers to two punchout catalogs. 
• Precoro lists starting prices for packages and charges extra for various bells and whistles that supplement core features; by the time you’re done building your package, you could be paying a pretty penny.  

Features 

• Supplier catalogs 
• Purchase requisition management
• Approval workflows 
• Purchase order management 
• Spend management 
• Supplier management
• Inventory management
• Reporting
• AP automation: invoice & receipt management, three-way invoice matching, accounting integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite) 

Pricing 

Precoro offers two packages: 

• The core plan with limited feature access starts at $499/month. 
• The complete P2P package starts at $999/month.  

Custom enterprise packages are also available.

Note that these are starting prices, and quotes vary based on your specific requirements. For instance, you have to pay extra to unlock access to tools like OCR. 

Procurify 

Procurify is popular with growing teams because it offers procurement management and virtual spend cards for controlling and analyzing business spending. 

Procurify is a full P2P system with a feature set comparable to ProcureDesk, including PO management, automated approvals, spend controls, budget tracking, AP automation, vendor management, and inventory management. Its main differentiator is virtual spend cards, but you can also find these in Order.co (above) and enterprise solutions (below).

Overall, Procurify receives positive reviews for its user-friendliness and purchasing management features. The primary reason this solution is reserved for larger teams is pricing; historically, packages started at $1K for smaller teams, but custom quotes are now available.

Features 

• Virtual spend cards 
• Catalog management 
• Purchase requisition management 
• PO management 
• Budget tracking & spend controls
• Reporting dashboard
• Inventory management with real-time inventory data 
• Mobile apps 
• AP automation: invoice & receipt management, three-way invoice matching, reimbursement management, integrations with ERPs, accounting systems & project management platforms 

Pricing 

Procurify offers custom quotes based on business requirements. 

Procurement Express 

Next on our list is Procurement Express, a purchasing software with powerful automation that streamlines requisition and approval workflows. 

This system includes expected P2P features and inventory management, numerous punchout catalogs, multi-brand and multi-currency features, and custom reporting dashboards. 

While teams like Procurement Express for its robust spend analysis tools and ease of use, it’s worth noting Procurement Express has limited customization options and accounting integrations. 

Pricing is also higher than comparable solutions; for example, Procurement Express’s P2P package is $1K more than ProcureDesk but offers all of the same features and benefits.

Features 

• Purchase request management & tools to create custom PR forms 
• Punchout catalogs 
• Custom catalogs 
• RFQ/RFP features (to request quotes from suppliers) 
• Approval workflows
• Budget tracking 
• Vendor management 
• Real-time inventory management 
• Reporting dashboard 
• Mobile apps 
• AP automation: invoice scanning, three-way invoice matching, integrations with accounting systems 

Pricing 

Procurement Express offers three packages: Basic, Better, and Best. They also provide custom enterprise plans. 

• Basic ($365/month): This package is not recommended because it lacks features to support purchasing processes, such as punchout catalogs. 

• Better ($730/month): Teams may consider starting here because it offers some punchout access. 

• Best ($1825/month): This plan includes full punchout access, supports five companies, and includes dedicated support and onboarding. 

Businesses interested in Procurement Express typically choose the Best plan to access the features they require. Therefore, this solution often appeals to growing teams or enterprises who can afford more expensive software. 

Purchasing Management Software for Enterprises & Global Companies

In these sections, we discuss Coupa, SAP, and Jaggaer. These solutions are best for enterprise and global teams because they provide consulting services to guide sourcing and procurement strategies, in addition to purchasing management software. 

Coupa

Coupa is a procurement management and source-to-pay solution designed for enterprise businesses. They have experience with global brands across many industries, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Unilever, Uber, AstraZeneca, and more. 

While Coupa’s P2P platform offers a vast feature set and smart automation tools, many enterprises like Coupa for its consulting services. Their team can help you: 

• Establish relationships with suppliers and negotiate contracts for the best cost savings
• Design and manage supply chains 
• Improve compliance 
• Optimize procurement processes to promote efficiency 
• Control spending organization-wide and drive profitability 

Coupa is unique in that its spend analysis dashboard is powered by AI to highlight key takeaways and insights, offering extra support for procurement managers looking to increase margins and productivity. 

As expected with any enterprise solution, Coupa requires longer onboarding and training times to understand the software and its features. The Coupa team provides guided setup to speed up this process and tailor the software to your business requirements. 

Features 

• Purchase order software
• Purchase requisition
• PO collaboration tools
• Open Buy
• Budgeting tools
• Purchasing fraud detection with spend guard
• SOW-based spend management
• Supplier management
• Contract management
• Inventory management
• Reporting
• Mobile apps
• AP automation: invoice & receipt management, two- & three-way invoice matching, integrations with ERPs & accounting software 

Pricing 

Coupa offers custom quotes based on business requirements. 

SAP Ariba 

SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing is SAP’s procurement software solution. It’s a popular choice for teams already using SAP’s other business software (e.g., ERP, CRM, HCM, or Business Technology Platform) due to their seamless integration.

SAP offers AI-powered P2P software with powerful automation and spend reports. It streamlines and supports the purchasing experience for all users in the organization, provides real-time spend visibility, and improves collaboration with suppliers. The platform offers virtual cards and expense management to oversee all company spending in one hub. 

Like Coupa, SAP also provides consulting on sourcing strategies, supply chain management, risk management, budgeting, and procurement policies. 

SAP’s spend reports and consulting services can help you negotiate beneficial supplier contracts, pinpoint cost savings opportunities, control spending, promote compliance, and reduce manual processes by hours. 

SAP also requires longer implementation times, but its team offers guided onboarding to support setup and training. 

Features 

• Supplier discovery
• Supplier risk management
• Supplier lifecycle management
• Contract lifecycle management
• Product sourcing
• Compliance assurance
• Invoice management
• Centralized invoice processing
• AP automation: invoice management, centralized invoice processing, two- & three-way matching
• Expense management & spend analysis
• Travel expense management

You can also watch a demo of the software on their website. 

Pricing 

SAP offers custom pricing. 

Jaggaer

Jaggaer is another enterprise source-to-pay software solution that supports direct procurement, sourcing strategies, supply chain resilience, ESG compliance, supplier collaboration, and process automation. Like the names above, Jaggaer also provides consulting to help teams identify sustainable savings opportunities, reduce costs, and achieve greater profits. 

Jaggaer supports purchasing by bringing all suppliers, purchasers, and transactions into a single system. It features granular budget controls and real-time spend visibility to monitor purchasing. Additionally, Jaggaer provides comprehensive spend analysis reports with AI insights to help teams identify key takeaways and use the data for decision-making. 

Jaggaer receives fewer user reviews than competing names but maintains a 4.4-star rating with mostly positive feedback. 

The most common downside mentioned is that the platform is difficult to use. The interface isn’t very user-friendly, can be tedious, and requires users to remember many details about features and functionality to fully utilize the platform. 

Features 

• eProcurement
• Strategic sourcing
• Supplier network
• Supplier management 
• Contract management
• Supply chain management
• Inventory management
• Reporting & spend analytics
• AP automation: global e-invoice compliance, invoice digital capture, invoice matching, integrations with ERPs & accounting software solutions

Pricing 

Jaggaer offers custom quotes.