If you need invoice capture, repeat coding and purchase sign-off, Datamolino can keep that work in one subscription with approvals included. You may be able to remove a separate approval subscription when the workflow fits. ApprovalMax includes native Capture too, and offers broader purchasing and approval controls.
Choose Datamolino when you need capture and invoice approvals together. It captures invoice lines, reuses the coding you last exported for each line description with no rules to set up, and lets your bookkeeping team finish the coding after approval. Set up one or multiple approval stages and choose whether Any or All members need to approve. A business can buy directly and invite its accountant, or an accounting firm can cover all its clients on one practice plan.
ApprovalMax is built around approvals: approval matrices, purchase-order matching, budget information, substitutes and payment release. Choose it if your workflow extends beyond preparing and approving supplier invoices.
Supplier-invoice preparation and sign-off. Detailed coding comparison uses Xero. ApprovalMax purchasing and budgets have plan and ledger limits; Pay scope here is UK businesses using Xero.
| Your work | Datamolino | ApprovalMax |
|---|---|---|
| Capture and approve invoices | ✓YesIncluded in your subscription | ✓YesNative Capture; accounting connection matters |
Details for Capture and approve invoicesDatamolinoInvoice approvals are included in your subscription. Enable approvals for the folders that need them and route invoices through your configured approval stages before export. Supplier invoices in a folder with approval enabled; this comparison follows export to Xero.
ApprovalMaxApprovalMax has its own Capture product feeding approval workflows. Xero supports bills, purchase orders, credit notes and sales invoices; QuickBooks Online and NetSuite have different document coverage. Native ApprovalMax Capture. Document types depend on the accounting connection; Capture is included in current ApprovalMax plans.
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| Code lines from descriptions | ✓YesWith line items included | ✓YesXero Capture rules |
Details for Code lines from descriptionsDatamolinoFor the same supplier and exact line description, Datamolino automatically reuses the coding from the last exported invoice. If descriptions vary, for example because they contain a date or reference number, use keyword rules to apply the right coding automatically. Keyword rules can be created for a folder or a specific supplier. Supplier rules take priority when both match. Available coding fields depend on your accounting integration.
ApprovalMaxXero conditional line rules match descriptions using equals, contains, starts with or ends with. The first matching rule applies its selected coding. ApprovalMax Capture for Xero; configured conditional line rules, with supplier detection and rule order affecting the result.
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| Reuse fixed or percentage allocations | ✓YesOne-off, saved or automated | ✓YesXero Document Split rules |
Details for Reuse fixed or percentage allocationsDatamolinoUse Bill Split to replace captured invoice lines with your own allocation. Split a bill using fixed amounts, percentages, or a combination of both. Apply the split once, save it for manual reuse within the whole folder, or automate it for future invoices from the same supplier.
ApprovalMaxDocument Split replaces captured lines with fixed and percentage allocations saved for a supplier. These rules override other data-entry rules for that supplier. ApprovalMax Capture for Xero; Document Split is bill allocation, not PDF document separation.
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| Choose how many people need to approve | ✓YesConfigured Any or All stage | ✓YesAll or a configured number |
Details for Choose how many people need to approveDatamolinoChoose whether approval from any one member is enough to complete a stage, or whether everyone in the stage must approve. Set for each stage of a Datamolino approval workflow.
ApprovalMaxA workflow step can require all assigned approvers or a configured number. Approval matrices select approvers within those workflow steps. ApprovalMax workflow steps with assigned approvers and the All or Any of completion condition.
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| Decide when final coding happens | ✓YesEditable workflow; before export | ✓YesReview/approval edits; ledger edits after posting |
Details for Decide when final coding happensDatamolinoWith Keep documents editable enabled, your bookkeeping team can continue editing an invoice after it has been approved and before export. Leave automatic export after approval switched off if coding still needs to be completed. Approved invoice not yet exported, in a folder with Keep documents editable enabled; Xero example below.
ApprovalMaxFor Xero, Review and Editing on Approval support permitted changes before or during approval on Advanced and Premium. After final approval and posting, the documented bill and purchase-order flow requires changes in the accounting system. Xero bills and purchase orders. The final boundary is after approval and posting, a different state from Datamolino's before-export example.
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| Control purchasing and payment release | –Not offeredInvoice approvals only; no PO matching or payments | ✓YesPlan, accounting connection and region |
Details for Control purchasing and payment releaseDatamolinoDatamolino brings invoice preparation, sign-off and accounting export together. For purchase-order matching, budget controls or payment release, discuss those requirements separately. Datamolino does not offer purchase-order matching, budget controls or payment release.
ApprovalMaxApprovalMax documents purchase-order matching, budget context and controlled payment release. Matching and budgets depend on plan and accounting software; Pay is documented for UK Xero businesses. Bill-to-PO matching is on the Advanced and Premium plans for Xero and QuickBooks Online; NetSuite is one plan, priced on request, with three-way matching. Budget checking for Xero is on Advanced and Premium. Pay eligibility and payment-method terms apply.
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Compare the feature, plan, setup and regional scope. Open Details for evidence.
Separate the client's purchase decision from the bookkeeper's final coding in Datamolino. Complete both before export. ApprovalMax supports review and editing during approval in its Xero flow; changes after final approval and posting must be made in Xero.
Keep the invoice in Datamolino until both the business decision and accounting preparation are complete.
See coding after approvalXero supplier invoices. Datamolino opt-in editable workflow with manual export; ApprovalMax Review/Editing on Approval on Advanced/Premium and its documented post-posting boundary.
Datamolino automatically reuses coding from the last exported invoice when the same line description appears again for the same supplier. If descriptions change, keyword rules can apply the right coding automatically. ApprovalMax Capture for Xero fills in the Item from supplier product codes on earlier approved requests, sets the account code used most often on the supplier's approved requests, and supports description-based rules you configure.
Datamolino reuses the coding you last exported for that supplier and exact line description. ApprovalMax's Xero route instead reuses product-code-to-Item mappings and the supplier's most-used account code; neither keys on the line description. For lines that change, both products offer description-based rules.
See saved line codingDatamolino line-extraction plan, same supplier and exact description, without an overriding keyword or Bill Split rule. ApprovalMax memory for Xero covers product-code-to-Item mapping and the supplier's most-used account code from approved requests.
Datamolino focuses on preparing, coding and approving invoices before export. ApprovalMax extends further into purchasing, with features such as purchase-order matching, budget information, scheduled substitutes and payment controls.
Need purchase orders, absence cover or payment release? ApprovalMax covers those; Datamolino covers invoice approvals before export. ApprovalMax shows the approver the budget impact; budgets cannot be used as a workflow condition.
See the invoice approval workflowDatamolino invoice sign-off and accounting export. ApprovalMax matching and budget scope varies by plan and ledger; the Pay example is UK/Xero. Budget status cannot trigger a workflow step.
A software supplier invoices £900 for an annual licence and £300 for setup support, plus the tax shown on the invoice. The client needs to approve the invoice, while the bookkeeping team needs to code the two lines separately before export to Xero.
Capture both invoice lines and add the client to the approval workflow. Enable Keep documents editable and the Audit Trail PDF for Xero, and leave automatic export after approval switched off.
The client reviews and approves the invoice. It remains in Datamolino so the bookkeeping team can finish the coding.
Code the £900 Annual licence line to Software subscriptions and the £300 Setup support line to IT support. Check the tax and totals.
Export the completed invoice to Xero with its Audit Trail PDF attached.
The client approves first, the bookkeeping team completes the coding, and the finished invoice is exported to Xero with its Audit Trail PDF.
Illustrative Xero example: a line-item plan, Keep documents editable enabled and automatic export after approval switched off. The Audit Trail PDF is attached when the completed invoice is exported to Xero.
ApprovalMax now includes Capture in every plan, priced per organisation by approved documents a month: Standard starts at £35.83 a month, billed yearly, for up to 100 documents. If you do not need line items, Datamolino's business Start plan costs £17 a month for 100 documents on a monthly contract, with invoice approvals included; with line-item capture it is £35. An accounting firm can buy one practice plan for all its clients and bring them into its approval workflow, and a business that buys directly can invite its accountant to work with it.
UK and Xero, checked 28 September 2026. ApprovalMax plans are Standard, Advanced and Premium, each sized by approved documents a month (up to 100, 300 or 500), with unlimited approvers since 15 September 2026. Capture and Pay are included in every plan; Pay Wallet payments carry a fee per payment. Prices exclude tax.
Start a free trial with a recurring supplier invoice and your approval steps, or check the plan for your volume. Prefer a walkthrough? Book a workflow demo and we will take you through the coding and approvals, right through to export.
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