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Mixed invoice lines. Saved coding for each one.

Datamolino applies keyword rules to individual invoice lines, keeping different costs on their own account codes, and includes invoice approvals in the subscription. Lightyear's Keyword Rule Automation applies its selected coding to every line of the bill. Lightyear also offers product and description rules for line-level coding. This comparison covers Lightyear Cloud, part of The Access Group.

Why choose Datamolino

Choose Datamolino for detailed invoice preparation and purchase sign-off. Reuse supplier and line-description coding, separate ordered PDF batches and export after the required approval.

The trade-off with Lightyear

Lightyear's Keyword Rule Automation applies the same coding to every bill line and overrides product settings. Mixed-cost invoices need its separate product/description rules. Lightyear is a strong option when you also need purchase orders, goods received records and invoice matching, with simple or layered approvals.

Sources and product details

Supplier-invoice preparation and configured sign-off. The Datamolino example uses Xero with line extraction. Lightyear matching needs the relevant plan and settings; UK Standard and Professional include goods received notes and three-way matching.

Compare features and limits.

Compare Lightyear and Datamolino for these six jobs.
Your workDatamolinoLightyear
Extract invoice lines
YesWith line items included
YesProduct or service-line extraction
Details for Extract invoice lines

Datamolino

Capture individual descriptions, quantities and amounts for line-by-line bookkeeping. Line extraction and its automation require an eligible subscription plan.

Supplier invoices on a plan with line extraction; available export fields depend on the accounting connection.

Lightyear

Product extraction includes product code, description, quantity, unit price and line amount. Service-line extraction includes description and line amount. Summary extraction combines lines instead.

Lightyear's documented Product, Service Lines and Service Summary extraction choices; choose the method for the fields required.

  • Lightyear: choose the right extraction method
Code different invoice lines
YesWith line items included
YesProduct and description rules
Details for Code different invoice lines

Datamolino

Reuse the last exported coding for an exact description from the same supplier. Configured keyword rules can match individual descriptions when a date or reference changes.

Plan includes line extraction; supplier or folder rule priority and the accounting connection determine the resulting fields.

Lightyear

Lightyear documents product and description rules that take precedence over supplier defaults. Its separate Keyword Rule Automation route applies selected coding to every bill line and overrides product-level settings.

Configured product and description coding. The whole-bill behaviour described here is Lightyear Keyword Rule Automation.

  • Lightyear: Keyword Rule Automation
Separate invoices in a PDF
YesAutomatic boundaries in ordered PDFs
YesEvery-N-page or custom boundaries
Details for Separate invoices in a PDF

Datamolino

Request Auto splitting during upload, use @split in the email subject, or enable the folder default. Datamolino identifies separate documents while keeping each invoice's pages together.

Ordered, multi-document PDFs with splitting requested; this is document separation, not allocation of one bill.

Lightyear

Quick Split separates a PDF after the number of pages you choose. Custom Split lets you select individual boundaries. Lightyear also documents grouping and reordering pages.

The documented Quick Split and Custom Split routes.

  • Lightyear: split, group and reorder documents
Route invoice approvals
YesIncluded; configure workflow stages
YesSimple or layered workflows
Details for Route invoice approvals

Datamolino

Enable an approval workflow for the folder and route the supplier invoice to its configured approvers before the normal accounting export.

Folder with approvals enabled. The normal approved-document path is compared; administrators have a separately documented skip-approval override.

Lightyear

Lightyear offers simple and layered bill workflows. Configure who approves and how many approval layers the invoice passes through before accounting or inventory export.

Lightyear Bills Approval Workflow; setup follows the team's required approvals, not a mandatory full purchasing process.

  • Lightyear: choosing the right approvals workflow
Reuse a saved supplier allocation
YesBill Split; accounting connection and rule type
Not confirmedAllocation widget; recurring rule unconfirmed
Details for Reuse a saved supplier allocation

Datamolino

Save a supplier Bill Split rule to replace captured lines with recurring allocations. Fixed amounts apply first, then percentages of the remainder. One-off and folder rules support Xero and QuickBooks; recurring supplier rules also support FreeAgent.

One bill allocated into accounting lines. Bill Split replaces captured lines and is an alternative to supplier keyword rules. FreeAgent scope is recurring supplier rules.

Lightyear

The Splitting Widget allocates a line or bill by percentage or amount. Datamolino Bill Split saves recurring supplier allocations.

Splitting Widget in the Bills Approval Workflow, for service lines or lines with quantity one. Its documented one-off allocation does not settle recurring-rule support.

  • Lightyear: Splitting Widget
Match orders, received goods and invoices
Not confirmedInvoice preparation and sign-off
YesMatching plan and setup
Details for Match orders, received goods and invoices

Datamolino

Datamolino covers invoice preparation, sign-off and accounting export. Discuss order and goods-receipt matching separately if those steps are part of your process.

Invoice workflow evidence only; the 16 September approval audit did not establish purchasing or goods-receipt parity.

Lightyear

Lightyear documents line-level matching between purchase orders, goods received records and bills, including partial deliveries. UK Standard and Professional include goods received notes and three-way matching.

Relevant plan, PO Bill Match and configured matching requirements. UK plan scope checked 19 September 2026.

  • Lightyear: line-level three-way matching
  • Lightyear: UK plans and feature entitlement

Compare the feature, plan, setup and regional scope. Open Details for evidence.

Apply coding to matching invoice lines

Datamolino keyword rules match individual line descriptions. Lightyear's named Keyword Rule Automation scans document text and applies its selected coding to every bill line. Lightyear also has product and description rules for line coding.

Start with
One supplier invoice contains Equipment rental, Technical support and Monthly service: October 2026. Each service needs a different account.
In Datamolino
In Datamolino, save a supplier keyword rule beginning with Monthly service, with the Service fees account and the appropriate tax code. Test it against the changing description.
The result
The monthly service line receives that rule's coding. The two unchanged descriptions can reuse their last exported coding from the same supplier when no overriding rule applies.

Keep mixed costs separate with Datamolino's line-description rules. Lightyear's Keyword Rule Automation changes every line and overrides product settings; use its separate product/description rules when each line needs different coding.

See description and keyword coding
Sources and product details

Illustrative Xero coding example: a line-item plan, paired supplier and an exclusive keyword rule with account and tax coding, without Bill Split. The Lightyear distinction concerns its named whole-bill Keyword Rule Automation, not all its coding rules.

Separate invoices automatically in a PDF batch

Datamolino detects document boundaries in an ordered scan when Auto splitting is requested. Lightyear's documented tools let you split after a fixed number of pages or select each boundary, with grouping and reordering controls too.

Start with
A six-page PDF contains three invoices, in order: one page, three pages and two pages.
In Datamolino
Upload the PDF to Datamolino with File splitting set to Auto, then check the separated invoices.
The result
The expected groups are page 1, pages 2 to 4 and pages 5 to 6, each as its own invoice for preparation.

Send an ordered scan to Datamolino and let Auto splitting find the separate invoices. With Lightyear's Custom Split, you select the boundaries yourself.

See automatic PDF splitting
Sources and product details

Illustrative ordered PDF batch. Keep each invoice’s pages together. Document splitting separates invoices; Bill Split allocates the amount of one bill.

Compare purchase-order and delivery matching

Lightyear connects purchase orders, goods received records and invoice lines, including partial deliveries. That is a reason to consider it when approval must cover what was ordered and received as well as the invoice.

Start with
A manager must approve a supplier invoice. The business may also need to check it against an order and deliveries received in separate batches.
In Datamolino
For the invoice decision in Datamolino, prepare the coding and send the document through the configured approval workflow. Export the approved invoice through the normal accounting path.
The result
The accounting system receives the prepared invoice after sign-off. Order and delivery matching are separate requirements.

Choose Lightyear when you need to match deliveries to orders and invoices. Choose Datamolino for invoice preparation and sign-off; Lightyear also offers simple approvals.

See the invoice approval workflow
Sources and product details

Datamolino supplier-invoice sign-off and export. Lightyear matching requires its relevant plan and setup; UK Standard and Professional include the matching capability.

Three services, three account codes

An illustrative Xero workflow: the same supplier sends a monthly invoice with Equipment rental at £600, Technical support at £250 and Monthly service: October 2026 at £150, plus the invoice's tax. The manager confirms the purchase; the bookkeeper prepares and exports the bill.

  1. Save the repeated descriptions

    On the previous invoice, the bookkeeper coded Equipment rental to Equipment hire and Technical support to IT support, checked the tax and exported to Xero. Datamolino can reuse that last exported coding for the same supplier and exact descriptions.

  2. Set the changing-description rule

    In the paired supplier's Keyword Rules, add an exclusive rule beginning with Monthly service. Set Service fees and the appropriate tax code. Use Test rules with Monthly service: October 2026 to check the result. Use Keyword Rules rather than Bill Split for this supplier.

  3. Check the next invoice's three lines

    On a plan with line extraction, capture the next invoice and use the Line items view. Equipment rental receives Equipment hire; Technical support receives IT support; Monthly service: October 2026 matches Service fees. The bookkeeper checks the £1,000 net total, tax and each code.

  4. Get the decision and export

    With the folder's approval workflow configured and Auto-export after approval off, send the invoice to the manager. Once it is Approved, the authorised bookkeeper exports the three coded lines to Xero.

The Xero bill has three separately coded lines after the manager's decision. Exact descriptions reuse saved coding; the monthly service rule handles its changing date.

Sources and product details

Illustrative Xero setup: line-item plan, matched supplier, exact repeated descriptions and no overriding keyword or Bill Split rule. The exclusive keyword rule provides account and tax coding. A manager completes approval before an authorised user exports manually.

See the relevant tools.

Explore saved line codingSeparate invoices in a PDFSee recurring bill allocationsFollow the invoice approval workflow

Try your documents and your approval steps.

Bring a recurring supplier invoice and an example that needs extra work. We’ll walk through the coding, the people involved and what reaches your accounts.

Book a workflow demo
Comparison sources · checked 19 September 2026