Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

BlackLine vs Melio

BlackLine logo

BlackLine

Accounting & Finance

Finance & accounting automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Melio logo

Melio

Accounting & Finance

Simple business payments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Melio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: BlackLine listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document; Melio go (free) plan limited to one user only
  • They diverge on capability: BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Melio covers Vendor payments.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BlackLine and Melio actually diverge.

Attributes where BlackLine and Melio differ
AttributeBlackLineMelio
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile app
Founded20012018

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting & Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BlackLine

  • Account reconciliation
  • Journal entries
  • Task management
  • Variance analysis
  • Financial close
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • NetSuite

Only in Melio

  • Vendor payments
  • Card to check
  • Payment scheduling
  • Approval workflows
  • QuickBooks sync
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
  • FreshBooks

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BlackLine

  • Financial closenot Melio
  • Reconciliationnot Melio
  • Continuous accountingnot Melio

Melio

  • Accounts payable automationnot BlackLine
  • Bill management and payment schedulingnot BlackLine
  • Multi-vendor payment processingnot BlackLine
  • Invoice receivables and payment collectionnot BlackLine

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BlackLine

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document

Melio

  • Go (free) plan limited to one user only
  • ACH charges £0.50 per transaction beyond monthly allowance (5-50 free depending on plan)
  • Card payment fees range from 2.9% to 2.9% plus £75 maximum
  • International payments limited to select currencies only
  • NetSuite integration only available in Unlimited plan (£80/month minimum)

Pricing, plan by plan

BlackLine

$29/month
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Account reconciliation
    • Task management

Melio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Melio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose BlackLine if

  • You need account reconciliation.
  • You also want journal entries.
BlackLine review

Choose Melio if

  • You need vendor payments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want card to check.
Melio review

Questions people ask

Is BlackLine or Melio better?
Neither clearly leads. BlackLine starts at $29/month and Melio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BlackLine or Melio?
Melio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for BlackLine and Free for Melio.
Does BlackLine or Melio run on more platforms?
BlackLine runs on Web. Melio runs on Web, Mobile app.
Can I use Melio for free?
Yes. Melio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BlackLine starts at $29/month.
What is BlackLine best used for?
BlackLine is most often used for financial close, reconciliation, continuous accounting. Of those, financial close and reconciliation are not what Melio is typically brought in for.
What can BlackLine do that Melio cannot?
BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Journal entries, Task management, Variance analysis. Melio covers Vendor payments, Card to check, Payment scheduling, Approval workflows. Both handle Web support.
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