Your weekly go-to guide to transform your finance function into a strategic powerhouse.
Welcome CFO Techstack Community 👋,
Our 'How I Stacked It' series has been a hit so far, helping to set a precedent for which apps finance leaders in similar businesses to you are using.
But we're not stopping there.
Our community has asked for a way to navigate the vast ecosystem of apps, so we've mapped the terrain. Dive in to explore our comprehensive guide to the Xero app store and find the best tools for your needs.
FEATURED ARTICLE
The CFO Techstack Market Map
Empowering you to navigate the Xero ecosystem with confidence
CFO Techstack was founded on a simple idea: to empower in-house finance leaders to scale confidently using Xero. No one pays us to feature on our Market Map, our recommendations are based on insights from our thriving CFO Techstack community of over 3,500 finance leaders.
Working in in-house finance, you may sometimes feel pretty lonely and siloed. Missing out on valuable advice and insights about what you could and should be doing when it comes to building your tech stack.
Which is where CFO Techstack comes in.
Our mission is to provide that much-needed advice and amplify industry leaders, so you can navigate the app ecosystem and make smarter decisions for your team and business.
With over 1,100 apps, the Xero app store is massive - and can be overwhelming. That's why we started our beloved 'How I Stacked It' series. It's a sneak peek into other finance leaders' playbooks. A really useful resource, particularly when looking at what similar businesses are using.
Now we're taking this a step further. You've been asking for a map to help navigate this sea of apps, so we made one!
It's designed to help you zero in on the apps that'll actually solve your specific headaches.
A lot of these apps will have features that span multiple categories, but we've sorted them based on their primary strengths. This way, you can quickly find what you need without getting lost.
Best for: Using AI to automate repetitive processes.
How I stacked it count: 1
Cash Flow Forecasting
Agicap:
Best for: Real-time monitoring and forecasting functions.
How I stacked it count: 1
Float:
Best for: Helping project-based companies manage their cash.
How I stacked it count: 2
Cash Flow Frog:
Best for: Simple and intuitive interface.
How I stacked it count: 1
2. Operations
Data Ingestion
Dext:
Best for: Capturing and extracting data with over 99% accuracy, the highest in the market.
How I stacked it count: 10
Hubdoc:
Best for: Value – free with Xero Starter, Standard and Premium plans.
How I stacked it count: 3
AutoEntry:
Best for: Efficiency – saves up to 90% of the time spent on data entry.
How I stacked it count: 1
Spend Management / AP
Payhawk (Stacked exhibitor):
Best for: Comprehensive spend management for global teams.
How I stacked it count: 2
Spendesk:
Best for: All-in-one spend management.
How I stacked it count: 3
Pleo:
Best for: User-friendly spend management.
How I stacked it count: 7
Moss:
Best for: Rich spend insights based on real-time data.
Cledara:
Best for: SaaS subscription management.
How I stacked it count: 4
Wise:
Best for: Cost-effective international transfers.
How I stacked it count: 2
Weel:
Best for: All-in-one, easy-to-use spend management for SMEs in Australia.
How I stacked it count: 1
Tipalti (Stacked exhibitor):
Best for: Scalable AP automation for growing businesses.
How I stacked it count: 4
Lightyear:
Best for: Comprehensive purchasing and AP automation.
How I stacked it count: 1
Nook:
Best for: 10x faster payment runs.
ApprovalMax:
Best for: Customisable approval workflows.
How I stacked it count: 15
Billing / AR
Maxio:
Best for: Subscription and billing management.
How I stacked it count: 3
GoCardless:
Best for: Automated direct debit management.
How I stacked it count: 2
Chaser (Stacked exhibitor):
Best for: End-to-end AR automation.
How I stacked it count: 3
Payroll
Employment Hero:
Best for: All-in-one platform for HR, payroll and benefits.
How I stacked it count: 3
Deel:
Best for: Global payroll and compliance for international teams.
How I stacked it count: 1
Pento:
Best for: Automated people and payroll workflows for UK companies.
How I stacked it count: 2
FX
Airwallex:
Best for: Significant savings on foreign currency transactions.
How I stacked it count: 4
HedgeFlows:
Best for: Effective FX risk management.
Manufacturing / Inventory
Cin7:
Best for: Scalable inventory and order management solutions.
How I stacked it count: 2
Unleashed Software:
Best for:Easy-to-use supply chain and inventory management software.
How I stacked it count: 2
3. Accounting Automation
Mayday (Stacked exhibitor):
Best for: Reducing time spent on month-end by up to 98%.
How I stacked it count: 27
4. Reporting
Consolidation
Joiin (Stacked exhibitor):
Best for: Easy-to-use consolidation software.
How I stacked it count: 11
Calxa:
Best for: Budgeting and consolidated cash flow forecasting.
How I stacked it count: 1
dataSights:
Best for: Automated reporting and data analytics.
Management Reporting
Fathom:
Best for: Automating beautiful management reports.
How I stacked it count: 7
G-Accon:
Best for: Custom reporting with Google Sheets.
How I stacked it count: 2
Syft Analytics:
Best for: AI-first financial reporting platform.
How I stacked it count: 6
Spotlight Reporting:
Best for: All-in-one reporting and cash flow forecasting.
How I stacked it count: 1
The Xero ecosystem is packed with tools that can really make life easier for finance teams. Take a look at the apps that tackle the issues you're struggling with day-to-day. You might be surprised at how much they can streamline your work and help push your finance team forward. After all, having the right tech in your corner can make a huge difference when it comes to hitting those big-picture goals.
COMMUNITY EVENT
🎟️ Stacked
Xerocon for in-house finance teams
Are you an ambitious finance leader, eager to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry? Do you see technology as a powerful ally, not a threat? Are you looking for ways to break free from the isolation of in-house finance leadership and connect with like-minded professionals? If so, Stacked is for you.
Why attend?
As a switched-on finance leader, you understand the importance of staying current with the latest tech and career strategies. However, navigating these waters alone can lead to missed opportunities and critical blind spots. Stacked is designed to bridge this gap, offering you a unique blend of tech and career insights tailored specifically for finance leaders like you.
What you’ll gain:
Build the best tech stack for your business: Avoid the horror stories of making the wrong tech choices. Learn how to scale effectively with Xero and its ecosystem.
Become a better in-house finance leader in one day: Discover new strategies to propel your career to the next level. Network with fellow in-house finance leaders, sharing experiences and solutions to common challenges.
This is your opportunity to step out of the silo, connect with peers, and gain the insights you need to excel. Don’t let the chance slip by to learn what you could and should be doing to stay at the forefront of your field.
Cathy Collins, Finance Director at Pure Escapes, shares their tech stack
Pure Escapes is a destination management company, specialising in luxury travel to the Maldives, Seychelles, UAE and South Africa. The company works with Travel Agents to curate holidays in these destinations and work B2B only.
The company has over 80 employees based around the world and has been operating for over 15 years.
Cathy told us, "Day-to-day, I handle group forecasting, with a focus on cash flow, while leading a team of 9 accountants. I also manage internal controls and processes for our custom, in-house reservation system. We recently switched from NetSuite back to Xero because NetSuite was overly complex for our needs. This change not only saved us a significant amount on subscription fees but also allowed us to build a stronger tech stack in Xero step by step."
Here's what Cathy and her team are using:
Mayday for Intercompany: A complete game changer for our multi-entity business. Mayday has been essential for reconciling the intercompany loan accounts between our 5 entities, posting monthly recharges and has significantly reduced time reconciling invoices in the group bank reconciliation.
G-Accon for Monthly Management Accounts: Connects our Xero organisations with Google Sheets. G-Accon has automated our monthly management accounts, it automatically refreshes actuals for all our entities.
Dext for OCR: Dext automates our accounts payable using OCR to extract invoice data and push it to Xero.
Ledgerscope (Backupmybooks) for Data Back-up: As part of our IT and disaster recovery policy we back up all data going into Xero with Ledgerscope.
Tableau for Reporting: We use Tableau which integrates with Xero and our reservation system so that is currently sufficient for our reporting. However, I have also been investigating Fathom and think it’s a brilliant reporting tool. The ability to quickly view KPIs and do scenario-based 3-way forecasting is great and it also does multi-company consolidated reporting.
Cin7 released a feature to filter sales by type: simple, advanced, service, and credit note, to easily locate the sales you are looking for. See the latest updates.
In this webinar by Float, Chaser, and Lightyear, panellists will share invaluable insights on forecasting, payables, expenses, and receivables management, providing best-practice advice to help you protect and accelerate revenue. Register now >
B2B software companies are embracing usage-based pricing, adding pressure on Accounting/FP&A teams with new tasks and risks. Join UBP 101 for insights on compliance, audits, and planning, featuring Roxi Wen from Insight Partners. Save your seat >
It's painfully clear to you that your team needs accounting automation. Now the question is, how do you convince other stakeholders? Hear Ray Lau, CEO of Leapfin, walk through how high-growth companies like Canva, Reddit, and SeatGeek successfully built the case for accounting automation. Secure your spot >
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