Certinia rebranded from FinancialForce in October 2022 is a Salesforce-native ERP and professional services automation (PSA) platform built for organizations that need project delivery, resource management, revenue recognition, and financial management all in one connected system. For professional services businesses, it removes the gap between CRM, project execution, and accounting that typically requires multiple platforms to solve.
However, its accounts payable module is one component inside a broad ERP and PSA suite. Invoice capture requires a third-party OCR tool, approval workflows are built on Salesforce Flow and need admin configuration, and getting the full value from the platform means committing to an ERP implementation that typically takes 3–9 months. For teams whose primary goal is AP automation not a full ERP migration that is more than the problem requires.
This comparison between Certinia and Quick Payable explains the key differences in AP automation depth, workflow capabilities, implementation scope, and overall value. It will help you decide whether a full ERP and PSA platform is the right fit or whether a purpose-built AP automation platform delivers what you actually need, faster and with less overhead.
What is Certinia (FinancialForce)?
Certinia is a full accounting and ERP application plus professional services automation suite all built natively on the Salesforce Platform. Originally launched as FinancialForce in 2009, it was rebranded in 2022 and serves thousands of customers primarily in consulting, IT services, staffing, and managed services.
The platform covers general ledger, AR, AP, revenue recognition (ASC 606 / IFRS 15), project management, resource scheduling, time and expense tracking, and services billing. AP is delivered as a module within this broader system rather than as a focused automation product.
What is Quick Payable?
Quick Payable is a Salesforce-native accounts payable automation platform that manages the entire AP process from invoice capture to payment without replacing your existing accounting system. It combines AI-powered OCR, pre-built approval workflow automation, vendor management, and payment processing in a single focused solution.
It is built for finance teams that want to eliminate manual AP work, speed up invoice processing and approvals, and gain real-time visibility into their payable pipeline all inside Salesforce, and alongside the accounting or ERP software they already use.
Certinia includes two product lines: Financial Management (ERP, GL, AP, AR) and Professional Services Cloud (PSA project management, resource management, services billing). Quick Payable is an AP automation tool it does not compete with Certinia's PSA capabilities. This comparison focuses specifically on AP automation, where the two platforms serve different purposes and different organizational needs.
Certinia vs Quick Payable: Feature Comparison
Side-by-side view of how both platforms approach accounts payable automation:
| Feature | Quick Payable | Certinia |
|---|---|---|
| 1Salesforce Integration | Fully Native (AP-focused) | Fully Native (ERP + PSA) |
| 2AI OCR Invoice Capture | Included natively | Requires third-party add-on |
| 3Approval Workflows | Pre-built advanced automation | Salesforce Flow (admin-built) |
| 4Agentic AI Exception Handling | Included | Not available |
| 5Vendor Management | Included | Included |
| 6Payment Processing | Included | Cash management module |
| 7End-to-End AP Automation | Yes full lifecycle | Partial (ERP module) |
| 8Real-Time AP Reporting | Yes dedicated AP dashboards | General Salesforce reporting |
| 9Revenue Recognition (ASC 606) | Not applicable (AP tool) | Full ASC 606 / IFRS 15 |
| 10Professional Services Automation | Not applicable | Full PSA included |
| 11Replaces Accounting System | No works with yours | Yes full GL replacement |
| 12Implementation Time | Fast weeks (drop-in app) | 3–9 months (ERP project) |
| 13Works Alongside Certinia | Yes complementary | N/A |
Key Differences Explained
Certinia is a complete ERP and PSA platform it replaces your accounting system and adds project delivery, resource management, revenue recognition, and services billing on top. AP is one module within this broader system. The platform is designed for organizations that need all of these capabilities connected in one place, particularly professional services firms.
Quick Payable is built exclusively to automate the full accounts payable lifecycle from the moment an invoice arrives to payment confirmation. It does not replace your accounting system or add PSA capabilities. Instead, it makes your existing AP process dramatically more automated and efficient, whether you use Certinia any other GL.
Certinia does not include native AI-powered OCR for invoice capture. Most customers purchase and integrate a third-party document capture solution from the Salesforce AppExchange such as Kofax, Conga, or a purpose-built OCR tool adding an additional vendor relationship, integration complexity, and ongoing cost to the AP stack.
Quick Payable includes AI-powered OCR as a built-in, native feature. Invoices arriving by email, PDF, or scan are automatically read, extracted, and matched to vendor and PO records without manual re-keying or a third-party capture tool. The AI improves over time as it learns your vendor patterns.
Invoice approvals in Certinia are built on Salesforce Flow Salesforce's workflow automation framework. This is flexible but requires a skilled Salesforce administrator to design, test, and maintain approval logic. As approval rules grow more complex (multi-tier, multi-entity, amount thresholds), the admin overhead and configuration time grow with them.
Quick Payable includes pre-built, configurable approval workflows designed specifically for AP. Finance teams can configure multi-step routing based on invoice amount, vendor, department, cost center, or entity without writing a single line of Salesforce Flow logic. Changes to approval rules are made directly by the finance team, not dependent on an admin.
Certinia's AP module does not include agentic AI capabilities. Invoice exceptions, PO mismatches, and anomalies are identified and handled manually by the AP team. This is typical of ERP-based AP modules, where automation depth is secondary to accounting accuracy and integration. As invoice volume grows, manual exception handling becomes a meaningful bottleneck.
Quick Payable uses agentic AI to detect and handle invoice exceptions automatically. When an invoice doesn't match a PO, falls outside a vendor's normal amount range, or triggers a policy flag, the system routes it appropriately without manual intervention reducing the AP team's exception workload and accelerating processing times.
Implementing Certinia is an ERP-level project. Most organizations work with a certified Certinia implementation partner, migrate their general ledger and chart of accounts, configure financial management and PSA modules, and invest in user training and change management. This typically takes 3–9 months from contract to go-live and involves significant professional services investment.
Quick Payable is a drop-in AP automation solution. It connects to your existing accounting system including Certinia, if you use it and deploys inside your Salesforce org in a fraction of the time required by an ERP project. Finance teams are typically live and processing invoices in weeks, not months, with no GL migration required.
Certinia's most differentiated capabilities are its PSA module and revenue recognition engine not its AP module. For professional services businesses that need project billing, milestone tracking, resource utilization, and ASC 606 / IFRS 15 revenue recognition tightly connected to their financial management, Certinia provides capabilities that no standalone AP tool can replicate.
Quick Payable does not offer PSA or revenue recognition it is an AP automation tool. For organizations that already use Certinia and are satisfied with its PSA and ERP capabilities but need better AP automation, Quick Payable is designed to complement Certinia: running inside the same Salesforce org, handling AP automation, while Certinia handles the rest.
A consistent pattern among Certinia users: organizations adopt Certinia for its PSA and revenue recognition capabilities which are genuinely differentiated for services businesses. Once the platform is live, finance teams often find that AP is still largely manual. Invoices require a third-party OCR tool, approval routing relies on admin-maintained Salesforce Flow processes, and exceptions are handled one by one.
These teams add Quick Payable specifically to close the AP automation gap inside the same Salesforce org, working alongside Certinia's GL and project accounting without touching their existing ERP configuration. The result is the best of both: Certinia's ERP and PSA depth, plus Quick Payable's AP automation speed.
When to Choose Each Platform
When to Choose Certinia
- You run a professional services, IT services, consulting, or staffing business on Salesforce
- You need ASC 606 / IFRS 15 revenue recognition built into your billing system
- You need project management, resource scheduling, and financial management in one platform
- You manage multi-entity, multi-currency financial operations globally
- You have budget and timeline for a full ERP and PSA implementation
- You want to replace your accounting system with a Salesforce-native ERP
When to Choose Quick Payable
- You want to automate the full accounts payable process end-to-end
- You need AI-powered invoice capture without a third-party OCR add-on
- You want pre-built AP approval workflows without Salesforce Flow configuration
- You want to keep your existing accounting system including Certinia
- You need fast time-to-value: live in weeks, not months
- You need real-time AP visibility and exception handling in Salesforce
- You already use Certinia and want to add purpose-built AP automation alongside it
Cost and Efficiency Considerations
Comparing the real cost of both platforms requires looking beyond the subscription fee to include implementation investment, ongoing admin requirements, third-party add-on costs, and the operational cost of manual work that remains after deployment.
Moving from an ERP-module AP process to a purpose-built AP automation platform typically delivers meaningful processing cost reduction through automation of manual touchpoints across invoice receipt, data entry, approval routing, and payment scheduling. Teams consistently report shorter close cycles and fewer AP-related escalations after the transition.
See how much you can save with Quick Payable
Get a personalized estimate of your AP processing cost reduction based on your invoice volume and current workflow. Works alongside Certinia or any accounting system.
Calculate Your AP Savings →No credit card required
Conclusion
Certinia (formerly FinancialForce) is one of the most capable Salesforce-native ERP and PSA platforms available. For professional services organizations that need project delivery, revenue recognition, resource management, and financial management tightly connected in a single Salesforce-native system, it is a strong and well-differentiated platform. Its ASC 606 compliance, multi-entity support, and PSA depth are genuinely valuable for the right organization.
Quick Payable is purpose-built for accounts payable automation. It delivers AI-powered invoice capture, pre-built approval workflows, agentic exception handling, vendor management, payment processing, and real-time AP visibility all inside Salesforce, alongside whatever accounting or ERP system is already in place. It does not compete with Certinia's PSA capabilities. It makes the AP side of Certinia or any other platform run faster, with less manual work and more automation.
For many professional services organizations, the right answer is not either/or. Certinia handles the ERP and PSA layer. Quick Payable handles the AP automation layer. Both run natively inside the same Salesforce org, and the combination delivers more than either does alone.
If your primary decision is choosing a full ERP and PSA platform, Certinia deserves serious evaluation. If your primary decision is automating accounts payable and getting results in weeks rather than months Quick Payable is the more direct path.
FAQs
What is the main difference between Certinia (FinancialForce) and Quick Payable?
Certinia (formerly FinancialForce) is a full Salesforce-native ERP and professional services automation (PSA) platform it replaces your accounting system and adds project delivery, resource management, and revenue recognition on top. Quick Payable is a purpose-built AP automation platform that handles the full invoice-to-payment lifecycle and works alongside your existing accounting software without requiring a GL migration or full ERP implementation. The key difference is scope: Certinia replaces and extends your entire accounting system; Quick Payable automates your AP process specifically.
Does Quick Payable work with Certinia?
Yes. Quick Payable is designed to work alongside existing Salesforce-native platforms, including Certinia. Organizations can continue using Certinia for ERP, PSA, and revenue recognition while adding Quick Payable to handle AP automation invoice capture, approval routing, and payments without disrupting the existing Certinia configuration or migrating any data. Both platforms run natively inside the same Salesforce org.
Is Certinia a complete AP automation solution?
Certinia provides AP functionality as part of its broader ERP and PSA suite, but it is not a purpose-built AP automation platform. It does not include native AI-powered OCR invoice capture most customers add a third-party tool from the AppExchange. Approval workflows are built on Salesforce Flow and require administrator configuration. Teams focused on AP automation typically augment Certinia with a dedicated AP tool like Quick Payable.
Which is better for Salesforce users focused on AP automation?
For Salesforce users whose primary goal is AP automation, Quick Payable offers more focused depth. It provides AI-powered invoice capture, pre-built approval workflows, agentic exception handling, vendor management, payment automation, and real-time AP dashboards all natively in Salesforce without requiring a full ERP and PSA implementation or a Salesforce administrator to build and maintain approval logic.
When should I choose Certinia over Quick Payable?
Choose Certinia when your organization needs a full Salesforce-native ERP and PSA platform particularly if you run a professional services business that requires project billing, resource management, ASC 606 / IFRS 15 revenue recognition, and integrated financial management. Quick Payable does not replace an accounting system. If you need ERP and PSA alongside AP automation, Certinia plus Quick Payable is a common and effective combination.
How long does Certinia implementation take compared to Quick Payable?
Certinia implementations typically take 3–9 months and require a certified implementation partner, general ledger migration, and extensive configuration and training. Quick Payable is a drop-in AP automation solution finance teams are typically live and processing invoices in weeks, without a GL migration or major IT project. For organizations evaluating time-to-value, the difference is significant.
Does Quick Payable require replacing my existing accounting or ERP system?
No. Quick Payable is designed to work with your existing accounting system whether that is Certinia, Microsoft Dynamics, or another platform. It handles AP automation inside Salesforce and syncs with your GL without requiring you to replace, migrate, or reconfigure your existing accounting or ERP setup. This is one of its core design principles.
Book a Free Demo No Credit Card Required
See Quick Payable in action. We'll show you exactly how it handles your AP workflow inside Salesforce works alongside Certinia or any system with a 15-day free trial included.
Book a Free DemoIncludes a 15-day free trial. No credit card required.
AI-powered Salesforce-native accounts payable automation software.