Automated Accounts Payable in Rent Manager: Smart Bills or AvidXchange?

Managing accounts payable (AP) in property management can be time-consuming, especially when juggling dozens—or even hundreds—of vendor invoices each month. Manual data entry, approval workflows, and payment processes can slow down operations and leave room for error.

To streamline AP workflows and increase efficiency, Rent Manager offers two powerful solutions: Smart Bills, powered by Orion AI, and AvidXchange, a built-in integration with an industry-leading AP automation platform. While these tools are designed to simplify and accelerate your invoice processing, they serve distinct use cases and business types.

This article will break down the capabilities of both features, helping you determine which one is the best fit for your team—and giving prospects an inside look at the robust accounts payable features Rent Manager has to offer.

Smart Bills: AI-Enhanced Invoice Management with Human Oversight

Smart Bills is a native feature of Rent Manager and part of the Smart AR/AP Suite, powered by Orion AI. It’s designed for companies that want to reduce data entry and improve accuracy, while still keeping their invoice management in-house.

Key Features of Smart Bills

AI Invoice Capture: Upload PDF or image files of vendor bills, and Orion AI will automatically extract the key transaction details and pre-fill invoice fields in Rent Manager.

Inbox Emailing: Vendors can send invoices directly to a Smart Bills-specific email inbox for processing—eliminating the need for manual upload into Rent Manager.

User Review Process: Invoices go through a human validation process before being posted, ensuring full control and oversight.

Vendor Matching: Orion learns from your system setup, improving accuracy over time by recognizing vendor names and addresses.

Best Fit For

• Teams with low-to-moderate invoice volume
• Businesses with simple, single-reviewer approval workflows
• Companies that prefer to keep AP processing in-house

AvidXchange: Full-Service AP Automation with Tiered Approvals

AvidXchange is built into Rent Manager through a seamless integration. It’s best suited for companies looking to outsource the heavy lifting of invoice management—especially those with complex approval processes or high invoice volume.

Key Features of AvidXchange

AvidInvoice: Vendors send invoices directly to AvidXchange, where they’re automatically digitized and prepared for import into Rent Manager.

Custom Approval Workflows: Set up multi-tiered approval chains, routing invoices to the right team members automatically.

Electronic Payments: Pay vendors through ACH, virtual card, or check using AvidPay.

Vendor Network Access: Tap into AvidXchange’s extensive vendor network for streamlined payment processing.

Best Fit For

• Companies or teams with medium-to-high invoice volume
• Organizations with multi-level approval processes
• Businesses looking to outsource invoice management
• Teams with limited capacity to manage invoice intake, review, and payments

Side-by-Side Breakdown: Smart Bills vs. AvidXchange

Feature	Smart Bills	AvidXchange
Invoice Capture	Orion AI reads PDF/image files and pre-fills invoice fields	Invoices are emailed, digitized, and imported into Rent Manager from AvidXchange
Review Process	Each invoice is reviewed by one person	Can be routed through multi-tiered, customizable approval chains
Payments	Payments made traditionally or via AvidPay	Payments made traditionally or via AvidPay
Vendor Emailing	Vendors can send invoices to a Smart Bills inbox	Vendors email invoices to AvidXchange’s digitization pipeline
Feature Type	Native Rent Manager feature	Built-in integration with a third-party provider
Best Fit For	Simple approval workflows, low-to-moderate volume	Complex approval chains, high volume, or teams with limited AP bandwidth

Which Accounts Payable Solution Is Right for You?

When choosing between Smart Bills and AvidXchange, the right solution depends on your team size, invoice volume, and approval workflow complexity.

Choose Smart Bills if:

• Your team handles a small-to-moderate amount of invoices each month
• You prefer to keep all AP processes in-house
• Your approval workflow involves just one person

Choose AvidXchange if:

• You process, or plan to process, a large volume of invoices each month
• You want to automate routing and approvals
• You want to offload invoice processing
• Your team is lean, or in-house AP tasks are slowing down operations

Final Thoughts on Automated Accounts Payable in Rent Manager

Automating accounts payable is one of the most effective ways property managers can reduce operational overhead, eliminate bottlenecks, and ensure vendors are paid on time. Whether you’re looking for a streamlined, AI-powered invoice review process with Smart Bills, or a more comprehensive, outsourced AP automation system for complex review processes with AvidXchange, Rent Manager has a solution built to fit your business.