# Three-way match explained, and which AP vendors support it **URL:** https://payablesbrief.com/guides/three-way-match/ **Published:** 2026-10-29 **Modified:** 2026-11-04 **Author:** Payables Brief desk > Two-, three- and four-way match explained with a worked tolerance example, and which of 22 AP vendors name each. --- Guide # Three-way match explained, and which AP vendors support it Three-way match compares an invoice, a purchase order and a receipt. 17 of 22 AP vendors name it, 15 name two-way, and 1 names four-way matching. [Payables Brief desk](https://payablesbrief.com/about/) Updated 4 November 2026 First published 29 October 2026 In brief - Three-way match compares the invoice, the purchase order and the goods receipt before payment. - Two-way match drops the receipt, and four-way match adds an inspection sign-off. - 17 of 22 AP vendors name three-way matching, 15 name two-way, and 1 names four-way. - Vic.ai is the one vendor that names four-way matching. - BILL names three-way on Enterprise, Ramp in its Procurement add-on and Rillion as an add-on. Three-way match checks a supplier invoice against two other documents before it is paid: the purchase order and the goods receipt. Two-way match checks the invoice against the purchase order alone, and four-way match adds an inspection or acceptance sign-off. Of 22 AP vendors, 17 name three-way matching on a product, pricing or feature page, 15 name two-way, and 1 names four-way: Vic.ai. A match passes when quantities and prices agree within a tolerance. An invoice for 100 units at $50 each against 98 units received is a $100 gap, which passes a 3% tolerance on a $5,000 order and fails a 1% tolerance. ## What each match checks | Match | Documents compared | What it catches | | --- | --- | --- | | Two-way | Invoice and purchase order | A price or quantity on the invoice that differs from what was ordered | | Three-way | Invoice, purchase order and goods receipt | Billing for more than was delivered, and invoices for goods that never arrived | | Four-way | Invoice, purchase order, goods receipt and inspection report | Goods or work that arrived but failed the acceptance check | Two-way match fits services and recurring bills, where no goods receipt exists. Three-way match is the control for physical goods. Four-way match fits regulated or high-value purchases that need a quality sign-off before payment. ## Tolerance example: 100 units ordered, 98 received A purchase order covers 100 units at $50 each, so the order is worth $5,000. The warehouse receives 98 units, and the supplier invoices for 100 units, $5,000. - Two-way match compares $5,000 on the invoice with $5,000 on the order. It passes. - Three-way match compares the 100 units invoiced with the 98 received. The 2 extra units cost $100. - A 1% tolerance on the order allows $50 (1% of $5,000), so the $100 gap fails and the invoice goes to a person. - A 3% tolerance allows $150 (3% of $5,000), so the $100 gap passes and the invoice moves on. Looser tolerances send fewer invoices to review and let more small overbilling through. The [invoice approval workflow](https://payablesbrief.com/guides/invoice-approval-workflow/) sets who reviews an invoice that fails. ## Which AP vendors name each match type Figures as of 4 November 2026. | Vendor | Two-way | Three-way | Four-way | Detail | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Airbase](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/airbase/) | Named | Named | Not named | Automated 2-way and 3-way PO matching | [airbase.com/pricing](https://www.airbase.com/pricing) | | [AvidXchange](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/avidxchange/) | Named | Named | Not named | Configurable tolerance policies by supplier | [avidxchange.com/solutions/purchase-order-automation-software](https://www.avidxchange.com/solutions/purchase-order-automation-software/) | | Basware | Not named | Named | Not named | Flexible matching beyond 3-way matching | [basware.com/en/solutions/ap-automation/touchless-invoice-processing](https://www.basware.com/en/solutions/ap-automation/touchless-invoice-processing/) | | [BILL](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/bill-com/) | Named | Named | Not named | 2-way matching with tolerance rules on Corporate; 2 and 3-way matching on Enterprise | [bill.com/product/pricing](https://www.bill.com/product/pricing) | | [Corpay](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/corpay/) | Named | Named | Not named | 2- and 3-way matching | [corpay.com/ap-automation/invoice-automation](https://www.corpay.com/ap-automation/invoice-automation) | | [Coupa](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/coupa/) | Named | Named | Not named | Automated two-way and three-way matching | [coupa.com/products/ap-automation](https://www.coupa.com/products/ap-automation/) | | Esker | Not named | Named | Not named | Three-way matching of purchase orders, receipts and invoices | [esker.com/solutions/accounts-payable](https://www.esker.com/solutions/accounts-payable/) | | [Medius](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/medius/) | Named | Named | Not named | Two-way and three-way matching | [medius.com/ap-automation](https://www.medius.com/ap-automation/) | | Nanonets | Named | Named | Not named | AP agent runs a 2- or 3-way match against POs and goods receipt notes | [nanonets.com/agent/accounts-payable](https://nanonets.com/agent/accounts-payable) | | [Ramp](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/ramp/) | Named | Named | Not named | 2-way and 3-way matching with Ramp purchase orders; three-way match is in the Procurement add-on to Plus or Enterprise | [ramp.com/procurement](https://ramp.com/procurement) | | [Rillion](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/rillion/) | Named | Named | Not named | Both are add-ons in all three packages | [rillion.com/pricing](https://www.rillion.com/pricing/) | | Routable | Named | Named | Not named | PO matching is listed under the Scale plan | [routable.com/features/po-matching](https://www.routable.com/features/po-matching/) | | [Stampli](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/stampli/) | Named | Named | Not named | Semi-automated 2-3 way matching included | [stampli.com/pricing](https://www.stampli.com/pricing/) | | [Tipalti](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/tipalti/) | Named | Named | Not named | Tolerance ranges by amount or percentage | [tipalti.com/ap-automation/po-matching](https://tipalti.com/ap-automation/po-matching/) | | Vic.ai | Named | Named | Named | Supports 2-, 3- and 4-way matching | [vic.ai/accounts-payable/po-matching](https://www.vic.ai/accounts-payable/po-matching) | | [Yooz](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/yooz/) | Not named | Named | Not named | Yooz uses 3-way checking | [getyooz.com/accounts-payable-automation](https://www.getyooz.com/accounts-payable-automation) | | [MineralTree](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/mineraltree/) | Blog only | Blog only | Not named | Blog post (April 2024) says both are supported | [mineraltree.com/blog/netsuite-invoice-approval](https://www.mineraltree.com/blog/netsuite-invoice-approval/) | | Quadient AP | Blog only | Blog only | Not named | Blog post names 2-way and 3-way PO matching; the Purchase orders plan includes automated invoice-PO match | [quadient.com/en-us/blog/quadient-ap-vs-avidxchange](https://www.quadient.com/en-us/blog/quadient-ap-vs-avidxchange) | | [Brex](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/brex/) | Named | Not named | Not named | Brex two-way matches incoming bills to a PO | [brex.com/product/bill-pay](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay) | | [Emburse](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/emburse/) | Named | Named | Not named | Automatically matching deliveries to invoices; Invoice Enterprise adds invoice-to-PO matching with goods receipt | [emburse.com/solutions/ap-automation](https://www.emburse.com/solutions/ap-automation) | | Melio | Not named | Not named | Not named | No match type named | [meliopayments.com/accounts-payable](https://meliopayments.com/accounts-payable/) | | [Paystand](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/paystand/) | Not named | Not named | Not named | No match type named on AP automation page | [paystand.com/ap-automation](https://www.paystand.com/ap-automation) | Of the 22 vendors, 17 name three-way matching, 15 name two-way and 1 names four-way. MineralTree and Quadient AP name both on a blog post only. Brex names two-way only. Emburse names both two-way and three-way. Melio and Paystand name no match type. Plan gating changes what a buyer gets. BILL names automatic 2 and 3-way matching on Enterprise and 2-way matching with tolerance rules from Corporate. Ramp names two-way and three-way match with purchase orders and sells three-way match in its Procurement add-on to Plus or Enterprise. Rillion sells both types as add-ons in all three packages, and Routable lists PO matching under its Scale plan. Stampli includes semi-automated 2-3 way matching and offers full automation through its Billy agent. The [AP plan finder](https://payablesbrief.com/plan-finder/) shows which plan carries your matching level and your ERP. ## Four-way match Vic.ai is the one vendor that names four-way matching. It says it supports 2-, 3- and 4-way matching across purchase orders, invoices, receipts and delivery notes. ## Where matching sits in AP Matching follows invoice capture and comes before approval. [OCR invoice capture](https://payablesbrief.com/guides/ocr-invoice-capture/) reads the document into fields, and matching decides whether those fields agree with the order. The [invoice automation software ranking](https://payablesbrief.com/best/invoice-automation-software/) separates capture from matching and compares vendors on both. Teams that issue purchase orders and receipts inside the same tool can match without importing them from an ERP. The [procure-to-pay guide](https://payablesbrief.com/guides/procure-to-pay/) shows which of the 22 vendors create requisitions, orders and receipts, and the [procure-to-pay software list](https://payablesbrief.com/best/procure-to-pay-software/) ranks tools that cover all three. Rillion, Medius and MineralTree matching depends on how the ERP holds the order, which the [cost records](https://payablesbrief.com/cost/) note for each vendor, and the [pricing methodology](https://payablesbrief.com/methodology/) states how plan gating is handled. ## Frequently asked questions - What is three-way match? Three-way match checks a supplier invoice against the purchase order and the goods receipt. The invoice is paid when quantities and prices agree across all three documents, within the tolerance the company sets. - What is the difference between two-way and three-way match? Two-way match compares the invoice with the purchase order. Three-way match adds the goods receipt, so it also catches an invoice that bills for more than was delivered. - What is four-way match? Four-way match adds a fourth check to the three-way match: an inspection or acceptance sign-off that the goods or work meet the order. Vic.ai is the one AP vendor in this set that names it. - Which AP vendors support three-way match? 17 of 22 AP vendors name three-way matching on a product, pricing or feature page: Airbase, AvidXchange, BILL, Corpay, Coupa, Emburse, Medius, Nanonets, Ramp, Rillion, Routable, Stampli, Tipalti, Vic.ai, Yooz, Basware and Esker. MineralTree and Quadient AP name it on a blog post. Brex names two-way only. Melio and Paystand name no match type. - What is a matching tolerance? A tolerance is the gap between documents that still passes the match, set as a dollar amount or a percentage of the order. A 3% tolerance on a $5,000 order passes a gap of up to $150.