5 Purchasing Software Tools That'll Actually Make Your CFO Smile in 2025

Let's be real for a second: if your team is still managing purchase orders through email chains, scattered spreadsheets, and those endless "just following up..." messages, you're not alone. But you're also leaving serious money on the table.

Purchasing software allows businesses to manage the purchasing stage of their supply chain, comprised of finding suppliers, analyzing budgets, comparing products, and finally acquiring goods or services.

The difference between companies that crush it and those that struggle often comes down to one thing: they've stopped fighting their procurement process and started automating it.

Here's what nobody tells you about purchasing software: it's not about buying the fanciest enterprise solution with every bell and whistle. It's about finding a tool that actually fits how your team works, eliminates the bottlenecks that drive everyone crazy, and gives you visibility into where your money goes before it's too late to do anything about it.

In this guide, we're breaking down five purchasing software platforms that bring different strengths to the table. No fluff, no vendor speak—just straight talk about what each tool does well, who it's built for, and whether it might be the right fit for your business. Because at the end of the day, the best purchasing software is the one your team will actually use.

Before we dive into specific tools, let's talk about what purchasing software actually does for your business—because if you're going to invest time and budget into new software, you should know exactly what you're getting.

Purchasing software enables users to create electronic purchase orders, record invoices, and provide confirmation for the receipt of goods.

But the real magic happens in the details:

Spend Visibility That Doesn't Require a PhD: Modern procurement management software automates routine tasks, provides real-time spend visibility, and helps you build stronger supplier relationships, all while reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Instead of waiting until month-end to discover budget overruns, you know exactly where you stand right now.

Automated Workflows That Actually Work: The solution can automatically repeat the old purchase order without the intervention of a user to recreate them, helping to speed up the purchase process.

Your team stops wasting hours on administrative busywork and starts focusing on strategic decisions.

Supplier Management That Makes Sense: Features such as spend controls, budgeting, and vendor management help create financial transparency as well as maintaining a better relationship with vendors.

When you can track vendor performance, negotiate better rates, and actually know who your best suppliers are, procurement becomes a competitive advantage instead of a necessary evil.

The Paper Trail That Saves Your Bacon: When audit season rolls around or disputes arise, having every purchase order, approval, and receipt documented in one system means you're not scrambling through filing cabinets or digging through email archives at 11 PM.

Now, let's look at the tools that deliver on these promises.

If you're a growing business earning $10M+ in annual revenue and you're tired of cobbling together multiple systems that don't talk to each other, ProcureDesk deserves your attention. This isn't a stripped-down "starter" solution or an enterprise behemoth that requires a PhD to operate—it's the sweet spot for companies that have outgrown basic tools but don't need (or want to pay for) industrial-strength complexity.

ProcureDesk is purchasing software built for small businesses that replaces spreadsheets, emails, and manual paperwork with one easy-to-use system, where your team can quickly request, approve, and track purchases in one place.

Here's what actually matters: the platform thinks like your procurement team already does. You're not forcing your workflows into some rigid template designed by people who've never actually done procurement. Instead, ProcureDesk molds itself around how you work.

Budget Control That Actually Prevents Overspending: Procurement teams can see all active orders and real-time spending — the system displays budgets to show what's left to spend.

No more awkward conversations about blown budgets after the fact.

Automated Purchase Order Magic: After approval of purchase requests, the system automatically converts them to purchase orders and sends POs to vendors, so managers don't have to take care of this last (and often tedious) step.

Your team stops being order-processing robots and starts being strategic buyers.

Integration That Just Works: ProcureDesk integrates directly with accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, and more, with approved purchase orders automatically syncing with your accounting software.

Finally, procurement and finance speak the same language.

Vendor Management Without the Headaches: The dashboard simplifies vendor management and allows for convenient messaging between vendors and procurement teams.

Everything you need to manage supplier relationships lives in one place.

This platform makes the most sense for:

• Mid-market companies ready to graduate from basic accounting software but not ready for enterprise pricing

• Organizations with complex approval hierarchies that need customizable workflows

• Teams that value ease of use over feature bloat

• Businesses planning to scale and need software that grows with them

The Purchasing Automation plan starts at $498/month and includes all the tools to manage orders and spending, while the Purchasing & AP Automation plan starts at $790/month.

Yes, it's an investment. But compared to the cost of procurement chaos, duplicate orders, and blown budgets? It pays for itself faster than you'd think.

Ever feel like every purchasing software seems built for someone else's business? That's where Kissflow takes a completely different approach. Instead of forcing you into pre-built workflows that "kind of" fit, Kissflow gives you a no-code platform to build the exact procurement process you need.

Kissflow is a fully-customizable procurement software for small business, primarily a no-code workflow management tool that allows you to customize your process workflows to meet your specific business needs, with users able to customize every step of the process from procurement to payment all in one place.

Translation: Your operations manager who's never written a line of code can design the approval workflows, requisition forms, and purchasing processes that match exactly how your company operates. No developers required. No months-long implementation projects. No compromise.

Workflow Builder That Makes Sense: Kissflow has a template for every workflow including the procurement process, simplifying the process of creating purchase orders and other related dashboards.

Start with templates, then tweak them until they're perfect for your business.

Analytics You Can Actually Use: This system has varying options for displaying analytics that enable you to view many aspects of your procurement process, allowing you to manage your suppliers and keep a close eye on their performance.

The dashboards don't just look pretty—they tell you what's actually happening with your spending.

Integration Flexibility: It offers robust integration to connect your procurement process with other finance systems you use.

Whether you're running SAP, QuickBooks, or something in between, Kissflow plays nice with others.

This platform shines for:

• Companies with unique procurement needs that don't fit standard workflows

• Businesses in regulated industries requiring specific approval paths and documentation

• Organizations tired of "close enough" solutions that force workarounds

• Teams that want control over their processes without IT dependency

Kissflow's superpower—its flexibility—is also its challenge. You get exactly what you build, which means you need someone on your team who understands procurement well enough to design effective workflows. It's not plug-and-play, but if you invest the time upfront to configure it properly, you'll have a system that fits like a custom suit instead of off-the-rack clothes that never quite fit right.

If your company operates across borders, deals with international suppliers, or just plans to expand globally, Precoro understands something most purchasing platforms miss: procurement gets exponentially more complicated when you're not just dealing with dollars.

Precoro is purchase order software for global teams that require multi-currency features.

But it's not just about converting euros to dollars or tracking exchange rates (though it does both beautifully). It's about understanding that global procurement involves different tax systems, varied compliance requirements, and supplier relationships that span time zones and languages.

Supplier Management That Thinks Globally: It offers custom purchase order templates, automated approvals, and budget tracking.

Whether you're ordering from suppliers in Singapore, Stuttgart, or San Francisco, the process stays consistent while adapting to local requirements.

The Interface Everyone Mentions: Precoro is the HubSpot of the procurement world, coming with a clear-to-view, easy-to-access card about each and every bid or purchase at each stage of the procurement lifecycle.

You see the status of every purchase order at a glance, no matter which country or currency it's in.

High-Volume Purchase Order Management: Precoro is ideal for businesses with high volumes of purchase orders and supplier relationships.

If you're processing dozens or hundreds of POs monthly, Precoro's organization and tracking capabilities keep everything from falling through the cracks.

This platform makes sense for:

• International businesses managing suppliers across multiple countries

• Companies with high purchase order volumes requiring industrial-strength organization

• Organizations expanding globally that need multi-currency from day one

• Businesses prioritizing supplier relationship management as a competitive advantage

Some users mentioned that the interface is not so intuitive, especially for those who are new to procurement software.

There's a bit of a learning curve here. Precoro packs a lot of power, and with power comes complexity. Budget time for proper training and onboarding—it's worth it, but it's not instant gratification.

Let's address the elephant in the room: not every business has $500+ per month to spend on purchasing software. If you're a small business or startup that needs to control spending without blowing your budget on the tool meant to control your budget (the irony isn't lost on us), Spendwise deserves serious consideration.

Targeting small to midsized businesses, Spendwise offers an affordable and user-friendly procurement solution focused on streamlining the transition from manual, paper-based systems to digital workflows, focusing on essential procurement features without overwhelming complexity.

This is procurement software that understands you don't need every feature under the sun—you need the right features that solve your most pressing problems without requiring a master's degree to figure out.

Purchase Order Management Fundamentals: Streamlined purchase order creation, approval, and tracking workflows, budget management with real-time spending visibility against allocated amounts, and electronic bill and expense management with customizable approval processes.

All the core capabilities that matter, without the bloat.

Pricing That Makes Sense for Small Teams: Basic: $9/user/month (minimum 1 user, up to 5 users, 10 transactions monthly), Pro: $19/user/month (minimum 5 users, up to 50 users, unlimited transactions).

Finally, purchasing software priced for actual small businesses instead of disguised enterprise pricing.

The Digital Transformation Entry Point: The software's primary application is to help businesses centralize and automate their entire procure-to-pay process, from purchase requests to final payment and reporting.

Moving from spreadsheets and email to real purchasing software doesn't have to be overwhelming or expensive.

This tool works well for:

• Small businesses with limited budgets but real procurement headaches

• Startups ready to implement structure around spending before things get chaotic

• Companies transitioning from manual processes to digital for the first time

• Teams that need simplicity over sophistication (and there's nothing wrong with that)

Spendwise won't compete feature-for-feature with enterprise platforms costing 10x more—and that's okay. These tools lack advanced workflows and budget controls.

If you're processing hundreds of POs monthly with complex approval matrices across multiple entities, you'll outgrow Spendwise. But as an entry point into proper purchasing software? It's a smart, affordable choice that delivers real value.

Here's something different: what if most of your business purchasing happens on e-commerce sites rather than through traditional suppliers? That's where Order.co takes a unique approach that makes complete sense once you think about it.

Order.co is for teams who primarily purchase on eCommerce sites.

Instead of fighting against how your team actually buys things, Order.co embraces the reality that modern business purchasing increasingly happens through online marketplaces.

Order meets all your business procurement needs in a single software, a great option for fast effective procurement with lesser costs where you can purchase your supplies, pay for your order and keep track on the same platform.

Shop Like a Consumer, Control Like a CFO: You can identify all the best prices for the products and services you need and add them to your cart as one big order.

Your team gets the convenience of shopping on familiar e-commerce sites while you maintain complete purchasing oversight and control.

Centralized Chaos Control: Order.co is a top purchase order software because you can streamline your entire purchasing process in one central system, where users can generate a single purchase request across multiple vendors with a few clicks, get the necessary approvals, and auto-submit their POs to the vendors.

No more scattered accounts, forgotten passwords, or rogue purchasing.

Simplified Vendor Payments: Order allows you to enjoy simplified vendor payments too regardless of the size of your purchase order.

One payment system, one reconciliation process, even when ordering from a dozen different suppliers.

This platform excels for:

• Businesses that primarily buy through e-commerce (office supplies, equipment, small tools, etc.)

• Teams frustrated with managing multiple vendor accounts and login credentials

• Companies wanting consumer-simple purchasing with enterprise-level control

• Organizations looking to consolidate purchasing across Amazon Business, Staples, Grainger, and similar platforms

Order.co's strength is also its limitation. If you're primarily dealing with traditional suppliers sending quotes and negotiating contracts for custom products, Order.co might not be your best fit. But if e-commerce purchasing represents a significant chunk of your spending? This platform eliminates friction in a way traditional purchasing software simply can't match.

You've seen the options. Now comes the hard part: actually making a decision. Here's how to cut through the noise and pick the purchasing software that'll work for your business instead of just checking boxes on some comparison chart.

Don't chase features you don't need. If your company suffers losses from lack of communication, for instance, make sure the software solution you have in mind addresses it.

Ask yourself (and your team) these questions:

• What procurement problems cost us the most money right now?

• Where do purchase orders get stuck or lost in our current process?

• Which manual tasks drive our team absolutely crazy?

• What visibility are we completely lacking today?

The software that directly solves your top three pain points beats the one with fifty features you'll never use.

Without the right combination of features and integrations with your existing tech stack, you'll find yourself saddled with manual tasks and potential data silos.

Your purchasing software doesn't exist in a vacuum. It needs to play nice with:

• Your accounting system (this is non-negotiable)

• Your ERP if you have one

• Your payment platforms

• Your expense management tools

A less-powerful tool that integrates seamlessly beats a feature-rich platform that requires manual data entry to sync with your other systems. Every time.

Pick software that can grow with your business. Enterprise tools offer many features but may be complex to set up.

Be honest about where your company is headed:

• Staying small and focused? Don't overpay for enterprise scalability you'll never need.

• Growing aggressively? Don't cheap out on a tool you'll outgrow in 18 months.

• Expanding internationally? Multi-currency and compliance features matter now, not later.

There is also a free trial for new users to explore the platform.

Most quality purchasing software offers demos or trial periods. Actually use them.

Don't just let the sales rep show you the happy path. Have your procurement team try to:

• Create a complex purchase requisition

• Set up approval workflows that match your actual process

• Generate the reports you actually need

• Navigate the system without training

If it's confusing during the demo with the vendor holding your hand, it'll be worse in real life.

Here's what it comes down to: every day you delay implementing proper purchasing software is a day you're bleeding money, frustrating your team, and missing opportunities to negotiate better vendor terms because you don't have good spending data.

You don't need the perfect solution. You need a better solution than the chaos you're managing today.

Whether that's ProcureDesk's comprehensive platform for growing mid-market companies, Kissflow's no-code flexibility for unique workflows, Precoro's global capabilities for international operations, Spendwise's budget-friendly entry point for small teams, or Order.co's e-commerce-native approach—the "best" choice is the one that solves your biggest problems right now.

Modern procurement software makes spending more efficient and transparent, helping your business grow. Whether you need a dedicated procurement tool or an all-in-one solution, moving beyond spreadsheets and email will help you make better, faster purchasing decisions.

The companies winning in 2025 aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest tech stacks. They're the ones that stopped accepting procurement chaos as "just how things are" and invested in systems that give them control, visibility, and time back to focus on growing their business.

Your procurement process either works for you or against you. There's no middle ground. The question isn't whether to invest in purchasing software—it's which one you'll choose and how soon you'll implement it.

So stop overthinking it. Pick the tool that makes sense for your business, commit to implementing it properly, and watch how quickly improved procurement impacts your bottom line. Your future self (and your CFO) will thank you.