Cortena is a Finto alternative for teams that want controlled finance ops, not only automatic AP journal entries.
Finto (gofinto.com) is a Munich AI accounts-payable platform that takes invoices in and aims for journal entries out across ERP stacks such as SAP, Business Central and DATEV. Cortena starts from a different premise. You brief coding guidelines in plain language, approve every posting, reconcile the bank, and run receivables next to payables in the same workspace. Here is a fair, factual comparison so you can decide which one fits.
Comparison written and reviewed November 2026. Where a Finto detail is not publicly documented, we mark it "varies" rather than guess.
What Finto does well.
We are not here to run Finto down. It is a serious early AI AP product from Munich. Credit where it is due.
Clear AP story: invoices in, journal entries out
The product narrative is simple and buyer-friendly. Inbox, validation, coding and ERP handoff sit in one AP loop.
Broad ERP ambition
Public materials speak to SAP, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, DATEV and other ERPs, which matters for larger mid-market buyers.
E-invoice formats on intake
PDF, scans, XRechnung and ZUGFeRD-style intake are part of the pitch. That matches where German finance is heading.
If a young AI AP agent focused on invoice-to-journal for large ERP stacks is your main need, Finto may be worth evaluating. The rest of this page is for teams that want guideline control, banking and receivables in the same operator.
"All automatic" AP still needs your guidelines, and AP alone is not finance ops.
Finto-class tools push hard on automatic accounts payable. Cortena is built for sceptical finance teams: you set the rules in plain language, you see a reason on every field, nothing posts without approval, and the same workspace covers banking and receivables.
Guidelines you write and can change, not a black-box auto-coder.
Automatic coding without your influence on guidelines and exceptions does not hold up in real books. Cortena takes a briefing in plain language, codes with a readable reason on every field, and asks when it is unsure.
- Plain-language guidelines per entity
- A reason attached to account, cost centre and VAT
- You approve before anything posts
Cloud hosting from Hetzner Online GmbH. Briefing: recurring infra under €2k to 6837, cost centre 4200. Precedent: last 4 invoices. BU 9. Ask Lena if over €2k.
Banking and receivables next to payables, not AP in isolation.
Invoice-to-journal AP is only one side of the cash loop. Cortena reconciles bank lines, issues ZUGFeRD receivables, processes payment advice and runs category-specific dunning in the same controlled workspace.
- Bank reconciliation via open banking and file import
- Receivables issue, payment advice and dunning
- One approval culture across AP and AR
The honest comparison.
Row by row, on the dimensions that actually change your week. Cortena facts are what we ship today. Finto facts we keep to what is publicly documented, and mark the rest "varies".
Finto is an early product and its exact behaviour depends on plan and configuration. Where we could not verify a detail from public sources, we wrote "varies" instead of inventing one. If any fact here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Who should pick which.
Finto is the better fit when
- Your primary need is an AI AP path into SAP, Business Central or similar large ERPs.
- You want a Munich-built invoice-to-journal agent and are comfortable evaluating an early product.
- You do not need banking, receivables or guideline-led control in the same workspace.
Cortena is the better fit when
- You need to influence coding with plain-language guidelines, not only trust "automatic".
- You want bank reconciliation and receivables next to payables.
- You post booking-ready work to DATEV, Exact Online or Twinfield with a reason on every field.
- You want free white-glove setup and a calm evaluation, not a paid trial.
Moving from Finto takes about 15 days.
There is no ledger migration to dread. Your books stay where they are. We connect your invoice inbox and banks, write your first briefing with you, and run coding side by side until the reasons earn your trust.
See multi-entity onboarding- 1Connect and brief, day 1Point your invoice inbox at Cortena and write your first guidelines. No project team required.
- 2Code and reconcile side by sideCortena codes with readable reasons, matches bank lines, and you review exceptions together.
- 3Go live in 15 daysApprovals, booking-ready export and receivables sit on your rules into DATEV, Exact Online or Twinfield.
Questions people ask before switching.
Yes, for teams that want guideline-led payables plus banking and receivables, not only an AI AP journal-entry path. Finto remains interesting if large-ERP AP automation is the whole job. Cortena briefs in plain language, shows a reason on every field, and covers AP, bank reconciliation and AR in one workspace.
Public Finto materials emphasise automatic validation and coding toward journal entries, with humans on exceptions. Cortena is built around guidelines you write in plain language and reasons you can read on every field. If influencing coding policy matters more than "all automatic", that is usually the decisive difference.
From public materials, Finto is centred on accounts payable: intake, validation, coding, approvals and ERP posting. Cortena also reconciles banks (open banking and file import), issues ZUGFeRD receivables, processes payment advice and runs category-specific dunning.
Yes. White-glove onboarding is free and most teams are live in about 15 days. Buyers evaluating Finto have reported paid trial or evaluation access. If a no-charge, hands-on setup matters, that is a practical difference.
We have tried hard to keep it fair. We credit what Finto does well and, where a detail is not publicly documented, we mark it "varies" rather than invent a fact. Product claims evolve quickly for early vendors. If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
See the difference on your own invoices.
Book a demo and bring a week of real supplier invoices. We will code them live with your guidelines, show bank match and walk receivables so you can compare for yourself.