Compare
steepl vs Aplos
A capability-by-capability comparison sourced from Aplos's public marketing, help center, security page, and pricing page (accessed 2026-05-20). We update this matrix monthly. If you see something out of date, email us.
Capability comparison
| Capability | steepl | Aplos |
|---|---|---|
Fund accounting (double-entry) | Yes — fund + department + net-asset class required on every line | Yes |
Donor-restricted vs board-designated distinction at intake | Enforced — restriction class is a required attribute on the contribution line | Manual — operator must remember to classify correctly |
Posted-entry immutability | Hash-chained per tenant; tamper-evident; verifier CLI | Not publicly documented |
Period-close anchoring | KMS-signed Merkle roots in WORM storage | Not offered |
Tenant data isolation | Database per accounting entity; multi-cluster fleet | Shared infrastructure |
Donor statements (Pub 1771) | Fail-closed compliance check; quid-pro-quo automated; noncash gift description-only | Annual statements supported |
Approval policies for AP | Configurable: amount × fund × department; single + dual approval + named approver lists | Submit → Review → Approve → Pay (shallow) |
Anti-BEC vendor bank-info change controls | 2-of-3 named approvers + 24-hour cool-down enforced by DSL | Not described publicly |
1099 production | YTD report with OBBBA 2026 $2,000 threshold; backup-withholding flag; missing-W-9 alert | 1099 export supported |
Clergy payroll depth | Housing allowance designation with board-resolution attachment, SECA, Form 4361 status | Payroll via Gusto add-on; clergy-specific handling external |
Firm operator console | Cross-client status grid + batch operations + bookkeeper assignment | Oversight = login federation between client accounts |
SAML / OIDC SSO | Yes (Firm tier; per-workspace IdP) | Not offered on standard plans |
SCIM 2.0 provisioning | Yes (Firm tier; Okta / Google Workspace / Entra) | Not offered |
Published SLA with credits | 99.9% with proportional credits | Not published |
Status page | Public, 12-month history | Not public |
SOC 2 Type II | On the path — Type I within 6 months of GA, Type II within 12 months | AWS-inherited posture; no Aplos-specific SOC 2 report |
Audit log export | Customer-controllable export of append-only events | Not exposed |
Verifier CLI for CPAs | Stand-alone tool — chain re-derivation + signed report | Not available |
Public REST API | Versioned OpenAPI, OAuth 2.0, webhooks, documented rate limits | Open API with API-key auth; webhook coverage limited |
Pricing for a 50-client firm | ~$16,188/year (firm base + active books) | ~$77,400/year (50 × Core $129/mo) |
AI | Bundled in the Advanced tier (no add-on tax) | Data Visualizer + AI features behind a $25/mo add-on |
Aplos® is a registered trademark of its owner. We are not affiliated with Aplos. Comparison sourced from public marketing, help center, security page, and pricing page accessed 2026-05-20. The comparison is maintained in
docs/research/competitors-deep.md and docs/research/aplos-deep.md within our repository.See it on your Aplos data
Bring an export. We'll run the import dry-run on a call and you'll see the side-by-side.