Chaser and Upflow both automate invoice chasing, but they’re aimed at quite different businesses. Chaser is built for small to mid-sized companies that want to stop chasing invoices manually. Upflow is built for mid-market and enterprise finance teams that want to professionalise their entire accounts receivable operation.
If you’re evaluating both, the honest answer is that they’re not really competing for the same customer. This article explains who each tool is actually designed for, what the key differences are, and where a third option might be worth considering.
Who each tool is built for
Chaser is a UK-based product, predominantly used by small businesses and their accountants. Its core pitch is straightforward: connect to Xero or QuickBooks, set up a reminder sequence, and stop chasing invoices manually. It integrates well with the accounting tools most UK SMBs already use, and it has a built-in pathway to debt collection if reminders don’t work.
Upflow is a US-headquartered product aimed at mid-market and enterprise B2B companies. It positions itself as a “Financial Relationship Management” platform rather than a simple reminder tool - the emphasis is on analytics, cash flow forecasting, and giving finance teams full visibility across their AR operation. Its integrations lean heavily on NetSuite, Stripe, and Chargebee alongside Xero and QuickBooks, which reflects its typical customer: a scaling tech company or larger B2B business.
Pricing
This is where the two tools diverge most clearly.
Chaser publishes its pricing. It starts at £199 per month, with the next tier at £599 per month.
Upflow does not publish pricing. Plans are structured around your company’s Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), which means costs scale with the size of your business. For companies with ARR above £10 million, pricing is quote-based. The free “Discover” tier is available for analytics only - automation requires a paid plan.
Historically, Upflow has billed as a percentage of revenue collected, which makes it difficult to predict costs and can become expensive quickly as invoice volumes grow. If you’re a smaller business, that model is generally not in your favour.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Chaser | Upflow |
|---|---|---|
| Automated payment reminders | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sends from your own email address | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multiple workflows by customer type | ✅ | ✅ |
| Escalation to senior contacts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customer payment portal | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cash flow forecasting | ✅ | ✅ |
| Advanced AR analytics and dashboards | - | ✅ |
| Debt collection services | ✅ | - |
| Credit checks | ✅ | - |
| Xero integration | ✅ | ✅ |
| QuickBooks integration | ✅ | ✅ |
| NetSuite integration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sage integration | ✅ | - |
| Published pricing | ✅ | - |
| Free trial | ✅ | ✅ (analytics only) |
Where Chaser is stronger
Debt collection services. Chaser includes an integrated route to debt collection if automated reminders fail. That’s a meaningful differentiator for businesses that occasionally need to escalate beyond email chasing.
Credit checks. Chaser offers credit checking on higher-tier plans, which helps you assess the risk of new clients before extending payment terms.
Simpler setup for small businesses. Chaser is designed to be quick to set up and easy to maintain for businesses without a dedicated finance team. If you’re a small business owner or an accountant managing collections for clients, Chaser’s interface is built for that use case.
Predictable pricing. At £199/month, Chaser’s entry plan is straightforward. You know what you’re paying. Upflow’s revenue-based model means costs can be harder to forecast.
Where Upflow is stronger
Analytics and reporting. Upflow’s dashboards are significantly more sophisticated than Chaser’s. If you need detailed AR analytics - DSO tracking, billing cohort analysis, cash flow forecasting, risk scoring by account - Upflow is the better tool. Both products offer forecasting, but Upflow’s is more advanced and built for finance teams that need it as a primary decision-making tool.
Cash collection workflows. Upflow’s automation is more configurable at scale - you can build more complex rules around customer segmentation, invoice types, and escalation triggers. For businesses managing a large, varied receivables book, that depth matters.
Scale. For businesses managing a high volume of invoices across complex customer relationships, Upflow’s workflow customisation and team collaboration features are more powerful. It’s built for finance teams, not just business owners.
The case for a different option entirely
If you’re a small UK business and neither Chaser’s £199/month starting price nor Upflow’s opaque revenue-based pricing appeals, it’s worth knowing there are other options.
Trove starts at £50/month and covers the core functionality most small businesses actually need: automated reminders from your own email address, multiple workflows by customer type, pre-due-date reminders, email bounce monitoring, and direct Xero integration. For businesses that outgrow Xero’s native reminders but don’t need the full weight of Chaser or Upflow, it’s worth a look. A 30-day free trial is available here.
Which should you choose?
Choose Chaser if:
- You’re a small to mid-sized UK business that wants a straightforward automated chasing tool
- You occasionally need built-in debt collection
- You want published, predictable pricing
- You’re already using Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage
Choose Upflow if:
- You’re a scaling or mid-market business with a finance team that needs full AR visibility
- Advanced cash collection workflows and analytics are important to your operation
- You’re running NetSuite and want deep integration
- You’re comfortable with quote-based, revenue-linked pricing
Consider Trove if:
- You’re a small UK business and Chaser’s pricing is hard to justify
- You primarily need reliable automated reminders and Xero integration
- You want to start with a 30-day free trial before committing
