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Comparison

Caddi vs. Certinia: Automation Layer vs. Salesforce-Native Suite

A direct comparison of Caddi and Certinia (formerly FinancialForce): what each one actually is, how long it takes to see value, who owns it, and which fits teams that just want their services ops work automated.

Caddi and Certinia solve different problems, and conflating them is an expensive mistake. Certinia is a Salesforce-native suite, a system of record for professional services automation (PSA), billing, and ERP that you migrate onto. Caddi is an automation layer that runs the manual back-office work across the tools you already use, built from a single recording and maintained for you. If your real goal is “get this repetitive work off our plate,” the fast path looks very different from a platform rollout.

The basics

What is Certinia?

A Salesforce-native suite (formerly FinancialForce) for PSA, billing, revenue recognition, and ERP — a system of record you implement on the Salesforce platform, usually with a partner.

What is Caddi?

The deterministic AI automation platform for ops and admin teams. Ops teams teach Caddi their workflows over a screen share, and then Caddi runs them reliably hundreds of times a week.

The fundamental difference: a suite you adopt vs. a layer on top

Standing up Certinia means committing to the Salesforce platform, licensing, an implementation partner, and admins to configure and maintain it — you move your system of record onto the suite first, then build from there. Caddi does the opposite: it sits as a thin layer over whatever you already run and automates the work between your tools.

Certinia · adopt the whole stack

You migrate your system of record onto the platform first.

Caddi · a thin layer on top

Keep the tools you already run — Caddi automates the work between them, live in days.

Certinia is a platform you migrate your system of record onto. Caddi is a record-to-code automation layer over the tools you already run.

Time to value

A Certinia implementation is a project: scoping, configuration, data migration, testing, and change management, typically measured in months with a partner. Caddi is a quick win you can run in parallel, live in days and saving hours immediately, while any larger platform work proceeds on its own timeline.

CaddiQuick win — live in days
RecordLive & saving hours
CertiniaRolled out in parallel, over time
Scope + licenseImplement + migrate dataValue realized
Directional. A Certinia rollout proves value over a longer horizon; Caddi delivers a reliable win in days and runs alongside it.

What it takes to stand one up

The two paths feel completely different day to day. Toggle between them to compare who builds it, how long it takes, and who keeps it running.

Ops staff record it; Caddi does the rest
  1. 1
    Record the task on a screen-shareA non-technical teammate walks through the workflow once, across your current tools.
  2. 2
    Caddi writes deterministic code over APIsNo migration. Caddi automates the work between the systems you already run.
  3. 3
    Goes live in daysThe automation starts saving hours immediately, no platform rollout required.
  4. 4
    Caddi maintains itUpkeep and edge cases are handled for you, no admin team needed.
Tap a tab to switch between a Certinia implementation and the Caddi record-to-code model.

Caddi vs. Certinia at a glance

CertiniaCaddi
What it isSalesforce-native PSA/ERP suiteCross-tool automation layer
Primary jobSystem of record for services financeDoes the manual work around your systems
Platform dependencyRequires SalesforcePlatform-agnostic (works with Salesforce too)
How it's set upImplementation partner + adminsRecord the task once on a screen-share
Time to valueMonths (project rollout)Days
Who owns itAdmins / consultantsNon-technical ops staff
MaintenanceInternal admins, ongoingBuilt & maintained by Caddi
Best fitServices finance system of recordAutomating the work around it, fast

How they score where it counts

Certinia is a deep, Salesforce-native suite for running services finance as a system of record. Caddi isn't a suite, it's the fastest way to take the repetitive work off your team, across whatever systems you already have.

CaddiCertinia
Full PSA/ERP suiteTime to valueNo platform migrationCross-tool automationNon-technical ownershipLow maintenance
Directional scoring (out of 5). Certinia leads as a services-finance system of record; Caddi leads on speed, ownership, and automating across the tools you already run.

When Certinia is the right call

Certinia is a strong fit if you specifically need a Salesforce-native system of record for services finance — PSA, revenue recognition, billing, and ERP in one suite — you're already invested in Salesforce, and you have the budget, timeline, and admin capacity to implement and run a platform.

When Caddi is the right call

Caddi is the better fit if your real goal is to get repetitive back-office work off your team (intake, timesheet chasing, invoice prep, reconciliations, status updates), if you want it live in days rather than a quarter, if the people who own the process are non-technical, and if you'd rather not migrate your system of record to automate the work around it.

Which fits your situation?

Best fit

Certinia

PSA, billing, revenue recognition, and ERP in one Salesforce-native suite is exactly what Certinia is for.

These two often live together. Keep your system of record where it belongs, then let Caddi automate the repetitive work around it— live in days, owned by ops, and maintained for you, with no migration required.

See Caddi on your services ops work

Bring a manual workflow your team runs today — intake, invoice prep, timesheet chasing, reconciliations. Caddi will build it from a screen recording and run it across 70+ tools. See real examples or book a demo, or explore Caddi for finance.

Do more with less

See Caddi in action

Tell us where to reach you and the calendar opens right here. In 30 minutes we'll show you how Caddi automates the back-office work that grows with your clients—built, run, and maintained for you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Caddi and Certinia?

Certinia (formerly FinancialForce) is a Salesforce-native suite for professional services automation (PSA), billing, and ERP — a system of record you migrate your services data onto, typically with an implementation partner over months. Caddi is an automation layer: it runs the manual, repetitive back-office work across the tools you already use, built from a single screen recording and maintained for you. Certinia is where data lives; Caddi is how the work gets done around it.

Is Caddi a replacement for Certinia?

Usually not a direct replacement for the ERP/billing system of record itself — Certinia and Caddi solve different problems. But if your goal is to automate services ops work (intake, timesheet chasing, invoice prep, reconciliations, status updates) without a heavy platform migration, Caddi gets you there far faster and can sit on top of whatever systems you already run, including Salesforce.

Do I need Salesforce and an implementation partner to use Caddi?

No. Certinia runs on the Salesforce platform and typically requires Salesforce licensing plus an implementation partner and admins to configure and maintain it. Caddi is platform-agnostic: a non-technical teammate records the workflow, Caddi builds and runs it across your existing tools over APIs, and Caddi maintains it — no migration and no admin team required.

When should I choose Certinia instead of Caddi?

Choose Certinia when you specifically need a Salesforce-native system of record for services finance — PSA, revenue recognition, billing, and ERP in one suite — and you have the budget, timeline, and admin capacity to implement and run it. Choose Caddi when you want to automate the manual work around your current systems quickly, with ops owning it and the vendor maintaining it.