Dext vs AutoEntry vs Apron: automating your bookkeeping paperwork
Receipt-capture software reads a photographed receipt or forwarded invoice, extracts the details and sends them to your accounting software.
- Snap a photo
- Forward an email
- Upload a PDF
How receipt-capture tools work
Receipt-capture tools sit alongside platforms like Xero, FreeAgent, QuickBooks and Sage rather than replacing them. Snap a photo on your phone, forward an email, or upload a PDF, and the software uses OCR and AI to read the supplier, date, amount and VAT off the document, then pushes it through to your accounting software as a coded transaction ready for reconciliation.
The three tools compared
| Dext | AutoEntry | Apron | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Businesses and accounting firms wanting the most thorough capture and the widest range of integrations. | Businesses that want to pay only for what they actually process, without a flat monthly commitment. | Businesses that want capture and payments handled in one place, beyond data extraction. |
| Capture | Via mobile app, email, WhatsApp, Dropbox or drag-and-drop | Full line-item detail from invoices and receipts | Receipts and invoices via WhatsApp, email or upload |
| Works with | Syncs with 30+ accounting platforms including Xero, QuickBooks and Sage | Owned by Sage, but works with Xero, Sage and QuickBooks alike | Syncs with Xero and QuickBooks and automates reconciliation |
| Pricing | Scales with number of users and documents processed per month | Credit-based pricing — you pay per document rather than a flat fee. Rolling monthly subscription with no long-term contract | — |
| Also | Strong fit for firms managing several clients or entities at once | — | Also handles supplier payments and payroll payments from the same platform. The tool Buzz already pairs with Xero on Outsourced Finance Team engagements |
How Buzz uses these tools
Buzz's bookkeeping service uses tools like these, including Apron alongside Xero, to keep client records current. If you're managing your own books on FreeAgent or Xero and want to cut the manual data entry yourself, adding one of these tools is a sensible next step. And if you'd rather hand the whole thing over, that is what our digital bookkeeping and Outsourced Finance Team services are for.
Talk to us about bookkeeping
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