Dext
Document Capture
AI receipt capture and document extraction
Overview
Dext uses OCR and machine learning to extract data from receipts, invoices, and bank statements. It learns supplier rules over time, automatically categorising repeat vendors and syncing draft transactions to Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage.
Best for: Accountants managing clients with high volumes of receipts and expense claims — especially hospitality, retail, and construction.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Learns supplier rules — auto-categorises repeat vendors after 3 occurrences
- ✓Mobile camera capture takes under 10 seconds per receipt
- ✓Duplicate detection catches double-submissions before they hit the ledger
- ✓Syncs directly to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage as draft transactions
Cons
- ✗Struggles with handwritten receipts and non-English documents
- ✗Pricing is custom — use their plan builder at dext.com for a quote
- ✗No native invoicing or accounting features — purely a capture tool
Features
- •OCR + ML receipt extraction
- •Supplier rule learning
- •Duplicate transaction detection
- •Auto-categorisation by vendor
Full Review
Is Dext worth it in 2026?
Dext is not accounting software — it is a data capture layer that sits in front of your accounting platform. Think of it as the front door: receipts, invoices, and bank statements come in through Dext and flow out to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, or whichever platform you use. It does this one job extremely well.
More than 700,000 businesses and 12,000 accounting firms trust Dext, processing over 320 million financial documents annually. If your clients are drowning in paper receipts and emailed invoices, Dext is the most reliable fix available.
Best for: Accountants managing clients with high volumes of receipts, invoices, and expense claims — especially hospitality, retail, construction, and trades.
Not for: Firms that only need basic receipt capture — Xero's built-in Hubdoc or FreshBooks' receipt scanning may be sufficient for low-volume clients.
Pricing breakdown
Verified May 2026 — pricing varies by region. Check current pricing at dext.com →
Dext has two pricing tracks — one for businesses, one for accounting practices.
Business plans (for end-user businesses):
| Plan | Monthly (annual) | Users | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | $25.21/mo | 5 users | 250 docs/mo |
| Multi-Entity | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Practice plans (for accounting firms managing clients):
| Plan | Monthly (annual) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Practice — Essentials | $17.70/client/mo | Basic capture and processing |
| Practice — Advanced | $19.20/client/mo | Advanced automation and insights |
Important notes on Dext pricing:
Dext contracts auto-renew with a one-year minimum commitment — read the terms before signing up. There are at least 3 documented hidden costs beyond the list price, including document overage fees when you exceed your monthly allowance. The median Dext customer pays $339/year based on verified purchases.
Annual billing saves 20% on business plans and 13% on practice plans.
AI features in depth
OCR and data extraction
Dext's core technology is OCR (optical character recognition) combined with machine learning. Upload a receipt, invoice, or bank statement and Dext extracts:
- Supplier name
- Date
- Amount
- Tax/VAT rate
- Payment method
- Line items (on plans that support it)
Dext claims 99.9% data extraction accuracy for machine-printed documents. Softabase independently reports 99%+ accuracy for well-formatted documents. In practice, accuracy depends on document quality — crumpled receipts, poor lighting, or unusual document formats will reduce this.
What the 99.9% claim means in practice: A receipt that takes 3–5 minutes to manually enter takes approximately 10 seconds with Dext. For a client sending 100 receipts per month, that is roughly 5–8 hours of data entry eliminated.
Supplier rules and AI categorisation
Dext learns from the way you categorise transactions. Set up a supplier rule once — "all transactions from [Supplier Name] go to [GL Account]" — and every future document from that supplier is categorised automatically. The system also suggests categories based on patterns in your historical data.
Duplicate detection
Dext automatically flags duplicate submissions before they reach your accounting software. This is a meaningful feature for clients who photograph receipts and also receive emailed copies of the same invoice.
Bank statement extraction
Dext can extract transactions from PDF bank statements and push them into your accounting software. This is useful for new clients who have months of historical data in PDF format rather than through a live bank feed.
AI Assist
Dext's newer AI Assist feature provides smart suggestions for categories, descriptions, and payment methods beyond the rule-based system — making categorisation suggestions even for suppliers it has not seen before.
What Dext does well
Speed and accuracy on standard documents. The core capture and extraction workflow is fast and reliable for standard printed receipts and invoices. A receipt photograph to published transaction in Xero takes roughly 10 seconds end-to-end.
Multi-client practice management. The practice dashboard shows all client inboxes in one place. Switching between clients, reviewing document queues, and approving transactions are all handled from a single interface — purpose-built for accountants managing multiple entities.
Submission flexibility. Clients can submit documents via mobile app photo, email forwarding, direct upload, WhatsApp, or Dropbox. This flexibility matters — some clients will use the app religiously, others prefer to forward emails. Dext handles both.
Connects to 11,500+ banks and platforms. Beyond Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage, Dext connects to Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, and PayPal for e-commerce transaction data — useful for retail and e-commerce clients.
Mileage tracking. The mobile app includes mileage tracking, which integrates directly with expense reporting. Small feature, but one clients use frequently.
What Dext does not do well
Pricing complexity. Dext's pricing model is confusing — separate tracks for businesses and practices, document allowances, overage fees, and minimum annual commitments add up to a harder buying decision than it should be. Costbench documents at least 3 hidden costs beyond the list price.
UI complexity for non-finance users. Research.com notes the user interface can be difficult for beginners, and Capterra reviewers report that you cannot limit certain fields from non-finance users, making it harder to deploy for clients who manage their own submissions.
Occasional data syncing delays. Research.com cites data syncing delays that occasionally disrupt real-time financial updates. Most reviewers describe this as occasional rather than persistent, but it is a known issue.
Mobile app lags behind desktop. Research.com notes the mobile app lacks several desktop features. For accountants who want a fully mobile workflow, this is a limitation.
It only does capture. Dext does not replace your accounting software. It reduces the friction of getting data in. If you are looking for a single tool that handles capture and accounting, Dext is not it — you need both Dext and a platform like Xero or QuickBooks.
Dext vs Hubdoc: which should you choose?
Hubdoc is Xero's built-in document capture tool, included free with all Xero plans. For Xero users, the comparison is straightforward.
| Dext | Hubdoc | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $17.70–$25.21/mo | Included with Xero |
| Extraction accuracy | 99.9% (claimed) | High for standard docs |
| Accounting integrations | 30+ platforms | Primarily Xero |
| E-commerce feeds | ✅ Shopify, Amazon, Stripe | Limited |
| Multi-client dashboard | ✅ Purpose-built | Basic |
| Supplier rules | ✅ Advanced | Basic |
| Bank statement extraction | ✅ | ✅ |
Choose Dext if: you manage high document volumes across multiple clients, use QuickBooks or Sage (not just Xero), or have clients with e-commerce data from Shopify, Amazon, or Stripe.
Choose Hubdoc if: your practice runs on Xero, document volumes are moderate, and you want to minimise per-client tool costs.
What real users say
"Dext is an extremely valuable and integral part of my daily tasks. Using it significantly reduces manual effort. The multi-client dashboard ensures I have all my clients in one place." — Capterra reviewer, March 2026
"Dext is constantly evolving and getting better and it gets it right so you can trust it to do the leg work." — Capterra reviewer
"As with any software, always fearful of future price rises!" — G2 reviewer
"The user interface can be difficult for beginners, causing a challenging onboarding experience." — Research.com analysis
Frequently asked questions
What is Dext formerly known as? Dext was previously called Receipt Bank before rebranding. If you used Receipt Bank, your account transferred automatically.
How accurate is Dext's data extraction? Dext claims 99.9% accuracy for machine-printed receipts and invoices. Independent reviews confirm high accuracy for standard documents. Accuracy varies with document quality — handwritten, crumpled, or photographed at poor angles will produce lower accuracy.
Does Dext work with QuickBooks? Yes. Dext integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, and 30+ other accounting platforms. It is platform-agnostic, which is its main advantage over Hubdoc.
How long does Dext take to process a receipt? Typically seconds for digital uploads and emailed invoices. Mobile photo capture and processing takes approximately 10 seconds from photograph to extracted data.
Does Dext replace my accounting software? No. Dext is a capture and pre-accounting tool. It reduces manual data entry and feeds cleaned data into your accounting platform. You still need Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage to manage the actual accounts.
Is there a Dext free trial? Yes — 14 days, no credit card required.
Pricing verified May 2026. Dext pricing varies by region and changes frequently — always confirm at dext.com/pricing before purchasing.