Dext Alternative for Multi-Account Bank Statement Processing
Why accounting firms are switching from Dext's manual multi-account workflow to Zera Books' intelligent auto-detection system.
TL;DR
- Dext rejects multi-account PDFs — Each PDF must contain only one bank statement, requiring manual splitting before upload
- Manual account setup required — Create each bank account separately in the interface, then switch via dropdown to upload statements
- Per-client pricing scales fast — $239/month minimum for 10 clients, adding up quickly for growing firms
- Zera Books auto-detects and splits — Upload one PDF with multiple accounts, get separate Excel files instantly. $79/month unlimited.
What Dext Does (And What It Doesn't)
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is an all-in-one financial document management platform that bundles receipt scanning, invoice processing, expense management, bank feeds, and bank statement extraction into a single subscription.
For accounting firms managing comprehensive document workflows across multiple document types, Dext offers a broad feature set with integrations to over 30 accounting platforms and connections to 11,500+ banks and institutions.
The Multi-Account Problem
While Dext excels at processing various document types, its bank statement multi-account workflow creates significant friction for firms processing client statements that contain checking, savings, and credit card accounts in a single PDF.
Dext's Bundled Approach
Dext positions itself as a complete document automation solution, which means you're paying for:
- Receipt capture and processing via mobile app, email, or drag-and-drop
- Invoice management with approval workflows and supplier rules
- Expense submission and approval systems for team collaboration
- Bank feeds for direct transaction imports from connected accounts
- Bank statement extraction from uploaded PDF statements
If your firm needs all these features, Dext's comprehensive platform makes sense. But if you primarily process bank statements for client bookkeeping, you're paying for substantial functionality you never use.
The Multi-Account Processing Problem
Here's where Dext's workflow breaks down for firms processing multi-account bank statements:
Manual Account Creation
Before uploading any bank statement, you must manually create a corresponding bank account in Dext's interface via Bank → Bank Accounts → Add bank account button.
One Statement Per PDF
Dext explicitly requires that "each file only contains one Bank Statement for that account." Multi-account PDFs are rejected during processing.
Dropdown Account Switching
To access different bank accounts, you must switch between them using a dropdown menu in Bank → Transactions. No simultaneous multi-account view.
Processing Delays
While digital PDFs process quickly (minutes), scanned statements can take up to 24 hours for extraction. Processing time multiplies across multiple accounts.
Real-World Workflow Impact
When a client sends you a single PDF containing their checking account, savings account, and business credit card statement:
- You manually split the PDF into three separate files
- You create three separate bank accounts in Dext's interface
- You upload each PDF individually, selecting the correct account for each
- You wait for processing (potentially 24 hours for scanned PDFs)
- You switch between accounts via dropdown to access each set of transactions
This workflow adds 10-15 minutes per client statement. For a firm processing 50 clients monthly, that's 8+ hours of manual PDF splitting and account management.
How Zera Books Handles Multi-Account Processing
Zera Books takes the opposite approach: intelligent automation that eliminates manual account setup and PDF splitting entirely.
1. Upload Once
Upload a single PDF containing multiple bank accounts. No manual splitting required.
2. Auto-Detection
Zera AI automatically detects checking, savings, and credit card accounts in the PDF.
3. Instant Splitting
Receive separate Excel files for each account, ready for QuickBooks or Xero import.
What Makes Zera's Multi-Account Processing Different
Zero Manual Setup
No need to create accounts in advance. Upload and let Zera AI handle account detection dynamically.
Smart Account Separation
Maintains account metadata (account number, type, institution) in each separated file for clean import workflows.
AI Categorization Included
Each account's transactions are automatically categorized for QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts with 95%+ accuracy.
Batch Processing Support
Upload 50+ multi-account statements simultaneously. Process multiple clients in one session.
Time Savings: Real Numbers
Dext workflow per client: 10-15 minutes (manual PDF splitting + account creation + upload + dropdown switching)
Zera Books workflow per client: 2 minutes (upload + download separated files)
For 50 clients/month: Save 8+ hours with automated multi-account processing
Pricing: Per-Client Scaling vs Unlimited Flat Rate
Dext's per-client pricing model creates escalating costs as your firm grows, while Zera Books maintains predictable unlimited pricing.
Dext Pricing
$239.19/month
Starting price (10 clients minimum)
$25-31.50 per client
Cost scales with client count
What's Included:
- Receipt scanning and processing
- Invoice management workflows
- Expense submission and approval
- Bank feeds (direct connections)
- Bank statement extraction (per plan allowance)
- Manual multi-account workflow
- No automatic account splitting
Zera Books Pricing
$79/month
Unlimited conversions
No per-client fees
Flat rate regardless of client count
What's Included:
- Unlimited bank statement conversions
- Automatic multi-account detection
- AI transaction categorization
- Client management dashboard
- Batch processing (50+ statements)
- Direct QuickBooks/Xero integration
- No bundled features you don't need
Cost Comparison: Growing Firm Scenario
| Client Count | Dext Cost | Zera Books Cost | Monthly Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 clients | $239.19/mo | $79/mo | Save $160 |
| 25 clients | ~$625/mo | $79/mo | Save $546 |
| 50 clients | ~$1,260/mo | $79/mo | Save $1,181 |
| 100 clients | ~$2,521/mo | $79/mo | Save $2,442 |
*Dext pricing estimated at $25.21 per client based on published starting rates. Actual costs may vary by plan tier.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Dext | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Account Detection | Manual | Automatic |
| Multi-Account PDF Processing | Rejects file | Processes & splits |
| Account Setup Required | Yes (manual) | None required |
| AI Transaction Categorization | Limited | 95%+ accuracy |
| Pricing Model | Per-client $239+ (10 min) | Unlimited flat $79/month |
| Feature Bundle | Receipts, invoices, expenses, bank feeds, bank statements | Focused on bank statements only |
| Processing Speed (Digital PDFs) | Minutes | Under 2 minutes |
| Processing Speed (Scanned PDFs) | Up to 24 hours | 3-5 minutes |
| Client Management Dashboard | Included | Included |
| Batch Processing | Yes | 50+ at once |
| QuickBooks/Xero Integration | 30+ platforms | Direct API |
| Learning Curve | Complex (all features) | Simple (focused tool) |
Real Firm Results: Multi-Province Reconciliation
"We were drowning in bank statements from two provinces and multiple revenue streams. Zera Books cut our month-end reconciliation from three days to about four hours."
Manroop Gill
Co-Founder at Zoom Books
The Challenge
Zoom Books manages clients across multiple provinces with complex multi-account structures. Each client typically has 3-5 bank accounts (checking, savings, business credit cards, line of credit) spread across different banks. Monthly statements arrived as consolidated PDFs containing multiple accounts.
Previous Workflow Issues
- Manually splitting PDFs by account before upload (45-60 minutes per client)
- Creating separate account records in previous tools
- Waiting 4-24 hours for processing completion
- Manual categorization of all transactions
Results with Zera Books
3 days → 4 hours
Month-end reconciliation
Zero
Manual PDF splitting
95%+
Auto-categorization rate
When Dext Makes Sense
Dext's all-in-one platform works well for firms that need comprehensive document management across multiple document types. Consider Dext if:
Dext is a Good Fit When You Need:
- Complete expense management — Receipt scanning, expense submission, approval workflows for team collaboration
- Invoice processing workflows — Vendor invoice capture, approval systems, supplier rules
- Small client roster — Under 10 clients where per-client pricing remains affordable
- Single-account bank statements — Clients with simple banking structures (one checking account)
Zera Books is a Better Fit When You Need:
- Multi-account bank statement processing — Clients with multiple accounts in consolidated PDFs
- Scalable pricing — Growing client roster where per-client fees become prohibitive
- Focused bank statement workflows — Don't need receipt/invoice features bundled in
- Fast processing speed — Need same-day turnaround on scanned statements (minutes vs 24 hours)
- AI categorization — Auto-categorize transactions for client bookkeeping workflows
- Predictable costs — Unlimited flat-rate pricing with no usage anxiety
Bottom Line: If you process primarily bank statements with multi-account structures and need predictable costs as you scale, Zera Books eliminates Dext's manual workflow friction while saving hundreds to thousands monthly on per-client fees. For firms needing comprehensive expense/invoice management beyond bank statements, Dext's bundled approach may justify the higher cost and manual multi-account handling.
Ready to Automate Multi-Account Processing?
Stop splitting PDFs manually. Let Zera Books automatically detect and separate multiple accounts while auto-categorizing transactions for QuickBooks and Xero. $79/month unlimited.
Try for one weekSee multi-account auto-detection in action. Start processing in minutes.