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Platform Analysis

Dext Bank Statement Limitations

Why all-in-one document platforms struggle with specialized bank statement processing—and what accounting firms need instead.

8 min read

Updated Jan 2025

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"Each plan has a limit on bank statement extraction, and exceeding this limit may result in additional charges."

— Dext Help Documentation

The All-in-One Problem

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) positions itself as an all-in-one document processing platform for accounting firms. You get receipts, invoices, expenses, and bank statements—all in a single subscription.

That sounds convenient. Until you realize you're paying for features you don't need while the bank statement functionality you actually use has critical limitations.

Here's what accounting firms discover after committing to Dext for bank statement processing.

24-Hour Processing Delays

Bank statement extraction can take up to 24 hours to complete. While 75% process in under 4 hours, urgent reconciliation work often can't wait.

Multi-Account Restrictions

Cannot process multiple bank accounts in the same file. Each account must be uploaded separately, creating workflow friction.

Format Inconsistency Rejections

Rejects statements with inconsistent data patterns, mixed sources (postal + online), or column order changes across pages.

Per-Client Pricing + Usage Limits

Tiered per-client pricing with bank statement extraction limits per plan. Exceeding limits triggers additional charges.

Technical Limitations That Impact Your Workflow

File Size and Quality Restrictions

50MB file size limit with 300-page maximum per document
Minimum 200 DPI resolution required for scanned statements
Camera photos rejected—must be proper scans, not mobile captures
Excessive handwriting in numerical columns causes extraction failures

Document Structure Requirements

Single account only—cannot process multiple accounts in one file
Consistent formatting required—mixed sources (scan + digital) rejected
No column order changes—format must be identical across pages
Complete statements only—missing pages trigger rejection

Export and Integration Limitations

No direct publishing—must export and manually upload to accounting software
Duplication issues reported when integrating with QuickBooks/Xero
Manual categorization often required despite AI features

Reality Check:

These aren't edge cases. Accounting firms regularly encounter clients with multi-account statements, mixed-format PDFs, and scanned documents that don't meet Dext's strict quality requirements. When you're processing 50+ statements monthly, these limitations compound.

The Pricing Problem: Per-Client Fees + Usage Limits

Dext switched to per-client pricing in November 2023, abandoning their unlimited packages model. Now you pay based on the number of clients, with bank statement extraction limits per plan tier.

This creates two problems:

Scaling Costs

As your firm grows, your Dext costs scale linearly. More clients = higher monthly bills, even though you only use bank statement extraction.

Usage Anxiety

Each plan includes limited bank statement extraction credits. Exceed your allowance and you'll pay overage fees—making monthly costs unpredictable.

Zera Books: Flat $79/Month

No per-client fees. No usage limits. No overage charges. Process unlimited bank statements for unlimited clients at one predictable price.

See transparent pricing

Feature Bloat: Paying for What You Don't Need

Dext bundles receipts, invoices, expenses, and bank statements into a single platform. If you only need bank statement processing, you're subsidizing features you'll never use.

What Dext Includes (Whether You Need It or Not)

Receipt scanning and OCR

Expense report automation

Vendor invoice processing

Purchase order matching

Supplier statement extraction

Credit card reconciliation

Mileage tracking

Line item extraction (add-on)

The Focused Alternative

Zera Books specializes exclusively in financial document processing: bank statements, financial statements, invoices, and checks. No feature bloat. No paying for receipts and expenses you don't process.

Instead of spreading development resources across dozens of features, we've invested everything into making bank statement processing exceptional:

Multi-account auto-detection—process multiple accounts in single files
Dynamic format recognition—handles any bank format without templates
Instant processing—minutes, not hours
99.6% extraction accuracy—validated by 50+ CPA professionals

Dext vs. Zera Books

All-in-one platform with limitations vs. specialized bank statement processing

Feature	Dext	Zera Books
Bank Statement Processing	Limited per plan tier	Unlimited
Processing Time	Up to 24 hours (75% under 4 hours)	Minutes
Multi-Account Detection	No—one account per file	Yes—auto-detects and separates
Pricing Model	Per-client + usage limits	$79/month flat
Format Flexibility	Rejects mixed sources/formats	Handles any format dynamically
AI Categorization	Included (often needs manual fixes)	Included (GAAP-trained)
QuickBooks Integration	Yes (duplication issues reported)	Direct API + pre-categorized
Scanned PDF Quality	Requires 200+ DPI, no handwriting	Handles poor scans (Zera OCR)
Receipt Scanning	Yes (bundled)	No—focused on financial docs
Expense Management	Yes (bundled)	No—specialized platform

Read full Dext vs. Zera Books comparison

Why Accounting Firms Switch

From frustrated Dext users to satisfied Zera Books customers

"My clients send me all kinds of messy PDFs from different banks. This tool handles them all and saves me probably 10 hours a week."

Ashish Josan

Manager, CPA at Manning Elliott

Processes 50+ statements monthly

10 hours saved per week

99.6%

Extraction Accuracy

Minutes

Processing Time

$79

Flat Monthly Rate

When Dext Makes Sense

To be clear: Dext isn't a bad platform. It's an all-in-one solution that works well for firms that need comprehensive document management.

Dext makes sense if you:

Need receipt scanning and expense management

Process vendor invoices and purchase orders regularly

Want supplier statement extraction

Have clients who need mileage tracking

Process fewer than 10 bank statements monthly

But If You Primarily Process Bank Statements...

You're paying for features you don't use while experiencing limitations in the functionality you actually need.

Zera Books is purpose-built for accounting firms focused on financial document processing:

Unlimited bank statements—no per-client fees or usage anxiety
Multi-account auto-detection—process complex PDFs without manual splitting
Instant processing—minutes instead of hours
Direct QuickBooks/Xero integration—pre-categorized transactions ready to import

Ready for Unlimited Bank Statement Processing?

No per-client fees. No usage limits. No 24-hour delays. Process any bank format with multi-account auto-detection and AI categorization—all for $79/month.

Try for one week View pricing

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