Understanding Dext's Multi-Entity Model
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) markets itself as a comprehensive document management platform for accountants and bookkeepers. For multi-entity setups—whether you're managing multiple business entities, franchise locations, or a portfolio of clients—Dext offers workspace separation and team access controls.
However, the platform's approach to multi-entity bookkeeping reveals significant structural challenges that become apparent only after implementation. According to Dext's own documentation, multi-entity capabilities "require appropriate plan structures," a phrase that translates to higher-tier pricing and custom quotes for firms managing substantial entity counts.
Key limitation: Dext's partner/practice pricing builds plans based on "the number and type of clients you support," creating a per-client cost structure that scales linearly with your entity count.
This differs fundamentally from unlimited flat-rate pricing models that eliminate per-entity cost anxiety.
The multi-entity workspace allows you to switch between entities and manage team permissions, but document processing limits apply across all entities combined—not per entity. This shared allowance creates bottlenecks during peak processing periods like month-end close or tax season.
The Per-Client Pricing Problem
Dext's pricing model introduces unpredictability that conflicts with the fixed-cost budgeting most accounting firms require. Unlike transparent pricing pages with published rates, Dext's partner pricing requires custom quotes that factor in client count, user count, and document volume.
Dext's Pricing Complexity
- •Custom quotes required for multi-entity
- •Cost scales with client count AND user count
- •Document volume limits across all entities
- •Overage fees when limits exceeded
- •Unpredictable tax season cost spikes
Zera Books Simplicity
- •$79/month flat rate, published pricing
- •No per-client or per-user fees
- •Unlimited conversions across all entities
- •No overage fees or hidden costs
- •Predictable costs year-round
The compounding effect becomes severe at scale. A bookkeeping firm managing 15 entities might receive a quote for $200-400/month based on client count and document volume, while a firm with 50 entities could see quotes exceeding $1,000/month. In contrast, Zera Books charges $79/month regardless of entity count, eliminating cost uncertainty entirely.
The per-user component adds another layer of complexity. If your multi-entity operation requires 3-5 team members with access to the platform, Dext's pricing multiplies accordingly. This creates perverse incentives to limit team access or use shared logins—practices that compromise security and audit trails.
Receipt-Focused Feature Bloat
Dext originated as Receipt Bank, and its core DNA remains receipt and invoice capture. According to Dext's product documentation, the platform emphasizes "snap a photo of receipts," "upload via email or WhatsApp," and "GPS mileage tracking"—features irrelevant to firms focused on bank statement reconciliation.
Bank Statement Processing Is Secondary
While Dext offers bank statement extraction, it's treated as an ancillary feature with allowance limits per plan. The platform's 99.9% OCR accuracy claim applies primarily to receipts and invoices—not bank statements.
Bank statement PDF extraction is "available with allowance based on plan," meaning you'll hit volume caps if bank reconciliation is your primary use case. For multi-entity setups processing 20-50 statements monthly, these caps create friction.
The interface reflects this priority mismatch. Dext's dashboard prominently features receipt submission methods (camera upload, email forwarding, mobile app) while bank statement processing workflows are buried in secondary menus. For firms whose primary need is converting bank statements to QuickBooks or Xero format, this creates unnecessary cognitive overhead. Check all alternatives.
Compare this to purpose-built bank statement converters where every interface element serves the core workflow: upload PDF statements, auto-detect multiple accounts, categorize transactions, export to accounting software. No mileage tracking, no receipt photo galleries, no expense claim routing—just focused bank reconciliation.
Document Volume Limitations
Dext's business plans structure pricing around "the volume of documents processed per month," with allowances that apply across all entities combined. This creates resource contention scenarios that don't exist with unlimited processing models.
Example: 15-Entity Scenario
Bookkeeping firm with 15 client entities
Each entity: 5 bank accounts (checking, savings, credit card, merchant accounts)
Monthly document volume
75 bank statements + 150-200 receipts/invoices = 225-275 documents/month
Dext limitation
Bank statement allowance may be capped at 50-100/month on mid-tier plans, forcing upgrades or limiting usage
Zera Books approach
Process all 75 bank statements monthly, no caps, no overages—just $79/month
The shared allowance structure forces prioritization decisions during peak periods. Do you process all bank statements and skip some receipts? Do you batch statements bi-monthly instead of monthly? Do you upgrade to a higher tier for just 2-3 months annually? These operational compromises don't exist with unlimited multi-entity processing platforms like Zera Books' bank statement converter.
Dext vs Zera Books for Multi-Entity Bookkeeping
| Feature | Dext | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Custom quotes per client count | $79/month flat rate |
| Per-Client Fees | Yes, scales with entity count | No per-client fees |
| Per-User Fees | Yes, additional cost per team member | No per-user fees |
| Bank Statement Processing | Limited allowance per plan | Unlimited conversions |
| Document Volume Caps | Yes, shared across all entities | No volume limits |
| Primary Focus | Receipt/invoice capture | Bank statement reconciliation |
| Multi-Account Detection | Manual workspace setup required | Automatic detection & separation |
| AI Categorization | For receipts/invoices primarily | Bank transactions, GAAP-trained |
| Client Management Dashboard | Workspace switching between entities | Unified multi-client view |
| Batch Processing | Limited by document allowance | 50+ statements simultaneously |
| QuickBooks Integration | Live bank feeds + receipt sync | Pre-categorized QBO export |
| Extraction Accuracy | 99.9% (receipts/invoices) | 99.6% (bank statements) |
| Setup Complexity | Custom onboarding, plan configuration | Start immediately, no setup |
| Cost for 15 Entities | $200-400+/month (estimated) | $79/month |
| Cost for 50 Entities | $1,000+/month (estimated) | $79/month |
Why Accounting Firms Choose Zera Books for Multi-Entity Work
Predictable Flat Pricing
$79/month regardless of entity count, user count, or document volume
Purpose-Built for Bank Statements
No feature bloat—every tool serves bank reconciliation workflows
Automatic Multi-Account Detection
Upload one PDF with 5 accounts, get 5 separate Excel files automatically
AI Transaction Categorization
GAAP-trained categories for QuickBooks/Xero, learns from your patterns
Unlimited Batch Processing
Upload 50+ statements at once, process all clients during month-end close
Client Management Dashboard
Organize all entities in one view, track conversion history per client
Step-by-Step: Choosing the Right Multi-Entity Tool
Audit Your Current Document Mix
Calculate what percentage of monthly documents are bank statements vs receipts/invoices. If bank statements represent 50%+ of your volume, receipt-focused platforms like Dext introduce unnecessary complexity.
Example: 75 bank statements + 50 receipts monthly = 60% bank statements → prioritize bank statement-focused tools.
Project Your 12-Month Entity Count
Estimate how many entities you'll manage at current growth rates. If you're adding 2-3 clients monthly, you'll grow from 15 to 30-40 entities annually.
Calculate Dext's per-client cost at those volumes (request custom quotes for 15, 25, 35, and 50 entities). Compare to Zera Books' flat $79/month regardless of scale.
Identify Your Workflow Bottleneck
Time your current bank reconciliation workflow from PDF receipt to QuickBooks import. If manual data entry consumes 30-45 minutes per client monthly, automation yields 7.5-11.25 hours recovered for a 15-client firm.
Evaluate tools based on time-to-completion for your specific workflow, not feature count. Client management dashboards and AI categorization directly reduce this bottleneck.
Test Multi-Account Scenarios
Request trial access and upload a real-world PDF containing 3-5 accounts (common for multi-entity clients with checking, savings, credit cards, and merchant accounts).
Evaluate whether the platform automatically detects and separates accounts or requires manual workspace configuration. Automatic detection saves 5-10 minutes per multi-account statement.
Calculate Total Cost of Ownership
Factor in subscription cost + team training time + ongoing administrative overhead (usage tracking, workspace switching, plan upgrades).
For per-client pricing models, include the cost of quote renegotiations every 6-12 months as your firm grows. For flat-rate pricing, TCO equals the monthly subscription—no hidden variables.
When to Switch from Dext
Existing Dext users managing multi-entity setups should consider alternatives when they encounter these trigger points:
Receiving Pricing Increase Notices
When Dext notifies you of price increases tied to client growth or document volume increases, it's time to evaluate fixed-cost alternatives. Annual price hikes of 15-30% are common in per-client models.
Hitting Document Allowance Limits
If you're consistently reaching your monthly bank statement allowance and receiving overage warnings, you're outgrowing your plan tier. Rather than upgrading to higher Dext tiers, consider unlimited alternatives.
Spending 10+ Hours Monthly on Receipt Processing
If Dext's receipt capture features consume significant time but you primarily need bank reconciliation, you're paying for features you don't use. Purpose-built bank statement tools eliminate this distraction.
Needing to Add Team Members
When firm growth requires 3-5 team members with platform access, Dext's per-user fees compound rapidly. Platforms without per-user fees become cost-effective at this scale.
Managing 20+ Entities
At 20+ entities, workspace switching and context-toggling in Dext consumes measurable time. Unified multi-client dashboards eliminate this overhead by displaying all entities in one view.
Migration from Dext to focused bank statement platforms typically takes 1-2 weeks for onboarding and workflow adjustment. The ROI appears within the first month through reduced subscription costs and time savings from streamlined workflows.
