Dext vs Zera Books Bank Statement Processing Speed
Dext processes bank statements in 4-24 hours with queuing delays during peak times. Zera Books delivers instant results in 30-45 seconds. For accounting firms running month-end close, processing speed determines whether you finish today or tomorrow.
When you're processing 20+ bank statements during month-end close, processing speed isn't a feature—it's the bottleneck that determines your entire workflow. Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) offers bank statement extraction as part of its comprehensive document management platform, but processing times range from 4 hours for digital statements to 24 hours for scanned PDFs. Zera Books delivers instant processing in 30-45 seconds, regardless of statement format.
This comparison focuses specifically on processing speed for bank statements—how fast you get usable data after uploading a document. For accounting firms managing multiple clients with tight deadlines, these speed differences translate directly to billable hours saved or lost.
Processing Speed Summary
Dext Bank Statements: 4-24 hours (75% under 4 hours, scanned PDFs take longer, queuing delays during peak times)
Zera Books: 30-45 seconds (instant processing, no queuing, any format)
1. What Is Dext Bank Statement Extraction?
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is a comprehensive pre-accounting platform that handles receipts, invoices, bills, and bank statements. Their bank statement extraction feature allows accountants to upload PDFs and extract transaction data automatically. The platform is designed as an all-in-one document management system with workflows for approval, categorization, and publishing to accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero, and Sage.
Dext processes documents through a centralized queue system. When you upload a bank statement, it joins other documents (receipts, invoices, bills) waiting for processing. According to Dext's help documentation, 75% of bank statements are processed in under 4 hours, with the full process taking up to 24 hours to complete. Scanned PDFs and statements with 50+ pages tend to take longer on average.
Dext offers a "Boost" feature that speeds up processing by moving items forward in the queue, but this is a paid add-on and doesn't work for all document types. If items remain in "In Processing" status for more than 24 hours, users are instructed to contact support.
2. The Processing Speed Problem for Accounting Firms
Processing speed determines your entire workflow timeline. When you upload a bank statement at 9 AM and don't get results until the next day, you can't close that client's books today. You have to wait, context-switch to other work, then return to finish the reconciliation later.
4-24 Hour Delays Break Month-End Workflows
You can't finish client reconciliations in one session. Upload statements Monday morning, wait for processing, resume work Tuesday. For firms managing 20+ clients, these delays stack up and extend month-end close by days.
Peak Time Queuing Creates Unpredictable Timelines
During month-end when all accounting firms are processing statements simultaneously, Dext's queue slows down. What normally takes 4 hours might take 12-24 hours, making it impossible to promise clients specific delivery dates.
Scanned PDFs Take Even Longer
Dext's documentation notes that scanned PDFs and statements with 50+ pages take longer to process. If your client sends a scanned multi-page statement, you're looking at the longer end of the 4-24 hour range.
No Control Over Processing Priority
Unless you pay for the "Boost" feature, you can't prioritize urgent statements. Rush clients wait in the same queue as everyone else, and you can't guarantee same-day turnaround.
For accounting firms billing by the hour or managing tight month-end deadlines, processing delays directly impact revenue and client satisfaction. When processing takes 24 hours, you can't offer same-day bookkeeping or rapid turnaround services.
3. Processing Speed Comparison
| Feature | Dext | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Digital PDF Processing Time | 4-24 hours (75% under 4 hours) | 30-45 seconds (instant) |
| Scanned PDF Processing Time | Longer than 4 hours (unspecified) | 30-45 seconds (same speed) |
| Multi-Page Statement (50+ pages) | Takes longer (up to 24 hours) | 30-45 seconds (any size) |
| Peak Time Processing | Queue delays (unpredictable) | No queuing (consistent speed) |
| Batch Processing (20 statements) | 80-480 hours total wait time | 10-15 minutes (parallel processing) |
| Priority Processing | "Boost" feature (paid add-on) | All processing is instant (included) |
| Same-Day Turnaround Guarantee | Not possible (4-24 hour range) | Yes (instant results) |
| Support Required for Delays | Contact support if >24 hours | No delays to troubleshoot |
4. Real Workflow Impact: Month-End Close Timeline
Let's compare two accounting firms processing 20 client bank statements during month-end close.
Dext Timeline
Monday 9 AM: Upload 20 bank statements
Monday 1 PM: 25% processed (5 statements, 4-hour mark)
Tuesday 9 AM: 75% processed (15 statements, 24-hour mark)
Tuesday PM: Remaining scanned PDFs complete
Wednesday: Begin reconciliations
Total Timeline: 2-3 days
Can't finish month-end in one session
Zera Books Timeline
Monday 9:00 AM: Upload 20 bank statements
Monday 9:15 AM: All 20 statements processed (15 min total)
Monday 9:15 AM - 5 PM: Complete all reconciliations
Monday EOD: Month-end close complete
Total Timeline: Same day
Finish entire month-end in one session
Time Saved Per Month
Processing wait time eliminated: 2-3 days -> 15 minutes (saved: 48+ hours of calendar time)
Context switching eliminated: No need to pause work, return later, re-familiarize with client
Support tickets eliminated: No delays to troubleshoot, no "where's my statement?" inquiries
Rush client capacity: Can deliver same-day turnaround for urgent requests
5. When Dext's Processing Speed Works (And When It Doesn't)
Dext Works If You Have...
- -Flexible deadlines (can wait 1-2 days for statement processing)
- -Clients who submit documents early (giving you buffer time)
- -Need for receipt/invoice management alongside bank statements
- -Workflow that involves batching all documents first, processing later
Zera Books Is Essential If You Need...
- -Same-day month-end close (upload statements, finish reconciliations same day)
- -Rush client capacity (deliver bookkeeping within hours, not days)
- -Predictable timelines (promise clients specific delivery dates without queue uncertainty)
- -High-volume batch processing (process 20+ statements in 15 minutes, not 2 days)
- -Tax season scalability (no queue delays when processing volume spikes)
- -Focus on bank statements only (no bundled features you won't use)
Processing Speed = Revenue Capacity
For accounting firms, faster processing isn't just convenient—it's revenue. The difference between 24-hour processing and 45-second processing is the difference between managing 20 clients and managing 50 clients with the same team. Processing speed determines your firm's capacity ceiling.
6. Case Study
"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, Zoom Books
The Processing Speed Difference
Zoom Books processes over 3 million books monthly across Canada and the US. During month-end close, their accounting team was spending 2-3 days waiting for bank statement processing from various tools before they could complete reconciliations.
With Zera Books' instant processing, they upload 40+ statements, get results in minutes, and complete entire month-end close the same day. The speed difference eliminated their processing bottleneck entirely.
7. Beyond Processing Speed: What Else Matters
Multi-Account Detection
Dext: Processes bank statements as single documents—if a PDF contains checking, savings, and credit card accounts, you get one output file that you'll need to manually split.
Zera Books: Zera AI automatically detects multiple accounts in a single PDF and separates them into individual Excel tabs—no manual splitting required.
AI Transaction Categorization
Dext: Offers categorization, but it's designed for receipts and invoices primarily. Bank statement transactions get basic category suggestions.
Zera Books: AI trained specifically on bank statement transactions. Auto-categorizes for QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts with confidence scores, learns from your patterns.
Pricing Model
Dext: Per-client pricing starting at $234.99/month (10-client minimum at $23-26 per client). Costs scale linearly—20 clients = $460-520/month.
Zera Books: $79/month unlimited conversions—process 10 clients or 100 clients, same flat fee. No per-client charges, no volume limits.
Document Scope
Dext: Comprehensive platform for receipts, invoices, bills, and bank statements. If you need all document types, this breadth is valuable.
Zera Books: Focused on financial documents (bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks). If you only need bank statement processing, you pay less for a focused tool.
Client Management
Dext: Full client portal system where clients can upload documents directly. Includes approval workflows, publishing rules, team collaboration.
Zera Books: Client management dashboard to organize conversions by client, track history, access past statements. Focus on accountant workflow, not client self-service.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
Other Processing Speed Comparisons
If processing speed is critical to your workflow, compare these alternatives:
Hubdoc vs Zera Books
Hubdoc offers automatic bank feeds but limited bank statement PDF processing. Compare processing capabilities and speed.
AutoEntry vs Zera Books
AutoEntry processes bank statements but focuses heavily on receipt/invoice workflows. Compare processing speed and document focus.
DocuClipper Batch Processing Speed
DocuClipper offers instant processing but charges per page. Compare batch processing speed and pricing at scale.
Dext Alternative (Full Comparison)
Complete feature and pricing comparison between Dext and Zera Books, including document scope and workflow differences.
Related Resources
Ready for Instant Bank Statement Processing?
Stop waiting 24 hours for statement processing. Get results in 30-45 seconds and finish month-end close the same day. Try Zera Books for one week.
45 sec
Processing time
99.6%
Extraction accuracy
$79/mo
Unlimited processing