Dext vs Zera Books: Bank Statement Processing Compared
Dext is a comprehensive expense management platform with receipts, invoices, bank connections, and approval workflows. If you only need bank statement processing, that's feature bloat. Here's why Zera Books offers a focused, cost-effective alternative.
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) has evolved into an all-in-one expense management platform. It handles receipt scanning, supplier invoices, bank feeds, expense tracking, and multi-level approval workflows. For corporate accounting teams managing employee expenses, it's a comprehensive solution.
But here's the question most accounting firms should ask: Do you actually need all of that?
If your primary workflow is processing bank statements for clients—converting PDFs to Excel, categorizing transactions, and importing to QuickBooks or Xero—Dext's comprehensive feature set becomes expensive complexity.
The Core Difference
Dext
All-in-one expense platform: receipts, invoices, bank feeds, approvals, employee expenses
Zera Books
Focused document processor: bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks—$79/month unlimited
This comparison focuses specifically on bank statement processing—what each platform offers, what it costs, and which approach makes sense for different accounting workflows.
What Dext Offers (The Full Platform)
Dext is a comprehensive expense management platform. Understanding everything it includes helps explain why it may be overkill for focused bank statement processing.
Receipt Capture & Scanning
Mobile app for photographing receipts, auto-extraction of vendor, amount, date, and category. Designed for employee expense reimbursement workflows.
Live Bank Feeds
Direct connections to bank accounts for automatic transaction pulling. Real-time sync with accounting software.
Supplier Invoice Processing
Extract line items, totals, and tax amounts from vendor invoices. Route through approval workflows before posting.
Expense Tracking & Coding
Track employee expenses, corporate card charges, mileage logs. Map to projects, clients, or departments.
Multi-Level Approval Workflows
Route expenses and invoices through manager approval chains. Set limits by amount, department, or vendor.
The Problem With All-in-One Platforms
Dext bundles receipt scanning, expense tracking, bank feeds, invoice processing, approval workflows, and reporting into every subscription. If you only need to process PDF bank statements and export to QuickBooks, you're paying for 5+ features you don't use—and navigating a complex UI to find the one feature you need.
Bank Statement Processing: Side-by-Side Comparison
When it comes specifically to processing bank statements—converting PDFs to structured data for accounting software—here's how Dext and Zera Books compare.
| Capability | Dext | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| PDF Bank Statement Upload | ||
| Live Bank Feed Connections | PDF-based (no client credentials needed) | |
| Any Bank Format Support | Limited bank connections | Zera AI trained on millions |
| Scanned/Image PDF Processing | Limited OCR for receipts | Zera OCR 99.6% accuracy |
| AI Transaction Categorization | ||
| Multi-Account Auto-Detection | ||
| Financial Statement Processing | ||
| Check Processing | ||
| Excel/CSV Export | ||
| QuickBooks/Xero Integration | ||
| Batch Upload (50+ statements) | Limited | |
| Unlimited Processing | Per-client pricing | $79/month flat |
Key Differences for Bank Statement Workflows
Dext's strength: Live bank feed connections that automatically pull transactions. Great if your clients share credentials and you want real-time data.
Zera Books' strength: PDF-based processing that handles any bank format without requiring client credentials. Clients email you PDFs; you convert instantly.
Bottom line: If clients already send you PDF statements (most do), Zera Books processes them faster without the credential management overhead.
The Real Cost: Dext vs Zera Books Pricing
Dext uses per-client pricing, meaning costs scale with your client base. Zera Books charges a flat $79/month regardless of clients, users, or volume.
| Scenario | Dext Annual Cost | Zera Books Annual Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 clients | $2,820/year* | $948/year | $1,872/year |
| 25 clients | $6,000/year* | $948/year | $5,052/year |
| 50 clients | $12,000/year* | $948/year | $11,052/year |
| 100 clients | $24,000/year* | $948/year | $23,052/year |
*Dext pricing estimated based on per-client tiers. Actual pricing varies by plan and region. Contact Dext for exact quotes.
Dext Pricing Model
- Per-client pricing (cost grows with client base)
- Minimum client requirements per tier
- All features bundled (pay for receipts, expenses, approvals)
- Annual contracts often required for best pricing
Zera Books Pricing Model
- $79/month flat (unlimited everything)
- No per-client fees
- No per-page fees
- Month-to-month (no annual contract required)
The Scaling Problem
With Dext, growing your client base means growing your software costs. Add 10 new clients? That's $2,000+ in additional annual fees. With Zera Books, adding clients costs nothing—the same $948/year whether you have 10 clients or 100.
Beyond Bank Statements: Document Processing Compared
While this comparison focuses on bank statement processing, accounting workflows often require processing multiple document types. Here's where the platforms differ significantly.
Dext Processes
- Receipts (mobile scanning focus)
- Supplier invoices
- Bank feeds (via connections)
- Financial statements (P&L, balance sheets)
- Check images
- PDF bank statement conversion
Zera Books Processes
- Bank statements (any format, any bank)
- Financial statements (P&L, balance sheets, cash flow)
- Invoices (line item extraction)
- Check images (MICR extraction)
- Receipt mobile scanning
- Live bank connections
The Document Type Difference
Dext focuses on receipts and expenses with bank feeds as a secondary feature. Zera Books focuses on financial documents—bank statements, financial statements, invoices, and checks. If your workflow centers on processing client-provided PDF documents (rather than capturing employee receipts), Zera Books covers more document types.
Real Results: Focused Tools Over Feature Bloat
How a multi-province business cut month-end reconciliation from days to hours
"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 processes over 3 million books monthly across Canada and the US, with operations in British Columbia and Ontario. Managing financial data from multiple revenue streams meant reconciling dozens of bank statements every month. Their accounting team was spending 2-3 days on manual data entry during month-end close.
Why Feature Bloat Wasn't the Answer
They evaluated all-in-one platforms like Dext, but realized they didn't need receipt scanning, expense tracking, or approval workflows. They needed one thing: fast, accurate conversion of PDF bank statements to QuickBooks-ready data.
The Solution
Zera Books' focused approach—upload PDFs, AI categorizes transactions, export to QuickBooks—matched their actual workflow. No credential sharing with banks. No training on receipt capture features. Just bank statement processing.
Results
3 days
to 4 hours month-end
40+
statements/month processed
$79
flat monthly cost
Which Tool Fits Your Workflow?
Both platforms serve legitimate use cases. The right choice depends on your actual workflow—not marketing promises.
Choose Dext If You:
- Manage employee expenses: Your clients' employees photograph receipts for reimbursement
- Need live bank feeds: Clients share bank credentials for real-time transaction sync
- Require approval workflows: Invoices need multi-level manager sign-off before posting
- Work with corporate accounts: Internal accounting team managing company expenses
Choose Zera Books If You:
- Process client bank statements: Clients email PDF statements; you convert and reconcile
- Need multiple document types: Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks
- Want predictable pricing: Flat $79/month regardless of client count
- Prefer focused tools: No unused features cluttering the interface
The Honest Assessment
Dext is a full-featured expense management platform. It's genuinely useful for corporate accounting teams managing employee expenses and approval workflows. But if your workflow is primarily "client sends PDF bank statement → you convert to QuickBooks-ready data," Dext's comprehensive feature set is expensive complexity. Zera Books does that one thing exceptionally well for $79/month flat.
The Bottom Line
Dext
- •All-in-one expense management platform
- •Receipt scanning, bank feeds, approval workflows
- •Per-client pricing scales with growth
- •Best for corporate internal accounting
Starting at ~$23-26/client/month
Zera Books
- •Focused financial document processor
- •Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks
- •Flat $79/month unlimited everything
- •Best for client bookkeeping firms
$79/month (no per-client fees)
Focus on What Matters: Bank Statement Processing
Stop paying for receipt scanning and approval workflows you don't use. Get unlimited bank statement conversions, AI categorization, and direct QuickBooks/Xero integration for $79/month flat.
Try for one weekNo feature bloat. No per-client fees. Just the document processing accountants actually need.