Dext Pricing Per User vs Unlimited: Complete 2025 Cost Comparison
Dext charges per-user fees, per-client fees, and has multiple pricing tiers with different feature sets. See exactly how costs compound as your firm grows, and calculate when Zera Books $79/month unlimited becomes the smarter choice.
How Dext Pricing Works: The Multi-Layer Cost Structure
Dext uses a tiered pricing model with multiple cost components. Understanding each layer is critical to calculating your actual monthly spend—and why it escalates quickly for growing firms.
Base Plan Fee
Dext offers Essential, Professional, and Enterprise tiers with monthly base fees ranging from $24 to $100+.
- Lower tiers have feature restrictions
- Document limits on Essential
Per-User Fees
Additional team members cost extra per month. A 5-person firm pays significantly more than a solo practitioner.
- $10-25 per additional user
- Hiring increases software costs
Per-Client Fees
Dext charges $3-5 per client per month on top of base and user fees. Every new client increases your bill.
- 50 clients = $150-250/mo extra
- Growth is penalized, not rewarded
The Compound Cost Formula
Your actual Dext monthly cost = Base Fee + (Per-User Fee x Users) + (Per-Client Fee x Clients)
Example: Professional plan ($50) + 3 users ($45) + 30 clients ($150) = $245/month. Zera Books: $79/month for the same scenario. That's $166/month in savings, or $1,992/year.
Break-Even Analysis: When Does Unlimited Win?
Calculate exactly when Zera Books $79/month flat rate beats Dext tiered pricing. The break-even point comes faster than most firms expect.
Cost Comparison by Firm Size (2 Team Members)
Assumes Dext Professional plan + per-user + per-client fees
| Client Count | Dext Base + Users | + Per-Client Fees | Dext Total | Zera Books | Monthly Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $25 | $95 | $79 | $16 saved |
| 10 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $50 | $120 | $79 | $41 saved |
| 25 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $125 | $195 | $79 | $116 saved |
| 50 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $250 | $320 | $79 | $241 saved |
| 75 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $375 | $445 | $79 | $366 saved |
| 100 clients | $50 + $20 = $70 | $500 | $570 | $79 | $491 saved |
Why Per-User + Per-Client Hurts
At just 5 clients, Zera Books already saves you money. By 50 clients, you're saving $241/month or $2,892/year. The gap widens with every client you add. Hiring another team member? That's another $10-25/month added to your Dext bill.
Dext pricing punishes both client growth AND team growth.
Zera Books: Grow Without Penalty
With $79/month flat pricing, your per-client cost decreases as you scale. 10 clients = $7.90/client. 50 clients = $1.58/client. 100 clients = $0.79/client. No per-user fees—your whole team uses one account.
Your software cost stays flat while revenue grows.
Per-User Fees: The Hidden Growth Tax
Dext charges per-user fees on top of base pricing. When you hire, your software costs increase. Here's how team size affects your total spend.
Dext Cost by Team Size (25 clients)
Zera Books: Any Team Size
10-user team at 25 clients
Save $276/month ($3,312/year)
Hiring Shouldn't Increase Your Software Costs
Every hire at a Dext-using firm triggers a "should we add them to the software?" conversation. Per-user fees create friction around tool access. With Zera Books, the answer is always yes—add anyone who needs access. No budget impact, no approvals needed. Your team scales freely.
Annual Savings: Real Firm Scenarios
See what firms like yours save annually by switching from Dext per-user/per-client pricing to Zera Books unlimited.
Solo Bookkeeper
1 user, 10 clients
Save $252/year
Small CPA Firm
3 users, 25 clients
Save $1,632/year
Growing Firm
5 users, 50 clients
Save $3,612/year
Large Bookkeeping Service
10 users, 100 clients
Save $7,812/year
What Could You Do With $3,000-8,000 More Per Year?
That's real money back in your firm's pocket. Invest in marketing, hire a part-time assistant, upgrade equipment, or simply increase profitability. Software shouldn't be the line item that scales with your success.
What You Get: Feature Value at Each Price Point
Price is one factor. Features are another. See what you actually get from Dext vs Zera Books.
Dext
Variable pricing based on users, clients, tier
Receipt/invoice capture
Email inbox, mobile app
Expense management
Approval workflows, team cards
QuickBooks/Xero integration
Direct sync
Limited bank statement focus
Primary focus is receipts/invoices
No multi-account detection
Manual splitting for combined statements
Per-user + per-client fees
Costs scale with growth
Zera Books
$79/month flat—everything included
4 document types
Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks
Zera AI for any bank format
Trained on millions of financial documents
Multi-account auto-detection
Automatically separate checking, savings, credit cards
AI transaction categorization
Auto-map to QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts
Client management dashboard
Organize by client, track history
Zero per-user or per-client fees
Flat $79/mo for unlimited everything
"This tool saves me probably 10 hours a week"
Ashish Josan, Manager, CPA at Manning Elliott
"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."
Why Flat-Rate Pricing Matters for CPAs
CPA firms handle clients with varying document volumes—some send 5 statements monthly, others send 50. Per-client pricing models create awkward conversations about "should we charge this client extra for processing?" With Zera Books flat $79/month, every client's documents get processed without budget considerations. Focus on service quality, not software math.
Frequently Asked Questions
How exactly does Dext per-user pricing work?
Dext charges a base plan fee (Essential ~$24, Professional ~$50+) plus approximately $10-25 per additional user per month. A 5-person team on Professional pays roughly $50 + $80 in user fees = $130/month before per-client fees. Zera Books charges $79/month regardless of how many team members use the platform.
What are Dext per-client fees?
On top of base and user fees, Dext charges $3-5 per client per month depending on your plan tier. 50 clients adds $150-250/month to your bill. 100 clients adds $300-500/month. Zera Books has zero per-client fees—manage 5 clients or 500 clients at the same $79/month.
At what firm size does Zera Books become cheaper than Dext?
For most configurations, Zera Books becomes cheaper immediately or within 5-10 clients. With 2 users and 10+ clients, Zera Books already saves money. The gap widens exponentially with firm growth—by 50 clients, you're saving $200-300/month compared to Dext.
Is Dext better for invoice/receipt processing while Zera Books focuses on bank statements?
Dext historically focused on invoice/receipt capture with email inbox features and mobile apps. Zera Books specializes in bank statement processing with Zera AI trained on millions of financial documents. However, Zera Books also processes invoices, checks, and financial statements—four document types total. For firms that need comprehensive financial document processing, Zera Books covers more ground at a lower price.
If I switch from Dext to Zera Books, what features would I lose?
Dext includes expense management features like approval workflows, team cards, and mileage tracking. If your firm actively uses these, you'd need separate solutions. However, many accounting firms don't use these bundled features—they just need document processing. If bank statements are your primary workflow, Zera Books provides superior processing with AI categorization, multi-account detection, and client management at a fraction of the cost.
What happens to Zera Books pricing if I double my client count?
Nothing changes. $79/month stays $79/month whether you have 10 clients or 200 clients. With Dext, doubling your client count roughly doubles your per-client fees. Zera Books rewards growth; Dext penalizes it.
Stop Paying Per-User and Per-Client Fees
Join accounting firms saving thousands annually by switching from tiered pricing to Zera Books unlimited. Same team, same clients, lower cost.
Try for one week$79/mo
No per-user fees
Unlimited
Clients and team members
99.6%
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