Dext Xero Integration Guide: Complete Setup & Focused Alternative
Dext's Xero integration syncs receipts, invoices, and bank statements across your accounting workflow. But if you only need bank statement processing without the expense management overhead, there's a more focused approach.
Quick Answer
Dext's Xero integration automatically syncs your Chart of Accounts, suppliers, customers, tracking categories, and payment methods between platforms. It extracts data from receipts with 99.9% accuracy, processes invoices and bank statements, and publishes transactions directly to Xero's Bank Accounts for reconciliation.
The catch? Dext bundles receipt scanning, expense management, and invoice processing together—you can't subscribe to just bank statement features. Pricing isn't publicly disclosed on a per-client basis, making cost planning difficult for scaling firms.
For firms that only need bank statements: Zera Books offers focused bank statement processing with AI categorization for Xero at $79/month unlimited—no receipt scanning overhead, no hidden per-client fees.
What Is Dext's Xero Integration?
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is an all-in-one document management platform that connects to Xero to automate the capture and processing of financial documents. The integration synchronizes core accounting data bidirectionally, including your Chart of Accounts, suppliers, customers, tracking categories, and payment methods.
Once connected, Dext extracts data from receipts, invoices, and bank statements using OCR technology that claims 99.9% accuracy. The system offers smart suggestions for transaction categories, descriptions, and payment methods based on historical patterns, then publishes finalized transactions to Xero's Bank Accounts where they appear for reconciliation.
What Dext Syncs with Xero
- Chart of Accounts and account codes
- Supplier and customer contacts
- Tracking categories and cost centers
- Tax rates and payment methods
- Bank reconciliation data
- Purchase orders and currencies
The integration supports multiple document capture methods: mobile app scanning, email forwarding, automatic invoice fetching from suppliers, and bank feed connections. Dext's goal is to eliminate manual data entry by automating the entire document-to-accounting workflow.
How Dext's Xero Integration Works
Dext's workflow is designed for comprehensive document management, handling everything from receipt photos to bank statement PDFs. Here's how the integration processes documents and syncs with Xero:
Document Capture
Upload documents via mobile app (scan receipts), email submission (forward PDFs), auto-fetch (connect to supplier portals), or bank feed sync. Dext accepts receipts, invoices, and bank statements in PDF, JPG, PNG, ZIP, and HTML formats.
OCR Extraction & Categorization
Dext's OCR engine extracts supplier details, line items, dates, amounts, and tax information. The system suggests categories, descriptions, and payment methods based on your Xero Chart of Accounts and historical patterns. Claimed accuracy: 99.9% for receipt data extraction.
Review & Approval
Users review suggested categorizations in Dext's dashboard, make corrections if needed, and set up automation rules for future documents. You can create rules for automatic tax application, multi-currency handling, and transaction matching.
Publish to Xero
Approved items are published to Xero's "Bank Accounts" section under Account Transactions. For bank statements specifically, Dext publishes transactions that appear in Xero's reconciliation interface where you click to match and reconcile each item individually.
Bank Reconciliation in Xero
Dext's Bank Reconciliation feature displays three unreconciled categories: Outstanding Payments, Outstanding Receipts, and Unreconciled Statement Lines. Each category expands to show transaction details, and you can click directly into Xero to complete reconciliation with matched transactions highlighted at the top.
The Reconciliation Reality
While Dext automates document extraction, the reconciliation workflow still requires clicking through each transaction in Xero's interface to confirm matches. For firms processing hundreds of bank transactions monthly, this click-per-transaction workflow adds significant time compared to bulk reconciliation approaches.
Dext vs Zera Books: Xero Integration Comparison
Dext offers comprehensive document management, but many accounting firms only need bank statement processing for Xero. Here's how the two platforms compare when your primary need is converting bank statements into Xero-ready data:
| Feature | Dext Xero Integration | Zera Books Xero Integration |
|---|---|---|
| Document Types | Receipts, invoices, bank statements (bundled) | Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks (modular) |
| Setup Complexity | Multi-step: Connect Xero, configure sync settings, set up document capture methods | Upload PDF → Export to Xero format (pre-mapped fields, no configuration) |
| AI Categorization | Smart suggestions based on historical patterns | Zera AI auto-categorization trained on 3.2M+ financial documents |
| Pricing Model | 14-day trial, then paid plan (per-client pricing not publicly disclosed) | $79/month unlimited conversions (transparent, no hidden fees) |
| Feature Scope | Full expense management suite (receipt scanning, mileage tracking, approval workflows) | Focused bank statement workflow (no receipt/expense overhead) |
| Bank Format Support | Supports major banks via bank feeds and manual upload | Zera AI dynamically processes any bank format (no template training required) |
| Reconciliation Workflow | Publishes to Bank Accounts → Click each transaction in Xero to reconcile | Export categorized CSV → Bulk import to Xero → Auto-match with 95%+ accuracy |
| Client Management | Client folders and document organization | Client dashboard with unlimited conversion history per client |
Key Takeaway
Dext excels if you need comprehensive expense management (receipts, invoices, approvals). But for firms that primarily process bank statements for Xero reconciliation, Zera Books offers a more focused workflow at transparent unlimited pricing—without paying for receipt scanning features you won't use.
Setup Guide: Dext vs Zera Books for Xero
Dext requires multi-step configuration to connect with Xero and set up document capture. Zera Books simplifies this to upload, categorize, and export—no integration setup needed.
For detailed setup steps, see our Xero bank statement import guide.
When to Choose a Focused Alternative
Dext makes sense if you need the full expense management suite: receipt scanning from team members, mileage tracking, multi-level approval workflows, and corporate card integration. But if your firm's primary workflow is processing bank statements for Xero reconciliation, paying for bundled features creates unnecessary overhead.
Zera Books offers $79/month unlimited bank statement processing with AI categorization—transparent pricing, no per-client fees, no receipt scanning you won't use.
"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
Ready for Focused Bank Statement Processing?
Skip the expense management overhead. Convert bank statements to Xero-ready data with AI categorization at transparent unlimited pricing.
$79/month unlimited • No per-client fees • Cancel anytime
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