Hubdoc vs Zera Books for CPAs: Receipt Fetching vs Bank Statement Processing
CPAs need different tools for different document workflows. Hubdoc excels at receipt fetching and expense documentation with its Xero bundling. Zera Books specializes in bank statement processing with AI-powered categorization for reconciliation. Here is how each platform fits into CPA practice workflows.
The Core Difference for CPA Practices
Hubdoc for CPAs
Receipt Fetching
Auto-fetch bills from 1,000+ vendors
Xero Bundling
Included free with Xero subscriptions
Document Storage
Organized client document archive
Bank Statement Extraction
Limited transaction-level processing
AI Transaction Categorization
Basic rules-based only
Best For: Client expense documentation, vendor bill fetching, receipt archival
Zera Books for CPAs
Bank Statement Processing
Extract every transaction from any bank format
AI Categorization
Auto-categorize for QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts
Multi-Account Detection
Separate checking, savings, credit cards automatically
4 Document Types
Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks
Client Management
Organize conversions by client with history
Best For: Bank reconciliation, month-end close, client bookkeeping at scale
Why CPAs Often Use Both
These tools solve different problems in a CPA workflow. Hubdoc captures and organizes client receipts and bills. Zera Books processes bank statements and categorizes transactions for reconciliation. Many CPA practices use Hubdoc for expense documentation and Zera Books for statement processing.
Hubdoc Xero Bundling: What CPAs Actually Get
What Hubdoc Includes with Xero
Auto-Fetch from 1,000+ Vendors
Utility bills, telecom, insurance auto-downloaded
Email Forwarding
Forward receipts/invoices via email
Mobile App Scanning
Photo receipts from iPhone/Android
Auto-Publish to Xero
Bills and expenses sync automatically
Document Archive
Searchable storage by vendor/date
Multi-Client Support
Separate Hubdoc accounts per client organization
Value for Xero-Based Practices: If your practice uses Xero, Hubdoc is included at no additional cost. It handles receipt capture and vendor bill management well. However, it was not designed for transaction-level bank statement extraction.
What Hubdoc Does Not Do Well
Bank Statement Transaction Extraction
Can fetch statements from connected banks, but limited ability to extract individual transactions for reconciliation. Not designed for processing PDF statements from clients.
Multi-Account Statement Processing
Cannot auto-detect and separate multiple accounts (checking, savings, credit card) from a single combined statement PDF.
AI Transaction Categorization
Basic rules-based categorization for receipts. No ML-powered categorization for bank transactions mapped to chart of accounts.
Financial Statement Processing
Cannot extract data from P&L statements, balance sheets, or cash flow statements.
CPA Workflow Comparison: Where Each Tool Fits
| CPA Workflow Task | Hubdoc | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Client sends bank statement PDFs | Store as documents, manual extraction | Extract all transactions with AI categorization |
| Capturing client expense receipts | Mobile app + email forwarding + auto-publish | Not designed for receipt capture |
| Monthly bank reconciliation | Limited, manual matching | Pre-categorized transactions ready for matching |
| Auto-fetching vendor bills | 1,000+ vendor integrations | Not a feature |
| Processing P&L/balance sheets | Not supported | Full extraction of financial statements |
| Multi-account statement splitting | Not supported | Auto-detect and separate accounts |
| Batch processing 50+ statements | Upload documents individually | Upload entire month at once |
| QuickBooks Desktop support | Xero-focused, limited QB Desktop | QBO and IIF export formats |
Hubdoc Workflow for CPAs
Client uploads receipts/bills
Via mobile app, email, or web portal
Hubdoc extracts vendor/amount/date
OCR reads receipt data
Auto-publishes to Xero
Creates bills/expenses with attachments
CPA reviews and approves
Match to bank transactions manually
Zera Books Workflow for CPAs
Client sends bank statement PDFs
Any format, any bank
Upload to Zera Books in batch
Process multiple clients at once
AI extracts and categorizes transactions
Mapped to QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts
Import to accounting software
Ready for reconciliation
"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
Manroop's challenge: Managing financial data from multiple revenue streams across Canada and the US meant reconciling dozens of bank statements every month. Traditional receipt capture tools could not handle the volume of bank statement processing needed.
This is the gap Zera Books fills. Hubdoc would capture their vendor bills and receipts, but for the bank reconciliation workflow, they needed transaction-level extraction from statement PDFs. Learn more about how CPAs use Zera Books to scale their practices.
Pricing for CPA Practices
Hubdoc Pricing
$0/month
Included with Xero subscription
Requirement: Active Xero subscription ($15-70/month per client org)
Zera Books Pricing
$79/month
Flat rate, unlimited conversions
Works with: QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Wave, any accounting software
ROI for CPA Practices
Hubdoc is essentially free if you already use Xero. Zera Books at $79/month pays for itself if you save 2+ hours per month on bank statement processing (at typical CPA billing rates). Most practices processing 20+ client statements monthly see significant time savings. See our pricing page for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use both Hubdoc and Zera Books together?
Yes, many CPA practices do. Hubdoc handles client expense documentation and receipt capture. Zera Books handles bank statement processing for reconciliation. They solve different workflow problems and complement each other well.
Does Zera Books work with QuickBooks Online and Desktop?
Yes. Zera Books exports to QBO format for QuickBooks Online and IIF format for QuickBooks Desktop. It also works with Xero, Sage, Wave, and any software that accepts Excel/CSV imports. Hubdoc is more tightly integrated with Xero specifically.
Can Hubdoc process bank statement PDFs that clients email me?
Hubdoc can store bank statement PDFs as documents, but its OCR is optimized for receipts and bills, not transaction-level extraction from bank statements. For extracting individual transactions with categorization, you need a tool like Zera Books with AI categorization.
What if my practice uses QuickBooks instead of Xero?
Hubdoc does have QuickBooks integration, but the tight bundling and best integration is with Xero (since Xero owns Hubdoc). For QuickBooks-focused practices, Zera Books may be more practical since it exports directly to QBO/IIF formats without requiring additional software subscriptions.
How does Zera Books handle scanned or low-quality bank statements?
Zera OCR is trained specifically on financial documents, including scanned PDFs and photos. It achieves 95%+ accuracy on image-based statements. Hubdoc's OCR is designed for receipt capture, not complex bank statement layouts.
Recommendation for CPA Practices
Use Hubdoc When
- Your practice is Xero-based (included free)
- Clients need to capture expense receipts
- You want auto-fetch from utility/telecom vendors
- Document archival is the primary need
- Bill approval workflows matter
Use Zera Books When
- Bank reconciliation is a major workflow
- Clients send PDF bank statements
- You need AI-powered categorization
- Processing high volumes (20+ clients)
- Month-end close speed matters
The Bottom Line for CPAs
Hubdoc and Zera Books are not competitors. They solve different problems in a CPA workflow. Hubdoc is excellent for expense documentation with its Xero bundling. Zera Books is purpose-built for bank statement processing with AI categorization. Many practices use both, applying each tool to its strength. The question is not which one to choose, but whether your bank statement processing volume justifies adding Zera Books to your toolkit.
Ready to Transform Your Bank Reconciliation Workflow?
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