Receipt Bank vs Zera Books: Bank Statement Processing
Receipt Bank (now Dext) was built for scanning receipts and invoices. Bank statement processing was added later as a secondary feature. Zera Books was purpose-built for bank statements from day one.
When bank statements are your primary workflow, the difference between basic support and purpose-built processing becomes clear.
The Core Difference
Receipt and invoice capture platform. Bank statement processing added as afterthought with basic extraction capabilities.
Bank statement conversion platform with Zera AI trained on 2.8M+ statements. AI categorization and multi-account detection built-in.
Receipt Bank's Bank Statement Support is Basic
Receipt Bank (now Dext) was founded in 2010 to photograph receipts and push expense data to accounting software. The platform excels at receipt capture, mobile uploads, and expense approval workflows.
Bank statement processing was added years later to check a feature box. The result is basic extraction that lacks the depth accounting firms need for monthly reconciliation: no multi-account auto-detection, limited AI categorization, and per-client pricing that scales poorly.
If you process 20+ bank statements monthly for bookkeeping clients, you need a tool built specifically for that workflow, not a receipt app with bank statement support added on.
The Key Question
If bank statements are your primary monthly workflow, would you rather use a receipt app that added bank statement support, or a platform purpose-built for bank statement processing from day one?
What Receipt Bank Lacks for Bank Statements
Receipt-focused platforms don't have the depth needed for serious bank statement workflows.
Multi-Account Auto-Detection
Zera AI detects checking, savings, and credit card accounts in a single PDF and creates organized Excel files with separate tabs. Receipt Bank requires manual splitting.
AI Transaction Categorization
Zera Books automatically categorizes transactions (Income, Expense, COGS) for direct import. Receipt Bank focuses on receipt vendor matching, not transaction categorization.
Bank Format Coverage
Zera AI dynamically processes any bank format without templates. Receipt Bank supports major banks but struggles with regional credit unions and international formats.
Reconciliation Workflow
Zera Books includes duplicate detection and fuzzy matching for reconciliation. Receipt Bank was designed for expense capture, not bank reconciliation.
Batch Processing
Upload 50 bank statements at once during month-end close. Receipt Bank processes documents individually, adding time during high-volume periods.
Scanned Statement OCR
Zera OCR is trained specifically on scanned bank statements. Handles blurry PDFs, skewed images, and poor-quality scans with 95%+ accuracy.
Processing a Multi-Account Statement: Side by Side
Compare the actual steps to process a bank statement with checking, savings, and credit card accounts.
Receipt Bank (Dext)
Upload bank statement PDF
1 minWait for OCR processing
2-3 minManually identify where each account starts/ends
5-10 minExport each account separately to Excel
5-8 minManually categorize transactions for QuickBooks
15-25 minImport to accounting software
3-5 minZera Books
Upload bank statement PDF
1 minZera AI auto-detects accounts, categorizes transactions
2-3 minDownload Excel with separate tabs per account
1 minQuick review of AI categorizations
3-5 minImport to QuickBooks/Xero
2 min
"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 that I used to spend on manual entry."
Ashish Josan
Manager, CPA at Manning Elliott
Pricing Comparison at Scale
Receipt Bank (Dext) charges per-client fees. Zera Books is unlimited for $79/month.
| Client Count | Receipt Bank (Dext) | Zera Books | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 clients | $234.99/month | $79/month | $1,872/year |
| 20 clients | $460-520/month | $79/month | $4,572-5,292/year |
| 30 clients | $690-780/month | $79/month | $7,332-8,412/year |
| 50 clients | $1,150-1,300/month | $79/month | $12,852-14,652/year |
No per-client fees with Zera Books. Process unlimited bank statements for unlimited clients. At 50 clients, you save $12,852-14,652 per year compared to Receipt Bank (Dext).
When Each Platform Makes Sense
Use Receipt Bank (Dext) If:
Use Zera Books If:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Receipt Bank (Dext) process bank statements?
Yes, Receipt Bank (now Dext) added bank statement processing as a feature. However, the platform was designed for receipts, and bank statement functionality is basic. You won't get multi-account auto-detection, AI transaction categorization, or the same level of bank format coverage as a purpose-built tool.
What does Zera Books have that Receipt Bank lacks for bank statements?
Zera Books has multi-account auto-detection (separates checking, savings, credit card automatically), AI transaction categorization (maps to QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts), Zera AI trained on millions of bank statements (any format without templates), batch processing (50+ statements at once), and unlimited flat pricing ($79/month for any client count).
How much time does AI categorization save?
Manually categorizing transactions for QuickBooks/Xero typically takes 15-25 minutes per client. With Zera Books AI categorization, you review pre-mapped categories in 3-5 minutes. That saves 10-20 minutes per client per month, which adds up significantly at scale.
Does Zera Books process receipts and invoices?
Zera Books processes invoices (line item extraction, vendor info, totals) and checks, but is optimized for bank statements and financial statements. If receipts are your primary document type, Receipt Bank/Dext may be better. If bank statements are primary, Zera Books is the better choice.
Can I use both tools together?
Yes. Many accounting firms use Receipt Bank/Dext for receipt capture and Zera Books for bank statement conversion. This gives you specialized tools for each document type without paying for overlapping features you don't need.
Related Comparisons
See how Zera Books compares to other document processing platforms.
Ready for Purpose-Built Bank Statement Processing?
$79/month unlimited bank statement conversions. Multi-account auto-detection, AI categorization, and batch processing designed specifically for accountants and bookkeepers.