Why Accounting Firms Look Beyond AutoEntry
AutoEntry, now owned by Sage, pioneered automated data entry for accounting firms. But their credit-based pricing model creates challenges at scale: bank statements cost 3 credits per page (the most expensive document type), credits expire after 90 days, and high-volume firms constantly calculate whether to process documents or conserve credits.
AutoEntry's Pricing Model
- Credit-based system: Plans range from $12-450/month with varying credit allowances
- 90-day expiration: Unused credits expire quarterly, creating pressure to use or lose
- 3 credits per page: Bank statements are the most expensive document type to process
- Growth challenge: Adding clients means constantly upgrading to higher credit tiers
For firms processing 20+ clients monthly, this model becomes expensive and unpredictable. Many accounting professionals are switching to unlimited plans or pay-per-page alternatives that better align with their workflow.
1. Zera Books
Best for: High-volume accounting firms
Zera Books eliminates the credit system entirely. $79/month gets unlimited bank statement conversions, AI transaction categorization, client management dashboard, and direct QuickBooks/Xero integration. No tracking usage, no expiring credits, no upgrade anxiety.
Key Advantages
- • Unlimited bank statement conversions
- • AI categorization for QuickBooks/Xero
- • Multi-account auto-detection
- • Client management dashboard
- • 99.6% extraction accuracy
- • Batch process 50+ statements at once
Pricing Comparison
- • AutoEntry: $12-450/month + credits expire
- • Zera Books: $79/month flat, unlimited
- • ROI: Pays for itself at ~30 statements/month
- • No hidden costs: Client management included
- • Predictable: Same price at 50 or 500 statements
Real-world impact: Ashish Josan, CPA at Manning Elliott, processes 20+ clients monthly with statements from different banks. "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."
2. Dext (formerly Receipt Bank)
Best for: Mid-sized firms wanting receipt scanning + bank statements
Dext offers a comprehensive document processing solution with 99% OCR accuracy and seamless integrations with 11,500+ apps and platforms. At $37.50/month for 250 documents, it's positioned between AutoEntry's credit system and unlimited alternatives.
Strengths
- • 99% OCR accuracy
- • Transaction matching
- • Detects reconciled items
- • Line item extraction
Limitations
- • Volume limits (250 docs)
- • Overage fees apply
- • More expensive at scale
- • Receipt focus, not bank statements
Pricing
- • $37.50/month base
- • 250 documents included
- • Per-document overage fees
- • Higher tiers available
When Dext makes sense: You need both receipt scanning and bank statement processing, and your monthly volume stays consistently under 250 documents. For firms focused primarily on bank statements, Zera Books offers better value with unlimited conversions.
3. Hubdoc
Best for: Xero-exclusive firms with low document volume
Acquired by Xero, Hubdoc is free for most Xero subscriptions and £10/month for other accounting software users. It's the most economical option if you're already in the Xero ecosystem and process fewer than 100 documents monthly.
What Hubdoc Does Well
- • Free for Xero users (massive cost savings)
- • AI-powered data extraction from bills/receipts
- • Auto-extracts supplier, amounts, dates
- • Native Xero integration
- • Simple, straightforward interface
Missing Features
- • No advanced automation
- • Limited line item support
- • No multi-folder logic
- • Struggles with handwritten documents
- • Less accurate than Dext on complex invoices
Reality check: Hubdoc is perfect for Xero-exclusive small firms with straightforward documents. But if you work with multiple accounting platforms, need AI categorization, or process high volumes, you'll quickly outgrow its capabilities. See our Hubdoc alternative comparison for scaling options.
4. DocuClipper
Best for: Firms wanting pay-as-you-go with no monthly commitment
DocuClipper charges $0.05 per page with no monthly subscription. For occasional use or seasonal spikes (tax season), this pay-as-you-go model offers flexibility without the pressure of expiring credits.
Cost Comparison (100 pages)
Cost Comparison (500 pages)
The tipping point: DocuClipper's per-page model works for sporadic use. But accounting firms processing 50+ statements monthly hit a breakeven point where unlimited plans offer better value and eliminate usage anxiety. At 1,580 pages/month, you'd pay the same as Zera Books—without AI categorization, client management, or batch processing.
5. Datamolino
Best for: Firms comfortable with credit-based pricing wanting AutoEntry flexibility
Datamolino uses a credit system similar to AutoEntry but with more transparent pricing and better flexibility. Like AutoEntry, you purchase credits and use them as needed for document processing. They position themselves as the more affordable alternative within the credit-based model.
Datamolino vs AutoEntry
Bottom line: If you prefer AutoEntry's credit model but want better pricing, Datamolino is a solid alternative. But for firms tired of tracking credits entirely, switching to unlimited plans eliminates the cognitive overhead of managing document budgets.
Feature Comparison: AutoEntry vs Alternatives
Here's how AutoEntry and its top alternatives compare across key features that matter to accounting firms: pricing model, accuracy, automation capabilities, and workflow integrations.
Choosing the Right Alternative for Your Firm
The best AutoEntry alternative depends on your firm's specific workflow, client volume, and accounting software ecosystem. Here's a decision framework based on real accounting firm needs:
Choose Zera Books if you:
- Process 50+ bank statements monthly across multiple clients
- Want AI categorization built-in for QuickBooks/Xero
- Need client management dashboard to organize conversions
- Hate tracking credits or worrying about expiration
- Value predictable monthly costs over variable pricing
Choose Dext if you:
- • Need both receipt scanning and bank statement processing
- • Process fewer than 250 documents monthly consistently
- • Want transaction matching to detect already-reconciled items
- • Can tolerate volume limits and overage fees
Choose Hubdoc if you:
- • Use Xero exclusively (get it free)
- • Process fewer than 100 documents monthly
- • Have straightforward invoices and receipts (not complex formats)
- • Don't need advanced automation or AI categorization
Choose DocuClipper if you:
- • Process documents sporadically (not every month)
- • Have seasonal volume spikes (tax season only)
- • Prefer pay-as-you-go over monthly subscriptions
- • Process fewer than 1,500 pages monthly
Choose Datamolino if you:
- • Like AutoEntry's credit model but want better pricing
- • Need transparent credit calculation tools
- • Are comfortable tracking credit usage monthly
- • Don't mind credits expiring after 90 days
Real Cost Analysis: AutoEntry vs Unlimited Alternatives
Let's break down actual costs for a typical accounting firm processing 20 clients monthly, each with an average 5-page bank statement (100 pages total):
AutoEntry Costs
* Plus mental overhead of tracking credits, calculating usage, upgrading plans
Zera Books Costs
* Includes AI categorization, client management, batch processing, unlimited history
ROI Calculation
At 100 pages/month, Zera Books costs $948/year vs AutoEntry's $720-1,440/year. But factor in:
- Time savings: AI categorization saves 30-45 minutes per client = 10-15 hours/month
- No usage anxiety: Process rush clients without worrying about credit depletion
- Scalability: Add 10 more clients with zero additional cost
- Client management: Organize all conversions by client in one dashboard
Real ROI: 10-15 hours saved monthly × $75/hour billable rate = $750-1,125/month value
Switching from AutoEntry: What to Expect
Concerned about switching document automation tools mid-workflow? Here's what the transition looks like:
No Data Migration Needed
Both tools output to Excel/CSV/QBO formats. Your existing workflow (upload → convert → import to QuickBooks/Xero) stays the same. You're just switching the conversion tool in the middle.
Test with One Client First
Start your trial with one client's bank statements. Compare output quality, review AI categorization, test your QuickBooks/Xero import. If it works (it will), roll out to your full client base.
Start trial with one clientRun Both Tools Temporarily
AutoEntry's monthly plans are cancellable anytime. Use your remaining credits while testing Zera Books, then cancel AutoEntry when you're confident. No overlap penalty, no wasted credits.
Faster Month-End from Day One
Most accounting firms see immediate time savings: batch upload all client statements, get AI-categorized transactions, import everything in one session. What used to take 2-3 days now takes 4-6 hours.
