AutoEntry vs Zera Books Bank Statement Processing 2025
AutoEntry focuses on receipts and invoices with per-document pricing. Zera Books is purpose-built for bank statement processing at $79/month unlimited.
AutoEntry (now part of Sage) built its reputation on receipt scanning and invoice capture. The platform excels at pulling data from expense receipts, bills, and invoices with direct integrations into Sage, QuickBooks, and Xero. Bank statements, however, are a secondary feature, not the core product.
For accounting firms whose primary workflow bottleneck is bank statement processing, this matters. AutoEntry charges per document (typically $0.15-0.50 per page depending on plan), which adds up quickly when processing 50+ statements monthly per client.
Zera Books takes the opposite approach: purpose-built for bank statements first, with unlimited processing at a flat $79/month. This comparison examines what each tool actually delivers for bank statement workflows.
Core Product Focus: Receipts vs Bank Statements
Understanding what each tool was built to do explains why they perform differently on bank statement workflows.
AutoEntry
Built primarily for receipt and invoice capture
Zera Books
Built specifically for bank statement processing
Why Product Focus Matters
A tool optimized for receipts handles bank statements differently than one built specifically for them:
Multi-Page Statements
Bank statements often span 10-20 pages. Receipt tools process single-page documents. Zera AI handles page boundaries and running totals automatically.
Multi-Account Detection
Business statements often combine checking, savings, and credit card. Zera AI auto-detects and separates accounts. Receipt tools treat everything as one document.
Transaction Volume
Bank statements have 50-200+ transactions per month. Zera AI is optimized for high-volume tabular extraction, not single-item receipts.
Pricing: Per-Document vs Unlimited
AutoEntry's per-document pricing works for occasional receipt processing. For high-volume bank statement workflows, costs escalate quickly.
Real-World Cost Comparison: 20-Client Bookkeeping Firm
Typical firm: 20 clients, average 3 bank statements per client per month (checking, savings, credit card), average 8 pages per statement
AutoEntry Pricing
Monthly statements
60 statements
Total pages (8 avg per statement)
480 pages
Cost at $0.20/page
$96/month
Annual cost
$1,152/year
Zera Books Pricing
Monthly statements
Unlimited
Total pages
Unlimited
Flat monthly rate
$79/month
Annual cost
$948/year
Annual Savings with Zera Books
$204/year
Plus: No tracking page counts, no worrying about overages during tax season
The Hidden Cost: Per-Page Anxiety
Per-document pricing creates workflow friction beyond the dollar amount:
Bank Statement Features: Side-by-Side
Features that matter specifically for bank statement processing workflows.
| Feature | AutoEntry | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Receipts & invoices | Bank statements |
| Pricing Model | Per document (~$0.15-0.50/page) | $79/month unlimited |
| Multi-Account Detection | Manual separation | Automatic detection & separation |
| AI Transaction Categorization | Basic rules + learning | GAAP-trained categories |
| Document Types | Receipts, invoices, bank statements | Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks |
| Client Management | Yes | Yes (with conversion tracking) |
| Batch Processing | Yes (costs per document) | 50+ statements at once (unlimited) |
| OCR Accuracy | Not published | 99.6% field-level accuracy |
| QuickBooks/Xero Integration | Direct integration | Direct integration + QBO export |
| Scanned PDF Handling | Yes | Yes (95%+ accuracy on scans) |
Real Workflow: Processing a Client's Monthly Statements
Scenario: Client sends one PDF with their business checking, savings, and credit card statements (35 pages total, 180 transactions)
AutoEntry Workflow
Split PDF manually
Separate the 35-page PDF into three documents (checking, savings, credit card) before uploading. AutoEntry doesn't auto-detect account boundaries.
Upload three documents
Upload each split PDF separately. 35 pages × $0.20 = $7.00 processing cost for this client's monthly statements.
Review and export
Review extracted data, apply categorization rules, export to QuickBooks. Categorization based on receipt-oriented rule engine.
Zera Books Workflow
Upload combined PDF
Upload the 35-page PDF as-is. No splitting required.
Zera AI auto-processes
Automatically detects checking, savings, and credit card accounts. Creates separate Excel tabs for each account. AI categorizes 180 transactions.
Quick review and export
Review AI-categorized transactions (95%+ auto-categorized correctly), adjust edge cases, export to QuickBooks with pre-mapped fields.
Monthly Impact (20 Clients)
Time Saved
5-7 hours/month
Eliminating manual PDF splitting and faster categorization
Cost Difference
$61+ saved/month
$79 flat vs $140+ per-document at scale
"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
Scale: Processes 40+ bank statements monthly across multiple entities. Unlimited pricing means no per-page calculations during high-volume periods.
When Each Tool Makes Sense
Both tools serve legitimate use cases. The right choice depends on your primary workflow.
Choose AutoEntry When
Choose Zera Books When
The Bottom Line
AutoEntry is a capable receipt and invoice processing tool that also handles bank statements. For firms where receipts are the primary document type, it delivers strong value within the Sage ecosystem.
For accounting firms where bank statement processing is the core workflow bottleneck, Zera Books offers purpose-built features (multi-account detection, GAAP-trained categorization, 99.6% accuracy) at unlimited pricing that makes economic sense at scale.
Key Differentiators for Bank Statement Processing
Multi-account auto-detection: Upload combined PDFs without manual splitting
$79/month unlimited: Process 500+ statements at the same price as 5
99.6% field-level accuracy: Validated by 50+ CPA professionals on real documents
Four document types: Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, and checks
Zera AI: Trained on millions of financial documents, dynamically handles any bank format
Related Resources
Best Bank Statement Converter
Compare top bank statement conversion tools for accounting firms
AI Categorization
Automatically categorize transactions for QuickBooks and Xero
Multi-Account Support
Automatically detect and separate multiple accounts in one PDF
For CPAs & Accountants
Streamline multi-client workflows with automation
For Bookkeepers
Scale your bookkeeping practice with unlimited processing
Client Bookkeeping
Manage multi-client bookkeeping workflows efficiently
QuickBooks Bank Statement Import
Import bank statements to QuickBooks with AI categorization
Month-End Close
Cut month-end reconciliation from days to hours
Pricing
Unlimited conversions at $79/month
See Why Firms Choose Zera Books for Bank Statements
Purpose-built bank statement processing with multi-account detection and unlimited conversions at $79/month. Try for one week with your own statements.
Try for one week