AutoEntry vs Zera Books for Bookkeepers
AutoEntry offers credit-based pricing with unlimited client companies but charges per document with 90-day expiration. Zera Books provides truly unlimited processing at $79/month with AI categorization built for multi-client bookkeeping workflows. Here's how they compare for managing 10+ clients.
The Core Difference for Bookkeepers
Both AutoEntry and Zera Books automate bank statement processing, but their approaches to multi-client bookkeeping differ fundamentally. AutoEntry uses a "Pay As You Go" credit system where you track usage per document. Zera Books offers unlimited conversions with AI categorization designed specifically for bookkeeping firm workflows.
AutoEntry
Unlimited client companies and users
99% OCR accuracy with ML technology
Credits expire after 90 days (recent policy change)
Overage charges up to 200% with 10% penalty
Limited AI categorization for QuickBooks/Xero
Requires tracking credit usage across clients
Best for:
Low-volume bookkeepers (under 50 statements/month) who primarily need document digitization
Zera Books
Truly unlimited conversions ($79/month flat)
AI auto-categorization for QuickBooks/Xero workflows
Client management dashboard for organizing multi-client work
Batch process 50+ statements simultaneously
99.6% field-level extraction accuracy with Zera AI
No usage tracking, credit anxiety, or overage fees
Best for:
Multi-client bookkeeping firms needing predictable costs and AI-powered categorization workflows
Real Bookkeeper Workflows: AutoEntry vs Zera Books
When managing 15-20 clients with monthly bank reconciliation needs, your workflow tool makes or breaks efficiency. Here's how each platform handles a typical bookkeeper's workload.
Month-End Processing for 15 Clients
Average 3 bank accounts per client = 45 statements/month
- •Check credit balance before processing
- •Upload statements one client at a time
- •Wait for OCR extraction (no categorization)
- •Manually categorize transactions in QuickBooks
- •Track credit consumption to avoid overage
Time per client: ~45 minutes
- Batch upload all 45 statements at once
- AI extracts + auto-categorizes for QuickBooks
- Review categorizations in client dashboard
- Direct export to QuickBooks (pre-categorized)
- No usage limits or tracking required
Time per client: ~15 minutes (saved by AI categorization)
Time savings: Zera Books saves 7.5 hours per month-end close with AI categorization and batch processing for 15 clients.
New Client Onboarding (Historical Statements)
Processing 12 months of statements for catchup bookkeeping
- 36 statements consume significant credits
- May trigger overage charges (10% penalty)
- Manual categorization for 12 months of data
- Unlimited processing (same $79/month)
- No overage anxiety or budget impact
- AI categorizes entire year of transactions
Complex Multi-Account Client
Client with 8 bank accounts, 3 credit cards, 2 PayPal accounts
- •13 statements = high credit consumption per month
- •Separate processing for each account
- •Manual categorization across all 13 files
- Upload all 13 statements in single batch
- Multi-account auto-detection separates files
- AI categorizes all accounts consistently
Pricing Reality for Bookkeeping Firms
AutoEntry's "Pay As You Go" model sounds flexible, but bookkeeping firms managing multiple clients face hidden complexities. Here's what the pricing actually means for your practice.
AutoEntry Credit-Based Pricing
What "Pay As You Go" really costs
Credits expire after 90 days
Recent policy change means unused credits vanish quarterly, forcing you to "use it or lose it"
Overage charges up to 200% of monthly limit
When you exceed your credit bundle, you're charged 10% extra on overage usage. New client onboardings trigger unexpected costs.
Recent price increase (September 2025)
All subscription plans increased without grandfathering existing customers
More expensive for high-volume bank statements
Bookkeeping firms with 50+ statements/month pay significantly more than competitors with unlimited models
Confusing pricing structure
Reviewers note difficulty understanding costs when exceeding subscription limits, making budgeting unpredictable
Reality check: AutoEntry works for low-volume bookkeepers (under 50 statements/month), but multi-client firms face constant credit management, expiration anxiety, and unpredictable overage costs.
Zera Books Unlimited Pricing
What you see is what you pay
$79/month flat (truly unlimited)
Process 10 statements or 1,000 statements - same price. No tracking, no anxiety, no surprises.
No expiration, overage, or per-page fees
Onboard 5 new clients in one month without budget impact. Tax season spike? Same $79/month.
AI categorization included (not an add-on)
Auto-categorize transactions for QuickBooks/Xero. This alone saves 30+ minutes per client monthly.
Month-to-month (cancel anytime)
No annual contracts. Stop when you want without penalty.
Predictable budgeting for accounting firms
Quote client pricing confidently knowing your software cost never changes
Bottom line: Zera Books eliminates pricing complexity. Your only decision is whether $79/month saves you more than 2 billable hours (it will).
ROI Calculator for Bookkeepers
Time saved per client/month
30 minutes
(AI categorization)
With 15 clients
7.5 hours
saved per month
At $100/hour billing
$750
recovered monthly
ROI: Zera Books pays for itself with just 1 client. With 15 clients, you recover $750/month in billable time ($9,000/year) for a $79/month investment.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
How AutoEntry and Zera Books compare across features bookkeepers actually use
| Feature | AutoEntry | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Credit-based (Pay As You Go) | $79/month unlimited |
| Client Management Dashboard | Basic organization | Full dashboard |
| AI Transaction Categorization | Limited (remembers past patterns) | Full AI categorization |
| QuickBooks Integration | Export (manual categorization) | Pre-categorized export |
| Xero Integration | Export (manual categorization) | Pre-categorized export |
| Batch Processing | Sequential uploads | 50+ statements simultaneously |
| Multi-Account Auto-Detection | Manual separation | Automatic |
| OCR Accuracy | 99% (ML-powered) | 99.6% (Zera AI) |
| Scanned PDF Processing | Yes | Yes (Zera OCR) |
| Document Types Supported | Bank statements, invoices, receipts | Bank statements, invoices, financial statements, checks |
| Usage Limits / Expiration | Credits expire after 90 days | No limits or expiration |
| Overage Charges | Up to 200% + 10% penalty | None |
| Unlimited Client Companies | Yes | Yes |
| Conversion History Tracking | Available | Unlimited history |
| Contract Terms | Rolling monthly | Month-to-month |
Real Results from Bookkeeping Firms
How Zera Books transforms multi-client workflows
"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
When AutoEntry Works (and When It Doesn't)
AutoEntry serves specific bookkeeper needs effectively, but falls short for multi-client practices requiring predictable costs and workflow automation.
AutoEntry Works If You:
- •Manage fewer than 10 clients with simple bookkeeping needs
- •Process under 50 bank statements per month
- •Manually categorize transactions in QuickBooks/Xero anyway
- •Don't mind tracking credit consumption quarterly
- •Need primarily receipt and invoice processing (not bank statements)
AutoEntry Doesn't Work If You:
- •Manage 15+ clients requiring consistent workflows
- •Process 50+ bank statements monthly (high credit burn)
- •Need AI categorization to scale efficiently
- •Want predictable monthly costs without overage anxiety
- •Onboard new clients with historical statement catchups
Why Multi-Client Bookkeepers Choose Zera Books
Predictable Costs
$79/month whether you process 10 or 500 statements. Budget confidently.
AI Categorization
Save 30+ minutes per client with auto-categorized QuickBooks/Xero exports.
Client Dashboard
Organize conversions by client, track history, manage multi-client workflows.
Scale Without Penalty
Add clients without software cost increases. Your only limit is capacity.
Ready to Eliminate Credit Tracking and Automate Categorization?
Join bookkeeping firms using Zera Books to process unlimited bank statements with AI categorization at $79/month flat. No credit expiration, no overage fees, no usage anxiety.