AutoEntry vs Zera Books for Bookkeeping Firms 2025
AutoEntry focuses on receipts with per-document pricing. Zera Books offers unlimited bank statement processing at $79/month with AI categorization and multi-client workflows for bookkeeping firms.
Choosing the Right Document Processing Tool for Your Bookkeeping Firm
Bookkeeping firms face a unique challenge: managing financial documents for dozens of clients while maintaining accuracy and profitability. The tool you choose for document processing directly impacts your capacity, margins, and client satisfaction.
AutoEntry (now part of Sage) built its reputation on receipt and invoice capture, serving firms that need expense management workflows. Zera Books took a different approach: purpose-built for bank statement processing with features designed specifically for multi-client bookkeeping operations.
This comparison examines both tools through the lens of what bookkeeping firms actually need: scalable pricing, multi-client workflows, AI categorization, and reliable accuracy. Understanding where each tool excels helps you make the right choice for your firm's specific workflow.
Feature Comparison for Bookkeeping Firms
Side-by-side comparison of features that matter most to bookkeeping firms managing multiple clients.
| Feature | AutoEntry | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Receipts & invoices | Bank statements |
| Pricing Model | Per document ($0.15-0.50/page) | $79/month unlimited |
| Multi-Client Dashboard | Yes | Yes (with conversion tracking) |
| Multi-Account Auto-Detection | Manual splitting required | Automatic detection & separation |
| AI Transaction Categorization | Receipt-focused rules | GAAP-trained for bank transactions |
| Batch Processing | Yes (per-document cost) | 50+ statements at once (unlimited) |
| Document Types | Receipts, invoices, bank statements | Bank statements, financial statements, invoices, checks |
| QuickBooks/Xero Integration | Direct integration | Direct + QBO/IIF export |
| OCR Accuracy | Not published | 99.6% field-level accuracy |
| Conversion History | Yes | Unlimited history by client |
| Scanned PDF Handling | Yes | 95%+ accuracy on scans |
Real Workflow: Managing 30 Bookkeeping Clients
Scenario: Your firm manages monthly bookkeeping for 30 clients. Each client sends 2-4 bank statements monthly (checking, savings, credit cards). Some send combined PDFs, some send separate files. Total: 90+ statements, 500+ pages monthly.
AutoEntry Workflow for Bookkeeping Firms
Pre-process combined statements manually
When clients send combined PDFs with multiple accounts, you need to split them before uploading. For 30 clients, this adds 15-30 minutes of prep time monthly.
Upload and track usage
Upload statements while monitoring page counts. At $0.20/page average, 500 pages costs $100/month. Tax season volume (3x normal) could spike to $300+.
Review categorization
AutoEntry's categorization is optimized for receipts. Bank transactions may need more manual adjustment to map to chart of accounts categories.
Monthly cost (30 clients)
$100-150/month
Tax season cost
$300-450/month
Zera Books Workflow for Bookkeeping Firms
Upload everything as-is
Upload combined PDFs directly. Zera AI auto-detects checking, savings, and credit card accounts, creating separate Excel tabs for each. No manual splitting required.
Batch process by client
Use the client management dashboard to organize statements by client. Upload 50+ statements at once during month-end. Unlimited processing means no usage tracking.
AI categorization pre-mapped
GAAP-trained AI categorizes transactions for QuickBooks/Xero chart of accounts. Review and adjust edge cases, then export with pre-mapped fields.
Monthly cost (30 clients)
$79/month flat
Tax season cost
$79/month flat
Annual Cost Impact for Bookkeeping Firms
AutoEntry Annual Cost
$1,800-2,400
Variable based on volume, spikes during tax season
Zera Books Annual Cost
$948
Fixed cost, unlimited processing year-round
Annual Savings
$852-1,452
Plus predictable budgeting, no volume anxiety
How Bookkeeping Firms Use Zera Books
"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
Zoom Books processes millions of books monthly across Canada and the US. Managing financial data from multiple revenue streams meant reconciling dozens of bank statements every month.
40+
Statements monthly
92%
Time reduction
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about choosing between AutoEntry and Zera Books for bookkeeping firms.
It depends on your primary workflow. AutoEntry excels at receipt and invoice processing with strong Sage integration. Zera Books is purpose-built for bank statement processing with unlimited conversions at $79/month, multi-account auto-detection, and AI categorization for QuickBooks/Xero. If bank statements are your main bottleneck, Zera Books is the better choice.
Related AutoEntry Comparisons
Explore more detailed comparisons between AutoEntry and Zera Books.
Bank Statement Processing
Deep dive into bank statement features and workflows
Pricing Comparison
Per-document vs unlimited pricing analysis
OCR Accuracy
Extraction accuracy and document handling comparison
See more information about bookkeeping workflows:
Ready to Scale Your Bookkeeping Firm?
Unlimited bank statement processing at $79/month. Multi-account auto-detection. AI categorization for QuickBooks and Xero. Purpose-built for bookkeeping firms.
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