The Hubdoc Per-Company Pricing Problem
Hubdoc's per-company pricing model seems straightforward at first: $20/month per business with wholesale discounts for accounting firms ($10.20 for 75-299 clients, $9.60 for 300-999 clients). For a single entity or small practice with 2-3 clients, this works fine.
But the per-company model creates hidden scaling challenges that impact growing accounting firms:
Cost Scaling Example:
Even with wholesale discounts (which require 75+ clients before you see $10.20/company), costs remain directly tied to client count. This creates a "per-client anxiety" where every new client adds to your software costs.
The bigger issue: multi-entity clients. A single client with 3 business entities requires 3 separate Hubdoc accounts at $20 each ($60/month just for that one client). Scale this across your entire practice, and document processing costs become a significant line item.
Key insight: Hubdoc's per-company model works for small practices with single-entity clients. It becomes cost-prohibitive for firms managing multi-entity clients or scaling beyond 20+ companies.
How Hubdoc's Daily Upload Limits Impact Volume Processing
Beyond per-company pricing, Hubdoc imposes a 300 documents per 24-hour upload limit per account. At first glance, 300 documents/day (approximately 9,000/month at max capacity) seems generous. But in practice, this creates workflow bottlenecks during high-volume periods.
When Daily Limits Become Problems:
Month-End Close
When processing statements for 30+ clients simultaneously, you can hit the 300-document daily cap quickly. Multi-page bank statements count as multiple documents.
New Client Onboarding
Bringing on a new client with 12 months of historical statements across multiple accounts can consume your entire daily allowance for just one client.
Tax Season Surge
During Q1 tax preparation, firms process year-end documents for all clients. Daily limits force you to spread processing across multiple days.
Batch Processing
Firms that batch-process statements weekly (rather than daily) can accumulate 500+ documents. You're forced to split uploads across multiple days.
Hubdoc also has limited document storage with additional fees after a certain threshold. While they don't advertise specific storage caps, multiple user reviews mention hitting storage limits and incurring overage charges.
The workflow impact: Daily limits and storage caps mean you're constantly managing upload timing, tracking document counts, and worrying about hitting restrictions. This turns document processing into a task that requires active monitoring rather than a "set it and forget it" workflow.
Zera Books: True Unlimited Processing
Zera Books takes a fundamentally different approach: $79/month for truly unlimited processing across all clients, all entities, all document types. No daily limits. No storage caps. No per-company fees.
What "Unlimited" Actually Means:
No Document Caps
Process 10 documents or 10,000 documents. Upload whenever you need, as much as you need.
No Client Limits
Manage 5 clients or 500 clients. Pricing stays flat regardless of your practice size.
No Storage Fees
Unlimited conversion history. Download past conversions anytime without storage overage charges.
No Multi-Entity Fees
Client with 10 entities? Process all of them under one flat rate.
What's Included for $79/Month:
Unlimited Document Conversions
Process bank statements, financial statements, invoices, and checks. Four document types vs Hubdoc's limited scope.
AI Transaction Categorization
Auto-categorize transactions for QuickBooks/Xero. Hubdoc doesn't include AI categorization.
Advanced Client Management Dashboard
Organize all clients in one place. Track conversion history, manage workflows, access past statements instantly.
Batch Processing
Upload 50+ statements at once. Process multiple clients simultaneously without daily restrictions.
Zera AI Dynamic Processing
Proprietary AI trained on millions of financial documents. No template training required. 99.6% extraction accuracy.
The unlimited model eliminates decision fatigue. No calculating whether to process a client's documents now or wait until tomorrow to preserve your daily limit. No tracking how many companies you're paying for. Just process what you need, when you need it.
Hubdoc vs Zera Books: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hubdoc | Zera Books |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | $20/month per company | $79/month flat rate |
| Upload Limits | 300 documents per 24 hours | Truly unlimited |
| Storage Limits | Limited (fees after threshold) | Unlimited storage |
| Multi-Entity Costs | $20 per entity | $79 total (all entities) |
| Scaling Cost | Increases with clients | Stays flat |
| AI Categorization | Not included | Included (auto-categorize) |
| Client Management | Basic | Advanced dashboard |
| Monthly Cost (10 clients) | $200/month | $79/month |
| Monthly Cost (25 clients) | $500/month | $79/month |
| Monthly Cost (50 clients) | $1,000/month | $79/month |
Break-even analysis: Zera Books becomes more cost-effective than Hubdoc at 4+ companies ($80 Hubdoc vs $79 Zera Books). Beyond that threshold, savings compound rapidly while providing unlimited processing capabilities.
Real-World Scaling Scenarios
Let's examine how costs scale in real accounting firm scenarios:
Scenario 1: Solo Bookkeeper (8 Clients)
Hubdoc:
8 clients × $20 = $160/month
Annual: $1,920
Zera Books:
$79/month
Annual: $948
Annual savings: $972 + unlimited processing + AI categorization
Scenario 2: Growing Firm (20 Clients, 5 Multi-Entity)
Hubdoc:
15 single-entity clients: 15 × $20 = $300
5 multi-entity clients (3 entities each): 15 × $20 = $300
Total: $600/month
Annual: $7,200
Zera Books:
$79/month
Annual: $948
Annual savings: $6,252 + unlimited batch processing
Scenario 3: Mid-Size Firm (50 Clients)
Hubdoc:
50 clients × $20 = $1,000/month
Annual: $12,000
Note: Would need 75 clients to qualify for $10.20 wholesale pricing
Zera Books:
$79/month
Annual: $948
Annual savings: $11,052 + no daily upload limits during tax season
The Scalability Advantage:
Hubdoc's per-company model means your software costs grow linearly with your practice. Zera Books' flat-rate unlimited model means costs stay predictable regardless of growth. This allows you to take on more clients without worrying about software cost erosion.
Case Study: Multi-Client Processing at Scale
"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."
Ashish Josan
Manager, CPA at Manning Elliott
The Challenge:
As a CPA manager handling 30+ clients with multiple bank accounts each, Ashish was spending 10+ hours weekly on manual data entry and document processing. Per-client pricing models meant software costs were eating into margins.
The Solution:
Switching to Zera Books' unlimited processing model eliminated both the time burden and cost scaling concerns. With AI-powered categorization and batch processing, Ashish can now process all client statements in a fraction of the time without tracking daily limits or per-company fees.
The Results:
10 hrs
Saved per week
30+
Clients managed
$79
Flat monthly cost
When Hubdoc Works vs When You Need Unlimited
To be fair, Hubdoc's per-company model can work for certain scenarios. Here's an honest assessment:
Hubdoc Works If You Have:
- •1-3 single-entity clients with low document volume
- •Steady, predictable processing schedule (under 300 docs/day)
- •No plans to scale beyond 5-10 clients
- •Xero integration is critical (Hubdoc is free for Xero users)
- •Minimal need for AI categorization or advanced features
Choose Zera Books If You Have:
- •4+ clients (break-even point)
- •Multi-entity clients requiring separate accounts
- •High-volume processing during month-end or tax season
- •Growth plans to scale your practice
- •Need for AI categorization to save manual entry time
- •Batch processing requirements (50+ statements at once)
- •Preference for predictable costs regardless of volume
Bottom Line:
If you're managing more than 3 clients, processing multi-entity companies, or planning to grow your practice, Zera Books' unlimited model provides better value with more capabilities. The time savings from AI categorization alone often justifies the switch.