Dext vs AutoEntry vs Hubdoc: receipt capture compared

Dext, AutoEntry and Hubdoc all photograph or receive your receipts and invoices, read the figures and send them to your accounting software. The main difference is how they charge: Hubdoc is included with most Xero plans, AutoEntry sells monthly credit bundles from £15.45, and Dext sells a plan from £290 a year for 250 documents a month (all excluding VAT, checked 6 November 2026). Which one fits depends on your ledger, your volume and whether you are a business or a practice.

What do Dext, AutoEntry and Hubdoc have in common?

All three are capture and extraction tools, not accounting software. Each one:

• takes documents by mobile app, email or upload
• reads supplier, date, total and VAT
• publishes the transaction to your ledger with the original attached
• stores the document image in the cloud

You still need a ledger such as Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent. HMRC accepts digital copies of receipts, as our guide to HMRC receipt rules explains.

How do the three compare side by side?

The table below lists facts from each provider’s own pages, checked on 6 November 2026. Prices exclude VAT.

How much does each one cost?

Dext. The business plan is £290 billed annually, shown as £24.17 a month, for 5 users and 250 documents. Line item extraction costs £0.40 a document beyond a small free allowance. Practices pay per client; see our Dext review.

AutoEntry. AutoEntry charges in credits. A receipt or invoice is 1 credit, an invoice with line items 2, a supplier statement 2 and a bank statement 3 credits a page.

Hubdoc. Xero’s UK pricing page says Hubdoc is included in Ignite (£18 a month), Grow (£39), Comprehensive (£55) and Ultimate (£70), as long as it is connected to your Xero subscription. Xero Simple and Ledger users pay the retail price. Hubdoc’s own pricing page shows $12 (US dollars) a month standalone; no sterling price was shown.

What features differ?

The tools differ most in extraction depth and practice features.

• Bank and supplier statements. Dext and AutoEntry both extract bank and supplier statements for an extra charge. Xero’s partner guide for Hubdoc does not mention statement extraction.
• Line items. Dext and AutoEntry both offer line item extraction at a higher price per document.
• Expenses and mileage. Dext includes employee expenses and GPS mileage tracking. Xero has its own expenses feature on Grow and above.
• Practice tools. Dext’s practice plans add a client dashboard and deadline tracking. Xero partners get a free Hubdoc practice account. AutoEntry offers unlimited clients for accountants.
• Credit rollover. AutoEntry keeps unused credits for up to 90 days. Dext’s extraction bundles do not roll over.

Xero is also building its own capture tool. Its Smart Document Capture, described in a post updated 28 October 2026, reads documents sent by app, email or upload into Xero itself. Some third-party sites say Hubdoc is being retired, but we found no Xero announcement confirming that, and Xero’s UK pricing page still lists Hubdoc as included.

Which suits you?

Use the list below to match the tool to your setup. We do not pick a winner, because the right answer depends on your ledger and volume.

• If you use Xero and handle a modest number of receipts: Hubdoc or Xero’s own capture costs nothing extra on Ignite and above.
• If your volume swings month to month: AutoEntry’s credits roll over for up to 90 days, which smooths busy and quiet months.
• If you need many people to submit receipts: AutoEntry gives unlimited users; Dext’s business plan covers 5.
• If you use Sage, QuickBooks or FreeAgent: Dext and AutoEntry both connect to them.
• If you run a practice with many bookkeeping clients: compare Dext’s per-client practice plans with AutoEntry’s unlimited-client credit bundles.
• If you need employee expenses and mileage in the same tool: Dext includes both. Our subsistence rates guide covers the tax rules for meal claims.

How to choose

1. Count how many receipts, invoices and statement pages you handle in a normal month.
2. Note which ledger you use and whether you need line items.
3. Work out the monthly cost of each tool at that volume.
4. Run a free trial with a month of real paperwork.
5. Check extraction accuracy on your own suppliers before you commit.

For ledger prices, see our Xero pricing guide and our Xero vs QuickBooks vs Sage comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hubdoc free with Xero?

Xero’s UK pricing page, checked on 6 November 2026, says Hubdoc is included in Ignite, Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate plans. Xero Simple and Ledger users pay the retail price.

How does AutoEntry pricing work?

AutoEntry sells monthly credit bundles from 50 credits for £15.45 to 2,500 credits for £518.25, excluding VAT. A receipt uses 1 credit and a bank statement page uses 3.

Does Dext work with Sage?

Yes. Dext publishes to over 36 accounting platforms, including Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Who owns AutoEntry and Hubdoc?

AutoEntry is part of Sage, and Hubdoc is owned by Xero. Dext is owned by IRIS Software Group.

Can I use receipt capture instead of accounting software?

No. All three tools feed a ledger; none of them keeps your books or files returns on its own.