The top 6 Dext alternatives for UK businesses in 2026

IRIS Software Group completed its acquisition of Dext in December 2024, and some UK businesses have started reassessing their document capture setup since. Whether it’s a shift in how the product fits your workflow or simply wanting to see what else is on the market, there are several strong alternatives worth considering.

These six platforms range from free capture tools bundled with accounting software to full spend management platforms:

• Ramp
• Hubdoc
• AutoEntry
• Datamolino
• SparkReceipt
• Lightyear

Each one takes a different approach to receipt capture, invoice processing, and UK accounting software compatibility. Here’s how they compare.

What is Dext?

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is a document capture and data extraction platform for accountants, bookkeepers, and small businesses. It uses OCR to pull information from receipts, invoices, and bank statements, then pushes that data into accounting software like Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage.

Founded in London in 2010, Dext automated the receipt-to-accounting workflow for UK practices. It rebranded from Receipt Bank in 2021 and was acquired by IRIS Software Group in December 2024.

Why do businesses look for a Dext alternative?

Dext handles data extraction well, but there are limitations once workflows extend beyond basic capture.

Line-item extraction is metered separately

Dext’s business plan includes a small monthly allowance of line-item extraction credits (5 documents at the time of writing). Beyond that, additional extraction is priced per document or as a monthly bundle.

For teams processing high volumes of purchase invoices where line-item detail matters for VAT coding or inventory, costs scale with volume on top of the base subscription.

Full automation requires add-ons

Dext’s base plan covers document capture and smart categorisation, but capabilities like AI-assisted coding (AI Assist) and supplier payment processing are priced as separate add-ons. Teams looking for end-to-end automation from capture through payment from a single subscription should check which features are included at their tier versus priced separately.

Bank feed connections require maintenance

Dext’s Fetch feature and bank feed connections pull statements and supplier invoices automatically, but connections can require re-authentication when a provider updates their security requirements.

Several connections may require manual intervention. This is common across bank feed aggregators, but it’s worth factoring in if your workflow depends on uninterrupted automated pulls.

The six best Dext alternatives for UK businesses

1. Ramp, a Dext alternative for UK spend management

Where Dext focuses on document capture, Ramp combines corporate cards, expense management, AP and supplier payments, and accounting automation into a single workflow.

That unified approach is what makes Ramp a different kind of Dext alternative. Instead of capturing a receipt and pushing it to your accounting software for someone else to code, Ramp handles the full cycle.

Ramp is live for UK-headquartered businesses, and pricing starts with a free tier at £0 per user per month. If you want cards, expenses, AP, and accounting in one place, Ramp covers more of that workflow than extraction-only alternatives.

Key features:

• Ramp provides GBP corporate cards with merchant and category controls and prompt employees for receipts at the point of spend
• Invoices are ingested, coded, routed through approval, and matched against purchase orders with the audit trail built in
• Eligible UK businesses can pay suppliers directly through GBP bill pay, and employees get reimbursed in GBP with policy enforcement applied automatically
• Everything syncs to the accounting software your team already uses. Ramp integrates natively with Xero, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
• VAT is captured and coded on receipts and invoices

2. Hubdoc

Hubdoc is a document capture tool that handles header-level data extraction and syncs directly to Xero’s bill and expense workflows. For businesses with straightforward capture needs, it covers the basics without adding another subscription.

Hubdoc also integrates with QuickBooks Online, though its free inclusion is tied to Xero subscriptions.

Key features:

• Free with eligible Xero business plans (standalone $12/month)
• Document fetching from selected suppliers
• Direct Xero sync for bills, receipts, and statements
• Header-level data extraction

3. AutoEntry

AutoEntry is a credit-based document capture tool owned by Sage that integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, and FreeAgent. The platform’s breadth of accounting integrations is its main advantage. If you run a practice with clients across different platforms, AutoEntry lets you use one capture tool for all of them.

Their standard invoices and receipts cost one credit, but their line-item extraction costs two credits per document, supplier statements cost two, and bank or credit card statements cost three credits per page. So, be aware of credit spend when using AutoEntry.

Key features:

• Credit-based pricing from £15.45/month for 50 credits (excl. VAT)
• Credits usable across multiple client companies on one account
• Line-item extraction at two credits per document
• Integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, and FreeAgent

4. Datamolino

Datamolino is a document capture tool built for detailed line-item extraction. Business plans start at £17 per month for 100 documents on the basic tier, which covers header-level capture. Plans that include line-item extraction start at £35 per month and are available as a separate tier.

If you need granular invoice detail for VAT coding, inventory tracking, or cost allocation, Datamolino is a solid option.

As of mid-2026, Datamolino added built-in approval workflows to all plans, which moves it slightly beyond pure extraction. Coding and reconciliation still happen in your accounting software.

Key features:

• From £17/month for basic capture; £35/month for plans with line-item extraction
• Detailed line-item data extraction on higher-tier plans
• Built-in approval workflows on all plans
• Xero, QuickBooks Online, and FreeAgent integration

5. SparkReceipt

SparkReceipt is a receipt and invoice capture tool with flat-rate pricing rather than a credit-based model. The platform includes AI extraction, automatic email receipt fetching from Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP inboxes, and multi-currency support across 190 currencies.

SparkReceipt integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online, and more. It doesn’t have the practice-management features that other tools may offer, so it’s better suited to individual businesses than multi-client accounting firms.

Key features:

• Email receipt fetching from Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP
• Multi-currency support (190 currencies)
• Free accountant access
• Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent, and Zoho Books integration

6. Lightyear

Lightyear is a UK-based accounts payable platform focused on purchase order matching and bill processing. If you handle high volumes of purchase invoices and need automated two-way or three-way matching, Lightyear handles these.

Lightyear’s focus is purchase-to-pay. It doesn’t cover the broader expense and receipt capture use cases that Dext serves, so it’s a fit for teams whose primary need is invoice and PO management rather than general document capture.

Key features:

• Automated purchase order matching
• Multi-level approval workflows
• From £130/month (Starter, 125 credits) to £529/month (Enterprise, 1,000 credits)
• Integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage, NetSuite, and MYOB

Go beyond document capture with Ramp

Most Dext alternatives on this list solve the same problem Dext solves. They get data off a receipt or invoice and into your accounting software. Everything after extraction still falls to your finance team.

Ramp is a spend management platform for UK businesses that starts where extraction tools stop. Corporate cards, expenses, AP, bill pay, and accounting sync run through one connected workflow, so your team isn't stitching together separate tools for every stage between a purchase and a closed book.

Join the 85,000+ businesses that already run on Ramp worldwide.

See how Ramp works for UK businesses.