These two keep showing up in the same UK bookkeeping shortlist for good reason. Both are credible. The real choice comes down to pricing shape, capture workflow, VAT edge-case tolerance, and whether you need a portal or just clean structured output.
Try Invoice Extraction Free →Useful Patch is the extraction-first option if you want flat pricing and CSV/JSON exports.
Choose Dext if you want a more practice-shaped workflow, strong receipt capture habits, and you do not mind paying more for that comfort.
Choose AutoEntry if you like its capture-and-publish setup and the credit model fits the way your firm works.
Choose Useful Patch if the real job is turning invoices and receipts into CSV or JSON with flat pricing and less workflow theatre.
No fake bloodsport. Just where each shape tends to win.
| Feature | AutoEntry | Dext | Useful Patch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly credit allowances | Subscription tiers with document limits and overage pain at scale | Flat monthly plans |
| Public entry-level signal | £14 for 50 credits, £25 for 100, £47 for 200 | Often starts around $30/mo for single-business use | £29/mo Developer, £99/mo Business |
| 500-volume reference point | £108 plan shown publicly | Can become expensive once documents exceed included limits | £99 Business plan |
| Workflow centre | Capture and publish into accounting tools | Capture, review, and accountant-facing workflow | Extraction and export |
| Mobile capture | Strong | Strong | Upload-based, no dedicated mobile app |
| Line-item focus | Usable, depends on doc type and workflow | Often strongest on totals and supplier fields; line items can need checking | Built around row-level CSV/JSON output |
| Raw CSV/JSON export | Not the centre of gravity | Not the centre of gravity | Direct export every time |
| Best fit | Bookkeepers who like credits and capture flow | Firms willing to pay for broader accountant workflow | Teams that want predictable extraction cost and flexible downstream use |
Test the ugly docs, not just clean supplier PDFs. That is where a lot of OCR confidence goes to die.
Check whether domestic reverse charge, split VAT, and row-level tax amounts behave the way your workflow expects.
Model a quiet month and a busy month. The answer can flip depending on whether you hate credits, hate overages, or want one flat number.
If the last step is still CSV, Sheets, or your own import layer, favour the tool that gets structured data out fastest.
Dext tends to make sense when the workflow is broader than extraction. Practices that want client-facing capture habits, team review, and a more mature accountant portal usually still give Dext serious weight. The trade-off is cost pressure when document counts climb.
AutoEntry is still a credible UK default because it is simple to understand operationally: capture docs, publish into the accounting stack, move on. Its public pricing ladder also makes the starting point feel easier to approach than some higher-cost alternatives.
A lot of teams do not really need a portal. They need documents turned into usable data so they can review it, push it into a spreadsheet, import it elsewhere, or wire it into their own workflow. That is the lane Useful Patch is built for: flat pricing, direct CSV/JSON export, full line-item output, no receipt-credit maths.
Recent bookkeeping discussion keeps putting Dext, AutoEntry, and Hubdoc in the same shortlist. That is useful buyer-intent energy. This page exists to catch that comparison query with an honest breakdown instead of pretending there is only one winner.
Better for some firms, yes. If you want more accountant-shaped workflow support and can live with the pricing, Dext can be the better fit. If you prefer a simpler credit ladder, AutoEntry may feel easier.
Often at lower volumes, yes. But it still uses credits, so the feeling of “cheaper” depends on how your document load moves around.
That is where Useful Patch is the cleaner fit. It skips the portal-first model and focuses on extraction plus export.
Yes. The invoice tool has a free path so you can run real docs through it before paying for anything.
Run a real invoice through the free tool and see whether flat pricing plus direct export is a better shape for your workflow.
Try Free Now → See Dext Alternative → See AutoEntry Alternative →For sharing with your team or saving for later. No spam, no sequence.
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