Dext vs FreshBooks
We give Dext a 2.4 GPA and FreshBooks a 2.6, out of 4.0. Dext grades higher on value for money. FreshBooks grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dext
Receipt and invoice capture that codes documents for your ledger
FreshBooks
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses
How we grade them
| 2.4GPADextFair | 2.6GPAFreshBooksGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its own alternatives, since it captures receipts rather than keeping books: $25.21 a month billed yearly ($31.50 monthly) for 5 users and 250 documents, about what Xero's $27 and FreshBooks' $23 cost. And the ledger is paid for on top. | DLite is $23 a month, right at this category's middle, but it bills only 5 clients and has tax-time reports only. Accounting reports and bank reconciliation start on Plus at $43, and every extra team member is $11 a month on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial with no card needed, long enough to run a couple of weeks of real receipts through it. There's no free plan after that. | CA 30-day free trial with no card needed, which is fair. There's no free plan, though, and the 80% off for 4 months is a discount, not a trial: after that you pay the full $23, $43 or $70. |
| Features | DNext to its alternatives it does one slice of the job. Capture is done fully: phone, email, WhatsApp, supplier fetch, coding, expense claims and mileage. But it keeps no books, and needs Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, bought separately, to be useful at all. | BInvoices, estimates, proposals, retainers, online payments, unlimited time tracking, expenses, double-entry reports, bank reconciliation, accounts payable on Premium and payroll run with Gusto. That's the whole job for a business that bills clients. |
| Ease of use | A4.77 from 7,553 App Store ratings. Snap the receipt and it's read and coded for you, which is about as easy as bookkeeping gets. | A4.7 from 10,979 App Store ratings, the top band for accounting apps. It's built around sending an invoice, which is the first thing most small business owners need to do. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, publishing to 36+ accounting and e-commerce platforms, with bank feeds from over 11,500 banks. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with card payments through Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Affirm and Afterpay, and payroll through Gusto. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | getting receipts coded before they reach your books | invoicing first, with the books behind it |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dext and FreshBooks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dext starts at $25.21 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. FreshBooks starts at $23 a month and scores 3.3.
FreshBooks scores higher and starts $2.21 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Dext for less, and 1 scores higher than FreshBooks for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Dext starts at $25.21 per month for up to 250 documents, billed annually ($31.50 billed monthly). FreshBooks starts at $23 per month, billed monthly.
- Only Dext lists a browser extension.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking, invoicing, reports and payroll.
At a glance
| Dext | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25.21 per month for up to 250 documents, billed annually ($31.50 billed monthly) | $23 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no card required | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Dext Software Limited | FreshBooks |
| Price read from | dext.com | freshbooks.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Dext
- Small businesses that want receipts and bills coded before they reach the books
- Accounting and bookkeeping firms collecting paperwork from many clients
- Teams with employee expense claims and mileage to approve
FreshBooks
- Freelancers and consultants who bill a handful of clients for their time
- Service businesses that send estimates, proposals and retainers
- Owners who want invoicing first and accounting reports second
Worth knowing
Dext
- Dext is not a ledger: it sends coded documents to accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, which is bought separately.
- After the monthly document allowance is used, uploads wait unread until the next billing date or an upgrade; over 5 business entities needs a quote.
- Line item, supplier statement and bank statement extraction past the free credits cost from $20.50, $20.50 and $13 a month, or $0.50, $0.50 and $0.32 a document.
- Firm plans need at least 10 clients, Data health and insights costs $7.50 per client a month extra, and annual plans need 30 days' notice to cancel.
FreshBooks
- The advertised prices are 80% off for 4 months; plans then renew at $23, $43 or $70 a month.
- Lite bills only 5 clients and Plus 50, counting archived clients; each extra team member costs $11 a month.
- Payroll costs $40 a month plus $6 per employee, files US federal and state taxes, and is not available during the free trial.
- Advanced Payments is a $20 a month add-on on every plan except Select.
Key features
Dext
- Capture from phone, email or WhatsApp
- Send receipts, invoices and statements from the mobile app, an email-in address, WhatsApp or an upload, or have Dext fetch invoices from suppliers directly.
- Data extraction and coding
- Reads supplier, date, amount, tax and line items (Dext states over 99% accuracy), suggests categories and applies supplier rules before publishing.
- Accounting software sync
- Publishes coded documents to 36+ accounting and e-commerce platforms, including Xero, QuickBooks and Sage, and pulls bank feeds from over 11,500 banks.
- Employee expenses and mileage
- Staff submit expense claims and mileage in the app, managers approve them, and each claim syncs to the books with an audit trail.
- AI Assist
- A paid add-on that learns the choices you make on suppliers, categories and splits and proposes automations for you to approve.
- Vault document storage
- Keeps every original document for at least ten years, tagged and searchable. Free up to 100MB, with more storage from $4 a month.
FreshBooks
- Invoices, estimates and proposals
- Recurring invoices, late fees and automatic reminders on every plan. Proposals and client retainers start on Plus.
- Online payments
- Clients pay by card, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Affirm and Afterpay. Card payments through FreshBooks Payments cost 2.9% plus $0.30.
- Time tracking and projects
- Unlimited time tracking on every plan, with project budgets and billing. Project profitability reports need Premium.
- Expenses and receipts
- Bank import, mileage tracking on mobile and unlimited expenses. Receipt scanning starts on Plus, and bill line-item capture on Premium.
- Double-entry accounting
- Accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access start on Plus. Lite has tax-time reports only.
- FreshBooks Payroll
- Payroll run with Gusto inside FreshBooks: unlimited pay runs, free direct deposit, and federal and state payroll tax filing.
Plans
Dext
Business$25.21
per month for up to 250 documents, billed annually ($31.50 monthly)
5 users, capture, extraction and accounting sync. A slider adds users and documents: $48.75 a month billed annually at 10 users and 500 documents.
Essentials$17.70
per client / month, on an annual subscription billed monthly
For accounting and bookkeeping firms, 10-client minimum. Capture and processing for business and self-employed clients; the rate per client varies with the count.
Advanced$19.20
per client / month, on an annual subscription billed monthly
For firms, 10-client minimum. Adds advanced automation, practice insights and controls; the rate per client varies with the count.
FreshBooks
Lite$23
per month for 5 billable clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $4.60 a month for the first 4 months. Invoices, estimates, expenses, online payments and tax-time reports.
Plus$43
per month for 50 billable clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $8.60 a month for the first 4 months. Adds proposals, retainers, accounting reports, receipt scanning and accountant access.
Premium$70
per month for unlimited clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $14 a month for the first 4 months. Adds project profitability, accounts payable, bill line-item capture and custom email templates.
SelectCustom
Unlimited clients, lower card fees, Advanced Payments included, 2 team members, unbranded emails and dedicated phone support.
Ways to pay less
Dext
- Annual discount
Up to 20% off business plans with yearly billing
The entry business plan costs $25.21 a month billed annually ($302.50 a year) against $31.50 billed monthly.
- Annual discount
13% off firm plans on an annual subscription
The pricing page for accounting and bookkeeping firms labels its annual subscription 13% off the monthly rate.
FreshBooks
- Other savings
80% off the first 4 months
New customers pay 20% of the Lite, Plus or Premium price for 4 months, then the full monthly price. The page calls it a limited-time offer.
- Annual discount
10% off with yearly billing
Yearly plans cost $248.40 for Lite, $464.40 for Plus and $756 for Premium, 10% less than paying monthly.
