Comparison · AutoEntry
ScanToExcel vs AutoEntry
Credit-based ledger automation versus flat-rate Excel-first extraction: when AutoEntry's Sage rail genuinely wins, and when ScanToExcel's $4.99/unlimited model is the cheaper math.
Verified: May 12, 2026
Side-by-side comparison
| ScanToExcel | AutoEntry | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & commitment | ||
| Cheapest paid plan | $4.99/mo | $13.00/mo |
| Per-user or flat? | Flat rate | Flat rate (credit-based, unlimited users) |
| Monthly document cap | Unlimited daily conversions | 50 credits/mo on entry plan |
| Annual discount | No | No |
| Contract length | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Month-to-month |
| Documents supported | ||
| Receipts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bank statements | ✓ | ✓ |
| Credit card statements | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paystubs | ✓ | ✕ |
| Image of tables (screenshots, photos) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Multi-page PDFs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scanned PDFs (image-based) | ✓ | ~ |
| Output & integrations | ||
| Native Excel export (.xlsx) | ✓ | ~ |
| CSV export | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xero / QuickBooks CSV templates | ✓ | yes (direct API) |
| Direct Xero / QuickBooks / Sage sync | ✕ | ✓ |
| Bulk upload (parallel processing) | yes (up to 50 files) | ✓ |
| Practical & UX | ||
| Can test without account? | yes (10/day free) | ✕ |
| Data residency / GDPR | EU processing, zero retention | AWS EU-West, persistent storage |
| Time to first export | Under 60 seconds, no install | Onboarding call / setup required |
The verdict
Pick AutoEntry if:
you're an accounting firm with 20+ clients already on Sage, Xero or QuickBooks, need unlimited-user collaboration, direct ledger API sync, and budget isn't a concern.
Pick ScanToExcel if:
you're a solo bookkeeper, SMB owner, or finance professional who needs clean Excel output from receipts, statements, paystubs, and image tables — without credit caps, per-firm pricing, or ecosystem lock-in.
Neither if:
you're a Sage-aligned bookkeeping practice already paying for AutoEntry inside a Sage Accountants Edition bundle. Splitting that bundle to save $8/month rarely makes commercial sense; stay with AutoEntry until your Sage subscription itself is up for renewal.
Frequently asked questions
How do AutoEntry credits actually work in real practice?
One credit per document by default — but a multi-line invoice with 'full detail' line-item extraction consumes 3 credits, and bank statements can consume more depending on length. Credits do not roll over month to month, so any plan must be sized for peak rather than average volume, which forces upgrades sooner than the headline price suggests.
Does ScanToExcel really reject documents with pen marks the way AutoEntry does?
No — this is one of the clearest differentiators. AutoEntry's published guidelines instruct users to reject and re-scan documents with handwritten notes obscuring printed text. ScanToExcel's vision-language model reads through annotations, ticks and signatures, which matters for receipts in expense reports and supplier invoices in active review.
What about AutoEntry's Sage 50 / Sage Business Cloud-native posting?
That is AutoEntry's strongest moat. Since Sage acquired AutoEntry in 2017, the integration into Sage 50, Sage Accounting and Sage Intacct is the most native of any third-party capture tool. ScanToExcel does not match that rail — it exports CSV that you import manually into Sage. If your firm runs on Sage and posts dozens of bills per day, AutoEntry remains the natural fit.
Will AutoEntry's supplier rules and approval chains survive migration?
They will not. ScanToExcel is a stateless extractor with no chart of accounts, no supplier memory and no approval routing. If you rely on AutoEntry's per-supplier coding rules and multi-step approval, plan for those workflows to live in your accounting platform itself, not in the capture layer.
Does ScanToExcel handle the 'full detail' line-item extraction AutoEntry charges 3 credits for?
Yes — by default and at no extra cost. Every invoice processed in ScanToExcel returns full line-item detail (description, quantity, unit price, tax, line total). There is no two-tier 'header only vs full detail' billing model.
Does ScanToExcel offer per-client billing dashboards like AutoEntry's firm console?
No. AutoEntry's accountant edition includes per-client folders, partner billing and credit pooling across the firm. ScanToExcel is single-account and not designed for multi-client practice management. Bookkeeping practices managing 5+ Sage clients should price the AutoEntry firm tier rather than scaling individual ScanToExcel seats.
If AutoEntry is the cheaper Sage option, when does ScanToExcel still win on price?
Whenever your real volume — counting full-detail invoices at 3 credits each — pushes you above 50 credits per month. AutoEntry's $13/50-credit Bronze plan is exhausted by 17 detailed invoices; the Silver plan ($24/100) is exhausted by 33. ScanToExcel's $4.99 unlimited plan removes that escalator entirely.
Still unsure?
Try us free, no account, no strings attached.
Try free