Short answer
If you are a sole trader or freelancer, NexaLink Scanner is a lighter Dext alternative: it reads receipts on your phone, flags uncertain totals for you to confirm, and exports CSV free on every plan. Dext remains the better choice when an accountant manages many clients or entities, or when you need line-item extraction and bank-statement processing.
Key takeaways
- Dext's default Business plan was $25.21 a month ex VAT (5 users, 250 documents a month, up to 5 entities) when we checked, with no free plan.[1]
- NexaLink Scanner has a free plan (50 receipts) and Pro at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
- Dext publishes to accounting software today; NexaLink's Xero connection is in development (first, V1.1) and QuickBooks Online is next — use CSV until then.
- Pick Dext if your accountant already runs your books in Dext. Pick NexaLink if you want a private, phone-first organiser you control.
What Dext does well
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is document capture for bookkeeping. You photograph, upload or forward receipts, bills and invoices; Dext extracts the data and publishes it to your accounting software. Its business pricing page is built around a single adjustable plan, with users, monthly document volume and entities as the levers.[1]
Where Dext is genuinely strong is at volume and across clients. Accounting and bookkeeping firms use it to collect documents from many businesses into one workflow, and its add-ons — line-item extraction, supplier statements and bank statements — handle paperwork that a simple receipt app does not touch.[1]
| Item | What Dext's page showed |
|---|---|
| Default plan | $25.21/month, or $302.50 billed annually (USD, excl. VAT)[1] |
| Default allowances | 250 documents/month, 5 users, up to 5 entities[1] |
| Annual billing | Up to 20% cheaper[1] |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card[1] |
| Free plan | None listed[1] |
| Add-ons | Line-item, supplier-statement and bank-statement extraction priced separately[1] |
Why sole traders look for a Dext alternative
The usual reasons are not that Dext is bad, but that it is shaped for someone else. A freelance designer with 30 receipts a month does not need five users or five entities. A plumber who buys materials at three merchants does not need supplier-statement extraction. And many people only start looking because their accountant moved them off a shared Dext seat, or because they want their own copy of their records rather than one that lives inside a firm's account.
- Cost for low volume. A plan sized in hundreds of documents is a lot when you file a few dozen.
- No free tier. You cannot keep a small archive going for nothing.
- Accountant-shaped workflow. Publishing rules, entities and approval steps are useful for firms and overhead for one person.
- Privacy preference. Some people would rather their receipts stay on their own phone until they choose to send them.
How NexaLink Scanner is different
NexaLink Scanner is a receipt and expense organiser, not a bookkeeping pipeline. You photograph a receipt (single, long or batch), the text is read on the phone, and merchant, date, total and tax are filled in. If the app is not sure about a total, it is flagged and cannot be saved until you confirm it — a deliberate choice, because a wrong total that slips through silently costs more time later than one extra tap now.
Receipts are organised into categories (five defaults on Free; custom categories, projects and tags on Pro) and summarised by month, quarter, category, project, tax and currency. Your receipts stay on your phone. CSV export is free on every plan, so whatever your accountant uses, they can open the file.
- Dext vs NexaLink Scanner in one sentence
- Dext moves documents into an accountant's bookkeeping workflow; NexaLink Scanner keeps a sole trader's own receipts organised, checked and exportable on their phone.
Dext vs NexaLink Scanner, side by side
| Dext | NexaLink Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Bookkeepers, firms, multi-user businesses | Freelancers, sole traders, contractors, small businesses |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial)[1] | Yes — 50 receipts, CSV export |
| Entry price | $25.21/month default plan, ex VAT[1] | Pro $4.99/month or $39.99/year |
| Where text is read | In Dext's service | On your phone (works offline) |
| Uncertain totals | Extracted automatically, reviewed in Dext | Flagged; must be confirmed before saving |
| Line items, bank statements | Yes, as add-ons[1] | No |
| Publishing to Xero / QuickBooks | Yes | Not yet — Xero first (V1.1), QuickBooks Online next (V1.2); CSV today |
| Export you own | From Dext's account | CSV free on every plan; PDF expense report on Pro |
When Dext is the better choice — and when it isn't
Choose Dext if
- your accountant or bookkeeper already runs your books through Dext and wants documents there;
- you have several entities, staff submitting receipts, or hundreds of documents a month;
- you need line items, supplier statements or bank-statement extraction;
- you need documents publishing into Xero or QuickBooks today.
Choose NexaLink Scanner if
- you are one person and want a free or low-cost way to keep every receipt;
- you want receipts read on your phone and kept there until you export;
- you would rather confirm an uncertain total than discover it at year end;
- a clean CSV (and a PDF expense report on Pro) is what your accountant actually asks for.
Switching from Dext without losing anything
- Export or download your historic documents from Dext before your subscription ends, and keep that archive somewhere safe — tax authorities expect records for years (see how long to keep receipts).
- Install NexaLink Scanner and set your categories to match the expense categories your accountant uses.
- From the switch date, capture new receipts in NexaLink. Use batch mode for a pile of paper.
- At month or quarter end, export CSV and send it with the PDF report (Pro) to your accountant, or import the CSV into your accounting software.
- If you are on Xero, join the Xero early access to hear when the direct connection opens.
Key facts about NexaLink Scanner
- What it is: NexaLink Scanner is a private receipt and expense organiser for iOS and Android, built for freelancers, sole traders, contractors and small businesses. It is not accounting software and does not file tax returns.
- How it reads receipts: text is read on the phone (on-device OCR) and capture works offline. Merchant, date, total and tax are filled in; any value it is unsure of is flagged, and a low-confidence total cannot be saved until you confirm it.
- Where data lives: receipts are stored on your phone and do not sync to the web. Data leaves only when you export it.
- Free plan: 50 receipts, on-device reading, search, 5 default categories and CSV export. CSV export is free on every plan, always.
- Pro: $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year — unlimited receipts, custom categories, projects and tags, a PDF expense report in the app, tax and multi-currency reports. Image ZIP export and Xero / QuickBooks import files are coming soon.
- Accounting connections (none live yet): Xero — First · V1.1 · QuickBooks Online — Next · V1.2 · FreeAgent — Planned · Sage Accounting — Planned · Zoho Books — Planned · TallyPrime — Import file first. CSV export works with any accounting tool today. Status as of 2026-11-10; see accounting integrations.
Frequently asked questions
Is NexaLink Scanner cheaper than Dext?
For one person, usually yes. Dext's default business plan was $25.21 a month ex VAT when we checked, with no free plan.[1] NexaLink Scanner is free for 50 receipts and Pro is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. The two do different jobs, so compare what you actually need.
Does NexaLink Scanner publish to Xero like Dext does?
Not yet. The Xero connection is the first one in development (V1.1), followed by QuickBooks Online (V1.2). Until then, export a CSV — free on every plan — and import it, or send it to your accountant.
Can my accountant still work with me if I leave Dext?
Yes. Most accountants accept a CSV of expenses plus the receipt evidence. NexaLink exports CSV free and produces a PDF expense report on Pro. Ask what format they prefer before you switch.
Does NexaLink extract line items like Dext?
No. It reads merchant, date, total and tax, which is what most sole-trader expense records need. If you need line items, supplier statements or bank statements processed, Dext's add-ons are the better fit.
Where are my receipts stored with NexaLink Scanner?
On your phone. Text is read on the device and capture works offline. Data leaves only when you export it.
What happens to my receipts if I stop paying?
They stay on your phone, searchable and exportable as CSV. CSV export is free on every plan.
Sources
- Dext — Business pricing — checked on 2026-11-10