Short answer
Smart Receipts' free plan is manual entry; AI receipt recognition, email forwarding and PDF/CSV/ZIP exports need Pro at $99.99 a year when we checked. NexaLink Scanner reads receipts on your phone on its free plan (50 receipts) and exports CSV free; Pro is $39.99 a year.
Key takeaways
- Smart Receipts Free: manual entry and basic reports. Pro: $99.99/yr or $12.99/mo. Max: $139/yr or $17.99/mo (adds US/Canada bank connections).[1]
- NexaLink Scanner reads merchant, date, total and tax on the device on every plan, including Free.
- CSV export is free on NexaLink; on Smart Receipts it is a Pro feature.[1]
- Smart Receipts has email forwarding and bank connections; NexaLink does not.
Smart Receipts plans
| Plan | Price | Key inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Mobile only; manual receipt entry; basic expense reports[1] |
| Pro | $99.99/year or $12.99/month | AI receipt recognition, email forwarding, cloud backup, PDF/CSV/ZIP exports, web[1] |
| Max | $139/year or $17.99/month | Everything in Pro + bank connections (US & Canada), bank statement and CSV imports[1] |
Smart Receipts is well regarded for building expense reports — trips, reimbursable items, PDF reports with receipt images. If you produce formal expense reports for clients or employers, its Pro plan is a capable tool.
The free-plan gap
Manual entry is the slowest part of keeping receipts, and on Smart Receipts it is what the free plan offers. Automatic recognition and exports start at Pro.[1]
On NexaLink Scanner, reading happens on the phone, so it is available on Free: point the camera, check the merchant, date, total and tax, and save. You also get search across everything you've captured and a CSV export — the two things that matter most at tax time — without paying.
Smart Receipts vs NexaLink Scanner
| Smart Receipts | NexaLink Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic reading on free plan | No — manual entry[1] | Yes, on the phone |
| CSV export | Pro[1] | Free, every plan |
| PDF reports | Pro[1] | PDF expense report on Pro |
| Paid from | $99.99/year[1] | $39.99/year |
| Email forwarding | Pro[1] | No |
| Bank connections | Max (US & Canada)[1] | No |
| Where receipts are stored | Cloud backup on Pro[1] | Your phone |
Who each app fits
Smart Receipts fits people who submit formal expense reports — consultants billing clients for travel, employees reclaiming costs — and who want email forwarding or US/Canadian bank connections.
NexaLink Scanner fits people who keep their own business records — freelancers, sole traders, tradespeople — and want automatic reading and exports without a subscription for the basics. For client rebilling, use projects on Pro and export one project at a time; see expense tracker for consultants and the expense report template.
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 Smart Receipts free?
It has a free plan with manual receipt entry and basic expense reports on mobile. Automatic recognition and exports are on Pro.[1]
How much is Smart Receipts Pro?
$99.99 a year or $12.99 a month on the web when we checked; in-app prices may differ.[1]
Does NexaLink Scanner read receipts automatically on the free plan?
Yes. Merchant, date, total and tax are read on your phone, and uncertain values are flagged for you to confirm.
Can NexaLink produce an expense report?
Yes — CSV export on every plan and a PDF expense report on Pro, filtered by period, category or project.
Does NexaLink back up to the cloud?
No. Receipts stay on your phone. Export CSV and the PDF report regularly and keep them with your records.
Does NexaLink support multiple currencies?
Yes. Each receipt keeps its own currency, and totals are shown per currency.
Sources
- Smart Receipts — Plans — checked on 2026-11-10