Xero Bill and Receipt Scanning Compared: Smart Document Capture, Hubdoc, Dext and WazzOCR
Does Xero scan receipts? Yes, but there are four ways to do it. Here's how Xero's built-in tools compare with Dext and WazzOCR for Malaysian businesses.
Typing bills and receipts into Xero is one of the most time-consuming jobs in bookkeeping. Tools that read documents automatically (often called OCR) can remove most of it. Xero includes its own options, and there are add-ons for more demanding needs.
The four options at a glance
| Smart Document Capture | Hubdoc | Dext | WazzOCR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Xero | Xero | Dext | FusionETA (Malaysia) |
| Cost | Included in Xero plans | Included with Xero | Paid subscription | Paid annual plan, from USD 1,000/year |
| Capture by | Upload, email, Xero app photo | Upload, email, app | App, upload, email, WhatsApp | WhatsApp and email |
| Multiple companies | Per organisation | Per organisation | Firm dashboard across clients | One WhatsApp number and mailbox for all companies; AI reads the “Bill To” and picks the company, or asks |
| Line items | Check current features | Limited | Yes (plan allowances) | Yes, coded to each company's Xero accounts and tax rates |
| Original attached in Xero | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Single company, moderate volume | Existing Hubdoc users | Accounting firms with many clients | Groups, franchises and firms working on WhatsApp |
Features change often; check each provider for current details.
Xero Smart Document Capture
Xero's newer built-in capture reads bills and receipts you upload, email to your Documents address or photograph in the Xero app, and extracts the details for you to review. It's included in Xero plans (Lite has limits on bills), so it's the natural starting point for a single company.
Hubdoc
Hubdoc is Xero's older capture tool, included with Xero subscriptions. It still works by upload, email and app, but it stopped fetching bills from supplier portals in 2022, and Xero now steers users towards Smart Document Capture where it's available.
Dext
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is a popular paid add-on, especially with accounting firms. It accepts documents by app, upload, email and WhatsApp, extracts line items on higher allowances, and gives firms a dashboard across clients. Each client typically has its own Dext account or submission route.
WazzOCR
WazzOCR is built for businesses where bills arrive on WhatsApp and by email, often for several companies at once. Its key difference: one WhatsApp number and one bills mailbox for every Xero organisation, with AI deciding which company each bill belongs to and asking on WhatsApp when it isn't sure. It creates draft bills only, so nothing reaches your accounts until you approve it in Xero.
How WazzOCR handles a bill
- A bill arrives on your WazzOCR WhatsApp number or bills mailbox, as a phone photo or a PDF. One email can carry several attachments, and one PDF can hold several bills: WazzOCR splits them and handles each bill separately.
- AI reads it: supplier, invoice number, bill and due dates, currency, each line item, discounts, SST or other tax, and the total. It copes with angled photos, handwritten receipts and Malaysian formats such as DD/MM dates and per-line SST codes.
- It works out which company the bill is for. WazzOCR reads the “Bill To” name and matches it against the Xero organisations you've connected, allowing for Sdn Bhd and Bhd suffixes, branch names and abbreviations. If it isn't sure, it asks on WhatsApp with a numbered list of your companies. Anything still unresolved waits in the Unmatched tab of your WazzOCR dashboard.
- It checks for duplicates. If that company's Xero already has an active bill with the same invoice number, WazzOCR tells you instead of creating a second one.
- It creates a draft bill in that company's Xero: the supplier is matched to an existing Xero contact (or added), each line is coded to an expense account from that company's own Xero chart of accounts, tax is matched to that company's Xero tax rates, foreign-currency bills keep their currency, and the original file is attached to the bill.
- You review and approve in Xero. WazzOCR replies on WhatsApp with a summary and a link to the draft. It never approves or posts anything: your team does that in Xero.
Which should you choose?
- One company, bills mostly by email: start with Smart Document Capture.
- Accounting firm with many clients who use apps: Dext is a strong option.
- Group companies, franchises or multi-outlet businesses, or anyone whose bills arrive on WhatsApp: WazzOCR.
- Accounting firms whose clients send bills on WhatsApp: WazzOCR, with every client organisation behind one number.
Use one capture route per supplier. Running two tools on the same bills creates duplicates in Xero.
Frequently asked questions
Does Xero scan receipts?
Yes. Smart Document Capture reads receipts and bills you upload, email or photograph in the Xero app.
Is Hubdoc being replaced?
Xero recommends Smart Document Capture where it's available. Hubdoc continues to work for existing users.
What's the best Hubdoc alternative for multiple companies?
For groups and firms, WazzOCR routes bills from one WhatsApp number or mailbox to the right company's Xero as drafts; Dext offers a multi-client dashboard.
Comparison based on publicly available information as at November 2026. Features and prices change; check each provider. Dext is a trademark of its owner. WazzOCR is a FusionETA product.
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