Are you tired of piles of receipts and spending hours on bookkeeping?
It can feel like a never-ending chore, right?
Choosing the right accounting software can make a huge difference.
Two popular names you might have heard are Dext vs Sage.
Both aim to simplify how businesses manage their finances.
But which one is the better pick for you?
Let’s dive in!
Overview
We looked closely at both Dext and Sage.
We tried them out.
We checked what they can do.
This helps us compare them fairly.
Now, we can see which one might work best for you.
Ready to reclaim 10+ hours a month? See how Dext’s automated data entry, expense tracking, and streamlining your finances.
Pricing: It has a free trial. The premium plan starts at $24/month.
Key Features:
- Receipt Scanning
- Expense Reports
- Bank Reconciliation
Over 6 million customers trust Sage. With a customer satisfaction rating of 56 out of 100, its robust features are a proven solution.
Pricing: Free Trial Available. The premium plan at $66.08/month.
Key Features:
- Invoicing
- Payroll Integration
- Inventory Management
What is Dext?
Okay, so what is Dext?
Think of it like a super smart helper for your papers.
It mostly takes care of things like bills and receipts.
You just snap a picture, and Dext gets all the important info.
Pretty neat, huh?
Also, explore our favorite Dext alternatives…
Our Take
Ready to reclaim 10+ hours a month? See how Dext’s automated data entry, expense tracking, and reporting can streamline your finances.
Key Benefits
Dext really shines when it comes to making expense management a breeze.
- 90% of users report a significant decrease in paper clutter.
- It boasts an accuracy rate of over 98% in extracting data from documents.
- Creating expense reports becomes incredibly quick and easy.
- Integrates smoothly with popular accounting platforms, such as QuickBooks and Xero.
- Helps ensure you never lose track of important financial documents.
Pricing
- Annually Subscription: $24
Pros
Cons
What is Sage?
Let’s talk about Sage.
It’s been around for a while.
Lots of businesses use it.
It helps keep track of money.
Think of it like a digital notebook for your business stuff.
Also, explore our favorite Sage alternatives…
Our Take
Ready to supercharge your finances? Sage users have reported an average of 73% higher productivity and a 75% faster process cycle time.
Key Benefits
- Automated invoicing and payments
- Real-time financial reports
- Strong security to protect data
- Integration with other business tools
- Payroll and HR solutions
Pricing
- Pro Accounting: $66.08/month.
- Premium Accounting: $114.33/month.
- Quantum Accounting: $198.42/month.
- HR and Payroll bundles: Custom Pricing based on your needs.
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
We looked closely at Dext and Sage.
This will show you exactly how they stack up.
1. Automating Data Entry
- Dext: Excellent at automating data entry. It uses advanced OCR technology for fast and accurate extraction from financial documents. It almost removes the need for manual entry.
- Sage: Also automates, mainly for bank feeds and recurring items. However, Dext’s entire focus is on automating data entry from receipts.
2. Receipt Capture and Submission
- Dext: Offers multiple ways to collect receipts. Use mobile scanning with the dedicated mobile app, email submission, or drag-and-drop. It’s built to save time and handle expense claims quickly.
- Sage: Allows document attachment, but is not built around super-fast receipt capture. It is less of a focus compared to the Dext mobile experience.
3. Integration and Data Flow
- Dext: Designed for deep integration with other software. It works as a bookkeeping automation platform with direct integrations to major systems, including Sage Business Cloud Accounting and QuickBooks Online, ensuring secure data flow.
- Sage: The main accounting platform. It integrates outward to many tools, but Dext’s strength is seamlessly flowing receipts and invoices into Sage.
4. Optical Character Recognition
- Dext: A specialist in data extraction using OCR technology. It captures detailed information, like tax details and supplier info, with high accuracy.
- Sage: Uses similar technology for bank statement processing, but does not have the same specialized focus on data extraction from individual receipts and invoices as Dext Prepare.
5. Expense and Bill Tracking
- Dext: Focuses on the efficient data collection and preparation of expense claims for your accountant. It helps you track expenses without the manual work.
- Sage: Takes the prepared data and handles the full tracking process, including managing budgets, bill tracking, and payments. It helps you manage finances effectively.
6. Mobile Access and Usability
- Dext: Highly rated for its dedicated mobile app. It is very user-friendly and excels at receipt capture for receipts on the go.
- Sage: Has a mobile app, but many user reviews mention mobile access limitations. Dext is often preferred for simple usability for receipt processing.
7. Inventory Management
- Dext: Does not offer inventory management. It is a document tool.
- Sage: Includes strong inventory management features. You can sync inventory automatically, create product variations, issue low stock alerts, and track purchase orders.
8. Financial Reporting
- Dext: Reports on the status and efficiency of your bookkeeping workflows and documents.
- Sage: The main tool for financial reporting. It generates reports like P&L and balance sheets, giving you a full view of your cost and sales data.
9. Security and System Dependability
- Dext & Sage: Both use a security solution to protect financial documents and ensure system dependability. Seeing a Cloudflare Ray ID found means their security service was performed triggered to protect against online attacks.
10. Pricing Plans and Free Trial
- Dext: Dext offers multiple ways to subscribe. You can try Dext with a free trial. Plans often depend on document volume.
- Sage: Also offers a free trial. Pricing plans are usually tiered based on the features you need (like payroll) and the number of users, often leading to higher prices for advanced features.
What to look for when choosing your best accounting software?
Choosing the right tool is key for small business owners and medium-sized businesses.
Think about these points to make sure the software is a good fit:
- Core Business Needs: Does the software handle your primary tasks, like sales invoices, bank transactions, job costing, and tracking cost codes?
- Existing Accounting Data: How easy is it to bring your existing accounting data over from an old system? Data migration should be seamless.
- Automation of Manual Tasks: Does the platform truly resolve the problem of time-consuming manual tasks? Look at features for payroll software and workflow management.
- Cloud Connectivity vs. Desktop: Do you need cloud connectivity for access anywhere with an internet connection, or do you prefer a dedicated desktop solution like some versions of Pro Accounting?
- Payroll Solution: Does it offer integrated Sage Payroll or robust add-ons for managing your team’s pay?
- Reporting and Insights: Can you get real-time reporting on cash flow, job statuses, and most revenue streams?
- Ease of Use: Is the interface friendly for a one-user or a full team of accounting users? Complexity can be a potential drawbacks.
- Support and Learning: What resources are available for further assistance? Look for a community hub, articles, and training like Sage University.
- Integration and Scalability: Can the software integrate with other tools via the Sage Marketplace? Can it scale as your customers and companies grow, handling more unique records?
- Data Health: Does it help manage unreconciled differences? Can you easily update contact fields for all customers and companies?
- Access Limitations: Be aware of limited remote access if you choose a desktop software over a fully cloud-based option.
- Online Backups: Does the software provide reliable online backups of your critical existing accounting data?
Final Verdict
After looking closely at both tools, we believe Dext is the better choice for streamlining accounting and bookkeeping workflows. Why?
It is the best way to handle manual data entry headaches.
The dext mobile app makes it incredibly easy to capture receipts and submit receipts in just a few minutes.
Dext saves time by removing hassle from dealing with receipts, invoices, and bills for your clients.
While Sage is the core accounting program, dext works perfectly alongside it.
You can create supplier rules and tracking categories to manage and store receipts efficiently.
Try the free trial today to see how Dext can transform your process and finally allow you to manage expenses without the stress.
Dext Compared
We’ve also taken a look at how Dext compares with other expense management and accounting tools:
- Dext vs Xero: Xero offers comprehensive accounting with integrated expense management features.
- Dext vs Puzzle IO: Puzzle IO excels in AI-powered financial insights and forecasting.
- Dext vs Synder: Synder focuses on syncing e-commerce sales data and payment processing.
- Dext vs Easy Month End: Easy Month End streamlines the month-end financial closing procedures.
- Dext vs Docyt: Docyt uses AI to automate bookkeeping and document management tasks.
- Dext vs RefreshMe: RefreshMe provides real-time insights into business financial performance.
- Dext vs Sage: Sage offers a range of accounting solutions with expense tracking capabilities.
- Dext vs Zoho Books: Zoho Books provides integrated accounting with expense management features.
- Dext vs Wave: Wave offers free accounting software with basic expense tracking features.
- Dext vs Quicken: Quicken is popular for personal finance and basic business expense tracking.
- Dext vs Hubdoc: Hubdoc specializes in automated document collection and data extraction.
- Dext vs Expensify: Expensify offers robust expense reporting and management solutions.
- Dext vs QuickBooks: QuickBooks is a widely used accounting software with expense management tools.
- Dext vs AutoEntry: AutoEntry automates data entry from invoices, receipts, and bank statements.
- Dext vs FreshBooks: FreshBooks is designed for service-based businesses with invoicing and expense tracking.
- Dext vs NetSuite: NetSuite offers a comprehensive ERP system with expense management functionalities.
Sage Compared
It’s helpful to see how Sage stacks up against other popular software.
Here is a brief comparison with some of its competitors.
- Sage vs Puzzle IO: While both handle accounting, Puzzle IO is designed specifically for startups, focusing on real-time cash flow and metrics like burn rate.
- Sage vs Dext: Dext is primarily a tool for automating data capture from receipts and invoices. It often works alongside Sage to make bookkeeping faster.
- Sage vs Xero: Xero is a cloud-based option known for being user-friendly, especially for small businesses. Sage can offer more robust features as a business grows.
- Sage vs Synder: Synder focuses on syncing e-commerce platforms and payment systems with accounting software like Sage.
- Sage vs Easy Month End: This software is a task manager that helps you keep track of all the steps needed to close your books at the end of the month.
- Sage vs Docyt: Docyt uses AI to automate bookkeeping and eliminate manual data entry, providing a highly automated alternative to traditional systems.
- Sage vs RefreshMe: RefreshMe is not a direct accounting competitor. It focuses more on employee recognition and engagement.
- Sage vs Zoho Books: Zoho Books is part of a large suite of business apps. It’s often praised for its clean design and strong connections to other Zoho products.
- Sage vs Wave: Wave is known for its free plan, which offers basic accounting and invoicing, making it a popular choice for freelancers and very small businesses.
- Sage vs Quicken: Quicken is more for personal or very small business finances. Sage offers more robust features for a growing business, like payroll and advanced inventory.
- Sage vs Hubdoc: Hubdoc is a document management tool that automatically collects and organizes financial documents, similar to Dext, and can integrate with accounting platforms.
- Sage vs Expensify: Expensify is an expert at managing expenses. It’s great for receipt scanning and automating expense reports for employees.
- Sage vs QuickBooks: QuickBooks is a major player in the small business accounting world. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and a wide range of features.
- Sage vs AutoEntry: This is another tool that automates data entry from receipts and invoices. It works well as an add-on to accounting software like Sage.
- Sage vs FreshBooks: FreshBooks is especially good for freelancers and service-based businesses, with a focus on simple invoicing and time tracking.
- Sage vs NetSuite: NetSuite is a full-scale ERP system for larger businesses. Sage has a range of products, with some competing at this level, but NetSuite is a bigger, more complex solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dext better than Sage for small businesses?
For many small businesses, Dext’s ease of use, especially for managing receipts and invoices on the go with its mobile app, can be a significant advantage over Sage’s more complex interface.
Can I integrate Dext with Sage?
Yes, Dext is designed to integrate seamlessly with various accounting software, including Sage. This allows you to automate the transfer of financial data.
Does Sage offer a mobile app?
Yes, Sage does offer a mobile app, but user reviews often highlight Dext’s mobile capabilities as being more user-friendly and focused on efficient receipt and invoice management.
Is Dext or Sage more expensive?
Pricing varies depending on the specific plan and features needed. Generally, Dext’s entry-level plans can be more affordable for very small businesses, while Sage’s pricing scales based on features and users.
What was Receipt Bank before it became Dext?
Receipt Bank was a popular bookkeeping automation platform focused on extracting data from receipts and invoices. It was acquired and rebranded as Dext in December 2024, expanding its features.
