Comparison · checked 3 November 2026
Nella and Dext: what each one does
Dext describes itself as invoice capture software that reads every line: receipts and invoices come in by mobile scanner, email, WhatsApp or desktop upload, Dext says it reads them with over 99% accuracy, and it connects to more than 36 accounting platforms. Nella is a separate AI finance assistant that works in ChatGPT and Claude on your Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent books: it checks bills against your whole ledger, matches supplier statements line by line, keeps supplier rules, and posts the entries you approve on a card. Many businesses use their accounting software’s own capture with Nella; if you use Dext, Nella checks the bills it brings in the same way.
At a glance
- Capturing receipts and invoices
- Dext
- Checking bills against your books
- Nella
- Use both?
- Yes — they do different jobs
- Checked
- 3 November 2026
Each product described from its own website. Prices change, so none are quoted here.
How they compare
| Tool | How it describes itself | Built mainly for | Where you use it | Accounting software |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dext | Invoice capture software that reads every line: a mobile receipt scanner, forwarding from your inbox, WhatsApp and desktop upload; supplier, date, tax, total and line items read; categorise a supplier once and Dext remembers. Dext says nothing is published to your accounting software without your review. | Small businesses, and accounting and bookkeeping firms | Dext’s web and mobile apps | 36+ accounting platforms |
| Dext AI Assist | An AI bookkeeping agent that suggests categories, tax treatment and descriptions from the document and your past decisions; you approve, adjust or ignore each suggestion, or switch to auto mode. | Dext users | Inside Dext | Documents in Dext |
| Dext Payments | Manage, approve and send payments directly in Dext, through a partnership with Airwallex (UK) Limited. | Dext users paying bills and expenses | Inside Dext | Xero and QuickBooks Online |
| Nella | An AI finance assistant: checks bills against your whole ledger, matches supplier statements line by line, keeps supplier rules, and posts the entries you approve on a card. | Owners, directors and founders | ChatGPT, Claude, WhatsApp and the web | Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent (Sage for reading) |
Dext descriptions summarise Dext’s own UK pages, read on 3 November 2026. Check Dext for current features and pricing.
When Dext is the right tool
If you want a dedicated app for getting receipts and invoices in — a mobile scanner, an email address, WhatsApp — with its own extraction, Dext is built for that, and it connects to more than 36 accounting platforms. Dext also offers payments from inside the app.
What Nella does with your bills
- Checks each bill against your books. On Nella Pro, every night Nella checks bills waiting for approval in Xero, and bills and expenses entered in QuickBooks and FreeAgent: a possible duplicate, coding that doesn’t match the document, a new account for that supplier, an amount outside the supplier’s usual range, a VAT period already filed.
- Keeps supplier rules. Tell Nella how a supplier’s bills are coded, or accept a rule Nella proposes when three or more past bills agree. The approval card fills the account from the rule and says so, and Nella tells you when a bill doesn’t follow it.
- Approves ready drafts together. Xero drafts that follow their supplier’s rule, where Nella found nothing to check, can be approved on one card. Each is approved on its own and can be undone on its own.
- Matches supplier statements. Every line matched, and the balance compared — see supplier statement reconciliation.
- Posts from ChatGPT or Claude. Drop a receipt into the chat and Nella shows the bill in full, with the receipt attached, before anything changes in your books.
What Nella does not do
Nella doesn’t run its own capture app or extraction: it uses your accounting software’s capture, or the receipt you give ChatGPT or Claude. It doesn’t publish bills with no one approving them, and it never moves money. It posts to Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent; Sage is for reading only.
Can you use both?
Yes. Nella reads your books, so it checks bills whichever tool brought them in. Nothing in your books changes unless you give permission in Nella.
What Nella costs
Free for 60 days with no card. After that, Nella Free stays free, and Nella Pro is £7.99 a month. See plans and pricing.
Nella provides financial information and education, not accounting or tax advice. Product names belong to their owners; Nella is not affiliated with any provider named here.
Try Nella alongside your current tools
Connect your accounting software and get your Nella Score in minutes. Nella Pro is free for 60 days, no card, including the entries you approve posted to your books. After that, Nella Free keeps reading your books, with no time limit.
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