A Dext alternative for invoices that are already in your email

Facts last checked: 19 October 2026

Dext and BillyBox solve different problems. Dext captures receipts and invoices, reads them and publishes them into accounting software. BillyBox connects to your mailbox, finds the invoices and receipts suppliers have already emailed you, and exports them for your accountant.

If your accountant runs your books in Dext, Dext is probably the right tool. If you are a freelancer or small business whose bills arrive by email and who hands a folder to an accountant, BillyBox does that one job.

BillyBox and Dext side by side

Topic	BillyBox	Dext
Main job	Finds the invoices and receipts in your mailbox, lets you mark each one business or personal, and exports them.	Captures documents, extracts their data and publishes them to accounting software.
How documents get in	Connects read-only to Gmail, Outlook, Zoho or any IMAP mailbox and searches it, past months included. Also upload, phone photo and a Telegram bot.	Upload, send or forward them to your Extract by email address, the mobile app, Fetch from supplier portals, Dropbox or PayPal.
Supplier portals	Invoices kept only behind a vendor login are not collected automatically; download them and upload them to BillyBox.	Fetch signs in to supported supplier portals with your login and checks them weekly.
Where documents go	A ZIP of the files by month and business / personal, with a CSV summary, for your accountant. No accounting-software integration.	Published to accounting software; Dext lists over 36 integrations.
Details extracted	Vendor, amount, currency, date, VAT number and document type. No line items.	Line items, bank statements and supplier statements are paid add-ons (line items from £16.50 a month).
Price	Free plan. Starter €9.99 and Pro €19.99 a month, with no limit on the number of documents.	£24.17 a month or £290 a year, excluding VAT, for 250 documents a month and 5 users (UK business pricing). 14-day free trial.

Choose Dext if

Your accountant already works in Dext and has invited you.
You want documents published into your accounting software without a manual step.
You need line items, bank statements or supplier statements extracted.
Many of your invoices sit behind supplier logins and you want them fetched for you.

Choose BillyBox if

Your invoices and receipts already reach your mailbox, and you want them out, including past months.
Sending your accountant the files once a month or quarter is enough.
Business and personal purchases share one card or one inbox, and you need to split them.
You would rather not count documents: BillyBox plans have no document limit.
You want to try it on your own mailbox, free, without an invitation from an accountant.

What BillyBox does not do

BillyBox does not publish into accounting software and does not extract line items. It is not a replacement for Dext inside an accounting practice that runs its clients there.

It collects documents that reach your connected mailboxes. Invoices that live only behind a supplier login need to be downloaded by hand and uploaded.

Security

BillyBox passed Google’s OAuth verification for read-only Gmail access (June 2026) and an independent CASA Tier 2 security assessment by TAC Security. Mailbox access is read-only, stored credentials are encrypted and data is hosted in the EU.

Try it on your own mailbox

The free plan covers 2 mailboxes and 2 months of invoices. No credit card required.

Start free

Questions

Can BillyBox replace Dext?

For a small business that only needs its emailed invoices collected and handed to an accountant, it can. If your accountant publishes your documents from Dext into accounting software, keep Dext or ask your accountant first.

Can I use BillyBox and Dext together?

Yes. BillyBox exports the files it collects, and Dext accepts PDF uploads, so you can upload the invoices BillyBox found into Dext.

Does BillyBox read my whole mailbox?

It connects read-only and looks for invoices and receipts. It never sends, moves or deletes email. Gmail and Outlook connect through OAuth, so no password is stored for them.

How much does BillyBox cost?

Free: 2 mailboxes and 2 calendar months of invoices. Starter: €9.99 a month, every month from sign-up plus 6 past months you choose. Pro: €19.99 a month, 10 mailboxes and any past month. Every plan has unlimited documents and a 14-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers.

Does BillyBox connect to Xero or QuickBooks?

No. It exports a ZIP of the files and a CSV summary, which your accountant can import or file.

Sources

Statements about Dext come from its own public pages on the date above. Plans and prices change; Dext’s pages are the reference.