For UK accounting practices
A Hubdoc alternative for practices that aren’t Xero-only
Hubdoc comes with your Xero subscription, so cost is rarely the reason to look elsewhere. The reason is usually the client on QuickBooks Online that it cannot help you with.
No credit card required.
The question this page answers
Not “is there something cheaper than free?”, because there isn’t. It is “what do I do about the clients my Xero-bundled tool doesn’t cover?”
The short answer
Hubdoc is included with most Xero subscriptions and works with Xero only. For a practice where every client is on Xero, that is hard to beat on cost. For a practice running a mix of ledgers, it covers part of the client base and leaves the rest on a second process. The alternatives (Receiptflow, Dext, AutoEntry and Datamolino) all work across Xero and QuickBooks Online, which is the practical reason practices move.
Receiptflow vs Hubdoc
A fair comparison has to start by conceding the cost point, because any practice already paying for Xero knows it.
| Compared on | Receiptflow | Hubdoc |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Flat tier: £150 / £275 / £500 per month, ex-VAT | Included with most Xero subscriptions |
| Accounting integrations | Xero, QuickBooks Online, CSV export | Xero only |
| Suits a mixed-ledger practice | Yes, one process across the whole book | Covers the Xero clients only |
| Client submission | Mobile app, email forwarding, direct upload | Mobile app, email forwarding, direct upload |
| Multi-client practice dashboard | Built around a UK practice’s client list | Organised around the connected Xero organisation |
| Independent of your ledger vendor | Yes | No, tied to the Xero subscription |
| If you leave Xero | Nothing changes | You lose the tool with the subscription |
Check what your specific Xero plan includes, as bundling varies by subscription tier.
The tipping point
When a bundled tool starts costing you
The cost of a Xero-only capture tool is not on an invoice. It is in running two processes.
One set of clients submits through the bundled tool. The rest email attachments to whoever is on the job, or drop a folder of photographs at the quarter end.
What the second process actually costs
- A separate place to look when a document goes missing
- A separate chase with the client who has not sent anything
- A separate explanation for every new starter
- A separate answer when a client asks where to send something
None of those are large on their own. Across a quarter they are usually larger than the software line they were avoiding.
Under that, stay put. If fewer than one client in ten sits outside Xero, the workaround is cheaper than a migration and we would leave it alone.
Over it, you are running two systems. Standardising on one tool that covers both ledgers usually wins on time before it wins on cost.
The other trigger: direction of travel
A practice that has been Xero-only for years but is now winning QuickBooks Online clients will cross that threshold. It is easier to standardise at fifteen non-Xero clients than at fifty.
The honest part
When Hubdoc is the right answer
Every client is on Xero, and that is not changing. You are already paying for it, it does the job, and there is no second process to consolidate. Switching would add a cost and solve nothing. This describes a great many UK practices and we would not try to talk any of them out of it.
Your non-Xero clients are low volume. Two clients sending a handful of receipts a month do not justify a migration. Handle them manually and revisit when the number grows.
You are mid-way through a Xero rollout. If the plan is to move the remaining clients onto Xero anyway, the mixed-ledger problem is temporary and solves itself. Finish the rollout first, then reassess.
Migration
You do not have to switch everyone at once
This is the one migration on the site where a partial move is often the right answer, at least to begin with. Keep the bundled tool for your Xero clients, move the non-Xero clients onto one process, and see whether consolidating the rest is worth it after a month-end or two.
Count the non-Xero clients
If it is under one in ten, stop here. The threshold exists so you do not spend an afternoon on a problem you do not have.
Connect QuickBooks Online and move those clients first
They are the ones with no proper process today, so the improvement is immediate and the risk is low.
Run both for a month-end
Bundled tool for Xero clients, Receiptflow for the rest. Compare the two workflows side by side on the same cycle.
Decide whether to consolidate
If running one process across the whole book saves more than the tier costs, move the Xero clients too. If not, leave it. A partial setup is a legitimate end state here.
Common questions
Is Hubdoc free?
It is included with most Xero subscriptions rather than billed separately, so there is usually no additional line item. Check what your specific plan covers, as bundling varies by subscription tier. Included is not quite the same as free, since it is priced into the Xero subscription, but in practice there is nothing extra to pay.
Does Hubdoc work with QuickBooks?
No. It works with Xero only. That is the single most common reason a UK practice looks for an alternative: not cost, but a client base that is not entirely on one ledger.
Why pay for a tool when a free one is bundled?
For a Xero-only practice, often you shouldn’t. The case for paying appears when a meaningful share of clients sit on another ledger and the practice is running a second, manual process alongside the bundled tool. At that point you are not comparing a paid tool to a free one. You are comparing it to a free tool plus an unbudgeted process.
Has Hubdoc been discontinued?
No. As of September 2026 it is still included in Xero’s business plans and Xero’s own support documentation for it remains active. Claims that it was shut down earlier in 2026 appear on competitor blogs and are contradicted by Xero’s own documentation, so treat them with caution.
Can I run both during a switch?
Yes, and it is the sensible approach here. Keep the bundled tool for your Xero clients while moving the rest across, then decide after a month-end whether consolidating the Xero clients too is worth the tier cost. A permanent split is a legitimate outcome.
What happens if we leave Xero?
A bundled tool goes with the subscription that carries it. That is worth factoring in if a ledger change is even a possibility, because it turns a capture-tool decision into part of a much larger migration rather than a standalone one.
Do I need a card to trial it?
No. The free trial requires no credit card. The most useful test here is narrow: connect QuickBooks Online, load only your non-Xero clients, and see whether one consistent process across the whole book is worth the tier.
Count your non-Xero clients first
If it is more than one in ten, it is worth seeing what one tool across both ledgers does to your month-end.
No credit card required.
