Invoice capture for Xero
Looking for a Dext or Hubdoc alternative?
If your business uses Xero and your supplier invoices arrive by email, on paper or as a photo on someone’s phone, Barbara may be a simpler fit. She works in WhatsApp, so there’s no new app for your team to learn, and she gets each bill approved as well as entered.
A different approach
Built around the chat your team already uses
Dext, Hubdoc and AutoEntry are well-known invoice and receipt capture tools. Most capture tools are built around their own app or inbox, where documents are checked and then published to your accounting software, and many work with several accounting packages and with accountancy practices.
Barbara is built the other way round, for small businesses on Xero: whoever has the invoice sends it to her on WhatsApp or by email, she creates the draft bill in Xero, and your approver approves it with one tap in the same chat.
| What to compare | Barbara |
|---|---|
| How invoices come in | Photos and PDFs on WhatsApp, your own Cleva email address, or a connected Outlook (Microsoft 365) inbox, shared mailboxes included. Bills written in the email itself are read too. |
| What lands in Xero | A draft bill with the original attached: supplier, invoice number, dates, lines, VAT and totals. New suppliers are added as contacts and flagged. |
| Approval | Approve and Reject buttons on WhatsApp, or bulk approve in the Cleva app. Nothing is approved without a tap. |
| Coding | The supplier’s own account in Xero, else how you coded their earlier bills and what the invoice is for, with the reason shown. |
| Duplicates | Checked in Cleva and in Xero before drafting. |
| Other currencies | Drafted in that currency if your Xero has it, else in pounds at the European Central Bank rate. |
| Accounting software | Xero only. |
| Price | £19 a month for one person (50 invoices), then £49, £99 or £199 a month for 100, 400 or 1,500 invoices with unlimited users. Free trial: 14 days or 50 invoices. |
Other tools change their features and prices, so check their own websites for the current details.
Be honest with yourself
When another tool may suit you better
- You use QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent: Barbara works with Xero only
- You’re an accountant handling many clients’ documents in one place
- You need invoices fetched from supplier portals behind a login
- You want bank statements turned into data
More than capture
What else comes with Barbara
- Money questions answered from your Xero: who you owe, who owes you, what’s overdue
- Company watch: free alerts when a customer or supplier is in trouble at Companies House
- Optional add-ons: reports, credit control, customer statements and credit checks
Questions
Can I use Barbara alongside Dext or Hubdoc?
Yes. Barbara only creates draft bills in Xero, and she checks Xero for duplicates before drafting, so a bill another tool has already put in Xero is caught.
Does Barbara handle receipts?
Yes. Receipts emailed or forwarded to your Cleva address are drafted as bills marked already paid, and with the Expenses add-on (£19 a month) staff send receipt photos for their expense claims.
Does Barbara fetch invoices from supplier portals?
No. If an invoice is only behind a supplier’s login, download the PDF and forward it to your Cleva address or send it on WhatsApp.
Which accounting software does Barbara work with?
Xero only.
How do I try it?
Sign up, connect Xero and invite your team. The free trial is 14 days or 50 invoices, whichever comes first.