Is there a free alternative to Dext?

Yes. For a UK sole trader who needs to capture receipts and keep tax-ready records, PocketReceipt is a free alternative: it scans receipts, extracts VAT, tracks mileage at HMRC rates, maps expenses to SA103F categories and has its own accountant dashboard. Dext is a paid tool (from around £30/month) built mainly for accountancy practices.

How much does Dext cost?

Dext for UK businesses typically starts from around £30/month billed monthly (less on annual billing), for up to 5 users and 250 documents. Practice plans cost more. Prices change, so check Dext's current pricing.

Does PocketReceipt replace Dext?

For a solo sole trader, often yes, if you mainly need receipt capture, mileage and UK tax-ready records. Dext is still the better fit if you run a busy practice or already use Xero, QuickBooks or Sage and need high-volume capture pushed into them automatically.

Back to Blog

Free alternative to Dext for UK sole traders (2026)

By Remus Pantea · 16 June 2026 · 6 min read

Quick answer: If you're a solo UK sole trader who just needs to capture receipts and keep tax-ready records, PocketReceipt is a free alternative to Dext, UK-native, with SA103F category mapping, CIS support, HMRC mileage tracking and its own accountant dashboard. Dext is an excellent tool, but it's built for accountancy practices, costs from around £30/month, and is designed to feed receipts into separate accounting software.

What Dext actually is

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) is a market-leading receipt-capture tool. You photograph or email receipts, its OCR extracts the data, and it pushes everything into your accounting platform, Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. The OCR is genuinely excellent and the accountant workflow tools are deep.

The thing to understand is who it's for: Dext is built for accountancy practices and bookkeepers handling many clients, not for an individual sole trader doing their own books.

Why sole traders look for an alternative

Price. UK plans start from roughly £30/month (a bit less billed annually) for up to 5 users and 250 documents. That's a lot for one person who scans a handful of receipts a week.
It needs accounting software on top. Dext captures and feeds, you still need Xero, QuickBooks or Sage (another subscription) for it to feed into.
It's not built around UK Self Assessment. Dext doesn't map your receipts to the SA103F boxes you actually file; that happens in the accounting software or with your accountant.
Contracts. Some users report annual commitments and auto-renewal, check the terms before signing.

PocketReceipt vs Dext, the honest version

PocketReceipt is built for the sole trader directly, not the practice:

Free tier (10 scans/month), then a low-cost Professional plan, no £30/month for one person
UK-native: SA103F category mapping, CIS support, HMRC mileage at 55p/25p
Its own accountant dashboard, link your accountant with a code; no separate platform needed
Works on its own, or hands clean CSV/PDF exports to your accountant or MTD software

Where Dext still wins: if you already run Xero, QuickBooks or Sage and want high-volume capture pushed in automatically, or you're an accountancy practice managing lots of clients, Dext's integrations and bulk workflow are hard to beat. It's a practice tool doing a practice job well.

So which should you pick?

Choose PocketReceipt if you're a sole trader who wants free, UK-tax-ready receipt and mileage records without paying for two subscriptions.
Choose Dext if you (or your accountant) already use a full accounting platform and need practice-grade bulk capture feeding into it.

Want the wider picture? See our full comparison of UK receipt scanner apps, or work out your numbers with the tax calculator.

Sources: Dext pricing per dext.com and third-party listings (Capterra/GetApp), list prices as of June 2026, pricing changes, check current. General information, not financial advice.