Tofu vs Hubdoc
HubDoc is free with Xero. But free has limits.
Quick Verdict
Choose Tofu if you need line item extraction (not just totals), handle documents in multiple languages or handwriting, process bank statements at the transaction level, or work with accounting software beyond Xero.
Choose HubDoc if you only use Xero, only process simple English receipts where header-level data is sufficient, value auto-fetching bills from financial institutions, or need a mobile app for receipt capture. HubDoc is free with Xero and works well for basic document storage and forwarding.
If you are evaluating a HubDoc alternative because you need line items, multi-language support, or bank statement processing, keep reading.
Line Items: The Gap That Matters Most
HubDoc extracts the header — supplier name, date, invoice number, total amount — and stops there. A 30-line wholesale invoice? You are still typing every line into Xero or QuickBooks manually. That is document storage with a preview, not automation.
This is not a niche complaint. It is the single most requested feature on Xero's Product Ideas forum, with over 100 votes. Xero's official response: "We don't have further developments planned for extracting more line item details within Hubdoc."
Tofu extracts every line on every invoice: description, quantity, unit price, account code, and tax treatment. Works on complex invoices with 50+ lines, grouped subtotals, and mixed tax rates. Each line coded to your chart of accounts automatically. Included on every plan.
English Only in a Global World
HubDoc processes English documents only. For any firm with international clients, non-English invoices, or multilingual document workflows, HubDoc is immediately disqualified.
This matters in every market where Tofu has strong adoption — Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Hong Kong, Kenya, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan. Firms in these markets deal with Chinese fapiao, Arabic invoices, handwritten Thai receipts, and documents that mix multiple languages on a single page.
Tofu processes documents in 200+ languages including right-to-left scripts and handwritten characters, with English translations side-by-side. No external translation tools required.
Bank Statements: Balance vs. Every Transaction
HubDoc extracts the total balance from scanned bank statements — not individual transactions. For the most transaction-dense documents in bookkeeping, that is not useful.
Tofu extracts every transaction from any bank statement PDF: date, description, amount, and debit/credit classification. Handles 100+ page statements as a single upload. Exports directly to your accounting software or CSV. Any bank, any format, any length.
The Development Freeze
Xero acquired HubDoc in 2018 for $70M. Seven years later, users across the Xero App Store, Capterra, and TrustPilot consistently describe a product that has not meaningfully evolved.
From the Xero App Store: "I can't believe that this product still doesn't support the automatic import of line items. What on earth have the product team been doing for the past seven years?"
From Capterra: "This software is horrible, the data extract is poor in comparison to Dext and it takes a long time to process. If it was not free and part of Xero, we would not use it."
No line item extraction. No multi-language support. No API. No bulk posting. The product roadmap appears frozen.
Tofu ships new features weekly. The AI architecture is actively being modernized with modular knowledge systems, alternative OCR model evaluation, and reasoning transparency — all in active development.
Where HubDoc Still Works
Being honest: HubDoc has genuine strengths that Tofu does not currently match.
Auto-fetch from 700+ institutions. HubDoc automatically pulls bills from banks, utilities, and telecoms. Tofu does not offer this — it processes documents you upload rather than fetching them. Some firms keep HubDoc running for auto-fetch while using Tofu for actual extraction.
Mobile app. HubDoc has iOS and Android apps for snapping receipts on the go. Tofu's mobile app is on the roadmap but not available yet.
Free with Xero. If you already pay for Xero and only need basic receipt capture with header-level data, HubDoc costs nothing additional. For solo practitioners with simple English documents, it may be sufficient.
Beyond Xero: Platform Flexibility
HubDoc is meaningfully useful only with Xero. QuickBooks users get a lesser experience. Firms using Zoho, MYOB, Sage, or Odoo get nothing. And in some Xero markets — Malaysia confirmed — HubDoc is not even available.
Tofu integrates natively with Xero and QuickBooks Online, with Zoho Books integration coming in May 2026. For platforms without native integration, Tofu exports via CSV templates for MYOB, Sage, Freee, Yayoi, PEAK, Odoo, and custom formats.
Switching from HubDoc to Tofu
You do not have to choose one or the other immediately. Many firms run both tools during a transition period — HubDoc for auto-fetch, Tofu for document processing.
Step 1: Connect your Xero or QuickBooks account. Tofu imports your chart of accounts, tax rates, and supplier history automatically.
Step 2: Upload a batch of invoices. Tofu processes them using patterns learned from your existing data — no rules to build.
Step 3: Review and correct. Each correction teaches Tofu, and accuracy improves with every document.
Step 4: Decide what to keep. Some firms drop HubDoc entirely. Others keep it for auto-fetch and use Tofu for everything else.
Pricing: Free vs. Comprehensive
HubDoc is free with Xero — but it is also limited to header-level extraction with no line items, English only, and no bank statement processing. "Free" describes the price, not the value.
Tofu charges a flat monthly fee based on client entities. Every feature is included: line items, bank statements, handwriting, 200+ languages, unlimited users. Plans start at $79/month for up to 10 clients and $199/month for up to 50.
For firms processing anything beyond simple English receipts, the question is not whether Tofu costs more than HubDoc — it is whether the hours you spend manually typing line items, translating documents, and processing bank statements cost more than $79/month.
See How They Compare
| How It Works | HubDoc | Tofu |
|---|---|---|
| What gets extracted | Header data only — supplier, date, total amount, invoice number | Every line item — description, quantity, unit price, account code, tax |
| Account coding | Manual vendor rules — configure before first use | AI learns from your transaction history — improves with corrections |
| Bank statements | Balance and total only from scanned statements | Every transaction extracted — any bank, any format, any length |
| Review workflow | Review and publish one document at a time | Bulk review and publish — click-to-verify with source highlighting |
| Multi-document PDFs | Upload up to 10 documents in bulk — no auto-splitting | Auto-detects document boundaries and splits for you |
| When staff leave | Vendor rules stay but are often undocumented | All knowledge stays in the system — new staff benefit from day one |
| Product development | Minimal feature updates since Xero acquisition in 2018 | Weekly feature releases — AI architecture actively being modernized |
Line Items: The Feature HubDoc Won't Build
Over 100 votes on Xero's Product Ideas forum asking for line item extraction in HubDoc. Xero's official response: "We don't have further developments planned for extracting more line item details within Hubdoc."
Tofu extracts every line on every invoice with description, quantity, unit price, account code, and tax treatment. Works on 50+ line invoices with grouped subtotals and mixed tax rates. Each line coded to your chart of accounts automatically. Included on every plan, no add-on fees.
Why Bookkeepers Are Switching to Tofu
"I was already dreaming of a tool that could capture receipt data automatically. Tofu delivered exactly that even for Philippine BIR compliance. I can totally advocate."
"It saves our team more than 50% of our bookkeeping time. Definitely worth the investment. Once you get Tofu trained, you don't have to worry for the rest."
“Tofu is not an additional tool, it's a must-have for every accountant. Every accountant in the world needs to upgrade their skills. If they just focus on being a freelancer doing things the old way, they'll be old school."
"I was already dreaming of a tool that could capture receipt data automatically. Tofu delivered exactly that even for Philippine BIR compliance. I can totally advocate."
"It saves our team more than 50% of our bookkeeping time. Definitely worth the investment. Once you get Tofu trained, you don't have to worry for the rest."
“Tofu is not an additional tool, it's a must-have for every accountant. Every accountant in the world needs to upgrade their skills. If they just focus on being a freelancer doing things the old way, they'll be old school."
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Limits reset on the 1st each month.
No. We only count each invoice once. Re-extract as much as you need while training the AI.
All subscriptions bill on the 1st of each month. If you subscribe mid-month, you pay full price and get full allocation immediately. Next bill is the 1st.
Yes, on all plans. Competitors charge extra for this.
Tofu is ISO 27001:2022 certified, GDPR/CCPA compliant, and uses bank-grade AES-256 encryption with multi-factor authentication. We work with the top global accounting networks.
No. Your whole team uses Tofu at one price. We don't charge per seat.
New documents wait in "pending" until you upgrade. You can still work with everything already extracted. Most firms upgrade same-day and keep processing.
Pro ($79) works for firms under 20 clients doing ~800 extractions monthly. Business ($199) fits 20-50 clients at ~2,500 extractions. If you're processing 1,000+ per client, start with Business to avoid hitting limits mid-month.
Each unique bill, invoice, or receipt that is extracted counts as one entry, regardless of the number of pages. A multi-page invoice is still one entry. Bank statements are counted as one entry per page.
Start Saving Time With AI Bookkeeping
