AutoEntry vs Tabula: which one for your invoices?
These solve different problems. AutoEntry is a paid capture service that publishes documents into accounting ledgers; Tabula is a free, open-source desktop tool that pulls tables out of digital PDFs and has no OCR, so it cannot read scans or photos. Choose AutoEntry for practices already inside the Sage ecosystem; choose Tabula for a free option when your PDFs are digital and already have real tables.
Both products were checked on 22 September 2026 against the vendors' own public pages (autoentry.com, tabula.technology). We describe what each is built for and how it charges, and link to the vendor rather than quote figures that go out of date. Neither vendor paid to appear here and we earn nothing if you choose one. The third column is our own product, written to the same standard.
Side by side
| AutoEntry | Tabula | Invoices to Spreadsheets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Practices already inside the Sage ecosystem | A free option when your PDFs are digital and already have real tables | A folder of mixed PDFs, scans and phone photos you need as one checked spreadsheet |
| How it works | Capture and publish into accounting ledgers | Open-source desktop table extraction, no OCR, so no scans or photos | AI extraction with the original page beside every value for review |
| Pricing model | Credit bundles consumed per document | Free and open source | Flat monthly plans by document count, after a no-card trial |
| Where the data lands | Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and similar ledgers | CSV you clean up yourself | A table organised by project, exported to Excel or CSV |
Choose AutoEntry when
It is the better fit for practices already inside the Sage ecosystem. How it works: capture and publish into accounting ledgers. The data ends up in Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and similar ledgers. How AutoEntry compares with us.
Choose Tabula when
It is the better fit for a free option when your PDFs are digital and already have real tables. How it works: open-source desktop table extraction, no OCR, so no scans or photos. The data ends up in CSV you clean up yourself.
When neither is the right shape
Both are more than some jobs need. If what you have is a folder of supplier invoices from different suppliers — PDFs, scans, photos taken on a phone — and what you want is one spreadsheet you can trust, Invoices to Spreadsheets does only that: every invoice and its line items in an editable table organised by project, each value shown beside the original page so you can check it, exported to Excel or CSV. It does not post into accounting software, and it is new, without the years of production history these products have. Try one invoice free, without an account.
What is the main difference between AutoEntry and Tabula?
These solve different problems. AutoEntry is a paid capture service that publishes documents into accounting ledgers; Tabula is a free, open-source desktop tool that pulls tables out of digital PDFs and has no OCR, so it cannot read scans or photos.
How do AutoEntry and Tabula charge?
AutoEntry: credit bundles consumed per document. Tabula: free and open source. We describe the pricing model rather than quote figures, because figures change; check each vendor's pricing page for current prices.
Is there an alternative to AutoEntry and Tabula if I just want a spreadsheet?
If the job is a folder of supplier invoices — PDFs, scans and phone photos from different suppliers — that you need as one checked spreadsheet, Invoices to Spreadsheets does only that: an editable table of every invoice and its line items, each value checked beside the original page, exported to Excel or CSV. It does not post into accounting software or run approval workflows.
7 days · 50 documents · No card needed