Neat vs. Shoeboxed: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Tired of tracking down each individual document in a pile of paper clutter? With the right receipt management software, you can stay on top of your business expense management.

But, with so many receipt tracking apps on the market, it can be difficult to decide which might work best for you. 

In this article, we take a look at the Neat receipt tracker app and compare it with Shoeboxed for anyone looking for a Neat receipt alternative.

What is Neat?

Neat is a receipt and expense tracking platform for small businesses that helps them organize their expenses. This receipt tracking app converts receipt images to digital data, helping business owners categorize business spending. Neat’s software stores all your documents for audits, helps you create reports, and integrates with other softwares.

Neat’s receipt tracking dashboard

What is Shoeboxed?

Shoeboxed is a receipt and expense tracking app that allows you to scan, upload, and store receipts. The receipt scanner and organization app receipt software uses optical character recognition (OCR) with human data verification to ensure 100% accuracy. Afterwards, you can categorize your expenses, search for them easily and create audit-approved receipt scans. Shoeboxed can also manage your business cards, and their app can track mileage for tax purposes.

Shoeboxed exclusively offers the Magic Envelope service and integrates with various external platforms like Evernote, Wave, and QuickBooks.

Shoeboxed’s receipt tracking dashboard

An overview: Neat vs. Shoeboxed

For ease of use, receipt management software must be accessible across all devices. Both Shoeboxed and Neat have web, iOs, and Android applications and have similar-looking receipt tracking dashboards with multiple ways to upload or scan your documents, categorize expenses, and create reports.

Both apps use (OCR) to extract and convert important information into digital data. Once the information has been uploaded, users can categorize expenses, sort by date and vendor, compute total sums, and create reports. 

However, Shoeboxed takes it a step further and combines OCR with human verification to ensure 100% accuracy. 

Another feature Shoeboxed has that Neat doesn’t is the Magic Envelope service. This service provides you with a pre-paid envelope that allows you to send your backlog of receipts to one of Shoeboxed’s processing facilities at no cost to you. 

Outsource receipt scanning with Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope service.

How to send with Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope

Additionally, your receipt scans will meet the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) guidelines, ensuring your digital receipts will always be audit-ready.

Side-by-side comparison chart: Neat vs. Shoeboxed

Here is a side-by-side comparison to help you compare the differences between these apps.

Shoeboxed pros and cons

Pros

• Outsource receipt scanning and never bother about scanning receipts again. 

• AI data extraction paired with a human data verification team means 100% accurate expense tracking.

• Every Shoeboxed subscription comes with unlimited file storage and unlimited sub-users, so you can add your bookkeeper or accountant as a sub-user to your account, etc.

• Bookkeepers and accountants can include multiple clients within their accounts.

• Shoeboxed not only manages your receipts but your business cards as well. 

Cons

• Shoeboxed does not offer budgeting features within its dashboard.

• Shoeboxed does not have an in-built reimbursement system.

Neat pros and cons

Pros

• Activity dashboard gives insights into top expense categories, net cash flow, cash balance, etc.

• A variety of accounting features take Neat beyond simple receipt tracking.

Cons

• Some users report issues with Neat’s support team over the years.

• As an accounting software, it is not as robust as other dedicated bookkeeping/accounting tools.

How does Shoeboxed compare to other receipt scanner apps?

See also: Shoeboxed vs. Expensify Email Receipts: Which One is Better?

Receipt Bank vs. Shoeboxed: Which is the Better Option?

Frequently asked questions

Does Shoeboxed have a free plan?

Shoeboxed’s 100% free plan is called the DIY plan. With the DIY plan, users manually extract and input data into Shoeboxed’s receipt management software. (Automatic data extraction with human verification is not included in the free plan.)

Does Neat have a free plan?

Neat does not have a free plan. However, users can try out premium features by signing up for a free 14-day trial.

What’s a good Neat alternative for receipt and expense tracking? 

Even though both software offers audit-ready receipt scans, Shoeboxed‘s receipt scanner and organizer provides a few additional features. If you’re looking for a Neat alternative, Shoeboxed has features that Neat does not, including AI data extraction with human verification, unlimited file storage, unlimited sub-users, and the ability to outsource receipt scanning.

Try Shoeboxed for free!

Tomoko Matsuoka is the managing editor for Shoeboxed, MailMate, and other online resource libraries. She covers small business tips, organization hacks, and productivity tools and software.

About Shoeboxed!

Shoeboxed is a receipt scanning service with receipt management software that supports multiple methods for receipt capture: send, scan, upload, forward, and more!

You can stuff your receipts into one of our Magic Envelopes (prepaid postage within the US). Use our receipt tracker + receipt scanner app (iPhone, iPad and Android) to snap a picture while on the go. Auto-import receipts from Gmail. Or forward a receipt to your designated Shoeboxed email address.

Turn your receipts into data and deductibles with our expense reports that include IRS-accepted receipt images.

Join over 1 million businesses scanning & organizing receipts, creating expense reports and more—with Shoeboxed.

Try Shoeboxed today!