# Reveal vs Dext: capture or retrieval?

> Dext extracts documents that are sent to it. Reveal retrieves evidence from the client's inbox and supplier portals. How they differ, and when to use each.

By [Miles Udemezue](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ude), Reveal. Published 2 October 2026.
Canonical: https://www.revealos.com/insights/reveal-vs-dext

Dext and Reveal both get invoices and receipts into the ledger, but they start at opposite ends. Dext captures documents that are sent to it: the client photographs a receipt, forwards an email, uploads a folder or sends it on WhatsApp, and Dext reads it. Reveal retrieves: once the client approves access, it goes to their inbox and supplier portals, finds the evidence for each transaction and links it to the payment.

If your clients reliably send their paperwork, Dext does that job well. If the problem is the clients who don't, that's the gap Reveal is built for.

## At a glance

| | Dext Prepare | Reveal |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | A document someone sends | A transaction that needs evidence |
| What the client does | Photographs, forwards, uploads or WhatsApps each document | Approves access once, from a link. No app, no account |
| Email | Forwarded to the client's Dext email address | Read-only retrieval from the client-approved mailbox |
| Supplier portals | Invoice Fetch, from Dext's list of supported suppliers | Amazon Business today; other portals after a one-day review |
| Other sources | Mobile app, desktop upload, WhatsApp | WhatsApp Business, OneDrive, SharePoint, uploads |
| Result | Data read from each document, published to the accounting software | Evidence linked to its payment, with the reason for the match and a suggested treatment, sent to the ledger after review |
| Pricing | On Dext's pricing page | Free first retrieval, then from £790 a year for up to 25 clients |

## How Dext works

Dext's own line sums it up: "However the document arrives, Dext takes it." Clients submit through the mobile app, by forwarding email to their Dext address, by uploading from the desktop or over WhatsApp. Invoice Fetch also collects bills from supplier portals on Dext's supported list. Dext reads each document and publishes the data to the accounting software; it lists Xero and QuickBooks among more than 36 platforms it works with.

It's well established, and it's very good at paper: a crumpled receipt photographed in a car park is exactly what it was built for.

## How Reveal works

The client clicks a link and connects their email. There's no app to download and no account to create. Reveal reads the mailbox read-only, to recognise receipts and invoices: it can't send, change or delete anything, and the practice sees only the financial documents it retrieves, never the inbox. Supplier portals are connected once, and some ask the client to complete a security step.

For each transaction, Reveal finds the evidence, links it to the payment and shows why it matched and where it came from. It extracts the details and suggests a treatment, but it doesn't decide. Your team reviews it before it goes to the ledger. When nothing is found, the transaction is marked not found rather than filled with a guess. Most evidence arrives within an hour of Reveal having access.

## The real difference: who does the work

With a capture tool, every document needs someone to act. The client snaps it or forwards it, or a supplier is set up for fetch. That works when clients are organised. The clients who aren't are the ones you end up chasing.

Most of what they don't send is digital and already sitting somewhere: an emailed invoice, an Amazon Business order, a receipt in a WhatsApp chat. Reveal goes and gets it, so nobody has to send it.

## Can you use both?

Yes. Dext handles the paper a client photographs; Reveal retrieves the digital evidence the client never sent. If both feed the same ledger, decide which tool owns which suppliers so nothing is posted twice.

## Which should you choose?

- **Dext**, if most of your clients' evidence is paper and they reliably submit it.
- **Reveal**, if your bottleneck is missing evidence from clients who don't send things, and that evidence is digital: in inboxes, supplier portals and chats.

## Sources

- [Capture receipts and invoices](https://dext.com/uk/business/product/capture-receipts-and-invoices), Dext
- [List of suppliers for Invoice Fetch](https://help.dext.com/en/articles/416675-list-of-suppliers-for-invoice-fetch), Dext help centre
- [Integrations](https://www.revealos.com/integrations) and [Trust Centre](https://www.revealos.com/trust), Reveal

Checked on 2 October 2026. Products change: if anything here is out of date, tell us at hello@revealos.com and we'll correct it.