The survival guide · updated July 2026
After Hubdoc: Xero Files won't chase your clients. Here's what will.
Hubdoc was retired on May 8, 2026. Your documents moved to Xero Files. Your collection workflow didn't move anywhere — it's just gone. This guide maps every real option, including the free ones and the ones that aren't us.
What you actually lost
Hubdoc did three jobs: clients could email documents in, it fetched some statements automatically, and it extracted data toward your ledger. Xero Files inherited exactly none of these. It's storage — a filing cabinet bolted to Xero. Nothing asks your clients for anything, nothing reminds anyone, nothing tells you what's missing.
Most “Hubdoc alternative” lists you'll find are written by OCR vendors, so they only talk about the third job: extraction. If your pain is that clients don't sendthe documents in the first place, an extraction tool solves the wrong half. Be clear about which job you're replacing before you pay for anything.
Your options, honestly
| If your problem is… | Look at | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Extracting data from documents you already have | Dext, AutoEntry | Dext Practice is priced per client with a 10-client minimum and a 1-year auto-renewing commitment — roughly $500+/mo at 30 clients. AutoEntry bills credits per statement page. |
| Fetching bank statements automatically | LedgerDocs, DocGenie | Fetch only covers what a bank publishes. Receipts, bills, payroll reports still need a human to send them — and your client has to consent to bank-credential access. |
| Requesting documents with named upload slots | Content Snare, Pipefile | Works when clients fill the slots. Forwarded emails, photo dumps, and misnamed PDFs don't fill slots — you're back to sorting by hand. Watch active-request caps on the cheap tiers. |
| A full practice suite that includes requests | Financial Cents, TaxDome, Canopy, Keeper (now Double) | Real platforms, real per-user or per-client pricing, real migration projects. Double now requires a sales demo and ~$200/mo minimum. TaxDome's AI matching currently covers tax forms and IDs, not monthly bank statements. |
| Getting clients to send documents without you chasing | PapersIn (that's us) | We don't do OCR-to-ledger or bank feeds. If extraction is your main pain, pair us with an extraction tool — or don't use us at all. |
| Spending nothing | Xero Files + a spreadsheet checklist + calendar reminders | Free, and it works — it's just your time doing the chasing. At $75/hr, three hours of monthly chasing costs more than any tool on this page. |
Whatever you pick, keep these three habits
- One intake door per client. The close falls apart when documents arrive by email, text, portal, and paper. Pick one door and route everything through it.
- A written monthly checklist per client.Not in your head. The checklist is what turns “did they send everything?” from a feeling into a list.
- A cutoff date with teeth. Reminders without a deadline train clients to ignore them. State the date the close happens with whatever has arrived.
Where PapersIn fits
PapersIn is the collection half, done properly: magic-link uploads and email-in per client, documents recognized and renamed on arrival, checklists that tick themselves, and reminders that list only what's missing — then stop. Flat $29/mo, no contract, and a Hubdoc-ZIP import that rebuilds your client folders and checklists automatically.
See how it works →Sources for pricing and feature claims: vendor pricing pages, fetched July 2026. Corrections welcome at hello@papersin.com — this page stays honest or it comes down.