Gennai vs HubdocBest Hubdoc Alternative for Invoice Automation
Hubdoc is the document collector bundled with Xero's business plans: you forward emails or photograph receipts, and it publishes totals to Xero or QuickBooks. Gennai connects to your inbox and reads every invoice as it arrives, in multiple languages, with line items, tax IDs, account codes and a to-pay tray, and it works with Xero, QuickBooks and Holded. Verified against hubdoc.com and Xero Central on 27 August 2026.
Inbox scan
Gennai reads your mailbox; Hubdoc works by forwarding
Line items
Extracted by Gennai; Hubdoc needs manual entry
Multi-language
Gennai extraction (Hubdoc: English only)
Feature Breakdown
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
The same 50 capabilities we check for every tool, verified against Hubdoc's own website and documentation.
At a glance
A capability counts 1 when the vendor documents it, 0.5 when it is partial or sold as an add-on, and 0 when it is absent, not documented or not released yet.
In Gennai, not in Hubdoc 24
- Native inbox scanning (Gmail and Outlook via OAuth)
- IMAP for any email provider (iCloud, Yahoo, Zoho and more)
- Retroactive scan of any past date range
- Follows the "download your invoice" link inside the email
- Invoices sent as Excel files (.xlsx)
- Telegram
- Slack
- Line item breakdown: description, quantity, unit price and tax per line, included in every plan
- Cost type per line (goods, services, freight, duties, fees, discounts)
- Automatic expense category per invoice, with spend analytics by category
- Account code per line item in the export (Xero and QuickBooks)
- Supplier and buyer tax IDs (VAT, GST, ABN, company numbers)
- Purchase order number
- Custom rules written in plain language
- Extraction in multiple languages, not only English
- To-pay tray with due dates
- Bank reconciliation: statement against captured invoices
- Bank payment files (ABA, Australia)
- Holded
- OneDrive sync
- Google Sheets kept in sync
- Secure invoice sharing links
- CASA Tier 2 security assessment (App Defense Alliance)
In Hubdoc, not in Gennai yet 2
- Native mobile app
- Dropbox
Data verified on 27 August 2026. Sources checked: hubdoc.com/pricing, Xero Central: Hubdoc in Xero, Xero Central: data extraction in Hubdoc, Xero Central: resolve issues with documents, Xero product ideas: Hubdoc line items.
Honest Assessment
Where Hubdoc Has the Edge
We believe in honest comparisons. Here is where Hubdoc may be a better fit depending on your needs.
Included with Xero business plans
If your Xero organisation is on a business edition plan, Hubdoc costs nothing extra. Gennai is a separate subscription, although its free plan (10 invoices a month) is also free.
Deepest Xero integration
Hubdoc is owned by Xero: it publishes to bills, spend money and Xero Files, supports tracking categories and matches contacts, and one Hubdoc organisation maps to one Xero organisation. Gennai's Xero export creates draft bills with the PDF attached, matched contacts, account codes and tax rates, but it is not Xero's own product.
Mobile app and PDF statement conversion
Hubdoc has a native mobile app for photographing receipts and converts PDF bank statements to CSV for banks in the US and Canada. Gennai has no native app and imports statements in CSV or XLSX.
Dropbox, Box and SmartVault
Hubdoc pushes documents to Dropbox, Box, SmartVault and ShareFile as well as Google Drive. Gennai syncs to Google Drive and OneDrive.
Gennai Advantages
Where Gennai Stands Out
These are the areas where Gennai offers a meaningfully different approach to invoice automation.
Automatic inbox scanning and retroactive scans
Gennai connects to Gmail, Outlook or IMAP with read-only access, finds invoices as they arrive and can scan any past date range. Hubdoc receives documents by forwarding, upload and its mobile app; Xero's help centre no longer lists automated supplier fetching as a way to get documents in.
Email bodies, download links, Excel and photos
Xero's help centre states that Hubdoc cannot download files through a hyperlink and cannot extract data from spreadsheets, and that creating documents from the email body is an opt-in setting. Gennai reads invoices in the email body, follows download links from Xero, Stripe, Square and QuickBooks, and reads Excel files and photos attached to emails, automatically.
Line items, tax IDs and more languages
Hubdoc extracts date, total and supplier (plus due date and invoice number when available), in English only, and Xero has said it has no further line item development planned for Hubdoc. Gennai extracts line items with tax per line, supplier and buyer tax IDs, purchase order numbers and credit notes, in multiple languages.
Paid status, to-pay tray, reconciliation and ABA files
Gennai reads whether each invoice is paid, keeps a to-pay tray with due dates, reconciles CSV or XLSX bank statements against captured invoices and generates ABA payment files for Australia. In Hubdoc, paid status is a manual flag and everything else lives in Xero.
Not tied to one accounting system
Gennai works with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Holded, syncs to OneDrive and Google Sheets, shares invoices through secure links and has a free plan that does not depend on a Xero subscription.
Ready to Switch?
Try Gennai free with 10 invoices per month. No credit card required, setup takes less than 2 minutes.
Start FreePricing Breakdown
Pricing Comparison
Current plans, side by side. Gennai prices in USD; competitor prices as published on their site.
Gennai
Hubdoc
Choosing the Right Fit
Which One Is Right for You?
Different tools serve different needs. Here is a practical guide to help you decide.
Choose Hubdoc if you...
- Already pay for a Xero business plan and want document collection at no extra cost
- Need the Xero-owned integration: spend money, Xero Files, tracking categories
- Want a native mobile app for paper receipts
- Store documents in Dropbox, Box or SmartVault
- Only need date, total and supplier from English documents
Choose Gennai if you...
- Want invoices captured from your inbox automatically, including past emails
- Receive invoices in the email body, through download links, as Excel files or as photos
- Need line items, tax IDs, purchase order numbers or documents in languages other than English
- Track what is paid and what is due, reconcile bank statements or pay suppliers in Australia with ABA files
- Use QuickBooks Online, Holded, OneDrive or Google Sheets
- Want a free plan that does not depend on a Xero subscription
Easy Migration
How to Switch from Hubdoc
Migration is straightforward. Here is how to get started.
- 1
Sign up for Gennai (free)
Create your account and connect your Gmail, Outlook or IMAP inbox with read-only access. The free plan gives you 10 invoices a month with no expiry date and no card.
- 2
Run a retroactive scan
Pick any past date range and Gennai rebuilds your invoice history from the original emails, including the ones you never forwarded to Hubdoc.
- 3
Connect Xero and your storage
Link your Xero organisation (or QuickBooks or Holded) and turn on Google Drive, OneDrive or Google Sheets sync. Gennai matches contacts and suggests account codes.
- 4
Keep Hubdoc if you like, or stop forwarding
Hubdoc stays included with your Xero plan, so there is nothing to cancel. Once Gennai is capturing everything, remove the forwarding rules and let the inbox scan do the work.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hubdoc free?
Hubdoc is included with Xero's business edition plans (for example Early, Growing and Established in the US); partner edition plans pay separately. Without Xero, Hubdoc costs $12 a month after a 30-day trial. Gennai's free plan gives you 10 invoices a month with no Xero subscription required.
Is Hubdoc shutting down?
No. As of August 2026 Hubdoc is still available, still sold standalone and still documented on Xero Central. What has changed is that Xero is building document capture directly into Xero (Smart Document Capture, announced between February and August 2026) and no longer plans new line item work for Hubdoc.
Does Hubdoc scan my inbox automatically?
No. Hubdoc receives documents by email forwarding to your Hubdoc address, through its mobile app, by upload or from a scanner. Gennai connects to Gmail, Outlook or IMAP with read-only access, monitors the inbox and can scan any past date range.
Does Hubdoc extract line items?
No. Xero Central explains that Hubdoc does not automatically extract line item data and that it must be entered manually, and Xero has stated it has no further line item development planned for Hubdoc. Gennai extracts every line with description, quantity, unit price and tax, and suggests the account code in Xero.
Can Hubdoc read Excel invoices or follow download links?
No. Xero Central states that Hubdoc cannot download files through a hyperlink in an email and cannot extract data from spreadsheet files. Gennai does both, and also reads invoices written in the email body and photos attached to emails.
Does Hubdoc work in languages other than English?
Xero Central states that Hubdoc's data extraction only recognises documents in English. Gennai extracts invoices in multiple languages and is used by businesses in the UK, Australia, the US, Spain and Latin America.
Does Hubdoc work with QuickBooks or Holded?
Hubdoc publishes to Xero and to QuickBooks Online (not Desktop), one accounting connection at a time. It does not support Holded. Gennai integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Holded.
Can I use Gennai with Xero?
Yes. Gennai creates draft bills in Xero with the PDF attached, net amounts, the supplier matched or created, tax rates and a suggested account code, and can export automatically on the Growth plan and above. It also handles credit notes and multiple Xero organisations.
Is my data secure with Gennai?
Gennai connects to your mailbox with read-only OAuth (Gmail and Outlook) or an app password (IMAP) and never sees your email password. Stored credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and all data is encrypted at rest. Gennai keeps the invoice documents it extracts and the processing metadata it needs (message identifiers, subject lines and sender domains) so that no email is processed twice; it never copies or stores your mailbox. The Gmail integration passed the CASA Tier 2 assessment of the App Defense Alliance, and Gennai is listed on both the Xero App Store and the QuickBooks App Store.
