What is document capture and data extraction?
Document capture and data extraction turns invoices, receipts, bank statements and contracts into structured data a finance system can post. Older tools read fixed templates with OCR. Current ones use trained models that handle a supplier's layout they have never seen, and send only the uncertain fields to a person.
Also calledintelligent document processingdata capture
Compare the softwareBest accounts payable automation software →All 47 document Capture and Data Extraction listings →
- Bought by
- IRIS (Dext), Sage (AutoEntry), Coupa (Rossum, 2026)
- Category
- Document Capture and Data Extraction
- Listings
- 49
How document capture works
Two groups sell into accounting. Practice tools feed the bookkeeping: Dext, owned by IRIS, and AutoEntry, owned by Sage, both push straight into Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. Document processing platforms handle volume across any document type: ABBYY, Rossum, Docsumo, Nanonets and Klippa. The two are converging from above, because the buyers of finance software want capture built in rather than bought separately: Coupa acquired Rossum in May 2026 to put its extraction models across source-to-pay, and in audit DataSnipper built a $1 billion company doing the same job inside Excel.
Common questions
What is the difference between OCR and data extraction?+
OCR reads characters off a page. Data extraction works out what they mean: which number is the total, which is the VAT, which line is the purchase order. Template-free extraction does that on layouts it has not seen before.
How accurate is it?+
Good enough that the work becomes review rather than typing, but not unattended. Platforms are measured on how few fields a person has to touch, and the target quoted in 2026 benchmarks is an exception rate below 5%.
Do accounting firms still need it if the ERP has AI?+
Increasingly not as a separate purchase. The capability is being absorbed into ledgers, AP platforms and audit tools, which is why the specialists are being acquired.
Software used for document capture and data extraction
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage · Glossary
