Kempt vs Dext (2026): on your Mac or in the cloud, for receipts

The short answer

Dext is an online service that collects receipts and invoices from a phone, email or WhatsApp, reads supplier, date, tax and total, and sends them to accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks, with practice plans that keep many clients apart.Kempt is a Mac app that names, finds and packs one person’s or one company’s documents on the Mac, with nothing sent to a server, and exports a CSV to check rather than posting to the books. A firm managing many clients’ bookkeeping should pick Dext; a fiduciaire, freelancer or small business that wants its own documents named and found on a Mac, privately, can use Kempt, or both.

Kempt $27 founding, then $37, one-time · Dext Business from $25.21 a month (250 documents, excl. VAT); practices pay per client

Feature by feature

Kempt vs Dext Yes · Partly · No · Not stated by the maker
Feature	Kempt	Dext
Keeps many clients apart, for a firm	NoOne person’s or one company’s papers per Mac	YesPractice plans with client management, priced per client (10 clients minimum)
Sends documents to accounting software	NoExports copies, a merged PDF and a CSV to check; no link to accounting software	YesQuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, Zoho and more (36+ platforms); Swiss software not stated
Reads VAT amounts from invoices	NoReads date, issuer, type, total, currency and number; VAT lines are skipped, not read	YesSupplier, date, tax and total; line items are a paid add-on
Processes your documents on your Mac	YesOn your Mac, with Apple’s on-device model. Sharing with an AI app is optional and needs your approval	NoCloud; customer data stored in the EU, hosted on AWS
No account needed	Yes	NoAccount required; 14-day trial without a card
Names files from what’s inside them	YesApple’s on-device model, with OCR and Vision	PartlyReads each document into data for the books; file naming not stated
Searches inside documents	YesPDFs, scans and photos of paper (OCR), voice notes	Not statedNot stated by the maker
Acts on new files in watched folders	YesSupported files in Downloads and new Desktop screenshots, after a countdown you can pause; any folder on request	PartlyMobile app, email, WhatsApp or upload; fetches supplier invoices; no Mac folder watching stated

Proof, not promises

Historical results: measured on one Mac, the owner’s, with about 1,600 of the owner’s own documents, each on the build or date shown. One Mac’s results, not an independent benchmark. Numbers for the next build are published once verified.

PrivacyWhere your documents are processed: On your MacReading, naming, search, answers and voice use Apple’s on-device model. Sharing with an AI app is optional and needs your approval; what you approve reaches that app’s provider. One daily update check sends Kempt’s version number.
SafetyEvery move logged: UndoMoves are written to a journal before they happen and recovered at launch after a crash; cleanup uses the Trash.
SpeedTo name a file: 1.0–1.4 sWith Apple’s on-device model on the 25 newest downloads, owner’s Mac (macOS 26), 14 Oct 2026. Varies 2–3× when the Mac is busy.
SpeedSearch time, warm: ≈10 msMedian search over 1,575 indexed documents, release build, owner’s Mac, Oct 2026. Search only: not indexing, answers or request preparation.

How we compare: Kempt’s rows come from its own measured tests. Every other app’s row comes from that maker’s public pages on the date shown. When a page is silent or unclear, we say so instead of guessing.

Using Kempt next to Dext

Keep Dext for collecting and posting. On your Mac, let Kempt name what you download or scan, so a document is easy to find before or after it goes to Dext, and use Kempt’s monthly pack when a client sends you their papers from a Mac.

When Dext is the better choice

You keep the books for many clients and want each one’s documents apart, with deadlines and team access.
You want VAT and totals sent straight into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage.
Clients send receipts from their phones, by email or WhatsApp, and you work on Windows too.

Questions people ask

Should I choose Kempt or Dext?

Dext is an online service that collects receipts and invoices from a phone, email or WhatsApp, reads supplier, date, tax and total, and sends them to accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks, with practice plans that keep many clients apart. Kempt is a Mac app that names, finds and packs one person’s or one company’s documents on the Mac, with nothing sent to a server, and exports a CSV to check rather than posting to the books. A firm managing many clients’ bookkeeping should pick Dext; a fiduciaire, freelancer or small business that wants its own documents named and found on a Mac, privately, can use Kempt, or both.

Does Dext upload my files?

Dext: Cloud; customer data stored in the EU, hosted on AWS. Kempt: On your Mac, with Apple’s on-device model. Sharing with an AI app is optional and needs your approval.

How much do Kempt and Dext cost?

Kempt: $27 founding, then $37, one-time. Dext: Business from $25.21 a month (250 documents, excl. VAT); practices pay per client.

When should I choose Dext instead?

You keep the books for many clients and want each one’s documents apart, with deadlines and team access. You want VAT and totals sent straight into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. Clients send receipts from their phones, by email or WhatsApp, and you work on Windows too.

Can I use Kempt and Dext together?

Yes. They don’t overlap much: Dext moves documents into the books online, Kempt names and finds files on a Mac. Many firms would use Dext for clients and Kempt for the PDFs that pile up in Downloads.

Sources

Guides

Other comparisons

Try Kempt free

Names, files and finds your documents with Apple’s on-device model. Processed on your Mac. $27.