The one real difference: where the data lands
Every tool here reads invoices well enough to be worth trying. They differ on the step after reading. Most produce a new spreadsheet, CSV or set of rows that you then copy into your books. General Invoices skips that step: it writes each approved entry into the workbook you already keep, in that workbook's own layout.
If your books live in Google Sheets, QuickBooks or Xero, or you need an API, one of the others is likely the better fit, and the table says which. If your books live in an Excel file on your computer that you built and intend to keep, the copy-and-paste step is where the time and the errors are, and that is the step General Invoices removes.
Six invoice-to-Excel tools, side by side
Every competitor fact below comes from that vendor's own public pages, read on September 23, 2026. "Not published" means we could not find it documented, not that the feature cannot exist. Prices change; follow the sources before deciding.
| Criterion | General Invoices | Lido | DocuClipper | Invoice Data Extraction | Power Automate + AI Builder | Excel Get Data (PDF) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A macOS desktop app that reads invoices and writes approved entries into your existing workbook | A web app that turns documents into spreadsheet rows, with validation and workflow automation | A web app that extracts financial documents to Excel, CSV and accounting systems | A web app and API: describe what to extract, get a generated spreadsheet | A prebuilt AI model you call inside a Power Automate flow you build | Excel's built-in connector that imports tables it finds in a PDF |
| Where the data lands | The right sheet, row and cells of the .xlsx or .xlsm you already keep, in its layout | A new Excel or CSV file, or rows appended to a Google Sheet it writes headers into | A new consolidated XLSX or CSV per project, rows appended to a Google Sheet, or QuickBooks, Xero and Sage | A newly generated XLSX, CSV or JSON file; column order can be set in the prompt | A new row in an Excel table stored in OneDrive or SharePoint; local cells only through a Windows desktop flow | A query table, on a new worksheet by default |
| Writes into an existing local workbook's own layout | Yes. It learns the layout, fills calculated columns, and widens totals to cover new rows | Not published | Not published | Not published | Only by building a Windows desktop flow that writes named cells | Not published |
| Review before data lands | Cell-level preview of every entry; nothing is written until you approve | Yes for manual extraction; none described for automated folder exports | Yes: fields are editable before export; no review step described for the Google Sheets push | No in-app approval; issues are flagged in the output file | Not in a plain flow; confidence scores per field, and an optional review app you build | Yes: a preview and optional editing before loading |
| Backup and verification before writing | Verified on a copy, timestamped backup, atomic swap; refuses a workbook open in Excel | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Where documents are processed | Our server passes each document to Anthropic's Claude and drops it; the workbook never leaves your computer | Cloud; documents deleted after 23 hours | Cloud (AWS) | Cloud, US-hosted; source files deleted within 48 hours, outputs kept 90 days | Microsoft cloud, in your Power Platform environment's region | Inside Excel on your computer |
| Platforms | macOS; a Windows version is planned | Any desktop browser; no mobile | Web app, plus a mobile capture app | Web app, REST API, Python and Node SDKs | Web portal for cloud flows; desktop flows are Windows-only | Excel for Windows with Microsoft 365; not in Excel for Mac |
| Line items | Where your workbook has a line-item sheet | Yes | Yes | Yes, one row per item | Listed in the model's outputs; check in the product | Raw table grids; may need cleanup |
| Automation and integrations | Drag-and-drop batches; no API; email forwarding is planned | Watched Google Drive and OneDrive folders and inboxes; API on the Scale plan | Auto-import from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and email; REST API, webhooks, Zapier | Batches up to 6,000 files; REST API and SDKs | Triggers from email, SharePoint and OneDrive; hundreds of connectors | Folder connector combines many PDFs; refreshable queries |
| Starting price, as published | At launch: free for 10 invoices a month; $29 a month for 50 | Free 50 pages that don't expire; $29 a month for 100 pages | 14-day trial; from $20 a month billed annually for 60 pages | 50 pages free every month; packs from $12 per 100 pages | $15 per user a month (yearly) plus about $0.08 a page in AI credits | Included with Microsoft 365 (from $9.99 a month) |
| Best for | Owners and bookkeepers who keep books in an Excel workbook and want it to stay that way | Teams on Google Sheets, or who want unattended folder and inbox processing | Firms posting to QuickBooks or Xero, or processing bank statements too | High volume, developers, and pay-per-page buying | Microsoft 365 organisations with cloud workbooks and someone to build flows | Windows users with clean PDF tables and no budget |
Which one to choose
Choose another tool if…
- Your books are in Google Sheets. Lido and DocuClipper both append rows to a Google Sheet.
- You post to QuickBooks, Xero or Sage. DocuClipper exports to them directly.
- You want unattended processing of a shared folder or inbox. Lido and DocuClipper watch folders; Power Automate triggers on new files and email.
- You need an API or very high volume. Invoice Data Extraction takes batches of up to 6,000 files and has SDKs.
- You are on Windows with Microsoft 365 and clean PDF tables. Excel's own Get Data costs nothing extra.
Choose General Invoices if…
- Your books are an Excel workbook on your computer, with your own tabs, totals and formulas, and you intend to keep it.
- You want to see the exact cells that will change before anything is written, with a backup taken first.
- You do not want the workbook uploaded. Only the invoice and a masked layout summary leave your computer.
- You are on a Mac. Power Automate's desktop flows and Excel's PDF import are Windows-only.
Where General Invoices falls short today. It isn't released yet, and at launch it will run on macOS only, works with one workbook at a time, has no API, does not write to Google Sheets, and takes invoices by drag and drop until email forwarding ships. If any of those matter more than writing into your own workbook, pick from the left-hand column above.
How we compared
- We picked the tools that rank for "automate invoice data entry into Excel", plus Microsoft's two built-in routes.
- Every fact about another product comes from its vendor's own site or documentation, read on September 23, 2026. We did not sign up for trials or use the products.
- Where a vendor's pages disagreed, we used the more specific page and say so in the sources.
- We make General Invoices, so read this as a vendor comparison. It says where the others are better, and the sources are there to check us.
Questions
Can Lido or DocuClipper write into my existing Excel workbook?
Not in its own layout, as far as either publishes. As of September 23, 2026, both export a new XLSX or CSV file, or append rows to a Google Sheet. Neither documents appending into an existing .xlsx's own sheets, columns and totals. General Invoices is built for exactly that.
Is Power Automate a cheaper way to do this?
Only if you already pay for it and can build flows. Flows that use AI Builder need a Power Automate Premium licence at $15 per user a month, billed yearly, plus AI credits at about $0.08 a page. To add rows, the workbook must be an Excel table in OneDrive or SharePoint; writing cells in a local workbook needs a Windows desktop flow.
Can Excel extract invoice data by itself?
Partly. Excel for Windows with Microsoft 365 can import tables from a PDF with Get Data. It does not recognise invoice fields such as vendor or tax, does not read photos, and is not available in Excel for Mac. You still decide where each value goes.
Which tool is cheapest?
It depends on volume and on what you count. Invoice Data Extraction gives 50 pages free every month and sells packs from $0.12 a page. At launch, General Invoices will be free for 10 invoices a month, and its paid plans will work out at $0.33 to $0.58 an invoice at the full allowance; an invoice counts once whatever its page count.
When is another tool the better choice?
Choose Lido or DocuClipper for Google Sheets, unattended folder or inbox processing, or posting to QuickBooks and Xero. Choose Invoice Data Extraction for high volume or an API. Choose Power Automate if you run Microsoft 365 with cloud workbooks. Choose General Invoices when the books live in a local Excel workbook you want to keep.
Books in Excel? Keep them there.
General Invoices isn't released yet. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when it launches.
Sources
- Lido: Extract Data from PDFs, Invoices & Receipts to Excel. Lido. Read September 23, 2026. www.lido.app
- Lido Pricing. Lido. Read September 23, 2026. www.lido.app
- How to Automatically Extract Data From Google Drive Documents to Excel. Lido. Read September 23, 2026. www.lido.app
- Automating the Data Extractor. Lido Help Center. Read September 23, 2026. help.lido.app
- DocuClipper Pricing. DocuClipper. Read September 23, 2026. www.docuclipper.com
- How To Convert Invoice And Receipts To Excel. DocuClipper. Read September 23, 2026. www.docuclipper.com
- Export to Google Sheets. DocuClipper. Read September 23, 2026. www.docuclipper.com
- DocuClipper Security Features. DocuClipper. Read September 23, 2026. www.docuclipper.com
- Does DocuClipper Have a Desktop App?. DocuClipper. Read September 23, 2026. www.docuclipper.com
- Invoice Data Extraction Software: AI Prompt to Excel. DEH Technologies LLC. Read September 23, 2026. invoicedataextraction.com
- Pay-Per-Use Pricing. DEH Technologies LLC. Read September 23, 2026. invoicedataextraction.com
- Invoice Data Extraction: API & Agents. DEH Technologies LLC. Read September 23, 2026. invoicedataextraction.com
- Invoice processing prebuilt AI model. Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Excel Online (Business) connector. Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- AI Builder: Overview of licensing. Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Power Automate Pricing. Microsoft. Read September 23, 2026. www.microsoft.com
- Excel actions reference (Power Automate for desktop). Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Power Automate for desktop: prerequisites and limitations. Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Power Query PDF connector. Microsoft Learn. Read September 23, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Power Query data sources in Excel versions. Microsoft Support. Read September 23, 2026. support.microsoft.com
- Import and shape data in Excel for Mac (Power Query). Microsoft Support. Read September 23, 2026. support.microsoft.com
Lido, DocuClipper, Invoice Data Extraction, Microsoft, Excel, Power Automate and Power Query are trademarks of their owners. General Invoices is not affiliated with any of them. DocuClipper's homepage describes its Google Sheets export as CSV-based while its Google Sheets page describes a direct row append; the table follows the Google Sheets page. Microsoft's AI Builder credit pricing is changing after November 1, 2026.
See also: General Invoices vs QuickBooks, how to automate invoice entry into Excel, and what leaves your computer.