Best receipt scanner apps for Canadian sole props

Canadian sole props do not need a US “IRS audit-proof” brand. They need a readable image of the supplier invoice, the GST/HST fields CRA asks for, and a path into the ledger they already use — Wave, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, or Xero. A folder of JPEGs with no totals is still a shoebox.

This comparison is the scan shortlist: Wave receipts (paid on Starter), capture inside QuickBooks Online Canada, Dext (CAD, publish to QBO/Xero), Expensify (USD list), Shoeboxed (USD-style, mail-in paper), and Google Drive / Photos as the free path. Receipt-scanner prices and CRA record pages checked against public sources, 6 September 2026. Public CRA pages, not a filing instruction and not tax advice.

Reimbursements and the wider expense stack: expense and receipt tracking for Canadian sole props. The ledger that still files: accounting software for Canada. Fuel photos beside the kilometre log: mileage tracking for Canadian sole props. ITCs need an RT account: how to register for GST/HST in Canada.

What CRA actually wants (high level)

Official GST/HST records page: you do not send receipts with an electronic return, but you must keep sales and purchase invoices and other GST/HST records in case CRA asks. Usually six years from the end of the year they relate to. Official: GST/HST records to keep.

You need the correct information on supplier invoices to support an ITC. A JPEG in an app is not enough if the required fields are missing. Under $100: supplier name, date, total amount. $100 to $499.99: plus GST/HST amount or included-rate statement, supply status if mixed, and GST/HST registration number. $500 or more: plus buyer name, brief description, and terms of payment. Official: CRA ITC information requirements.

CRA accepts paper, paper later imaged into an accessible readable electronic format, or records that started electronic. Electronic originals must stay electronic even if you print them. You can image paper and, if the images meet the latest national standard of Canada (CGSB), treat the image as the permanent record and destroy the paper. If you cannot meet that standard, CRA says keep the original. If you are unsure, keep the paper. Not legal advice. Official: CRA acceptable format and imaging. If an outside party stores the files, CRA still expects them available when officials ask. A US shoebox or a Google Drive folder does not move that duty.

Who each scanner is actually for

• Google Drive / Photos — few receipts, you will type them into Wave or QBO, $0 extra.
• Wave Receipts — the books are already in Wave. Pay the Starter add-on or move to Pro. Do not assume Starter includes the camera.
• QuickBooks capture — the bookkeeper lives in QBO Canada. Included, not a $11 add-on.
• Dext — volume, an accountant who wants publish into QBO or Xero, and a public CAD price.
• Expensify — reimbursing people, USD bill, QBO or Xero export. Wrong first buy for a one-person Wave file.
• Shoeboxed — you still mail paper and will pay USD-style dollars. QBO/Xero start at Pro.

Snapshot (public pages, 6 September 2026)

Wave Receipts — free books, paid camera

Starter is still $0 for records you type. Digital receipt capture is $11/month or $96/year on Starter (add-on) on Starter. Pro is $25 CAD/month or $250 CAD/year and lists unlimited digital receipts as included. Wave’s pricing footnotes: prices do not include applicable tax. Confirm GST/HST on the Pro bill at checkout. Source: https://www.waveapps.com/pricing.

If Wave is the ledger, do not buy Dext just to photograph tills. The wider Wave vs FreshBooks choice: FreshBooks vs Wave.

QuickBooks Online Canada — snap inside the ledger

Official CA receipt-scanner and expense-tracker pages: snap receipts in the mobile app; Intuit AI extracts data and matches or creates an expense. The CA pricing FAQ says the mobile app (including receipt capture) is included with the subscription — no separate public receipt-add-on price. Sources: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/receipt-scanner/; https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/expense-tracker/; https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/pricing/.

EasyStart $30 CAD/month, Plus $110 CAD/month, Advanced $220 CAD/month. Listed on Intuit Canada marketing pages with 90% intro offers. Confirm live rates at quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/pricing/. Stay here if the bookkeeper already opens QBO. Ledger compare: accounting software for Canada.

Dext — public CAD, publish to QBO and Xero

$31.50 CAD/month billed annually ($378 CAD/year) CAD, excludes GST (dext.com/ca/business/pricing) 250 documents/month and 5 users on the public slider starting point Included credits listed: 10 bank-statement extraction sheets, 5 line-item documents, 5 supplier-statement extractions. Over-limit uploads may store without extraction until the next bill or an upgrade. Free trial; no payment details required up front (pricing FAQ) Source: https://dext.com/ca/business/pricing.

Official integrations page: Dext connects with 36+ accounting platforms including Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage. Help documents a native QuickBooks Online connection. The Xero App Store (Canada) lists Dext. FreshBooks and Wave were not named as native publish targets on those pages — do not invent them. Official FAQ: connecting syncs chart of accounts, suppliers, customers, tracking categories, and payment methods; you publish items to the ledger. Sources: https://dext.com/en/business/product/integrate-with-accounting-software; https://help.dext.com/en/articles/339550-how-to-connect-dext-to-quickbooks-online. Dext is not your GST/HST return and not a free Wave replacement.

Expensify — team reimbursements, USD list

Expensify’s June 2025 international blog lists localized billing in USD, GBP, EUR, AUD, and NZD, and says Canadian Dollar billing is coming soon. The public expensify.com/pricing page retrieved 6 September 2026 is an in-app screen and did not print a CAD plan table. This site does not invent a CAD SKU. Official June 2025 blog: US$5 per member (USD billing example) Official New Expensify getting-started: connect a workspace to QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, or Sage Intacct to import the chart of accounts and export approved reports. Wave and FreshBooks are not on that list. Sources: https://www.expensify.com/pricing; https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/getting-started/Create-a-company-workspace.html.

Expensify Help documents Global Reimbursement for a Canadian business bank account with workspace currency set to CAD. That is reimbursement plumbing, not a published CAD subscription price. For a one-person Smithville file, Wave Pro or QBO EasyStart is the usual camera. Use Expensify when you are reimbursing people and you accept a USD subscription.

Shoeboxed — mail-in paper, USD-style sticker

shoeboxed.com/pricing (retrieved 6 September 2026) prints $9 / $29 / $79 monthly and $97 / $297 / $797 yearly with no CAD label. Marketing on the homepage is IRS-first and names “Canada Revenue Service.” Confirm currency at checkout — this page does not invent a CAD SKU. Starter $9/month or $97/year — 30 digital scans/month, 20 paper scans/year, 1 Magic Envelope/year, 1 user, 3 years digital storage, CSV export. No QBO/Xero integration on this tier. Pro $29/month or $297/year — 200 digital scans/month, QBO and Xero integrations, Wave listed on the FAQ, Gmail sync, 3 users Plus $79/month or $797/year — 750 digital scans/month, 10 users Source: https://www.shoeboxed.com/pricing/.

Official FAQ: QuickBooks Online and Xero on Pro and Plus; Wave, Evernote, Dropbox, and CSV on the integration list. This page does not invent a FreshBooks connector. Official FAQ: paper is stored at a Durham, NC facility. That is not a Canadian data-residency claim. iOS and Android listed on every public plan card. Major credit and debit cards. No Interac table. Mileage on every Shoeboxed card is not a substitute for CRA vehicle logs.

Google Drive / Photos — free folder, you do the typing

Google Drive and Google Photos are $0 until you hit the storage quota on the Google account. Google One is a paid overflow — confirm the live CAD/USD widget if you buy storage. This page does not invent a Drive receipt SKU. A dated folder of JPEG/PDF supplier invoices can be a record if you can still produce it and the invoice fields are on the image. Drive is not OCR, not a GST/HST return, and not an ITC certificate. You type or attach into Wave, FreshBooks, QBO, or Xero yourself. There is no official “publish to QBO” button on Drive. Not a till. Name files with the date and supplier. Keep a backup. CRA still wants the invoice fields on the image.

A practical pick

1. Few receipts, you will type them: Google Drive or Photos, then Wave Starter at $0.
2. Books already in Wave and the camera roll is the job: Wave Pro at $25 CAD/month, not a second scanner.
3. Bookkeeper in QBO: use the included snap. Do not buy Shoeboxed Starter just to miss the QBO connector.
4. Already on Xero: Hubdoc is included on Canadian Xero plans — see expense tracking. Add Dext if the accountant asks.
5. High document volume into QBO or Xero, public CAD: Dext.
6. Still mailing paper and you accept USD-style billing: Shoeboxed Pro ($29/month) so QBO/Xero are actually on the card.
7. Need kilometres, not till photos: mileage tracking.
8. Need the RT account before any ITC matters: GST/HST registration.