ScanWriter vs ProperConvert: statement data entry tools compared

ScanWriter and ProperConvert

ScanWriter and ProperConvert both take a bank or credit card statement and turn it into transactions that accounting software can use, and both run on the desktop and keep the files on your computer. ScanWriter is built by Personable for fraud investigators, forensic accountants and firms that need an audit trail from every Excel cell back to the source page. ProperConvert is a converter for bookkeepers and business owners who need a QBO, QFX, OFX, QIF or CSV file to import. This page lists what each one is and what it costs.

The facts below were checked on the two official websites on September 24, 2026. Prices and plans change; the links go to the current pages.

What ScanWriter is

ScanWriter is Windows desktop software from Personable, sold in editions for accountants and for investigators, plus a ScanWriter AI edition that runs in Personable's cloud or on premise. It reads bank and credit card statements, bills, invoices, receipts, check images and deposit slips, from PDFs and scans, and the site says it covers 15,000 financial institutions and 21 languages. Output goes to Excel and into QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Canada as bills, checks, deposits, invoices, journal entries and other transaction types. Desktop editions process files locally; the site says documents never leave the premises.

What sets ScanWriter apart is the investigation side: a patented source link from each Excel cell to the page it came from, anomaly and fund flow analysis, checks for transposed numbers and missing or duplicate pages, and redaction. Its customers include district attorneys, bankruptcy trustees and government agencies as well as CPA firms.

ScanWriter pricing

ScanWriter is sold by license and quote. The investigators page lists a Standard license at $6,045 per license plus $3,557 annual maintenance, and a Premier edition by request. The accountant edition price is not on the site; a demo is offered instead. An older Personable page lists a QuickBooks Easy Start plan at $125 per month per user with a three-month minimum and an annual plan at $49 per month per user, which may no longer be current. There is no free tier; Mac users run it through Boot Camp or a virtual machine.

What ProperConvert is

ProperConvert is one desktop application for Windows and macOS. It opens PDF statements, scanned PDF statements, CSV and Excel files, and QBO, QFX, OFX, QIF and QMTF files, shows the transactions in a table where you can review, edit, exclude and rename payees, and saves QBO, IIF, QFX, QIF, OFX, CSV and Excel files for QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Quicken, Xero, Sage and other accounting software. The conversion runs on your computer. Statements are never uploaded to a server.

ProperConvert pricing is one subscription for everything: $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year for one user, and a Team plan of three users at $49.98 per month or $449.97 per year. There are no page, statement or transaction limits, all formats are included, updates are free, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee. A free trial is on the download page.

ScanWriter and ProperConvert side by side

Which one fits

ScanWriter fits a forensic accountant, an investigator or a firm that must show where every number came from, needs fund flow analysis across many accounts, and enters transactions into QuickBooks as bills, checks and journal entries rather than as a bank feed. The price matches that job.

ProperConvert fits a bookkeeper or business owner who needs the statement in QuickBooks, Quicken, Xero or Sage as an ordinary bank file, on Windows or Mac, for $19.99 a month with no page count. It keeps the same promise that files stay on your computer, and it reads CSV and Excel as well as PDF.

Questions people ask

Is ScanWriter a desktop program?

Yes. The accountant and investigator editions are Windows desktop software that saves files locally, and Mac users run it in a virtual machine. ProperConvert runs natively on Windows and macOS.

How much does ScanWriter cost?

The investigators edition is listed at $6,045 per license plus $3,557 annual maintenance; the accountant edition is by demo and quote. ProperConvert is $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year with every format included.

Does ScanWriter make a QBO or QFX file?

The site does not list QBO, QFX, OFX or QIF files; ScanWriter enters transactions into QuickBooks directly. ProperConvert saves those files, which also work for Quicken, Xero, Sage and any app that imports bank files.

What is a ScanWriter alternative for a small bookkeeping practice?

ProperConvert, if the job is converting statements to accounting files. It has the review table and local processing without the investigation tools or the license price.