Smart Clerk vs ProperConvert: AI bookkeeping and statement conversion compared
Smart Clerk and ProperConvert
Smart Clerk and ProperConvert both start from a bank statement, but they end in different places. Smart Clerk is an AI bookkeeping service: it reads statements or a live bank feed, categorizes the transactions and produces a profit and loss, a balance sheet and vendor reports. ProperConvert is a converter: it turns the statement into a QBO, QFX, OFX, QIF or CSV file for the accounting software you already keep. 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 Smart Clerk is
Smart Clerk is a web application for small businesses. You upload statements as PDF or images, or connect to more than 10,000 US and Canadian banks for a live feed, and it categorizes every transaction with a claimed 99% accuracy that improves as you correct it. It consolidates vendors, removes duplicates, and produces P&L statements, balance sheets and tax reports, which export to Excel or PDF. Multi-currency and multiple companies are supported on the higher plan.
The site does not name QuickBooks, Xero or Sage integrations and does not list QBO, OFX or other bank file formats. The result of Smart Clerk is a set of books and reports inside Smart Clerk, not a file for another program.
Smart Clerk pricing
Smart Clerk has a free plan with one bank account and 20 invoices a month, no credit card required. Growth is $29 per month for 2 bank accounts and 100 invoices a month. Professional is $49 per month for 6 bank accounts, 250 invoices a month and multiple companies. Historical data for years before the current one costs $15 per account per year. Plans are billed monthly and can be cancelled at any time; the site does not list annual billing.
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.
Smart Clerk and ProperConvert side by side
| Point | Smart Clerk | ProperConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Product shape | Web AI bookkeeping service with reports | One desktop app that converts files |
| Platform | Any browser | Windows and macOS desktop app |
| Where files are processed | Uploaded to Smart Clerk's servers, or read from a live bank feed | On your computer, always |
| Inputs | Statements as PDF or images from any bank; live feeds from 10,000 US and Canadian banks; invoices | PDF, scanned PDF, CSV, Excel, text, QBO, QFX, OFX, QIF, QMTF |
| Outputs | Excel and PDF exports of categorized transactions and reports | QBO, IIF, QFX, QIF, OFX, CSV, Excel, and paste to clipboard |
| Accounting import files | None named on the site | QBO, QFX, QIF, OFX and IIF for QuickBooks, Quicken, Xero, Sage and others |
| Scanned statements | Images accepted; OCR not named | Yes, OCR built in |
| Review before export | Categories can be reviewed and changed | Full transaction table: edit, exclude, rename payees with rules |
| Pricing model | Free plan; Growth $29 per month; Professional $49 per month; priced by bank accounts and invoices | Subscription from $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year, everything included |
| Free use or trial | Free plan, no credit card | Free trial, 14-day money-back guarantee |
| Limits | Bank accounts and invoices per month; older years $15 per account per year | No page, statement or transaction limits |
| Beyond statement conversion | Categorization, P&L, balance sheet, vendor and tax reports, live bank feeds | Conversion only |
Which one fits
Smart Clerk fits a small business owner who does not have an accountant or accounting software yet and wants categorized transactions and a P&L from the statements without setting anything up. The free plan covers one account, and the live feed removes the statement step for banks that support it.
ProperConvert fits a bookkeeper, accountant or business owner who already keeps books in QuickBooks, Quicken, Xero or Sage and needs the statement in there as a bank file, reviewed row by row before it posts. It also fits the statements a live feed cannot reach: old years, closed accounts, banks outside the US and Canada, and scans.
Questions people ask
Does Smart Clerk work with QuickBooks?
The site does not name a QuickBooks, Xero or Sage integration and exports to Excel and PDF. ProperConvert saves QBO, IIF, QFX, QIF and OFX files that QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Quicken, Xero and Sage import.
Is Smart Clerk free?
There is a free plan with one bank account and 20 invoices a month. Paid plans are $29 and $49 per month. ProperConvert has a free trial and one subscription with no account or page count.
Can Smart Clerk read a scanned statement?
It accepts PDF and image uploads, so a scan can be uploaded; the site does not describe OCR accuracy for scans. ProperConvert has OCR built in and shows every transaction on screen so you can check the scan against the statement before saving.
What is a Smart Clerk alternative that keeps my existing accounting software?
ProperConvert. It does not replace the books; it gets the statement into them as the file the software expects, on Windows or Mac, with the files processed on your computer.
Compare Smart Clerk with another tool
Pick a second tool to see it beside Smart Clerk and ProperConvert in one table.