TaxLens
iOS receipt scanner that tags business vs personal, then exports PDF or CSV. No live QuickBooks sync.
Best for
A solo US freelancer on iPhone who wants a tax-category receipt log and will import CSV or hand a PDF to a CPA.
Not ideal if
Anyone who needs Android, a live QuickBooks Online or Xero connector, bank feeds, team reimbursements, or a replacement ledger.
Standout
Line-item split on mixed receipts plus a PDF packet with images, then a CSV you import yourself.
About TaxLens
TaxLens is an iPhone receipt inbox, not a ledger. You snap paper, import from Photos or Files, or batch up to 20. The app pulls merchant, date, totals, tax, tips, and line items. You confirm Business or Personal, split mixed slips, and export a PDF packet with images or a CSV. You import that file into QuickBooks Online, Desktop, Self-Employed, Xero, Wave, or Excel yourself. Close still happens in those books.
It does not replace QuickBooks Online or Xero. There is no live connector, bank feed, or reimbursement. Expensify syncs coded reports and pays people back. Neat can send reviewed receipts to QuickBooks Online on a Yearly plan. Shoeboxed mails paper. Dext publishes into QuickBooks Online or Xero for a bookkeeper. ReceiptsAI redacts first, then exports CSV from the browser. TaxLens's job is a tax-category snap on the phone and a file you hand a CPA.
People who stick are solo US freelancers who will not pay QuickBooks just to keep receipts, and who want a year-end PDF with images. They stay for Face ID lock, optional iCloud backup, and historical FX on travel slips in 30+ currencies. Public owner talk is thin: three App Store ratings as of this pass.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Receipt log without QuickBooks rent
One App Store reviewer uses it for a low-income shop that could not afford QuickBooks, then wants a year-end tax report.
Snap and forget until April
Same review: keep receipts in the app and pull a report at tax time. Easy enough for a first-year shop.
CSV they can import themselves
Official QuickBooks page and export page sell a mapped CSV (merchant, date, tax, category, currency), not a live sync.
What they hesitate about
iPhone only
Vendor's own 2026 scanner roundup lists iOS only, Android coming soon. No Play listing found this pass.
Weekly IAP can get expensive
App Store lists Pro Weekly at $4.99. That is about $260/year if it auto-renews. Yearly is $49.99.
On-device claim vs network AI
The vault page says 100% on-device OCR. Version 1.0.4 fixed analysis that failed on certain networks and mentions backend stability. The itemized page says on-device and cloud AI.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- No
- QuickBooks Online
- Partial
- Xero
- Partial
- Multi-entity
- No
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- No
- Payroll
- No
Review Needs Review, flip Business vs Personal, export CSV or PDF, then import or type the lines into QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, or Schedule C. Nothing posts a journal for you.
Email or AirDrop a PDF packet with receipt images, or a CSV. TaxLens does not e-file a return or 1099s. Terms say estimates are not tax advice.
Images
Features
Snap, batch, or import receipts
Point the camera at paper, or import from Photos, Files, or the iOS share sheet (screenshots and multi-page PDFs). Batch camera mode snaps up to 20 before save. Items land in a Needs Review queue so you can confirm totals before Save All. Requires iOS 17 or later. No Android app.
Business vs personal, then IRS-style categories
The app tags a slip Business or Personal and maps it to categories such as Office Supplies or Meals. Ambiguous merchants get a confidence flag (vendor copy: yellow) for you to flip. You can set occupation, business type, and country. Terms say categorizations and tax-savings estimates are informational, not tax advice.
Split line items on a mixed receipt
Extracts item names, quantities, and prices, not only the total. Mark personal lines on a Costco or Target slip; the app recalculates the deductible amount and tax. Also separates discounts, sales tax, and tips when the slip has them.
PDF audit packet and CSV export
One tap exports a PDF with receipt images next to the line data, or Excel/CSV with date, merchant, category, tax, total, and currency. Filter by month, quarter, year, or Business only. Share via Mail, AirDrop, or the iOS share sheet. Vendor FAQ: Free includes basic reporting; Pro unlocks unlimited exports and advanced analytics. Exact Free caps are unpublished.
Historical FX on 30+ currencies
Detects currency from the slip and converts to a home currency using the rate for the receipt date, not today's rate. CSV and PDF show original amount, converted amount, and the rate used. Foreign VAT/GST lines are labeled separately when the app finds them.
Face ID lock and iCloud backup
Marketing says images live in the iPhone sandbox or your iCloud, with Face ID or Touch ID to open the app. App Store privacy still lists email, photos, and product interaction linked to you. Version 1.0.4 notes an AI processing connection and backend stability, so scanning is not only on-device.
Pricing
A 5-person shop is the wrong buyer. One person on Pro Yearly is $49.99/year, or $9.99/month, or $4.99/week (about $260/year if they stay weekly). A $39.99 Yearly Offer also appears in IAP. Hidden costs: unpublished Free caps, Apple IAP (refunds only through Apple), and a bookkeeper still imports the CSV or types totals into QuickBooks Online, Xero, or Schedule C.
Free
Solo freelancers who will snap a few receipts and export a basic report. Exact scan and export caps are unpublished.
- AI receipt scanning and auto-categorization (vendor FAQ)
- Basic reporting (vendor FAQ)
- No credit card to download
- Scan and export limits unpublished
Pro Weekly
Short trial of Pro via Apple IAP. Costs about $260/year if you forget to cancel.
- TaxLens Pro (auto-renewing Apple IAP)
- Vendor FAQ: unlimited exports and advanced analytics
- Cancel in Apple ID settings
Pro Monthly
Solo users who want Pro without a yearly commit.
- TaxLens Pro (auto-renewing Apple IAP)
- Vendor FAQ: unlimited exports and advanced analytics
- About $120/year if you stay monthly
Pro Yearly
The cheapest published Pro if you keep the app all year. App Store also lists a $39.99 Yearly Offer.
- TaxLens Pro Yearly $49.99 (Apple IAP)
- TaxLens Pro Yearly Offer $39.99 also listed
- Vendor FAQ: unlimited exports and advanced analytics
- Refunds go through Apple, not the developer
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of TaxLens
Expensify
Pick Expensify instead if employees pay out of pocket and you need approve-then-reimburse plus a documented QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
Neat
Pick Neat instead if you want a searchable cabinet on web and phone, and a Yearly send of reviewed receipts into QuickBooks Online.
ReceiptsAI
Pick ReceiptsAI instead if you work in the browser, want redaction before AI reads the page, and a CSV or Excel export is enough.
QuickBooks Online
Pick QuickBooks Online instead if receipts should match the bank feed in the file you already close, not sit in a companion app you re-import from CSV.