Taxr vs Keeper: Receipt Scanner or Bank-Feed Tax App?
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Taxr vs Keeper is really a comparison of two philosophies. Keeper watches your bank accounts and uses AI to flag transactions that look like tax write-offs, then files your US return in the app. Taxr reads your actual receipts, paper or PDF, and turns them into categorized, export-ready tax records. Both serve freelancers and 1099 contractors; they solve the problem from opposite ends, and the price difference is large. Keeper's filing plans cost US$199 to US$399 a year (a bookkeeping-only plan without filing is US$20 a month). Taxr Pro is US$29.99 a year on the App Store (US$31.99 on Google Play).
Here's how to pick.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute tax advice. Consult a tax professional, such as a CPA or enrolled agent, about your circumstances.
What Is Keeper?
Keeper (formerly Keeper Tax) is a US tax app for self-employed people. Connect your bank and card accounts, and its AI scans transactions year-round, flagging likely deductions ("that Adobe charge looks like a business expense"). At tax time, you file directly through the app, and every filing plan includes a review by a tax professional. It's well reviewed (4.8 on the US App Store) and its content about 1099 deductions is some of the best in the category.
The model's strength: coverage of everything on your cards, without you doing anything. Its weak spot is anything that never touches a connected account. Cash purchases and itemized detail (a bank line says "Costco $187.40", not which items were for the business) only get in if you add them yourself or scan the receipt. And it's built for US returns only.
What Is Taxr?
Taxr is an AI receipt scanner. Photograph a paper receipt or import a PDF invoice, and AI reads the vendor, date, total and tax, then suggests a tax-aligned category (Schedule C categories for US filers) for you to confirm. You get a clean, categorized record with the receipt image stored alongside it in the app: exactly what you want if you're audited. When your accountant needs the records, you export them to Excel or PDF.
Taxr is localized for 195+ countries (US sales tax, Australian GST, UK VAT and more, based on the country you choose when you sign up). It doesn't connect to your bank, and it doesn't file your taxes. It does the record-keeping half of the job, thoroughly and cheaply.
Side by Side
| Taxr | Keeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | Scans your receipts | Scans your bank feed |
| Price | US$2.99/mo or US$29.99/yr (US$31.99/yr on Google Play); first 10 scans free | US$199/yr (Standard) to US$399/yr (Premium) with filing; US$20/mo bookkeeping only |
| Tax filing built in | No: export for your accountant or tax software | Yes: files in-app (US) |
| Receipt images kept | Yes: stored with every expense | Optional: attach a photo or PDF to a transaction |
| Cash purchases | Captured when you scan the receipt | Not in the bank feed; add them yourself or scan the receipt |
| Itemized detail | Yes: the receipt itself | Bank line totals, unless you attach the receipt |
| Works outside the US | Yes: localized for 195+ countries | No: US returns only |
| Bank account access required | No | Yes: built around connecting your bank and card accounts |
| Audit trail | Receipt image + extracted data per expense | Transaction list + categorizations, plus any receipts you attach |
Where Keeper Is the Better Choice
Be honest about fit. Keeper wins if:
- You want filing bundled. Keeper takes you from tracking through to a filed US return in one app. Taxr stops at accountant-ready exports.
- Your spending is almost entirely on cards and you'd never remember to scan anything. A bank feed can't miss a card transaction; a scanner app only knows what you show it.
- You want a "find deductions I forgot" pass over the past year. Keeper's bank-feed scan is built for exactly that.
Where Taxr Is the Better Choice
- Price. US$29.99 a year against US$199 or more for Keeper's filing plans, which is more than six times as much. If you already have an accountant or file with tax software, Keeper's filing bundle is the thing you're paying for, and you don't need it twice.
- Real receipts. The IRS can ask for supporting documents such as receipts, not just a bank line. Cash expenses, split personal/business purchases and itemized detail live on the receipt. Taxr keeps the image and the data together.
- No bank access. Taxr never asks for your bank login. If connecting your accounts to a third party is a line you'd rather not cross, the receipt-first model doesn't need it.
- Outside the US. Keeper is built for US returns. Taxr is localized for 195+ countries, with the right currency, tax label (GST, VAT, sales tax) and tax-year dates for each.
- Working with an accountant. Taxr's exports are built to hand over: a summary by category and a line for every receipt. Keeper is built to do the filing itself, with its own tax pros, rather than to feed your accountant.
Many freelancers actually sit in an awkward middle: mostly card spending, some cash, an accountant they trust. In that case the question is simply whether you want to pay US$199 or more a year for filing plus automated deduction-spotting, or US$29.99 a year to keep thorough records the way your accountant already works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Keeper worth $20 a month?
US$20 a month is Keeper's bookkeeping-only plan: deduction finding from your connected accounts, without tax filing. Filing plans start at US$199 a year. If you want in-app US tax filing plus year-round automatic deduction detection from your bank feed, and you don't already pay an accountant, Keeper bundles real value. If you have an accountant or file yourself, most of that bundle duplicates what you have, and a US$29.99-a-year receipt scanner covers the record-keeping.
Does Keeper store my receipts?
Yes, if you add them. You can attach a receipt photo or PDF to a transaction, or scan a receipt and Keeper matches it to a transaction. But Keeper is bank-transaction-first: the receipt is an attachment to a bank line, not the starting point. If most of your records start as paper (cash purchases, itemized receipts, mixed personal/business purchases), a receipt-first tool like Taxr keeps the image and the extracted data together for every expense.
Can I use Taxr for 1099 taxes?
Yes. Taxr suggests Schedule C categories for your expenses and exports accountant-ready Excel or PDF reports for your return. Taxr doesn't file the return itself; you (or your accountant, or your tax software) do that with the records Taxr produces.
Can I use both?
Some people do: Keeper (or a bank feed) for card coverage, Taxr for cash purchases and receipts that need itemized documentation. If you only want one tool and one subscription, pick based on whether filing in the app matters to you.
The Bottom Line
Keeper is a genuinely good US tax app. You're paying US$199 or more a year mostly for bundled filing and bank-feed automation. Taxr does the documentation half (scan, categorize, export) from US$29.99 a year, in 195+ countries, without touching your bank login.
If that's the half you need, download Taxr and scan your first receipt free. For the wider field, see our best receipt scanner apps in 2026.