Bank CSV export vs converting the PDF statement
If your bank offers a CSV download, use it: it is free and exact. This page is about the cases where it is not enough, which is most of the time bookkeepers reach for a converter.
Side by side
| Feature | The bank's own CSV export | stmtai |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Usually only the last 90 days to 2 years; closed accounts and old years are PDF-only | Any statement you can get as a PDF, scan or photo, any age |
| Running balance | Often missing, so gaps and duplicates are invisible | Included and checked against the printed statement |
| Consistency across banks | Every bank uses different columns, date formats and sign conventions | One layout for every bank: Date, Description, Out, In, Amount, Balance |
| Client statements | You need the client to log in and export | Clients already send PDFs; you convert them |
| Audit trail | No document behind the rows | The PDF statement is the source; the check proves the rows match it |
| Cost | Free | 5 pages free; then from $0.19 a page |
When the bank's own CSV export is the better choice
- You are working on your own current account and the bank exports the period you need with a balance column.
- You have a live bank feed into your accounting software already.
When stmtai is the better choice
- Statements older than the export window.
- Clients who send PDFs.
- Credit cards and banks whose CSV has no balance column.
- Any time the numbers must be defensible against the paper statement.
Try it on your own statement
5 pages free, no account. You will know in under a minute whether it balances.
Drop your bank statements here
One file or a whole year. PDF, scanned image, CSV, QIF or OFX. Up to 12 files at a time; long PDFs are split for you.
Not ready to upload your own? See a sample result
Questions
Can I upload a bank CSV to check it?
Yes. CSV, QIF and OFX files are accepted; they count as one page per 4,000 characters. You get the same balance check and the same exports, which is useful when the bank CSV has no balance column.
Why does my bank CSV not match my statement?
Common causes: pending transactions included in one and not the other, different cut-off times, or the CSV covering a slightly different date range. Converting the PDF gives you exactly what the statement says.