Apron alternative for chasing missing documents
Pick Apron if
- You want bill, payroll and HMRC payments, expense cards and document capture in the same place.
- You'd like an AI agent to search clients' inboxes for missing receipts before anyone has to ask.
- Some clients are on QuickBooks or FreeAgent, or you want to work from unreconciled Xero lines.
Pick Chivvy if
- Chasing clients for receipts, bills and statements is the problem, and you want it done on a schedule without clicking each reminder.
- You want emails to go from your own address and domain, after you approve, with no setup for the client.
- You want each upload checked against Xero before it's attached, at one price per practice.
Apron and Chivvy, side by side
What each one does, side by side. Apron's details are from its own website and help pages, checked November 2026.
- What it does
ApronInvoice capture, bill and payroll payments, expense cards and AI bookkeeping. Its agent, William, finds, extracts, categorises and publishes documents, and searches connected inboxes for missing ones.
ChivvyFinds spend with no receipt, bills with no invoice and statements due in Xero. After you approve, it chases the client, checks what they upload and attaches it in Xero.
- Who it's for
ApronUK small businesses and their accountants and bookkeepers.
ChivvyUK bookkeeping practices whose clients are on Xero.
- Ledgers supported
ApronXero, QuickBooks Online and FreeAgent.
ChivvyXero only, for now.
- How clients are chased
ApronMissing documents lists bank transactions with no document, including unreconciled Xero transactions from the last 12 months. Clicking Request sends the assigned person an email and push notification with an upload link; you click again to send a reminder.
ChivvyBy email from your practice's own address and domain, on the schedule you set, only after you approve. VAT items go first and each email has a cap on how many items it asks for.
- What the client does
ApronUploads on web or mobile, or sends by email forwarding, camera, drag and drop or WhatsApp. William can also find documents in a connected Gmail or Outlook inbox.
ChivvyOpens a private link on their phone and uploads a photo or file for each item. No login and no app.
- Checking uploads
ApronWilliam extracts the details, categorises against your chart of accounts and can publish automatically, following rules you set.
ChivvyReads each upload and checks the amount, date and supplier against the Xero transaction or bill. If it matches, it's attached in Xero. If not, the client is told why before it reaches you.
- Pricing unit
ApronPer client a month, with the plan chosen for each client. Each plan has a monthly document allowance, then a charge per document.
ChivvyPer practice, by clients chased each month. Team members are unlimited and connected clients you don't chase are free.
- Current price
ApronFrom 1 December 2026: Books core £5, Books plus £11, Books max £21 a client a month. Up to 30% off through Apron Books club. Until then, £5 a client, capped at £199 a month for up to 200 clients.
Chivvy£29 a month for 5 clients, £79 for 15, £199 for 40, £449 for 100. 14-day free trial with no card.
Where Apron is better
Payments
Apron pays bills, payroll and HMRC in batches, in 30 or more currencies, with approvals and expense cards. Chivvy doesn't touch payments.
It can find the receipt without asking
William searches a connected Gmail or Outlook inbox for documents tied to a transaction. Chivvy doesn't search inboxes; it asks the client.
Unreconciled lines, and more ledgers
Apron's missing documents list includes unreconciled Xero transactions from the last 12 months, and it works with QuickBooks Online and FreeAgent. Chivvy can't see unreconciled bank-feed lines and is Xero only for now.
WhatsApp and capture
Users can send documents to Apron on WhatsApp, and Apron extracts, categorises and publishes them. Chivvy is email only and doesn't do data extraction.
Cheaper at the smallest sizes
At 5 clients, Books core is £25 a month against Chivvy's £29, and it includes capture and payments allowances.
Where Chivvy is better
Chasing that runs by itself
In Apron, a request goes when you click Request, and a reminder when you click again. Chivvy sends a roundup or rolling reminders on the schedule you set, within your hours, and stops after the number of emails you allow, flagging the item as worth a call.
Nothing for the client to set up
The client gets an email from your practice's own address and uploads from a private link on their phone. They don't connect an inbox or install anything.
Every upload checked against Xero
Chivvy checks the amount to the penny, the date and the supplier against the Xero record before attaching it, and tells the client straight away if it doesn't match.
Statements and skip rules
Chivvy asks for bank statements per account, monthly or quarterly, asks for VAT items first, and keeps don't-chase reasons and lasting skip rules so the same item isn't asked for again.
No document allowances
Chivvy is priced by the clients you chase. There's no per-document charge, and every feature is on every plan.
Can you use Apron and Chivvy together?
Yes. If you use Apron for payments and capture, Chivvy can sit alongside it for the chasing: Apron handles the bills and receipts that come in, and Chivvy emails clients about what's still missing in Xero, on a schedule.
Chivvy checks Xero again before every email, so anything Apron has published with its document attached drops off Chivvy's list.
What it costs at 5, 15 and 40 clients
A month, for the clients you chase or connect. Chivvy's prices are what's charged: we're not VAT registered.
| Clients | Apron | Chivvy |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | £25 to £105 | £29 on Starter |
| 15 | £75 to £315 | £79 on Pro |
| 40 | £200 to £840 | £199 on Scale |
Apron's figures are its Books core to Books max prices from 1 December 2026, before any Books club discount (up to 30%). Apron's pricing page doesn't say whether they include VAT, so check getapron.com.
They're not like for like: Apron's price includes capture, publishing and payments allowances, which Chivvy doesn't do. Chivvy's covers chasing only.
Chivvy counts the clients you switch chasing on for in a month. Team members are unlimited and every plan has every feature. Founding practices pay half for as long as they use it, for the first 10 practices. See pricing
Questions
Does Apron chase clients on WhatsApp?
Apron accepts documents sent on WhatsApp by users who've added their number to their Apron profile. We couldn't find anything on Apron's site about it sending requests or reminders on WhatsApp, so check with Apron. Chivvy chases by email only.
What is William in Apron?
William is Apron's AI bookkeeping agent. Apron says it finds, extracts, categorises and publishes documents, and searches connected client inboxes for missing receipts and invoices tied to a transaction.
How much does Apron cost for practices from 1 December 2026?
Apron's pricing page lists Books core at £5, Books plus at £11 and Books max at £21 per client a month, billed monthly, with up to 30% off through Apron Books club. Each plan includes a document allowance with a charge per document above it.
Can Chivvy see unreconciled bank lines like Apron?
No. Xero doesn't make unreconciled bank-feed lines available to apps like Chivvy, so Chivvy works from spend transactions and bills already in Xero, and asks for statements on a schedule.
What doesn't Chivvy do?
It works with Xero only, for now. It can't see unreconciled bank-feed lines, because Xero doesn't make them available to apps like Chivvy, so it works from transactions and bills already in Xero. It chases by email only, not WhatsApp or text. It doesn't extract data from receipts to create transactions, and it doesn't search your clients' inboxes. It's a chasing tool, not a receipt-capture tool.
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Dext, Uncat and Apron are trademarks of their owners. Chivvy isn't affiliated with any of them. Information checked November 2026. If we've got something wrong, email hello@chivvy.io and we'll fix it.
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