A document parser does this job without code: Docparser is the easiest start when the same vendors send you invoices every month, and Parseur or Airparser fit when the invoices arrive in many layouts and you want each email forwarded straight to a parser that adds a row to Google Sheets. If big invoices also need someone's approval, build it in n8n instead. You can see the parser route end to end in Docparser: invoice data from PDFs into a spreadsheet.
Every option works the same way underneath. The invoice reaches the tool (forwarded email, upload or connected inbox), the tool reads the PDF, it pulls out fields such as vendor, invoice number, date and total, and it sends one row per invoice to a spreadsheet. What differs is how you tell it which fields to find, and what happens after.
What are the options, and what decides between them?
- Docparser. You make a parser for one kind of document, start from its Invoices template, and add rules for anything it misses. Files can come in by upload, email or cloud storage, and data goes out as Excel or CSV, or to Google Sheets through its integrations. Deciding factor: a steady set of vendors with fixed layouts.
- Parseur. You set a Gmail or Outlook filter that forwards invoice emails to a Parseur mailbox. It reads the email body and PDF attachments, including scans, and adds each invoice as a new row in your sheet. Deciding factor: invoices from many senders, and you want the inbox to do the forwarding.
- Airparser. Forward emails to a dedicated Airparser inbox and describe the fields you want in plain words. A native Google Sheets connection writes a row per document. Deciding factor: you would rather describe fields than draw rules.
- n8n. A workflow tool where you connect Gmail, an AI extraction step and Google Sheets yourself, plus anything else, such as an approval email. Deciding factor: you need logic, like "anything over a set amount waits for the owner".
- Nanonets. Built for accounts payable teams, with an email address per workflow, Excel and CSV export and connectors for QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite and SAP. Deciding factor: higher volume and posting straight to accounting software.
For more tools side by side, see the best AI document data extraction tools.
How do I set it up?
- List the fields you need, the same as your bills sheet columns: vendor, invoice number, invoice date, due date, total.
- Gather five real invoices from different vendors to test with.
- Set up the parser and check every field on all five against the PDFs.
- Connect the inbox: a forwarding filter, or the tool's own email address.
- Connect the spreadsheet and run one live invoice through.
- Keep a person on approval. Extraction is data entry, not a decision to pay.
What does this look like in a real lesson?
In the Docparser lesson an office manager at a small accounting firm retypes about 120 vendor invoices a month. You create a parser from the Invoices template and upload three vendor PDFs. You open the Invoice Number rule and check that it found the right number, then check the Totals rule against the PDF. There is no rule for the vendor name, so you add one with Text Fixed Position and draw a box around the name at the top of the invoice. Then you create a CSV download, switch the delimiter from colon to comma, and confirm every vendor, number, date and total matches the PDFs.
The advanced version, Invoices from Your Inbox to Google Sheets, with Approval, builds the same idea in n8n: a Gmail trigger, an Information Extractor, Append row in sheet, and an approval email to the owner for any invoice over the limit.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Skipping the test batch. Check a handful of invoices by hand before you trust the sheet.
- Letting extraction approve payments. A fake or duplicate invoice reads perfectly. Keep your approval step.
- Ignoring blanks. A missing field should stay blank and be flagged, not guessed.
- Forgetting scans. Phone photos need OCR, and numbers are where OCR slips. The OCR explainer shows why.
Key takeaways
- A document parser turns emailed invoices into spreadsheet rows without code.
- Docparser fits fixed layouts; Parseur and Airparser fit many layouts arriving by email.
- n8n fits when you need approvals or extra steps.
- Check a test batch, keep human approval, and flag blanks.
Frequently asked questions
- Can ChatGPT read my invoices instead?
For a one-off batch, yes: upload the PDFs and ask for a table. For every invoice, every week, a parser or workflow is more reliable. See how to extract invoice data with AI.
- Can I send the rows to Google Sheets automatically?
Yes. Parseur and Airparser write rows directly, and Docparser can through its integrations or Zapier, as in this Docparser and Zapier guide.
- Is this the same as automating accounts payable?
It is the first step. Full automation also covers approvals, matching and payment, as the invoice processing use case explains.