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About The Neat Company
Neat puts bookkeeping all in one place to let users scan receipts and manage transactions. Neat connects to over 10,000 financial institutions and simplifies tax preparation by categorizing expenses and reconciling accounts. Its basic plan starts at $23 a month, billed annually, and it has a 15-day free trial.
The Neat Company Reviews
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I really doubt the validity of the 5 star customers. I have also been with Neat since they first started. I purchased the 1st Neat Receipts Scanner then the Desktop. Initially the program was awesome, when I purchased the scanner it came with the software which I assume was then mine to use freely. However, when all of a sudden I was REQUIRED to pay to use software I had already purchased without prior knowledge or permission - I was infuriated. Nothing was wrong with my software and yet that one dreadful update that changed everything. This is just BAD customer consideration and clear that the "$" is more important than customers.
I don't LIKE OR NEED CLOUD. With all the hacking out there I don't want to worry that the sensitive documents that hold SS #s, Bank info is out there where it can be accessed and with a simple "OOPS" they think that will fix it? I honestly loved the 1st software that was came with my unit. It worked perfect. Not allowing to use software that was purchased with the unit is criminal in my opinion. I have the original disk but somehow Neat has now REQUIRED to be ONLINE in order to use it?!! I don't want my private personal information ONLINE PERIOD!!! I would rather use Fujitsu's product and software - they have at least been upfront with their product. There are other companies as well out there that have even better software with a lot less problems. Shame on you NEAT.
Hello L,
Thank you for your feedback and we apologize for the confusion.
You are absolutely not required to purchase anything in order to continue to use your scanner with your original software. We have never and will never force any customers to pay to use their previously purchased scanners.
To clarify, the original software that came with your scanner was completely free. The only thing you paid for was the scanner itself. That original software was retired back in 2016 when we launched our newer Cloud products. At that time all customers were given the option to continue to use their Legacy software free of charge, or migrate over to the Cloud with a Neat Cloud subscription.
Moving forward you have several non-Cloud, completely free options:
1. You can install and use the desktop scan utility, which is free to use. This application is strictly for scanning and will allow you to continue to use your scanner to store your scanned items on your computer hard drive. https://support.neat.com/support/download-neat-software/
2. You can continue using the Neat Legacy Software if it is already installed. This option does NOT require you to purchase a subscription, support plan, or newest version of Neat software. Please keep in mind though, legacy versions are no longer available for download and there will no longer be any bug fixes or enhancements to these versions.
3. Or you could go with a non-Neat software option and continue to use your scanner to scan without Neat:https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
I have NeatDesk as I’m self-employed and I needed to keep track of my receipts. I use it about one month a year and I use the scanning and expense report feature the most. I also use it to create reports. Using it is time-saving and this method is more streamlined and it has easier analysis. NeatDesk's technical support is really good too. I've gotten a couple of my friends to start using it.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review! We are happy to hear that you are enjoying your Neat Desk scanner. We are even more happy to hear that it has saved you time as well. Thank you so much for choosing Neat!
I’ve had the Neat Scanner since before 2012 so I’ve been using it that long. But all of a sudden, they came in and said I had to start paying to be able to use it. I had to pay for a year, worth $80 something. That's the thing that makes me mad. Then they had to convert everything over and put it in the Cloud. But I don’t trust the Cloud. I used to work for lawyers and I know all that can go out and go wrong, being accessed even in the Cloud that shouldn’t be.
I wasn’t syncing stuff to the cloud. I was scanning it into my computer then if I needed something, I’d go back and get it off of my computer. The only problem I would run into was with these really big documents that I got from the bank. They would be 40 or 50-page documents and I would try to scan that on the machine but it would keep processing for hours and hours then sometimes, it would just shut down. Or sometimes, it would give up like, “Okay, we can’t do this, and we’re throwing it out.” Then the file would be gone and if I wanted it in there, I’d have to rescan it.
So when they told me they were gonna have to do all that, I was like, “How do I know you’re not somebody that’s trying to scam me?” I don’t really want my stuff in the Cloud. But they were saying that the system was gonna fail so they had to do that. I noticed that the company started their conversion over three years ago and they’re just now getting to me. They took all of my information, eight years’ worth, and converted it over and sent it to the Cloud without asking me.
When they started converting, it was a nightmare too. They tied my computer up for over a week. Because of where we live and our computer, I would have to go into my computer network and plug the machine directly into my computer. Then every night, I’d have to go in, unplug it and re-plug my TV back in. I could only watch TV at night. I also had no internet for anything else while that was going on. I’d check it the next morning and it would say that they had converted 89 documents. I was like, “Are you kidding me? 89?” I had over seven years’ worth here. It was gonna take forever.
Right now, I can’t even use my Neat and my issue with them has been going on for about a month. I keep getting these errors that some document can’t sync to the Cloud and it won’t go on with anything else. But I can’t get in contact with them so I can’t get it fixed. I keep missing them. I've had to leave a message but then they call back and say they went straight to my voicemail. I don’t know why it would go straight to my voicemail though. I haven’t blocked their number. I don’t know what’s going on with them. I’ve been real upset with my Neat Scanner.
We apprecaite you taking the time out to write a review! We are very sorry for the confusion that was caused but your scanner can be utilized without a subscription to the Neat cloud based software. Please refer to this link for additional information: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
We also provide a free desktop scan utility that you can use t scan directly to your computer here - https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/
We have taken a look at your case history and noticed that you hvae a rather large database. Unfortunately, the larger your database, the longer the migration process will take. Additionally the migration process does not interfere with your internet connection so we apologize for the confusion there.We really do apprecaite you choosing Neat and we will work diligently to get your files migrated over as soon as possible!
At first, The Neat Company was cool. Back then, there was nothing that I could use to scan that had the software where it organized your receipts. Getting their system eliminated a lot of writing down and organizing the old-fashioned way. Now however, I am disappointed with Neat. Like every company, you start one thing, and then you realize that the money’s not there, and the money is in the software. So, what happened was everybody would buy a scanner and it came with the software. And what's terrible is that they don't support the scanners anymore. They stopped making the scanners. All of a sudden, we’re stuck with a scanner and the people at Neat figured out that if consumers wanted support, they needed to be charged every month. Now, when you buy the software and the app, you gotta pay a monthly fee on it.
We bought these $400 scanners and you can’t use them anymore. Our scanner stopped working on our computer. And as soon as we started looking at the details on Neat's website, it says that they no longer have a warranty as of 2018, and that they no longer support it. There are no fixes for the new Windows 10, and it’s just a mess. If someone wants to scan anything, they have to get a third-party scanner or do it with the app. And that’s not what it was about at the beginning. It was more about the scanner. I've been using Neat for six years so I got all this data in their software and if you don't do what they want, then good luck. You'd be left to hang high and dry.
I tried contacting Neat's customer service but the reps don’t speak the way I talk. Their reps are from in India and you can’t express yourself. It’s hard to communicate with them. In addition to that, the picture quality when you use the phone app is terrible. That's why we opted to use the scanner because it’s a lot clearer and it’s a lot faster than having to use your phone app. In the end, Neat doesn't offer support. They don't want to help out. Unfortunately, I had to buy the program, the app, and I’m paying month-to-month, but I’m just looking for alternatives at this point.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We apologize for any confusion but your Neat Scanner can be utilized without having a subscription: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
When taking a look at your case history, we see that the reason behind the issue that you were experiencing with your Neat scanner was due to a problem internally with your establishment. Have you reached out to your IT department for assistance? We see that one of our highly skilled agents suggested reaching out for additional help since your computer had a block for the Neat scanner. If you need further assistance after reaching out to your IT department, please do not hesitate to reach out to support. Also, which version of the mobile app are you currently using? We want to be sure that you are on the latest version.
Thank you for choosing Neat!
I love my NeatDesk. I’ve been using it for about nine years now and I use it a few times a week to scan my receipts. I have it for my tax purposes and for business receipts. At first, I was able to save all my receipts directly into a flash drive then I take it to my accountant. That old version was more simple. Now, you have to go through several steps and save it as a file, and I finally got that figured out this year. And then, I can set up different files per year and put the receipts in each file - like if they are business receipts or house receipts. For 2019, I go on the Neat, and then I put our rental property in one file so I can keep that, then at the end of the year, go through and figure out what the totals are.
The thing is, if I don’t keep up my yearly subscription, then they won’t give me technical support. There has also been a few reps who don’t understand what you’re trying to explain to them but that’s the language barrier. Other than that, the ones that I’ve spoken to have all been good and helpful. I would recommend NeatDesk.
Thank you for writing a review! We are happy to hear that you are enjoying your Neat Desk and it keeps you well organized. Unfortunately, some of our plans do not include Live support and we apologize for any inconvenience that could have caused you. We are very happy and appreciative of you choosing Neat!
I have had this product for several years. I have been disappointed with the feed mechanism... pretty much from the beginning. Most sheets of paper have to be nudged to get them to feed at all. Most recently when loading software on to a new computer, I found that the scan to PDF functionality does not work with the new desktop software. Looks like I will be looking for another scanner/software in the near future.
I used Neat when it was first a program before they went with their monthly service. Their software worked well and running a small home-based business, it came in handy for bookkeeping. I liked its organization and the receipts to recognize versus just a regular piece of paper thrown in there. I actually bought two of the NeatDesk but then they went to the service where it was monthly, so I quit using it. When they upgraded it, they should have upgraded the software instead of going monthly and I would’ve purchased the additional upgrades. Other than that, they have good software and if you have a massive amount of paperwork, you're gonna have to use a service like this.
Thank you for writing a review! We do apologize but we did retire the Legacy software some time ago and are gearing up to release a new product later this year that will include multiple new features to improve the Neat Experience. We appreciate the kind words you have left and are happy that you chose Neat!
Thank you again!
The Neat Company's customer service is crap. It took me three different calls, with three different tech support people to get my issue resolved. And it still wasn't resolved. I had to put up with what was resolved with. My biggest complaint is that their tech support people are offshore, and I can't understand them. One of the biggest improvements they can make is to bring it back to the States so you can understand them. I bought the scanner years ago, and then I switched to having the annual premium. My annual premium ran out in January, about the time I do my taxes, so I was caught red-handed last year, having to pay another annual renewal. I was on the phone for over two hours trying to get it hooked back up. As soon as I can find another way to scan my receipts in, I won't be using Neat anymore.
Thank you for leaving a review. We apologize for the amount of time that was spent with our support team. Taking a look at you case history, you were utilizing a software that has not been supported for a few years now so our highly skilled agents were able to help you migrate that information to the Cloud. We do not see that you have reached out since February so if you do have any issues or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to support. Additionally, we are gearing up for a release of a new product this year that will include multiple new features to improve the Neat Experience. Thank you for choosing Neat!
It is only resolved because I cancelled my subscription. I paid for years waiting for resolutions because I really WANTED it to work. But nothing but lost time and money.
I bought a Neat Scanner years ago at a booth set up in an airport when NEAT RECEIPTS was brand new. At that time I didn't need expense reporting. Really just loved the portable scanner capability and bought it on impulse without using it that much. About six months ago I began using Neat regularly for business and invested in a new scanner to do so.
One would think that fast forward to now you'd see great strides forward in capturing receipts and making expense reports. Although I pay a fee now to have my receipts verified by a human, they are often recorded incorrectly. So, while this service should free my time, I have to go back in and correct their mistakes. By the time I am putting together an expense report, I am crunched for time and when I find mistakes by the verifiers, I don't have time to get on the phone and complain. However, after much frustration a few months ago, I did finally call, which took considerable time and I was told of a time consuming method to provide their development team with an ID number for the incorrect receipts. I started to do it but ran out of time and patience and gave up, hoping things would get better.
However, again today, the many errors irked me to the point of calling Neat again. The first technician I talked to never seemed to comprehend what I was talking about based on his replies. Then I spoke with another technician who told me about providing them with ID numbers for each receipt (same as previously told months ago). I expressed my dissatisfaction with having to spend so much time to help them fix their broken system. Finally, the technician remotely accessed my computer and got the information she needed. However, by this time I had wasted a couple hours.
The Neat training module for instructions for having receipts verified states that it only takes minutes to be done, like having a personal assistant. I am not finding that to be true. I had one more receipt to scan before making my expense report, but it took over an hour for it to be verified, delaying me from getting my expense report done. This was the last straw for me and why I came to this website to give my review of this product. One last detail is that the expense reports are not really customizable which for me means I still have to put everything into a spreadsheet on Excel to have it formatted properly. Why am I even using this software???
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We do apologize for any frustration that was caused by using Neat Verify. The reason being for the request for the ID numbers is so our Development team can thoroughly investigate the issue that you were experiencing. When a unique issue like this arises, we do need as much information as possible to resolve not only the issue you were experiencing but to prevent this from possibly happening to another customer. We do see that you have an open case with our support team and we are actively working to resolve. Additionally, we are releasing a new product within this year that will have multiple new features and previous issues resolved to improve the Neat experience. Once again, we do apologize for any frustration that this has caused and we appreciate you choosing Neat!
I would save my documents to my computer and import them into The Neat scanner so that I could sort them if I need to look for them. But then The Neat Company started making everything Cloud-based, which I don't like. The Cloud-based is fine if that's what you want, but I wanted to have a local place to keep all my stuff. So now I have to go through an extra step, and import it to my computer if I need to. It's crazy.
Also, the scanner doesn't work sometimes, and I can't get on it. It freezes up and it just sits there half the time of the program. I go to import something, and it doesn't bring up any of the information. I have to hand type everything in. Right now, I can't even get the program to come on, and I'm very upset. Sometimes, it comes on, and one day it doesn't. It's been horrible. It's also hard to find the number to call them, and I can't even remember where I found it. It's not easy to access their phone number. Nevertheless, the scanner that I bought provides some way of organizing my documents, which is what I want.
We are glad to hear that the scanner you have purchased is providing organization. For the issues you are experiencing, we can definitely have a tech support agent assist you. Please send a private message with a good phone number and time to call so we can assist you.
Thank you for choosing Neat!
I had an older Neat Scanner and I used a lot before the system changed. But the new set-up of the system is very difficult to understand. It has to be connected to a cloud which means that I can't use it if I don't have Wi-Fi on the road. Also, the whole set up where to store the documents I have scanned is very complicated. I just scrapped it and didn't want to bother with it. I'm really disappointed. It was worthless and I would never attempt to use it anymore. I'm just gonna buy a new scanner.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We are sorry for any frustration that was caused when attempting to use your scanner and your Neat account. We would love to help resolve any issues that you have encountered so that you can have an excellent Neat experience. We will have an agent reach out to you directly for assistance so please look out for a private message from us.
Where do I start. I’ve been using the program nearly from day one about 10 years. Today is February 25, 2019 and they have made nearly zero changes to their very limited and buggy online version. Yet they are promising they are "gearing up" for changes in 2019. It's been nearly three years with the current version and it still doesn’t do half of what the desktop version did.
I don’t have a problem paying for a SaaS, providing it lives up to the hype and promises, NEAT does NOT! My suggestion to those who are considering using Neat, is don’t. At the time of this review I have relegated my scanning down to one receipt at a time because if you give it to many receipts it will choke and then you must re scan all of them again because the recovery process is flawed.
One of the things that ticks me off the most is the inability to allow you to edit custom lists you create, such as payment types. I can’t delete the ones that come built into the system. I could go on but I’ve already exceeded my patience level and besides the people who actual drive the sinking ship really don’t care because they have the support personnel taking the brunt of the complaints.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review and providing feedback. We do apologize for any frustration that was caused when using the Neat product. We are preparing for a new product to be released later this year with multiple new features to improve The Neat Experience and we hope that you will continue to use the product and utilize those new features. Once again, we do apologize for any frustration that was caused and we greatly appreciate you being a long time customer with Neat!
I will try to keep this short. I have been with Neat since I got my NeatDesk over 8 years ago. Original software was laggy, but it did its job well. OCR worked, you could do decent reports and there were no limitations on extracting your data. Fast forward a few years and the company unilaterally discontinued support for the product, forcing you to get a cloud subscription. Fine, the selling point was a cloud backup and a mobile app. The issue was that most of the features of the desktop app have never been re-implemented into a new version. For example: if you wanted to start a new tax year and create a same set of folders to organize your files, you could not copy your template folder structure. This is but one of the features that you lost, while now having to pay every year.
The straw that broke the camel back, so to say, was the issue of not being able to export your documents. If you have a folder of several documents you now had to go through them one-by-one, if you, for example wanted an extract for a lawyer or accountant. The company that takes your data hostage, while forcing some customers to stay with them will not last long. This is because instead of recommending this company to your friends you are now sharing the painful story of being a hostage of another money grabbing company.
Neat is not the only company that does this. But it is pointless to keep investing time and money into something that ultimately doesn't and can't serve you. Luckily there is still a way to get your files, but this is a hack and you will get a big dump of all of your file losing all the effort of organizing your documents into folders. But there are application that can help you search and organize your files, so this one time bitter pill is the only way out of this forced relationship.It is always darker before the dawn.
Now, several months after moving my files out of Neat, I am saving over $100 dollars per year, just by having them on Google drive. You can organize your PDFs using many free apps, have Wave or any other free service for receipts, that actually reconciles with your bank instead of buggy Neat OCR trying to guess where to allocate the receipt (it never worked for anything other than restaurants), and gets those wrong regularly. Now my year end reconciliation takes hours instead of days and I know exactly where my files are and can access them anywhere.
If you considering giving your money to Neat, please stay away. If you are with Neat already, find a better software and run. You will never look back. I am giving this gang operation 2 stars because there was at least some value to this service. But after all these years and harassment I feel that even 0 stars is really too much. How many stars would you get a kidnapper who keeps you hostage?
We apologize for any frustration that was caused while using Neat. The Neat company does not hold any data hostage or force a subscription onto our customers. If you did want to continue to utilize your Neat Scannerthen you can do so here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
We also provide a Desktop Scan Utility that can be used with your Neat scanner: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/
Additionally, we are gearing up to release a new product this year with many new features and stability to improve the Neat experience. We appreciate you being a long time customer with Neat and hope that you continue to use the product. Once again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
When we need the Neat Desk, we need it. Otherwise, we could use it weekly. We use the scanning features the most, and you can organize it pretty much in any way we want. They can improve on the printer reboot, though. They have moved on past supplying the feeder.
Thank you for leaving a review and the great rating! We are happy to hear that you are enjoying your NeatDesk and the organization features provided. Thank you for choosing Neat!
I have used Neat for 8 years and was very satisfied with it until recently. I use Neat to keep track of tax information in Florida, where we do not have state taxes and can use our sales tax as a deduction on our federal taxes. I would scan multiple receipts in minutes and it would record all the information on the receipts. Since the latest upgrade, it either does not fill in any of the information or it puts information that is not even on the receipt. It takes a tremendous amount of time for me to correct and/or record every piece of information from each receipt that the previous version did for me. It is taking hours to do a job that would take a few minutes prior to this update.
I have called customer service twice in the last 2 days and allowed them access to my computer to fix the problem. They are very friendly, but did not improve the situation at all. I am actively looking for an alternative solution. The current situation does not meet my needs at all. I have loved the program for 8 years, but it is next to useless for my needs at this point.
thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We do apologize for any frustration that was caused while using Neat. Additionally, we are gearing up to release a new product this year with many new features and stability to improve the Neat experience. We appreciate you being a long time customer with Neat and hope that you continue to use the product. Once again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
I bought the Neat scanner for my home. I never wanted to use the cloud base system they are forcing customers to pay for. I bought it with the intention of storing my own files the way I wanted. I tried calling customer service and the system automatically hangs up on me. I tried with online chat and they are just as useless as well. The only way to communicate with a live person is to pay for the cloud service. After much research I have now come to realize that the product I have is now deemed useless even though I paid $399.00 and used it moderately. They somehow have been able to make these machines inoperable and force you to buy another machine and pay for the cloud service. In the end, if this would have been disclosed, I would have never bought this machine.
Rafael, you can continue using your Neat scanner as long as you would like without a subscription. We have retired certain versions of Neat software in 2016, but they are still very usable, however, we no longer offer them for download or agent support on these versions. New Neat software versions are subscription based and utilize the 'cloud' for storage, however, we also have a free scan utility that allows you to scan and store all of your documents to your local machine. It can be found here: https://support.neat.com/support/download-neat-software/
Jeff GoveVP Customer Operations
The Neat Company
I do not use the Neat scanner anymore because changing it from a PC-based to a Cloud-based is a scary situation. My files couldn't be imported to the Cloud without a whole bunch of additional helping hand by the support people at Neat. They diligently work on that. I was amazed for a little small operation like ours, that it required two weeks of work to file the receipts since they were moved up to the Cloud. And I'm not even sure all 100% of them were moved up because it was done manually. There's thousands of receipts. There's no way of checking or verifying that they all got moved successfully.
As years passed, they didn't seem to improve their products. It basically stayed essentially the same. I just tried a product called Wave and its optical character recognition is far superior to whatever I had with Neat. Neat is in real trouble. They probably lost a sizeable segment of their subscribers. I don't know how they're gonna get the confidence level back. I'm sitting here with basically two Neats. One Neat is a PC-based and another is up in the Clouds. If there was some way a comparison could be done, to allow for the subscriber to get some type of confidence level that all the files get moved properly into where they should be, then Neat can move on and try to keep whatever people have decided to go to the Cloud, to stay in the Cloud.
The Cloud is a great idea. But they should have probably instituted it earlier. And the other thing is that everybody is going now to this subscription funding. I figured out that when I bought Neat, I basically just bought the software and that was it. But revenue wasn't being produced by that software after the initial sale. Now, like everybody, like Microsoft, they wanna charge you so much every year to keep that revenue stream up. I can understand why they wanna do that. But they have to tie along into that, a better product and a more reliable product. Also you could not take a photo of a receipt and have Neat operate on it. But with Wave, you can.
I don't even know if they still support the Neat scanners. Also if you have some e-receipts, instead of taking those receipts in manually, converting them to pdf and uploading the pdf, you could just simply print. It would send it automatically to Neat without those intervening steps. So they got rid of that. Neat lost me. I might not even gonna attempt to come back to them.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We really do appreciate the feedback. We apologize for any uncertainty you had throughout the migration process but depending on the size of your database will depend on the length of time needed for the migration. The cloud based software was announced in 2012: https://www.neat.com/about-neat/the-neat-story/ and in 2016 the company announced the discontinuation of the Neat scanners. We are preparing for a new product to be released later this year with multiple new features to improve The Neat Experience. Once again we do apologize for any frustration this has caused and we are sad to see you go but we do hope that you reconsider.
Thank you for contacting Neat!
I use The Neat System and I like it. But I find it a little bit difficult to find what I need to get. The instructions on the top are a little bit confusing. So, they could update it a little bit more to where it's a little easier to access files and that I can scroll through them easier. The NeatDesk is a good system where you could scan something in and you can process it through with a piece of paper, or you can get rid of it. And that'll go to a cloud system, so it's backed up. I hope they would make how to use the Neat Cloud on-the-go a little bit more well-known because that's not very well-known. Also, when I had a legal case, I sent my whole thing to my attorney, and he had a problem trying to get through and look at all these things because it was slow to him. So, they could also speed the system up. But other than that, they were helpful when I called them up.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review! We are glad to hear that you are enjoying your NeatDesk. We do apologize for any mishaps that occurred when using the software that became an inconvenience. Additionally, we are gearing up to release a new product this year with many new features and stability to improve the Neat experience. Once again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Probably the most antiquated un-user friendly piece of junk on my Mac. I can't drag a file from NEAT to my computer or other storage space as I could with the OLD software. Takes forever to process. Unforgiving... No need to go on as NEAT doesn't listen and makes no changes.
We apologize for any frustration that was caused from using Neat on your Mac. If you would like, you can schedule a 1:1 training session here: https://calendly.com/neatcompany/show-me-how/02-11-2019 an agent will reach out to you and provide any assistance you may need with the software. Neat is working on many changes and updates to the software to provide the best customer experience. Once again, we do apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this may have caused you.
I've had my Neat Scanner for so long. I use it to record every receipt that I take. But their older software used to be a lot easier. The new one, I really don't care much for. If you wanna look at an invoice, it's much more difficult to look at the image with the new software than it used to be on the old software. I've also called to complain about some of the features and I've been told it doesn't do that anymore. When they approve a product, they should not get rid of features that people like. The customer service representatives were fine. Except, they told me, "Too bad." That was basically their attitude.
We do apologize for any negative experience you may have encountered with support. Do you have the case number form the phone call so that we can take a look? Additionally, we are gearing up to release a new product this year with many new features and stability to improve the Neat experience. We appreciate you being a long time customer with Neat and hope that you continue to use the product. Thank you for contacting Neat!
The Neat Desk is a good service. I use the scanning feature and having everything in order the most. It's very simple and it's easy to deal with. I will recommend it.
Thank you for leaving a review! We greatly appreciate the kind words and are happy to know that your are enjoying your scanner!
My experience with The Neat Company is very positive. I've been using Neat for a lot of years. And then, I needed to upgrade it because I was doing some more sophisticated things. But the software version that I was using was no longer supported. So, I subscribed to their software support system. I use the system at least once or twice a week for scanning pictures, scanning files and going into folders.
However, an online tutorial would be very helpful - like a YouTube type of instructional thing. To access their customer service was a little bit cumbersome as well. I'm also surprised for a company as big as Neat that they don't have a seven day a week coverage. I'm a tax accountant and a lot of my stuff is done on the weekends. They don't need to have somebody there at 3 o'clock in the morning, but on normal business hours like, where they have some additional coverage. I do not require a lot of customer support but when it's needed, it's needed, and to wait till Monday sometimes is precarious.
Thank you for submitting a review! We are happy to hear that you have had nothing but positive experiences with The Neat Company! We do provide a weekly webinar that you can attend here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/5466137789322899714?source=Support We also provide a 1:1 training where an agent will reach out to your directly to get you completely familiar with the software: https://calendly.com/neatcompany/show-me-how/02-19-2019
We do apologize for the hours that are provided and hopefully in the future we can supply more support. Thank you again for the great rating and review!
Thus far, I've scanned a lot of invoices for one of my clients with my NeatDesk. It has been fantastic because it categorizes everything. I'm the one doing the financials on a monthly basis for clients for clients. I can get those all together for year-end when it comes to doing their taxes. Also, another client of mine has a computer in the Neat Cloud which he can tap into. With it, he can see all the invoices he needs to and review them to see if there are any strange things popping up.
A lot of times, we're looking for an invoice and I say that what is on the Neat Cloud are all the invoices that are scanned. Thereafter, we take it to another level wherein the client has these businesses wherein when the people there go to pay for something, they charge and charge it. So, I see all the invoices come through and the client will look through his charge receipts to make sure that the invoices I have on my end match out. If they don't, the Neat Cloud is gonna throw a flag and say that we're missing an invoice. So, the system will go back to the person who bought whatever and say that it's critical that if they buy something, they should throw the invoice in an envelope that has each of the locations. That envelope would then go to me so I can scan the invoice and categorize it.
The system is interesting. It's a good way to keep track of your invoices. I've been an accountant for 30 years now, whatever, and there's a lot of people that are so worried about the IRS or the state taxes. This way, clients have evidence right here. If ever they get audited, they can print out those invoices. Moreover, it's an audit trail and the client even pays some of his guys' bonuses on that too. If he has all the invoices, those guys will get a bonus too. Though scanning all the invoices takes a bit of time, the Neat System has been fantastic overall.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to write a review! We are glad to hear that you have enjoyed you NeatDesk scanner and the software. It is not to hear that you are able to stay completely organized and easily have important documents readily available for usage at any time. Thank you so much for the kind words and thank you for choosing Neat!
Have been using this system for year and don’t mind subscription cost vs ease of use. The software to scan offline but always sync. Since getting Win 10 and Mohave the scanner won’t work > 2.5 hrs. Remote support session they can’t get it to work. Not the scanner as I can run it on Win 7 with Neat 5.7. I am afraid to upgrade the software on this machine. The scanner may stop working.
Thank you for writing a review. We do appreciate the feedback. We took a look at the open case that you have with our support team. We will have an agent send you the Driver that we currently have that will connect Mojave and your Neat Scanner. We greatly apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and we appreciate you choosing Neat!
We use our NeatDesk every day for scanning various documents for our business. With it, we organize the documents we have by customer and by date. It makes our processes more effective. We use the Neat Cloud too. However, we have to contact The Neat Company very often because there's an issue with their software. They fix the issue when it comes up, but they haven't permanently fixed it. Though we've interacted pretty well with their reps, with that bug they aren't fixing, we are considering moving to a different company.
Thank you for writing a review! We did take a look at your case history with the Neat Company and see that you are experiencing issues with your items being stuck in processing. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you but we can definitely help you to resolve the issue if you happen to run into it again. Please let us know and we'll be happy to take care of that for you. Also, you can utilize our free Desktop Scan Utility here: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/ which may help resolve the issue. Thank you for choosing Neat!
I used to be able to send any document online and email directly to Neat, but that doesn't work anymore. What I ended up doing now is crunching everything out and scanning it. I'm wasting a lot of paper now, having to print everything out. Most days, I use NeatDesk's scanning feature, mostly for personal and business needs. I don't like keeping paper, so I scan everything and then shred everything. With it, I have less paper to store and have on hand. I find the process too slow though. When I scan something, I have to go and do something else while waiting for it all to load and register before I can come back and enter my data. It is very annoying. They just took forever to bring their system in line to work properly with Macs. They were way behind with the Sierra update, but with the last Mojave Mac update, they've been much better at getting on top of the issue.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We really do appreciate the feedback. We do apologize for any frustrations you have encountered while utilizing the Neat software. Luckily, we were able to get a driver that worked along with the Mojave update and we are gald to hear that the driver has been a success! Thank you for choosing Neat! We greatly appreciate it.
I saw the Neat Scanner in the store and bought it. I do daycare and I thought that would be easier for me. I haven’t figured out how to use it though and I gave up on it again. It has been frustrating. They should have a disc that I can watch and has steps on how to use Neat Scanner exactly like the Books For Dummies, but a Disc For Dummies. Also, it took more than six hours when I got it signed up. I don’t have that time. The lady on the phone was very nice though.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We have taken a look at the case history you have with The Neat Company. We do apologize for the amount of time that was needed to process your order. If you do need any additional assistance with the Neat scanner and software, you can reach out to our support team here: https://support.neat.com/ You can also set up a 1:1 training with one of our agents so that you can have a full walk through of the program: https://calendly.com/neatcompany/show-me-how/01-28-2019 We also have a weekly webinar that you can register for as well: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/5466137789322899714?source=Support Once again, we greatly apologize for any frustration this may have caused and we thank you for choosing Neat!
I got tired of seeing all my receipts floating around the truck. The NeatDesk puts all my receipts and all my paperwork in one place. I just use the scanner and put it in my system. I tried the NeatCloud, but it was a pain in the butt so I quit.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are happy that you are still utilizing your scanner and are enjoying the service that it provides. If you are having difficulty using the cloud based software then you are more than welcome to set up a 1:1 training with one of our well trained support agents.
We also provide a free scanning utility that you can utilize for easy scanning: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/
Thank you again for writing a review and thank you for choosing Neat!
You guys know that no one would have bought your scanners if you would have been transparent about requiring people to use your subscription-based software crap! This scanner was not inexpensive or cheap and you pretty much said screw the customers. Bad business. I hope you die a quick industry death like Gateway. CRAP!!!
We apologize for your frustration about the Legacy software no longer being supported. The company announced the retirement of the Legacy software back in 2016 and we are continuing to evolve to provide the best service to our customers. We are not requiring any of our Legacy customers to purchase a subscription with the Neat company. We do have options for our Legacy customers to choose from so that you can utilize your
Neat Scanner.
If you would like to utilize our scanner without purchasing a subscription, please refer to the link here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
We also provide a free scanning utility: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/
If you would like to purchase a Neat subscription for a special price, you can take a look at the link here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/
Once again we do apologize for any frustration this may have caused
Like many others that purchased their scanning AND organization SOFTWARE PACKAGE back in the company's "early days", I'm way beyond disappointed that after upgrading my computer I am being FORCED into a "Cloud-based subscription". Basically I have an expensive paperweight at this point. The company is basically forcing me to look at other companies with better options. What a brilliant customer service strategy to force loyal customers that supported your product & service in the beginning by FORCING them to buy into the subscription service or seek other companies products & services. Genius.
We apologize for your frustration about the Legacy software no longer being supported. The company announced the retirement of the Legacy software back in 2016 and we are continuing to evolve to provide the best service to our customers. We are not forcing any of our customers to purchase a subscription with the Neat company. We do have options for our Legacy customers to choose from so that you can utilize your
Neat Scanner.
If you would like to utilize our scanner without purchasing a subscription, please refer to the link here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
We also provide a free scanning utility: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/install-new-neat-scan-utility/
If you would like to purchase a Neat subscription for a special price, you can take a look at the link here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/
Once again we do apologize for any frustration this may have caused
We originally had gotten NeatDesk for personal use. And then, we started our own business, so we transferred it over to using it for our business. We use it to keep records and scanning receipts to be able to locate them and keep them organized.
Thank you for writing a review! We really appreciate it. We are happy to hear that you are staying organized with Neat!
The NeatDesk is great. I’ve been using it since 2012 and it has worked really well. I bought it with the scanner as I wanted to get away from paper files like monthly bills. And this is my second one. I scan a lot of documents and spend an hour once a month scanning them. My wife pays the bills, she gives all the statements to me, and I make sure that in a year or two, I know exactly where to find them. But although the scanner is a good feature, it’s hard to find the scanned files. Also, they could improve their customer service a bit. It was okay but not excellent. I recently had a problem and it took a while to get fixed. But I’m really happy they fixed it.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We appreciate the feedback. We are happy that you enjoy using your NeatDesk scanner. We apologize for the experience you had with our customer support team. We will definitely take your feedback into consideration here at Neat. We appreciate you being a customer of ours and thank you for choosing Neat!
I'm so aggravated. There should be an option for ZERO stars. I've purchased two very expensive Neat scanner over the years and now there is no way to download the software onto my new computer without buying a subscription? What a joke. I even subscribed a few years ago and ended up cancelling my subscription due to its poor functionality. Now I now own two useless pieces of junk without the software. You can't even talk to one of Neat's customer service agents without a subscription. Why on earth would I want a subscription at this point? Buyer beware.
We do apologize for the inconvenience but we no longer provide the Legacy software for download. Please take a look here for more info about our retired products: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/
Even though you are now interested in a subscription with Neat, you are abelt o utilize your scanners without the Neat sofwtare : https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
We also offer a free desktop scan utility that you are able to utilize with your Neat Scanner: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/request-neat-dsu-beta/'
Once again, we do apologize for any frustration this may have caused.
I as many others on this site joined Neat early on and was excited about the possibilities and ease of the product. The product itself did not really operate as well as promised and as others have said, the consumer gets caught in a bait and switch subscription plan. I gave away the product over a year and a half ago. There was no data stored in my account. Recently I received a threatening email saying I owed them money, not for the time I used the account, but in the last 18 months when I never used it. I asked them to send me some authorization that I renewed my subscription (which they couldn’t). I finally talked to a “supervisor” Ivan, who said he would cancel it today if I paid them money. Don’t use this company.
We do apologize for the frustration this may have caused you. We have taken a look at your case history with the Neat company and we cold locate your account. We see that you have signed up for a subscription back in June of 2017. During the set up of the account, there were terms and conditions that had to be agreed upon for your Premium Yearly account. Once a year of service passes, your subscription will automatically renew. Please take a look at our terms and conditions here: https://support.neat.com/terms-and-conditions/
When taking a look at your case history with Neat, We did not receive any communication about cancelling your account until 1/3/2019.No communication was received for the year of 2018. Once again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I started using Neat on January 1 of 2012 and I have used it ever since. I scan every receipt from personal to non-personal. I have the setup in categories just like my tax forms. I can also look back at an instant and tell what I paid for gasoline and how many gallons. Also, I can tell at what convenient store in 2013 and on any given day. It is very simple to do a search and to find any information that I saved. I can categorize things as simple or as complex as I care to do so.
But, I spent a few years trying to decide whether to go from the Legacy up to the Neat Cloud. I read many negatives but very few positive feedback. I decided that with my experience that I’ve had Legacy for six years, I felt it was worth the chance. So, I took the opportunity and purchased the Neat Cloud on January 1 of this year. I have learned how things were gonna be a little different between the Legacy versus Neat Cloud and I also wanted to have access to customer service. I have used them quite a bit since the 1st of January and they have answered every question completely. They have been very good at it.
Moreover, I like the mobile scan feature of it over the Legacy. It is very simple and I can take a picture of the receipt wherever I am at and it is uploaded to the cloud. And whenever I get a chance to sit down to the computer, it is there. I can make sure it is categorized correctly in the system. I like that I can have receipts and documents emailed directly to Neat versus having it emailed to my regular email which I import over into Neat. I also like that I can email directly from Neat which also saves a step. As of today, I do not think that I’ll ever look back. It was a good step to move to Neat Cloud and it’s just perfect. That aside, I have told my friends that they could not go wrong by choosing Neat to do their stuff.
We greatly appreciate the time that you have taken out to write a review. We are very glad that you have liked the transition from the Legacy software over to the Neat cloud based software. We are still improving the product and hope that you enjoyed the many new features that are on the way. The mobile scan feature is definitely very convenient when on the go. It is a feature that makes it easy to scan receipts when you are not by your scanner. Thank you so much for choosing Neat!
Updated on 01/07/2019: Since I was busy over the holidays, I was unaware that there was a 3 day response window and after reading the response from NEAT, I feel compelled to answer the obviously ridiculous and very misleading statement that was used as explanation to my initial review. First and foremost, the software provided was not a "gimmie" for purchasing the overpriced scanners. If I buy a gallon of paint, I do not expect to pay $700.00 for the brush, but essentially that is what NEAT did. The initial software (before 5.0 and above) was bug ridden garbage while that with much improvements made over time, was developed to be what it is today with user feedback and multiple requests for enhancements.
Basically, we were the Guinea pigs of a much larger perpetrated scam which would lead to the "cloud" based pricing plans that are now offering. After all, the much touted software in the cloud is or was, identical to what we had on our desktops. There was other competitors offering better and more accurate scanners with exemplary software for almost the same cost with usually much higher and consistent reviews. (And...not available in store, when I had to purchase one on the road, thus why I was stuck buying NEAT in the first place.)
Secondly, the software should still be available but they also know if it is offered, nobody is going to buy into this "cloud" theory because a person could easily do all of the scanning offline, store it in our own clouds or PC, email it, export and import data as we all were able to do before the last version of the desktop software was removed from the website altogether. NEAT made sure that there was also no going back on versions and used strict version control to ensure that if you did not have a prior version installed, the "updated upgrade" would not install. I still have two versions of 5 and neither will install because I do not have the original apple cart of installations that took place before them, to get it to the last released version. Of course, Windows 10 support was never in the cards fully anyway, so I get it.
Thirdly, there were no super awesome support staff to help me because most of it was done by myself, sifting through months and a couple years of saved data files and then going through them all over again, re-entering the data that was not processed correctly the first time around, and hoping it all came out like it did before. No luck. Just broken entries, missing pictures, scrambled text, missing custom categories...etc...a corrupted DB plain and simple. Luckily though, I had stored a DB file of each software release, in each of its own folders on a hard drive that was specifically set for vaulted and secure backup in RAID configuration.
I can assure you that $1,000.00 ea. server hard drives in RAID configuration had nothing to do with corrupting the once perfect data saved. But...to no avail. When we were all basically locked out of our software, none of that work mattered and I was already moving on to something better which is QuickBooks Self Employment. I use a Brother scanner to PDF the receipts, send the multiple receipts to QuickBooks via email and poof! Done deal. All for $5.00 a month. They even have an app on your phone where you can snap pics of your receipts the same as what NEAT used to provide until greed overtook them.
In closing, NEAT has desktop scanners (at one time almost $700.00 with software when I bought mine and is now considered a "legacy relic with absolutely NO support") that rely solely on cloud based architecture for $200 and up which are useless without subscription. In my honest opinion, they are essentially already a dinosaur compared to the offerings of Brother, Fujitsu and Epson, which are smaller, quicker, cleaner and more reliable with actual software suites free of charge to do an entire plethora of scanning tasks with every option available to do with what you wish with your scanned data. At any rate, do not participate in this one armed bandit of endless rabbit hole subscription based garbage. At some point, you will become "Legacy" like the rest of us and all you will have to show for that ill spent money is an oversized paperweight. Had somebody told me that NEAT would go the route that.
Original Review: As typical with all "grassroots" companies, the user base who buys these overpriced products bear usually the burden of grasping onto technology in infancy stages. I was one of those people and was absolutely enamored with the ease and accuracy that my scanner and phone app produced the scans and then of course, transcribed the data not only into readable format, but expense reports that allowed a vast pool of organized chaos for thousands of dollars of receipts that I had to turn in monthly. I had paid for my scanner and the service was part of the very steep price, to which I enjoyed the option of uploading and allowing 1 guest (my regional boss) the ability to view those same categorized and itemized expenses online via a guest account. It simplified our communications while I was on the road for great lengths and gave her literal live updates of my spending, expenses and budgetary numbers.
The option to allow multiple users/email accounts to access this data and other enhancements were simply an added basis for cost and of course, since I did not need all of those bells and whistles for multiple users other than myself and regional, I enjoyed the product I paid for at its minimal base of options that fit my needs perfectly. All data was stored on my computer in their proprietary DB format and I had multiple backups of enormous size and value. Then as progress dictates, 5.0 and above, started slowly but surely, the mandatory subscription based premise and magically, corrupted all of my stored data and my online data, which then became irretrievable.
After several correspondence emails and haggles with support, I was able to retrieve my data (because I will NOT be forced into a subscription plan holding my data hostage) and then was confronted with the fact, that after upgrading the software (stupidly) there was no going back and the stored data would not correctly display any longer, nor provide much of the key values that once were as accurate as typing it in manually. For a brief second, I thought that perhaps the subscription plans would be of benefit so for the first time my curiosity got the best of me and I looked at the range of ridiculously and unreasonably priced plans for just simple use of the app on my phone and of course, scanning directly to my computer.
A monthly based subscription plan mind you, that was never part of the initial purchase but now a forced option to use the product I had spent so much money on. As an individual user, with no usage of the product other than scanning receipts for the company I worked for on purchased items and not of any business or personal business use for myself, the prices were simply unreasonable cash grabs. I would strongly recommend staying away from this bait and switch company, its overpriced scanners and subscription plans, because in time, they will once again throw you over the barrel of corporate extortion to view or use your data as the sub prices continue to rise beyond reasonable amounts.
My wish, if I could turn back time, would of been to purchase instead, the one of the other numerous scanners (with superior scanning and OCR technology) and avoided completely NEAT altogether. NEAT basically took advantage of the ground floor users, pursued their true goals of profiting massively after holding data hostage and are failing miserably because of it and I could not be happier. Stay away from these snake oil merchants unless you love self punishment and have expendable cash for their data extortion "upgrades".
We apologize for any frustration you may have encountered while using Neat. It seems like you are one of our Legacy users. When purchasing your scanner initially, Neat provided a software as a courtesy to keep you organized. We have since then retired the Legacy software and retired scanners as well. We have grown into a company that utilizes a cloud based software for the convenience of our customers.
When using the cloud based software, if your Computer crashes, you will have full access to all of your data from any browser at any time. Neat does NOT hold data hostage at all. With the legacy software, all data is stored within that software. We have multiple techs to help you retrieve the data on your computer as long as your hard drive is not completely wrecked. Its seems like our awesome support team has helped you within this process but we have sent you a message requesting your email address that is registered with Neat so we can take a look at your case history to make sure your issue was resolved completely.
With each subscription, we allow multiple benefits. The more benefits the customer has, the more the subscription will cost. I apologize that you are not enthused about the price of your subscription but if you would like, you can contact our support team at any time and we can have your account cancelled or discuss other subscription options with you as well. Also, a subscription plan is NOT mandatory to use with your neat scanner. Please access the link for more information: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/using-neat-scanner-without-neat-software/
A subscription is only necessary if you would like to store your data to the cloud based software. We even offer a desktop scan utility that is free of charge that you can locate here: https://scanutil.neat.com/
Once again, we apologize for the experience you may have encountered.
I have been a Neat user for many years, that ends today! Neat 5 was great. You could choose what was on Expense Reports, work offline and would adjust receipts scanned sizes for attachments; example adding 4 small receipts on to 1 page. New software does not even organize receipts by date on expense reports. As per Neat Tech Support this has been going on for 2 yrs. Future version will be completely "cloud" based. Charging an annual fee for a inferior product is criminal.
We do apologize for the feature that is currently unavailable. We are in the works of making many more updates to the product to provide the best service to our customers as possible. Our cloud based system has many benefits including being able to access all of your saved information on any browser at any time. Even if your computer were to crash, you would still have access to all of your documents while using the cloud based system. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and we appreciate you choosing Neat!
I got NeatDesk for all the receipts and stuff that we have that need to be organized and filed. I use it at the end of the year for accountants, just for when we take in our income tax. I also use it a little bit for business cards. I wish it would work a little bit better with my Fuji scanner. But it works, just not perfect. But the customer service reps always solved the problem and always figured it out. Sometimes, the same problem comes back, but when I phone, they figure it out again.
Thank you so much for the great review! We are happy to hear that you have had a great experience with our customer service agents. We do apologize that the product has been less than perfect but we are working on multiple updates to keep our customers happy. Thank you for choosing Neat!
My humble opinion and I believe the following: I spent a lot of money about $500 for the ND-1000 scanner and they were helpful in the past. Now it seems they could care less about you and want to push to seek their subscription using the excuse of the legacy software they don't support. I have wasted hours trying ON MY OWN without Neat support to get it running. What a terrible experience and I WILL NEVERRR BUY NEAT AGAIN. I will file complaints with the FTC, Attorney Generals office, US attorney generals office etc. You sold a product and it's not right you don't have support software for it!
We currently do offer limited support for our most recently retired products. When taking a look at your case history with our team, we see that you are requesting the link to download our Legacy software. That software is no longer supported as you can see here: https://retiredproducts.neat.com/. When purchasing your scanner, the software was provided as a courtesy along with your purchase. If you are still having issues with your scanner please reach out for support here: https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2917963-limited-legacy-support-faq
I have a lot of records and I wanted an electronic filing system so I got NeatDesk. I scan in receipts. I also did consulting for many years. So, I scan in my consulting work and I haven't been that happy with the product. When I first got it, the way it was set up was that you scan in documents. Since then, they've had a facility to scan in PDFs and whatever, but it hasn't really been well communicated. And so, I'm still scanning in page by page. At times if I have my consulting documents, I don't even bother using Neat. I just use Windows scanner because it's just too many pages to put in.
I also had an issue where the default was changed, so it wasn't combining documents. And so, even though I thought I was scanning in a whole document, it made it page by page. It's very hard to reach customer service. My Neat product is also not compatible on the new computer, and the files went to the Cloud. Part of the reason I wanted it was to have my documents on my desktop, not the Cloud so all in all, it really hasn't been a good experience.
We greatly apologize that you have been dissatisfied with the product. You are in fact able to combine your items into one document for easier processing. You can take a look at this article here: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/change-separate-combine-processing/
The article further explains how to have the combined setting before scanning in your documents. If you ever do need help in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team at https://support.neat.com/
We've been with The Neat Company for three months now. My son has a machine and I have a Brother DS-40 and we both felt that we could scan and get all our things in order. However, we don't use them and they're just gathering dust. But The Neat Company has good customer service.
Thank you so much for leaving a great review! We really apprecaite the time that you have taken out. We are hapy to hear that you are pleased with our customer service.
Thank you for choosing The Neat Company!
I needed to save space and NeatDesk has done a very good job. I use the scanner and the storage six times a week, and I am satisfied with it.
Thank you for the great review! We greatly appreciate you choosing Neat! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the service
My initial experience with The Neat Company wasn't very good way back. My son was recording his receipts and I bought the more expensive Neat Scanner. I installed everything but it never asked me for the number on the machine. I was supposed to get a year free. I paid $400 and some for the scanner with the thought that I would be getting $100 back on that. Also, I had a Mac and Neat was not compatible with it. I couldn't get messages back on the email or the chat and they would never respond to my notes. It was also very cumbersome to transfer what I scanned to a file because I scanned so much. And then it would cut off because I had too many scanned. And then we were gonna move so I quit keeping up with everything. I finally gave up.
I then moved for a second time, and I was gonna try to start scanning again. Coming back to The Neat Company after not doing anything with it for a year, they've been really helpful. I use the Neat scanner for personal home records and paid for a year's membership to try to figure stuff out. There must be some way I could scan and save it to Dropbox. Nevertheless, my recent talking with people at The Neat Company has been incredibly good and helpful.
Thank you for taking the time out to write a review. We really appreciate feedback you have provided. We have tried very hard to improve the service with multiple updates to keep our customers happy! We are glad to hear that you have chosen Neat! Thank you again!
I saw some ads of The Neat Company years ago online and investigated it by checking out reviews. I decided that I would try it for a little while. At that time, I had a DJ business and I got interested in the organization and the elimination of paper. I was swamped with a lot of expenses that, at the end of the year, when I did my taxes, I had a shoebox that was completely stuffed with receipts, contracts and print-outs from the business. I had to go from one to three shoeboxes at one point in my career and I thought that if I could get rid of all the shoeboxes, my house would look a lot neater and I would fit back into my tiny office.
I use the NeatDesk every year and I use it particularly for any tax-related item. It also allows me to sort it out by category. I have an electronic checkbook where I can compare the two figures -- what isn’t in Neat would be in my checkbook, and vice-versa. This year, I added a folder that I called Family History and I came across some very old letters from the 1940s that my mother wrote to her father. I scanned those and I made a copy. When we travel, I take my computer with me and I also have been using my phone for the Neat Cloud on-the-go.
It would be very welcome, though, if The Neat Company would keep up with all the Mac changes, but they don’t. As a result, Neat is slow about that and when Mac went to High Sierra, it took them months and months. Neat developed a workaround rather than making the software compatible, particularly the Neat mobile scanner. There were so many problems with it that I had to call the NeatDesk and they had to take over my computer and do the little magic stuff there. And now, Mac has gone to a new operating system and I can’t upgrade to Mojave because I rely on the Neat, and it’s not compatible. The other problem is I bought a new HP printer, and it is not compatible with the Neat scanner. If I’m going to use the Neat system, I have to disconnect my printer in order to use Neat because it crashed the entire program.
It is a real pain in the behind to have to disconnect my printer to use Neat, not to be able to upgrade my software or my operating system, and stay behind the curve with the Mac system. It’s to the point that if I could find something that I didn’t have to do so many workarounds and it would do what Neat does, I would move to that almost immediately. In addition to that, I just received the up-pricing from Neat and I had to subscribe for another year to a higher price. I’m paying more money, but I don’t have something that is working the way it should work. I like the convenience and I like what Neat does, but if there’s another program that will work better with what I already have, then I’ll jump ship. I’ve been a Neat customer for a long time, but it’s something that I will do if Neat can’t keep up with the curve.
When Neat works, it works wonderfully and it does a great job, but you gotta be willing to submit yourself to pain and occasional calls to the tech service and try to work through everything that will make it work. If the modifications were made, I would be very satisfied overall with Neat, but without the modifications, I am very dissatisfied.
We genuinely apologize for the frustrating experience that you had with Neat. We have been actively working with Apple to keep up with the continuous updates so that our customers are satisfied.
We have recently received a driver that is currently in Beta that can be used with Mojave. If you would like to use the driver, you can find it here: https://support.neat.com/ . Please note, the driver is in BETA.We also apologize for the price increase for your Neat Lite plan. We are working on upgrades, fixes and multiple new features that will improve the system even more which led to a price increase for all plans provided by The Neat Company.
Again, we do apologize for the issues you have experienced and we thank you for choosing Neat!
I have had Neat for a long time. It has been 10 years or longer and it worked perfectly. It was so good and easy. All I had to do was push the paper in. The machine would grab it and scan it. It goes in the sorting system and I can go find it. I see where it goes then I name it. But in June, Neat told me my scanner was old and that they don't service it anymore. They said that there was something new and that I had to buy it. I bought it and for the whole year, I’m supposed to be getting service. But it is November now and I still can’t use the scanner. I've tried so many times but I’m having a hard time. When I scan something, I don’t know where to find it. Then there are so many different things. I don’t understand. I've sat on so many webinars, trying to get the training. They’re teaching you how to use the new stuff that they have but I can't get it.
Then last month, it was even worse. Neat said that when Apple updated their program, it became not compatible with the new upgrade that we have. Neat said that it's gonna take a while for them. But how long am I gonna wait? I am so frustrated. I have a brand new business. I have tax paper and I can’t scan anything. I have so much paper all over my house. I'm so pissed off. I have customers and teammates. When someone calls and they need information, I have to get it. I can’t go into the computer and pull it up. I've got to find it and waste some time. It's costing me money too. I have to pay somebody to come help me file all these papers.
When I call Neat, most of the time, I talk to someone from the Philippines and they're far away. I sat all day for a guy to come in to my computer, change over from the old system and put all my files in the new stuff. It took all day for so many days. Then when it was done, the name was not the same. I can't find stuff and some of them are not even there. I lost a whole lot of my records, particularly my medical records and that’s the one thing I’m pissed off about. I had put everything in the Neat because they said it would be safe and that the scan is on your computer. I had a CT scan in 2015 and they were seeing shadows. They told me that it was not cancer but I gotta go to the doctor every year. When my doctor asked me when was the last time I had a stress test, I couldn't remember. I knew it was on my computer but when I went in there and looked, I couldn't find it.
We do apologize for the frustration. We have had issues in the past with making the Neat Software compatible with updates by Apple. Currently we have a driver that is in BETA that has worked successfully with many of our customers that are using Mojave. We are still working with Apple directly to create a fix that will eliminate this issue from happening any longer. You can access the Beta driver here: http://retiredproducts.neat.com/
We see that you have an active plan with The Neat Company. We suggest reaching out for a 1 on 1 training with one of our well trained agents so that you can use your Neat software: https://support.neat.com/
Also when moving information over from our retired software to the new software that we offer it can take hours depending on how large your database is. We were able to see that your database was rather large so that would be the reason for the time that was taken to move your data over. Once again, we do apologize and appreciate that you have chosen Neat!
I knew I needed the NeatDesk when I saw the commercial advertising them and saw how they worked. I saw how they record things for your programs, download stuff for your business and kinda keeping track of everything. Those are basically all the paperwork that I have. My previous method was all paper and a calculator, so the NeatDesk is a lot better. I use it to download all my documents for my business and put them in categories to get ready for my taxes. Although I should use it weekly, I wait until all my paperwork builds up, about two months at a time, before I use it. The NeatDesk is a lot quicker and easier to use. It's also a lot easier to manage what you have on your documents and what you store on your documents, and keeps them running total of everything. If you've gotta look for something, it's right there. That makes it a lot simpler.
I have a lot of stuff on my Neat stuff. I had five years of my business files and taxes on there. Then one time I lost my hard drive on my computer and I had to get a new hard drive put it. A new hard drive was put in, but I never saved the files to the Neat Cloud like I do now. I thought what was saved on there when I saved it, was saved and I didn't do an offline back-up because I had no idea. That was my one little downfall. After going to a computer place and spending a couple of hundred dollars, I got all of my information back, but I could not open up that program. Then I had to call and I had to spend to get the program to get my files back. But the NeatDesk was what saved me because they were able to log in their remote access, and I've got close to almost 4G of all my files back.
Thank you for writing a review! We are happy to hear that Neat is saving you time and keeping you organized with your business! Great to hear that you were able to recover so many files after your hard drive crashed. Like you stated, saving your documents in the cloud will prevent losing your data in the future. Thank you for choosing Neat and if you ever need any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out!
A few weeks ago I started receiving notices that my cloud account, which I didn't even know I had, was past due. Those notices turned into threats. I finally talked to customer service and was told that I owed for a years subscription. I told the agent that I didn't know I even had an acct. When they checked for activity they saw the acct was not being used and told me that they saw there was no data in my account. I was then told that the account would be cancelled and the billing would cease. This was a few weeks ago, yet I continue to receive billing notices and threats of legal action. Originally I wasn't even informed they were trying to bill me until the outstanding balance notices started arriving.
Because I was told that everything would be taken care of, I forgot about it until today when I received a "Final" threatening letter which says they will also charge me $25/month for late fees. I then tried to research my acct but they have locked me out so I cannot gain access to any acct information. I wasn't interested in the data stored because I didn't use the service. I can understand they need to get paid for services rendered or products they provided, but they provided neither. I just wanted to let people know of their use of "Strong-arm" tactics and the non-existent online ability to communicate. If this problem is not resolved as it should be, I will post again.
Hi Greg,
As requested in a private message, we will need the email used for your Neat account in order to investigate this for you. The service provided includes unlimited cloud storage and easy access to the account and similar to your phone service, the subscription covers availability of service for billing period regardless of usage. After the account is cancelled as you requested then you no longer have access to it.
Once you provide the email for your Neat account in a private message, we'll make sure this is taken care of as promised by the agent you spoke with previously.
Thank you.
I purchased the Neat system in 2013, without purchasing the cloud service. I have always scanned my documents and scanned them on my computer and then save them to a flash drive. My computer’s hard drive crashed this week, preventing me from obtaining any information from the computer. I have a temporary computer with Windows 10, installed Neat, and there were no files when I connected my device to the pc. I called Neat for help. They did a screen share, and informed me that I had an older version and since I was not in the cloud the information would not appear on the new pc. It’s frustrating enough to have your computer crash, but now they said I could purchase an update to save everything onto the cloud and other devices but I could not retrieve any data from the current Neat system I currently have.
This seems very odd that there was no way to retrieve the information from the device I have been using for several years. I can spend money to save data but my previous data can’t be retrieved from the device I currently still own. This sounds like a way to make more money from people. You purchase the product and are forced to pay to use the cloud. I was able to save some info onto a flash drive but with technology today, I would think the data is still on my system but they just don’t want to retrieve it or maybe want you to pay a large amount to do it, not sure about this but very disappointed. Now I can’t even use the Neat system I currently own because it’s not updated, not the best way to treat your customers who actually enjoy and use your product.
We apologize for the experience you had and the misunderstanding. We can definitely assist in the retrieval process of data that is in your Legacy software. We will have an agent reach out to you directly for further assistance with the process. We suggest exporting the data to pdf once it is retrieved since we no longer support the legacy software and to avoid losing any data in the future. We apologize again and will work promptly in resolving the issue at hand. Thank you for choosing Neat!
After using Neat hardware for many years with multiple devices. On 11/16/18 I noticed a pending charge on my bank account from Neat. I immediately contacted Neat to find out what it was. They stated the charge was for an automatic annual subscription for their service. I requested the service to be cancelled and the charge or a prorated amount be refunded. They cancelled the service and told me they would not be able to refund the charge because it was more than 30 days. I explained the charge was just presented today 11/16/18 and is still pending and their response was that it has been in their system for over 30 days.
I asked to speak to a supervisor, they refused but opened a case ** and submitted a refund request. On 11/18/18 the charge cleared and was paid. On 11/20/18 the refund request was denied. No refund has been issued nor has the service I didn't want been restored. After this experience I nor anyone I know will ever use their products or services again regardless of what products or services they offer now or in the future. Bad move on their part.
We have taken a look at your case that you had open with our support team. A subscription was purchased for the amount of $64.94/year on 9/1/2017 and the subscription would renew on 9/1/2018. We attempted to collect the renewed payment of $64.94 on September 1, 2018, September 6, 2018, September 20, 2018, September 27, 2018, September 29, 2018, October 16, 2018, October 23, 2018 and October 30, 2018. The payment finally went through successfully on November 15, 2018. Since the payment was due on September 1, 2018, we could not issue a refund due to it being outside of our 30 day money back guarantee policy. We had to collect the payment for the services that were rendered. We also sent over multiple email notifications to your registered email address letting you know of the multiple payment failures.
Please take a look at our Terms and Conditions that were agreed upon setting up your account: https://support.neat.com/policies/terms-and-conditions/ and a supporting article that explains more into the charge that you received: https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/charge-authorization-terms-conditions/ .
Also, your account is still accessible. We have not cancelled your subscription and you can still utilize the service for the duration of your plan. We apologize for any frustration this may have caused and if you would like any additional information regarding this matter, please send us a private message so your account information is not posted publicly.
My girlfriend got the NeatDesk and she told me that I needed one so I also got it, but it was probably one of the worst purchases that I have made. I only use it for household stuff like receipts and contracts. I just put all of my stuff in the slot and wait. Then when I get time, I would scan them. Since I don't use the NeatDesk so often, I would totally forget where the receipt or contract was. And then I would remember that it was in my Neat. But I really could have done without it.
I had an issue where The Neat Company triple charged me so I had to call them and complain. It took me a long time at first. I had to go through my credit card company and they finally ended up refunding me because Neat wouldn't. After all that got taken care of, I tried to reach out again because Neat did it again. Whoever I got a hold of took care of it and was extremely nice. I've had great customer service after about the first or second year that I had it.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to write a review! We apologize for the situation you have encountered. We have attempted to locate previous cases regarding multiple charges to your account and we were unlucky in finding anything related to the situation you are describing. Could you please provide a case number or the email address that was used for your Neat account so we can further investigate and resolve the issue?
We are happy to hear that you have received great customer service and thank you for choosing Neat!
I use my Neat scanner for my income tax, and I also have a lot of medical stuff that I scan into it. Neat said that it works as well as the receipts will work, and I can throw all the receipts that were a pain for me trying to keep up with. I end up putting all my receipts together and then doing it all at one time, so I use my scanner once a month. My son, daughter-in-law and I are fixing to start a business, and so we probably would be able to really use it then. I really like being able to have that organization, and at the end of the year, I print all the receipts out and give them to my accountant. It's so neat and nice.
Thank you for the positive review! We are happy to hear that Neat is helping with the organization of the business you are going to start. Thank you so much for choosing The Neat Company!
My company bought one of the machines and the software was obsolete. We contacted the company. Never got the machine to work so just dropped it. Gave my credit card number and then thought it was over. This happened in January. They just charged me $119.99. I called them and they very nicely said that they would completely refunded. They said that an hour later they couldn't refund the money but they'll give me another subscription. I told him I didn't want this subscription and they basically told me, "Sorry that's all we'll give you." Total rip-off. I never was able to use the machine. It's been 11 months and then they charged me.
J Anthony,
We greatly apologize for the experience you had.
We have reviewed your account history and confirmed that there was never any request to cancel this NeatCloud plan prior to 10/31/2018.
We have also reviewed your case and call from 11/9/2018 and confirmed that the agent did in fact promise you a full refund.
That being said, we will go ahead and process a refund for you in the amount of $119.99.
We really do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please check you email shortly for confirmation and information on your refund.
I use NeatDesk every couple of weeks to scan receipts. I want to digitize them and make it easier for tax time. With NeatDesk, it's so much easier to search and find things rather than going through all the papers. Also, twice I've had to get support and NeatDesk has been very helpful. However, I'm not keen on their Cloud. It's a privacy issue. I don't know who in the Cloud is doing what. Also, sometimes I don't have a good internet connection and that can make things difficult. I would have preferred to have everything on my own computer backed up by myself and under my control but they eliminated that and on the new system, I didn't have any choice but the cloud. I'm getting used to the new system but I really liked the old one.
Thank you for the feedback! We really appreciate the fact that you are enjoying the Neat Scanner along with the service. Even though we HIGHLY suggest utilizing the cloud for the multiple benefits such as always having access to your documents on any device and having your documents completely secure on the cloud, you are still able to utilize the Legacy software, you can do so here:
https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2727615-install-the-legacy-software-windows
Please note, the Legacy Software is no longer supported and limited support is provided for the retired product.
You can also download the Desktop Scan utuility to your desktop here: http://scanutil.neat.com/ which is currently in Beta. If any additional assistance is needed, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Support Team!
Thank you for choosing the Neat Company!
I used Neat Company's desktop software, which I really, really loved. I would use it every day to keep track of and to sort out my bills into different categories for tax reporting. But they stopped supporting it and got it over to the Cloud which was such an ordeal. It was days and days and days and days of help from them. Th rep was never able to fully resolve the problem and I gave up after a week. Then I needed help, so then I went again and again, it was extremely time-consuming. But I got somebody who could help me and they really had to go through a lot to do it, so I appreciate that.
But now, I can't really use the software of the new version. It doesn't function the same way, so I have to figure out how to get up to speed or find somebody who can teach me or find a new software. It has been much harder for me. First, it took so long to transfer the data, so it really put me behind on my work. And now that it's there, it seems to still not be working correctly. So, I can't transfer digital PDFs. I'm hiring somebody, a computer person, to come and help me to see if we can get it working again.
I contacted Neat's obsolete software line after buying a new computer with Windows 10 install on it. After no less than 4 calls, installing new software that they directed me to load I still cannot get it working because they will not allow it to complete the install after contacting the server to register the new software which is the same problem I had with the old software. Neat acknowledges that I was a user in the past but the last call they wanted me to sign up for a free trial of course with my CC so I can have a subscription to get my software working again.
This is just a blatant attempt to move you on to the Cloud service and collect a monthly fee for a software I have already paid for. They are holding my data hostage. But at least I can start my old computer up and covert my files to PDF and get it off their software. I have bought a new scanner from Xerox and will never buy anything from Neat again. Just feel sorry for those who I have read about that can't get the data off the old machine. Don't buy for the Company! I think a class action lawsuit should be undertaken on this Company! And I don't take that tact ever. Good luck with moving all the people over to the Cloud.
Hi Larry,
We're sorry to hear you had so much trouble installing the retired software in Windows 10. You should be able to skip signing in with the retired software and still see any data on the local Neat database on that computer. We certainly do not hold any data hostage. If you can send a private response with the email you used previously for your Neat account we'll be happy to take a closer look at that for you.
You're also free to keep using the retired software if you do not wish to use Neat's cloud service and can also continue using your scanner without the software. See this help article for details:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
I purchased NeatDesk several years ago and used it for my income taxes. I have a very small business and so I would take the receipts and put them in every three or four months. I had done about half of my receipts, and then things fell apart, my husband passed away last fall. I always do the taxes at that time and I forgot again to trying to complete and get the receipts done. I went back to Neat and I found out that they changed the program. I struggled with it for a little bit, and I called their customer service. It's $15 now for a program every month. They said they sent some notices on it, but I didn't receive them. They did the best they could. They were nice and they tried, and there was one guy that worked several hours trying to help me out but it didn't work.
It really caused a lot of confusion for me and I didn't appreciate having to pay a portion of it that I didn't need. Also, their service is doing some sort of organization on this program to help organize and check the accuracy of the entrance of your receipt. I ended up having to go back over the receipts by hand and redo my taxes at the very last minute and gave them to the accountant. Up until that time till they changed the program, everything went smoothly for me. All I had to do was enter the receipts, and they were pretty well-organized, press the button, and I would get my receipts, the total would be ready to the accountant. But this year was a mess.
Apparently, the scanner system and the way they scan changed, and the little scanner that I have no longer works in this program. I stay busy constantly, I don't have time to deal with a lot of changes and upsets, and going back to buy another scanner or figure out how they input now is something that's a big pain to me right now. With coming up here to end the year and I have this year's receipt, there's nowhere to scan them in. I'm disappointed in it.
We apologize for the experience that you had in regards to your Neat Scanner. There are other plans that are offered if you do not feel the need to pay $15/month for your current subscription. Please refer to this link for our plan options: https://www.neat.com/plans-pricing/
If you find that the options are not a good fit for you, please refer to the below links for additional infomrtaion on how to use your scannner without a plan with The Neat Company.
https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
We also provide a Desktop Scan Utility which is free to use here - http://scanutil.neat.com/
When taking a look at your case we realized that your scanner was set up successfully and connected to your computer. We will have a customer reach out to you in regards to setting up a phone call to provide additional support.
We do apologize for your experience and Thank you for choosing the Neat Company!
I needed to do about a year and a half of scanning all at once. I was doing it all and I wanted to try the automatic aspect of Neat. I already had a year’s worth of scans so I imported a lot of them. Neat gets things right, but some of the times it gets confused. I wish it could define a document type and just have it know that from now on, so I didn’t have to continue to sort through it. I haven't used it as much in the last two months because it doesn’t recognize some of my time-keeping documents as what they are. So, I'm just scanning everything and letting it build up. I'm not using it to populate spreadsheets because of the unreliable aspect of the non-receipt documents. Everything needs to be looked at directly to confirm, but it's still worth it because of some of the time being right is better than me having to look at every single document.
I needed to figure out how to use Neat the way I was trying to use it, and their reps don’t understand fully that users are not going to use different paths based on what kind of person they are. I had someone, too many times, tell me that I just needed to use this other software, which I perceived as being what I had already switched to using. Also, prior to using Neat, I used the CamScanner. When I adjusted my drag to drag the borders around my scanned document, CamScanner had a little circle that pops up and says, “Zoom in into the corner,” that lets me get it exactly where I wanted it to be, and Neat does not have this little zoom. Nonetheless, I'm happy with Neat.
We appreciate your feedback and review, Tim. We don't currently have an item type specifically for time cards or other time-keeping documents but that is something we can add to our list of requested features for future updates. In the meantime, your best option would likely be to classify them simply as documents.
We are also addressing your scanning concern very soon with a free scan utility that includes the option to crop, rotate, and skew your scans prior to sending them into Neat so you can focus on exactly what you want to capture in your scanned images. We hope you enjoy that when it is released in the very near future.
I had a problem with the first program that Neat put out, they ended it and I had a tough time getting all of the stuff back that I needed. I contacted customer service and they downloaded what they could off the program for me but I didn't get everything. I went back with them, I'm now on their Cloud, and it's serving the purpose of saving paper. What I'm using it for right now, if I can't recover some of the stuff, that might not be a problem. Neat helped me for a long period of time but they need to make sure that everything is recoverable if they decide to end the program.
We appreciate the honest review you have left. The information that you had previously in the software can be sent over to the cloud. All prior documents can be recovered and placed within the cloud. Please refer to the links below for further assistance with the task
Help Center - https://support.neat.com/
Please use the following link to schedule a 1:1 with an agent as well - https://calendly.com/neatcompany/show-me-how/11-08-2018
Thank you for choosing The Neat Company!
There should be a law against this. One day you buy an expensive scanner. You never expect that although the hardware is in perfect condition that you can use it with your laptop since Neat decides to drop the software. The download was removed from their website & the disk that came with it requires connecting to their website for something to finalize the install. That doesn't work now. It used to work perfectly fine. No warning, no notice, just gone & now worthless. You can't get to tech support unless you are paying for their cloud premium. It's a vicious circle. The company should be penalized.
Worse, I have my IRS Supporting docs in this Neat database that I have backup religiously, yet it is TOTALLY NOT Accessible because they are preventing us from using what we paid for. Where are the attorneys or federal agencies or can we complain to? I love, loved this product!!! I now hate NEAT!! NEVER BUY FROM NEAT!! NEAT should be forced to put in big letters on all of their packaging "THIS PRODUCT EXPIRES IN X YEARS BECAUSE WE WILL MAKE IT UNUSABLE".
EBAY is selling all these scanners that work fine from a hardware view but you will never get anything to your pc. So if you see these sold or any NEAT product help us get the word out so others won’t be SCAMMED like several of us on here are. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/document-scanners/neat.html. (This is not due to any Windows upgrade. I went back to an older pc & Windows 7 which it used to run on & it won't install there either due to one of the steps in the wizard requires something from the website to proceed. Tech Support has been no help).
Lucinda,
We do apologize for any frustration. One of our technical support agents will be contacting you to assist in retrieving your important data from Neat so you will continue to have access to it.
You can still use your Neat scanner and we provide detailed steps on how to use it without the Neat software if you're not interested in purchasing a Neat cloud account. Please see this for how-to steps:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
We retired the previous software over 2 years ago and have publicly announced it ever since then while continuing to provide support until earlier this year. We also provided a detailed FAQ regarding the retired software that has been updated throughout the year and can be seen here:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2917963-limited-legacy-support-faq
We have done absolutely nothing to prevent you from installing Neat software on any computer and there are many users who are still using and installing the retired versions of Neat without issue.
You may need to try some of the steps posted on our site to get past a specific error installing on your computer. Hopefully, the following will be of help to you:
https://neat.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2729861-windows-an-error-occurred-while-installing-system-components-for-neat
https://neat.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2729876-windows-reinstalling-scanner-drivers-in-neatas well as
https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2729533-reinstalling-scanner-drivers-with-ms-fixit
In addition, there is still time to contact our retired software team at 855-910-NEAT for limited assistance with the retired products.
I've been using the Neat system for quite a few years. The only drawback I've got is that with the Legacy system, you would scan and store all your documents on the computer and then it would sync up to the server. Now, everything goes direct to the server and scanning every document process takes a lot longer than the Legacy system did. Other than that, they’ve done a good job and answered my problems. Everything is going pretty good right now.
Thanks for your feedback, Keith. We hope you enjoy the other benefits of the cloud service such as unlimited storage and the mobile app. We understand your experience with the processing time on the cloud and hope to improve it further but wanted to let you know that we are actually the fastest at processing items through the cloud when compared with our competitors. Our items are usually fully processed in less than 5 minutes while our competitors can take up to 24 hours to fully process scanned data.
How can you sell an expensive piece of equipment and then one day decide to stop creating software updates?! At least make a way for your customers to be able to access the scanner via the computer without using your software! I have a $500 piece of junk taking up space on my desk that I can't use because your horrible proprietary software and hardware won't work on my iMac. They need to create a bypass so that the scanner works on future iMacs and PCs. Horrible company, shady business practices, evasive and greedy. DO NOT BUY ANY OF THEIR PRODUCTS - YOU'LL EVENTUALLY BE LEFT WITH NOTHING WORKING.
Thanks for your feedback, SM. We do continue to update our current software but not the older retired software.
The current version of Neat works on both current Macs and PCs and we also provide options to use your scanner without the Neat software as seen here:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
In addition to the above option, we are preparing to release a FREE, brand new scan utility to allow you to either scan to your computer (without a subscription) or to Neat's cloud service (with a subscription).
So I purchased this scanner 5 years ago and have loved it! But today I found out it is a Legacy and now you need to purchase the Cloud version at minimum $7.50 mo. No way. I will chuck this perfectly good scanner and start over before I pay Neat for a cloud service that I DON’T need. Last time I recommend this precious little gem of a scanner! Now I call it the Neat Scammer.
Hi Mary,
You do not need to purchase a cloud subscription. As you mentioned, the scanner is perfectly good so you can use it without the Neat software and continue to scan your documents to your computer.
Please see our article on how to use your Neat scanner without the cloud:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
Also, please be on the lookout for a new Desktop Scan Utility that we will be releasing very soon at no cost. It will allow you to scan from your Neat scanner and combine pages as needed as well as crop and rotate scans before saving them to your computer.
As you can see we provide several options to continue with your scanner that do not require a subscription.
The Neat Company’s product is good and I use NeatDesk every day for income tax and files. Sometimes, I even use the scanner to file my music and its best feature is that it allows you to scan it into the computer. However, transferring files takes too long. It took me over three weeks to transfer from my PC to the Mac which was a bit of a drag. Still, it's better than what I had before. Since using it, I have to do the taxes like anybody else but I got rid of the receipts and so far, it has been very good.
Thanks so much for your review. This is the first time we've heard of storing music within Neat so we're glad you found a new use for Neat. If you get the chance to try the cloud version you'll be able to see files from one computer right away on a different computer since the cloud will make it available immediately.
I use my Neat scanner about two times a week and it makes me go a little bit more paperless. When I run across something that I don’t know how to handle, I give them a buzz.
Thanks for your review, Ronny. We're glad to hear everything is working smoothly for you. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
I have had my Neat for several years now. I have a love hate relationship with it. At first when I started scanning documents into the Neat it was great. Now... it is so slow. It crawls along. I keep my trash bin clean. I back up every time I scan. I am frustrated with it and need a resolution. It takes hours and hours to scan because it is so slow. I have kept the scanner in great working condition. I have changed the rollers which was really easy to do. Any ideas are welcomed.
Thanks for your review. We're glad to hear you've been a long-time user of Neat. There seem to be two possibilities regarding the scan speed.
1. You seem to be using an older version of Neat and may have several older scans stuck processing in the software causing all scans after that to process more slowly as well. Please follow the steps in this article to resolve that:https://neat.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2729482-windows-items-stuck-processing-in-queue
2. Since you replaced the rollers it should "grab" the paper better when feeding. If pages are taking a long time to go through the scanner there may be a problem with the scanner but if you call tech support at 888-898-3253https://support.neat.com/support/contact-support/
One of those two suggestions should help get you scanning more efficiently.
I'm a paperless person and with Neat it's easier to keep track of things and send information over to CPAs, et cetera. Neat has the scanning capability on mobile and on the desktop. I got everything on my thumb. I’ve been with Neat for a few years. Their accuracy in reporting with NeatVerify, is definitely not where it needs to be. But there are still ongoing issues, so there's some misrepresentation still going on. Their customer service used to be abysmal but their customer service has gotten better. I have seen some improvement there. I continued to renew and I paid $100 just for the sheer convenience of taking pictures of receipts. But I wish I got more out of the things I pay for, like with the Neatverify. I wish they would live up to what they advertise it to be.
Thank you for being a Neat user over the years. We appreciate your honest feedback as it helps us know where we can do better. We're glad you've noticed an improvement with our customer service and support teams.
We are working on more improvements and updates to the Neat cloud service and we hope you'll enjoy them when released.
I’m sick of having papers all over the place and I like the ease of use of a Neat Scanner. I got two NeatDesks. I bought one of them online and another through Costco. I bought one for work and then one for home. I use my NeatDesk every single day for my personal and business finance. I scan receipts and invoices and other sensitive important documents. I use it to organize things. If I need a past invoice, credit card statement or electric bill, I can get at them quickly.
I've used the Neat Cloud on the go, and it’s slow and I wish it is a little easier to use. Recently, I got forced away from the desktop version and had to go to the Neat Cloud version. I wasn’t really crazy about that because it’s a subscription-based service. They have all my documents around the Cloud. I don’t feel I have control over them anymore. But then, it’s gonna be some sort of hassle to download and organize my documents. I feel like I got trapped. I kind of waited out and said, “Well, at least, I guess, the documents are stored safely online.” So, if a computer crashes, I’m not gonna lose all my stuff. I started off with their basic Cloud subscription and it has been super frustrating with the speed in which it processes and scans documents. In the past, I would scan a document, look at it, make sure it’s accurate, and go on to the next document.
Now, I scan a document and it has this processing spinning wheel that spins for a long time. Sometimes, it takes 10 minutes for it to scan. You can’t really scan a lot of documents because then if they’re not scanned properly, then you gotta go find them. I’ve been scanning documents and then setting them aside, let it do its thing, and then I go back and look at them later to make sure everything’s processed right. It’s clunky and it’s not as accurate as it used to be. I’ve had some issues with how it is scanning two-sided documents, blank and white, and inverse color. I’ve worked with Neat's technical support team to resolve the issues and they’re awesome. Their customer service used to be horrible. You couldn’t even get someone on the phone. Now, they call me back to make sure that things are working okay.
I’m working with Victor. He’s like my buddy. I’m busy running my business, so I don’t have time to step through all the steps that he wants me to do to try to resolve the issues. I’ve worked with him for a couple of weeks now trying to resolve this processing issue. He was able to fix my issue with scanning two-sided and in color. But now, we’re still working on the processing. So then, I saw that there’s this Neat verify option where they verify invoices and receipts for you. This is frustration for me.
I upgraded to the NeatVerify, then four weeks later, I got a discount e-mail where it’s like 70% off. It’s 100 bucks. And now, I can get the $100 features for 40 bucks, so I wasted 60 bucks. I don’t even have time to call and complain about it or voice any opinions to anybody. That should be automated. I recently upgraded that and I’ve been a long-time customer that they should rebate me something back. It’s only for new customers. The processing issue has to do with not storing any files locally. They’re stored in the Cloud. If they could resolve that, then the product would be fast and efficient. I wouldn’t mind paying 100 bucks a year to have a good, fast, efficient, accurate scanning document tool. But with it being the way it is, it's a very time-consuming process now. I really wish they would fix the Cloud version of software because it’s been really bad.
Because of the way the software is operating right now, I couldn’t recommend Neat. I want it to work in an easy, fast, and efficient way as it used to be. The customer service has been great though. You don’t usually get a follow-up call from a Cloud-based software company. Neat's customer service resolved two of the three issues that I had. If they haven’t resolved those and happened to be working with me in the process, I would have went to a different direction by now. But because of the customer service, I’m hanging on hoping that they’re gonna resolve these issues with that processing.
First of all, thanks for sticking with us, Steve. We are working on improving the cloud service and adding new features to keep you organized and we hope you'll enjoy them.
We also really appreciate your comments on our support staff and your recognition of how much Victor has helped you out.
Thank you for your detailed review. We hope you continue to stay organized with Neat.
I have a personal NeatDesk at home that I have had for six years. Then, we got one in our workplace as we have some new practices that went into effect. We were trying to streamline it to get it all organized into different folders on the computer and I figured NeatDesk would be the easiest way. We use it every day. I just scan the work orders and put it where it needs to go. When we did our free trial, I scanned some documents in and I did not realize the permanent one that they did would be in a different place so the rep told me how to get to them and it all went well. Now, I don’t have as much paperwork because I just store it all on the Cloud. The Neat Cloud works great and it makes paperwork a lot easy.
Thank you very much for your positive feedback, Lynn. We're glad to hear Neat makes your paperwork a lot easier to manage.
I've had a Neat scanner for several years and it started off very well, and then it stopped working. I came back to them once and they told me I needed a software upgrade. I went through a couple of other software iterations on my Mac and I still couldn't get it to work. I got the email for the new Cloud service after that and I was anxious to either find out if the scanner worked or if I could get it repaired.
I had some trouble downloading the software, so I called in and a nice young lady looked and analyzed things on my computer and told me that, in fact, I had not downloaded, or I did not have the right version of the software. She uploaded it and walked me through it, and it works. I'm scanning documents like crazy and I'm very happy. I'm pretty darn impressed with the customer service when I called in and we got an understanding of the problem. The reps were both extremely happy to help. And a lot of places you call, the first thing they wanna know is how much you're willing to pay and I just liked the support.
I mostly used NeatDesk for receipts, business cards and medical records. It seems these days, to go to the doctor, you need to be able to provide medical history in much greater detail and it helps me just keep track of things. Plus, it eliminates the paper clutter. A lot of the stuffs that I scanned is our financial records. I'm retired, so I don't do many reports or things anymore, but I'm looking to upgrade to a version of Quicken that will interface with Neat, and that should simplify things quite a bit.
I've created a grouping of subfolders for the major items that I wanna track, and I scan the documents, so I can go to any subfolder. It’s like all my medical records filled out into a spreadsheet. Everything is in one place. When I upgraded to a subscription plan, I put everything in the Cloud. What I have seems to be working quite well. Neat has been outstanding.
Thank you for your positive review, Ted. We really appreciate your comments and are glad to hear that you are able to keep all your important documents organized in one place with Neat.
The Neat Scanner is a Cloud-based service and we got it because of the software and hardware integration. It also has an application on the smartphone. I bought a refurbished model and when I unpacked it, the actual cover of the scanner was wobbled. But even though it has lost its form, it did not affect the function of the scanner. I had an issue with the paper feed in and I solved that by buying the cleaning kit from The Neat website. For many years now, I’ve been using the scanner in accordance with the smartphone application.
I have a very basic usage of the NeatDesk. I scan everything in and put it in folders. I use it to keep tabs of my daily spending and make sure that I have a paper receipt of them. I also use the NeatDesk in case one might ask where someone was and inquire about them as a person, so it's a precocious measure as well. I use the Neat Cloud whenever I have receipt, which is twice a week, on average. With The Neat Company, I have the ability to manage the account administrator and have the list of the people that are in charge of the account. The website allows me to manage my account and the users, and there is the listing of the address and personal information.
So far, I’ve run the scanner with no need to do any maintenance. Unfortunately, a folder got deleted. I contacted Neat through the chat and e-mail and they answered. They proceeded to advise me to install the software application for the Mac in the hope that we would be able to recover the folder, but it was already permanently lost. It was the dining-out folder for the receipts and it wasn't important. But if it was another folder, I would have sent more e-mails to see if it was possible to recover it. Overall, my experience with the Neat Company has been excellent. It’s an excellent product, both software and hardware.
Amer, thank you for your thorough and thoughtful review. We appreciate hearing how Neat helps stay organized. Please don't hesitate to contact us at 888-898-3253 if you run into any further technical issues. We are here to help.
I’ve been using Neat for about 8-9 years. I was forced into buying a new scanner, and since have had no tech support. Impossibility to get someone! The scanner nearly never used as it isn’t working properly, the issue is half comes out so so the other half of a 8.5 paper shows nearly nothing. 500.00 Dollars and this product no support nor functionality, not a wonder it was Marketed on The Apprentice, birds of a feather flock together. I’m now in a deadline for my needs and have all my data on the local software, how do and what do I try to convert to? What company? Anyone tips?
Hi Thomas,
We can certainly help you with troubleshooting your scanner. Our records show you have a Neat Connect scanner. Please see this article for steps to calibrate your scanner to improve image quality.https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/calibrate-neatconnect-scanner/
Keep in mind that if there is something going on with the scanner hardware itself, the calibration won't be able to address that but you can also try swapping out the USB cable for the scanner if you are scanning directly to your computer.
You can also reach our technical support team at 888-898-3253 and they'll be happy to assist you as well.https://support.neat.com/support/contact-support/
You also have options to export your data from Neat to PDF as detailed in the link below:https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/export-pdf/
Also, for the record, we do not force anyone to purchase a new scanner and we are focused now on our software and cloud service and no longer sell scanners as of over a year ago.
I've had Neat from when it started. I bought it at Atlanta Airport where it's the only outlet at that time. I mostly use it to get check scans so I can find it. I'll use it more once I get my new scanner hooked up to it, but I scan every day. They would call me back when they say they're gonna call me back. Sometimes I'm not available, but they still call back. My experience with them is always good.
Thank you for your review, Howard. We're always glad to hear from a long-time customer such as yourself. Thanks for your support over the years.
The Neat scanner allows me to save a lot of documents and it helped out for tax purposes. I like it because I can put my own folders in. I can use it as a scanner for a PDF to attach it to an email. We got two. My husband uses his when he was in real estate. I had the scanner for a while but then my computer crashed and I couldn't reload it. We had one of their technicians load it and it's with the Neat Cloud now and I don't like it. It's always telling me it doesn't sync. I don't go in it that much anymore. I've paid for a year for the Cloud, but I think that will end. I wanna stay on the 5.7 but they said I couldn't. But all the technicians that we've dealt with are nice, friendly and informative. When the girl was getting everything straightened up, she worked on them pretty much all day long. She then would call back the next day to keep finishing all the stuff, so they keep their promises.
JoAnn, Thanks for being a long time Neat user. We appreciate your honest review and we're glad to hear our support agents have been persistent in continuing to assist you.
If you're running into any error messages or need further assistance please don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to help and can answer your questions. You can reach us at 888-898-3253https://support.neat.com/support/contact-support/
So basically I had the scanner for a couple years, it worked okay but then they changed their software model to a subscription you must then continue to purchase each year. I have the hardware still on my desk just collecting dust now. I want to just use it to scan documents but no one will even help figure it out without purchasing their new software. Hell even a broken clock is right 2x a day. This thing is good for nothing now!
Hi Chris,
We'd be glad to help. We did shift to providing cloud services that include unlimited cloud storage as well as options that allow you to make use of Neat without a scanner such as our email directly to the cloud feature, our mobile app, and import file options just to name a few.
If you prefer not to subscribe to Neat to take advantage of the cloud features, please see this page for details of the options available to you:https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/retired-desktop-software-options/
You can also go directly to this page to learn how to use your Neat scanner without the cloud service:https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
I had Neat for many years. It worked fine. However, our family moved often and had some serious health problems recently. I called after an annual autorenew and requested that they cancel and prorate the service, and they refused - despite the fact that they could see I had not used the service in about 2 years. They kept trying to persuade me to keep the account and downgrade - and tell me how valuable it is that I still have access to my files for another year. Despite the fact that it was useful many years ago, I VERY MUCH regret having ever signed up for it. There are many less expensive, more reasonable services out there with similar benefits. Do your research.
Hello C,
We reviewed your account and apologize for any frustration. Accounts are eligible for refunds within 30 days of the date the autorenewal is charged. Since you contacted us only 2 days after that period we have processed a refund for you. Please see our email today for details.
We're glad to hear Neat was a useful app for you. Aside from the unlimited cloud storage, mobile app, automatic parsing of data, and integrations with various accounting programs we are also working on updates to improve the Neat experience and we hope you'll find Neat useful again in the future.
Back then we thought a NeatScanner would be a good option for keeping records. We now use the scanner very frequently and save everything to the Cloud. We reached out with the Neat Company's reps a couple of times for the different applications we were trying to use and they were very good. We now have better recordkeeping. We’ve been very happy with the NeatScanner and we’ll recommend The Neat Company.
Randy, thank you for sharing how our representatives have been helpful and how Neat has been useful in keeping you organized.
I had to purchase the latest version of the Neat scanning software when my old Neat scanner no longer worked. The original version wasn't perfect, but it fit my needs just fine. So when I needed a new scanner I found out that Neat was no longer supporting the version I had and that I would be required to purchase their latest version. What a total nightmare it has been. I spent 80.00 on the software. It is a total disaster.
The scanner they said was compatible is a compact Brother scanner. It's a scanner for sure but not a very good one. No matter how you align the documents, there's a lot of jams and paper crumpling with this unit. Then Neat software takes anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to process my documents. Filling in the info is cumbersome. It can't even put in the current date like the old version did. I can't afford to go with one of the more expensive scanners so I am stuck with this two fold pile of junk. Good thing I don't have a ton of documents to scan or I would have to bite the bullet and get something that actually works. Stay away from the Neat Software and the Brother compact scanner. You'll be glad you did.
Hi Mary,
We are sorry to hear of your disappointment with Neat. We would like to try and rectify the issue by reaching out to you. Please let us know if there is a date and time that works best for you.
I have had very limited experience with The Neat Company so far but they have been helpful. I wanted to consolidate a lot of paperwork that I have into one solid place so that my kids wouldn’t have to go through a bazillion files and folders after I passed. One of my kids had Neat and I got the machine too way before the Cloud. I use it strictly to upload bills and to keep my bills current. I use it from the scanner but I’m hoping to be able to transfer all the piles of bills from my email into the Neat instead of scanning them individually. For a while, I was on it a lot but I went through two deaths in the family and I tried to get all the paperwork. I put it into the Neat Cabinet so that I could have it and get rid of all the excess paper. When it gets closer to the end of the year, I'm on it daily because it is when I'm getting all of the paperwork together to give to the accountant. Since having NeatDesk, I have gotten rid of two file cabinets.
I called their customer service team because I had trouble getting the Neat email address to work and they talked me through it. I enjoyed the Neat when I didn’t have to pay for the Cloud services and when I used it as my own little personal thing. When I bought the nicer desk version of the Neat scanner, I was not that happy that I was hitting jams with it before I could go online and work it out. I'm a penny-pincher and I don’t like the idea that I have to pay for the space.
Thanks for the review, Joanne!
I am extremely disappointed in the new Neat. It is hard to navigate. It shuts down continually. I am a Legacy user and find a great number of things better in the Legacy product. As it is right now, I would not recommend anyone going to the new product.
Hi Dayton,
We are sorry to hear of your disappointment and that you are experiencing an issue. Regarding the software shutting down, we would like to reach out to you and gather more information to see if we can assist.
Thanks for reaching out, we look forward to working with you.
Hazel ** helped resolve my issue. She called back when promised and worked to get me back to my prior status. It was a complicated issue and she get going to higher ups to get it done right. I was very satisfied with her work.
We appreciate you letting us know how we are doing, Henry. Thanks for your support!
I've been using NeatDesk every day for about 12 years now. I use it to record all of my tax documents and scan all my receipts and documents that I want to save so I have copies without having clutter on my desk or in file cabinets. This is so much easier than before because now, I take everything as soon as I get it and pick out what I wanna scan and save it and then I can search through it if I want and find something that I may have been looking for. I've used my phone to take pictures mainly of receipts that I want to keep a record of as well. I also have the app on my phone so that I can go in to look up the document if I'm away from home and don’t have access to it, which I can do on my laptop too.
However, the program is not perfect. Sometimes the data upload is slow and that's the one thing that I don't like. Usually, during the week when there are a lot more people using it, I can scan about seven to ten documents and then I have to set those aside and wait for the information to be uploaded or downloaded so that I can read it. And almost all cases where I have to change something in the document or I have more detailed information that I wanna put in it, the Neat doesn’t read the document properly. The program is a little bit buggy at times too. A lot of times it would just say, “Neat just shut down for an unknown reason,” and that’s immediately bothersome. But since you can log right back in again, it's not usually bothersome in the long run.
Their customer service has really improved a lot, though. Initially, it was kind of difficult to get somebody back to you right away and if you are taking documents that you might wanna refer to right away and you can't access it because you're having a problem with your program, that makes it difficult. But they made a good effort to improve everything and they are very responsive now in getting back to me on a number of different things.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for sharing, we always appreciate hearing from our customers!
I wanted to keep track of all my receipts and I was finding it was a mess. A friend told me about The Neat Company and I decided to purchase their equipment.
I use the scanner to categorize my receipts and I scan documents as well. Sometimes, the receipts get stuck in the scanner that I have, which is the little one. But with Neat, I know how much exactly I spend on groceries and on cash which has been very helpful for budgeting our finances. Also, I was using NeatDesk once a week before but right now, I upgraded to the new Neat. Then we moved and I still need to finish the process of setting it up. There is something that I need to learn that Elvie, their rep, was trying to contact me about and I need to call back their customer service to be able to use it. If somebody would use Neat, they'd have to keep up with it once a week.
Thank you for leaving a review for us, Lisa. We also enjoy hearing how our users make the most out of Neat! Also, we will have the agent reach back out to you to answer any additional questions you might have.
I’m an IT consultant and I recommended to my clients the neat ND1000 when it was new. After the two hurricanes in Puerto Rico many of my clients lost computers and the programs. I was able to reinstall all programs in new computers but NEAT did NOT gave us access to the program download as the other companies did. A company that abandons their clients does not deserve any recognition and also, what will avoid them doing it again with another product. We had to communicate with users that had the program for them to provide us with the download. I’ll never again recommend NEAT Company. I don’t think they deserve it.
We are sorry to disappoint you, Angel. We have a support line set up for legacy users that are in need of support. Give us call and we will be able to help you out! Please call, 866-632-8732, we look forward to hearing from you!
Neat has changed their models over the years and I was one of the first persons with them from way back which is six years already. I use the Neat Cloud all the time and I find it very convenient when I get in the office and need a certain document that I had no access in front of me. The Neat Cloud allows me to email it to the place where I am, especially when I have to see my confidant and he needs certain documents. Technically, all my documents are in the Neat, even my house feed. The NeatDesk is a good feature and it's a good device but if I were to turn around, I wouldn’t have gotten it because I have to pay monthly and I do not like that. When I purchase something, I have to pay for the Cloud. It's nice and convenient but every cent adds in. I'm now in the middle of purchasing another scanner and printer that also allows to me sync my documents to my phone but I don’t have to pay for anything.
I’ve been experiencing a lot of problems with the Neat Company continuously from the device constantly not wanting to turn on, activate or not recognizing any paper in the slot when there is paper over there. When I call, I could be talking to another person and after all my explanation, they're gonna redirect me to another person. So, I usually direct myself to technical support because at least they can go in and do it manually. When I called in last time, I was asking for help and the only thing I got is just to purchase the stuff that I need to replace. The rep told me that I should easily connect it myself and that it was self-explanatory but it's still not working and I cannot even scan. They were not able to totally assist me because they couldn’t resolve the problem.
Thank you for letting us know how we are doing, Leon. We will be reaching out to provide additional assistance.
After posting my complaint, Neat has agreed to issue a refund. Previously the operator refused to issue a refund but after this complaint someone contacted me and a refund was issued to my account. Thank You
Let me pre-empt this by saying I have been a Neat customer for years and I was disappointed when they switched to the cloud service as oppose to the software but I understand the change. Technology advances and we have to adapt. My issue comes from the lack of continuity between using the legacy software and the cloud service. Neat has NOT made it simple to get files from the legacy software and I was EXTREMELY disappointed to pay for the cloud software to try it out only to find out that I could NOT upload a legacy backup to the cloud and use the data.
I figured I would be fine to get a refund seeing that I could not use the cloud service in the manner that I needed to use it. I was disappointed to find out that Neat does NOT issue refunds for the cloud service monthly accounts. Even though their site says try it for 30 days and if you don't like it we will refund. Then, buried deep deep deep down in the legalese they say they do not issue refunds for monthly service. I was deeply disappointed and will NEVER use this service again. Do NOT use NEAT. There are much better options available.
Hi Art,
Thanks for the review, and we are sorry to have disappointed you. We have support line for users who would like to migrate from legacy to our cloud services. Please calls us @ 866-632-8732 if you would like assistance. Also, regarding the refund policy - in accordance with our terms and conditions, Neat will a refund within the ten (10) day refund period of a trial conversion:
Terms and conditions: https://www.neat.com/policies/terms-and-conditions/
Please let us know if we can assist you in any way!
I came in mid-stride here in the company and the girls didn’t have the old NeatDesk version set up to a cloud. So, I noticed about the last couple of months, some of the files started coming out missing on it. I got ahold of The Neat Company's tech people and Alma, the gal that I worked with, was amazing. She put a new version on, fixed it, synced it and it works great. We use it every day. It keeps everything in order for us. We have paper files but we want it on this end too. That way, everything is itemized. It helps us with deductions. Before, the old version didn’t have where you could put in the client or orders. We don’t do that on this end. One of the other gals does that, but I have to make sure all of our receipts are scanned and all that kind of stuff in it.
Thanks for the support, Laura!
The 'cloud' service works (barely). That is the only reason they get 2 stars. It is very poor, is cumbersome, missing a tonne of features from the legacy desktop version. Oh yea, until 2018-07-31, at least I could sync to the cloud version for my accountant, but still use the legacy software for reporting, and receipt manipulation, which is abysmal in the cloud version. I warned Neat in Feb, 2018 that losing the ability to sync was a show stopper. Well, I did not renew. However, Neat decided to remove the ability to sync. I am in the middle of switching to a new cloud sharing solution for the next quarter so my accountant can see my files. Still not sure how I am going to organize my books for reporting as I don't have a solution yet. I have spent hours trying to convince neat.com that they messed up, as have a bunch of other folks (Just search for Neat legacy software and really read).
Their Facebook page has a nice little write up with a lot of information on the new direction of the company. Except for a few points I don't have an issue with a new direction, The major items: Loss of Functionality and poor support. My issues on the new software: Yes, I can save my files locally, but nowhere as nicely as when in the legacy software. Reporting is worse than poor. Desktop was not bad, I was looking for more options, not less. The local web client stuttered constantly. It was released how long ago, and still is not stable? And I had this problem on 3 different ISPs at 2 different location, on 3 different windows versions (7, 8.1, and 10), so don't tell me it is me. Cannot split receipts. A basic function that I have complained about since the 'cloud' version came about.
Can export to a bunch of software, but a lot of small businesses still use Quicken, which is amazingly absent. Yes, I can export to a csv, then import, but software sold as a solution should not require this, especially, when they brag how they can integrate with other software. Support: I have called in multiple times to never reach a human. The chats keep touting how great the new version is, but when I ask about functionality, get told 'it is coming'. I was a subscriber for 3+ years, and a neat customer for 10+. I could continue, but you get the idea.
We are sorry to hear of your disappointment with Neat, but we certainly appreciate your candid feedback. Thank you for taking time to leave a review.
I never meant to make an account with this company but they forced me to make one if I wanted to use my scanner. A month later, $200 was taken out of my account that I did not authorize, come to find out it was Neat. Now they don't give me the option to sign in or finish setting up my account so that I can undo that and customer support isn't available. I find this company to be extremely unprofessional.
Customer signed up for a Neat Premium trial plan and agreed to the terms and conditions by click the checkbox and providing credit card information to sign up for the plan.
The customer did not finish setting up the account as they have not followed the steps provided in the account confirmation email (where the customer is promoted to create a password and security questions).
In accordance with our terms and conditions, Neat will a refund within the ten (10) day refund period of a trial conversion. As of 08/27/18, Neat has refunded the customer in the amount of 119.99 (the amount of the yearly Neat premium plan).
I have only been using the new software (Neat Smart Organization System) for less than a week and following are the concerns that I have - that might be passed on to developers - because I am LESS than pleased with the new software. I am very aware that getting familiar with new and updated software takes time, but to say that I am VERY disappointed with this new upgrade, along with paying an annual subscription (which is no big deal IF the software was as superior as I was led to believe) is an understatement.
Cannot delete a file while it is processing. "Zoom In" and "Zoom Out" are counter-intuitive (should be able to use the scroll on your mouse). Cannot change the order of the columns. Cannot combine files once they are processed and uploaded to the cloud. Processing takes too long. I would never use "verify" - I will read the receipt myself. Have not found a way to back up the system to my own hard drive. Images within a file cannot be deleted once they are processed. I want to point out that Alvi ** was the consultant who was EXTREMELY patient and knowledgeable so I have no complaints with him - only with the operation of the software itself. In my opinion, Legacy was a far superior product.
Katherine,
We're glad to hear you had a very positive experience working with Alvi and he'll be recognized for his efforts.
Thanks for using the Neat Smart Organization System. We're sorry to hear you were not thrilled with it but we are working on a major update to revamp our software. Your specific and detailed feedback will certainly help guide which features get worked on first. Some of the updates we're working on include enhancements to processing and zooming. We hope you'll enjoy the new version of Neat when it is released. Thanks for your support.
The customer support reps at Neat are easy to work with. I've had to call them a few times and they've been very helpful. You can understand them. I got the Neat scanner since I wanted to be more organized and it would help me do that. So far, I use the feature that mainly stores data for reference and I use Neatdesk to keep business contacts organized as it's much better than drawing cards in a drawer. The Neat Cloud is also a very easy tool to use. While some people might be deterred by the initial costs, Neat is worth it in the long run due to the amount of time that it saves.
Hi Kate,
Thank you for the support! We love hearing from our customers to help improve or products and services. We look forward to assisting you in the future,
I have a business and I use NeatDesk when I need to do my books and scan my receipts. It used to go to my QuickBooks but I don't like the way it's set up now with the cloud. I can't bring in my bank statements. I still have to do them manually on the computer or in my QuickBooks. So I have to cancel my QuickBooks subscription. Still, I would recommend The Neat Company. I use it for my receipts, for documents that I wanna save, for invoices and for business cards so that I don't have to have them hanging around. I'm also thinking about using it for pictures.
Hi Donna, We appreciate your time leaving a review for Neat! We are working on additional features to help simplify process for our business users, so be on the lookout for updates in the future!
I use my NeatDesk at least once a week, and I use the reporting feature the most once I’ve scanned. We had the original scanning machine, and we sometimes got to do a weekly, biweekly or monthly report. NeatDesk is also way better than the previous methods I have used to create reports, manage finances and organize my business contacts. It takes a lot less time to gather documents or get them together. We just signed up for the Neat Cloud on-the-go and we are able to access Neat from anywhere. That is good especially for weekends when I have receipts, so I don’t lose them. Neat is very easy to use. It’s a little different but so far, my experience has been good. The customer service is great and very helpful too.
Thanks for your review, Junior. We appreciate your encouraging feedback and we're glad to hear how useful Neat is for you. If you haven't tried it yet, we think you'll love the Neat mobile app for Android, iPhone, and iPad.
We had too much paper and I run my own business, and getting the Neat Scanner was the way to get some more file space. I use it about once a week. I have both the NeatDesk and another scanner that I bought before they stopped making them. That is web-enabled and I have it on the separate floor of the building. I love the quick scanning and recognition. The scanner is probably better than most and it’s small enough to fit on my desktop. I also like the web-enabled one, so I can scan stuff when I’m not in my desk and it’s a lot faster than having to scan with my phone or my aging printer where the scanning function is not that great. I would usually save files, so I like that the files go right into the system and it’s backed up on the Cloud. That suits me. However, for some reason, my desktop scanner is not working anymore, so I need to call their customer service.
Since using NeatDesk, it’s a lot easier to find a specific receipt quickly if needed and it’s very easy to cross-reference with our financial system, QuickBooks, so that is really nice. However, I was disappointed when they stopped making their own scanner right after I had invested in the second one, and I don't think there has been a lot of proactive communication to users before changes are made. So one of the big concerns we have right now is that Neat is not able to batch-export. For example, I have, for personal use, started getting a bunch of recipes, but I have now started saving my recipes elsewhere.
There is no way to do a batch-export on that data and that, to me, is a problem. It makes it feel like I’m keeping things in Neat because if they suddenly decide not to support the scanner or something else that makes the system that I like to use, I’m stuck. The last time I called the help desk, they were amazing. But in the past, it was really hard to get answers to questions online.
Christy, thank you for your candid review. We appreciate your feedback.
We're delighted to hear how useful the NeatDesk and NeatConnect scanners are for you and that you're taking advantage of the search function and QuickBooks connectivity.
We also wanted to let you know we are headed in a new direction to make improvements overall with both our software and communication. While we no longer manufacture scanners, we have opened up our software to work with nearly any TWAIN supported scanner on the market.
We have heard and taken note of your comments on the batch export feature. We're working on major updates to Neat to be released later this year which include bringing back some of the most popular features from our retired software.
When I was doing paperwork and taxes, I thought The Neat scanner would be a good thing. But it wasn’t really helping me and I quit using it. That was eight years ago and it went out of style. But I am now using it to upload all the paperwork I’m supposed to keep forever. We’re getting ready to move and I didn’t wanna move all that paperwork if I could help it. When I was cleaning up my paperwork, I tried to use the machine but it was too old so I called the company. They now have it online which still works with the machine that I have. In fact, it is definitely working better than before. It gets things organized in a logical way that I can use instead of keeping all those papers. Now, I’m scanning all my paperwork into the Excel. I would have five years of paperwork without moving papers.
I dealt with The NeatDesk team on the day I made the purchase to get set up, to transfer everything over and to bring everything up-to-date. After that, the product has been self-explanatory. And from what I've read, The Neat Cloud also takes the place of the paperwork of the tax. If I should get audited, the tax company and the government will accept their records as well as anybody else’s. The Neat Company seems to be a good way to organize paperwork and keep it on an internet Cloud where it can be accessed from any place. I can even do taxes from anywhere and since we’re planning on travelling for about a year, The NeatDesk is hopefully gonna make maintaining the paperwork from overseas really easy to do.
Thank you for sharing your Neat experience, Patricia. Safe travels!
I keep track of everything in notebooks and then I got a NeatScanner to start keeping it digitally but as it turned out, I ended up doing both. Early on I had some issues with my computer and keeping it backed up so I never got away from keeping the paper copies. Also I used to utilize the NeastScanner three of four days a week but I don't really use it anymore very much because I switched over to the cloud. They quit supporting the legacy software. I found that I can actually use my printer to scan and get a better image. I noticed recently that the NeatDesk has a little bit of a gray cast to it, probably because the light in it has lost some intensity. I don't typically use my NeatScanner now except for some small receipts that don't work very well in my printer.
Whenever I switched over to the Neat Cloud, I had quite a bit of difficulty and I'm not sure if some of that is related to how I scan some of the stuff in the beginning. They had to move everything into the cloud and a lot of the files didn't transfer there. It took them well over a week to do that. They were persistent and worked with me but I couldn't use my computer for a week.
Then they use your email address as your account ID, which is stupid and short-sighted. Whenever I had to change password ID's I had to use a new email address. They had to go back through the whole process of moving everything again rather than having some way to just re-identify information with a different ID. This time, it took almost two weeks to do. Imagine the frustration of taking two weeks to move all the information that you've already moved one time. That's a good problem to look at. I would suggest to them that they need to find a way to more easily adapt to that new ID than to have to move documents.
Maybe most people don't have that problem but it's a great problem I have. I have 3,800 documents so when some of them don't transfer properly, they interrupt the synchronization and then you get somebody to come in and do something to it and restart it. They do it in the background through a remote control of my computer. That is the biggest flaw. The other thing that I don't like about it and more of the reasons I ended up going to the cloud was because I have a small laptop with a solid-state drive, so I only have a 120GB of memory. My documents take up a little bit over 20GB so with all of the other things I have on it, I didn't have room, so I went to the cloud. I thought "Great -- I'll leave these all floated on their cloud. I can free up space from my computer," but that's not the case because they require you to keep a hard back-up locally on your computer.
I would suggest that they need to find a way around that because a lot of people are using small devices and small laptops, or iPAd and different things like that so those people are not going to have a lot of space to store things. I considered cancelling my account because of that very reason because I didn't want to back it up locally so I'm just gonna work around, or I just go in and delete my local back-up every so often, or move it to a wirelessly-connected higher capacity storage system.
However, they worked with me and that part was good. I'm satisfied. They just didn't leave me in the lurch but I don't like the way things are set up very much. If I would recommend NeatScanner to anybody, I would try to inform of the possible pitfalls that I've had, then they can make a judgment based on how they thought that would affect them and figure out whether they could tolerate or avoid it.
Hi Wayne, thank you for sharing your story with us. We are always happy to hear from our customers, especially if we have an opportunity to improve. Let us know know if we can ever be of assistance to you in the future.
I've been with The Neat Company since 2007. I own multiple properties on which I have expenses and rehabs. I don't have to keep the receipts any longer because the IRS will accept the printed ones from the NeatDesk scan. I use it a lot and I have somewhere around 1,600 files. Also, I'm especially pleased with their tech support as it is over the top. The rep spent almost two hours getting my machine to talk to my new Windows 10 computer because it's an old machine. I was amazed. It's that kind of service that keeps me a loyal customer. I have sold five of their machines for them. My friends were swimming in paper and I said they don't have to. They asked what if my computer goes out and I said it was okay since Neat has it all on their cloud and I don't have to worry about it. It is a great service and I've liked it since the day I installed it.
Thank you for leaving a review for Neat, Paulette! It sounds like your friends certainly could benefit from Neat and our cloud service. We have several new changes coming in the "Neat world" and if you, or your friends, ever would like to learn more about what Neat can do, please let us know!
Andrea (the tech) who worked on my case was a gift! She was knowledgeable, patient, kind and reliable! She is an absolute treasure! I have never before had the privilege of working with a consumer support technician who was so persistent and dogged while being so responsive and understanding! The woman is a treasure and deserves a raise!
We appreciate your taking the time to leave a review. We will be recognizing Andrea for all her efforts!
I need a scanner near my desk and I need one that's small, compact and easy to use. And I try to use my NeatDesk every day to get rid of all those paper clutters. I am a consumed buyer and my house looks like World War III hit here. I like downloading my documents to my computer and I probably should have been in the Neat program, but I never really understood where it was going. I was always afraid that if something happened and I didn’t have this computer, then I would lose all these documents because they were in that program. And that was before The Neat Company went to the Cloud. But now that things are going to the Cloud, I feel a little more secure. I can put the documents into the program itself because this doesn’t do anything when we download it to the computer.
We had the Neat Cloud installed not even a month ago and I just started the subscription, so I’m still learning. I haven’t had the chance to sit down and read the instructions and I need to learn how to use it. But I like the idea that I could now start seeing stuff from my phone because a lot of times, it’s something that I need to. I love the concept of The Neat Company but sometimes, especially if I’m only scanning one piece of paper, it gets stuck and I have to jiggle the paper to get it to start moving. And I cleaned the rollers with alcohol like they suggested but it continues to do that. I’ve had this equipment for about nine years now so I don’t know if it’s time to get a new one. But The Neat Company is affordable and it’s easy to operate, even for someone who’s not really computer-savvy.
We really appreciate your comments, Lenora. Thanks for sharing how useful Neat is to you.
You may wish to check out this article on getting started with Neat's cloud service:https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/get-started-neats-cloud-service/
and you can always get in touch with us if you need more assistance or have any questions on how to use Neat:
https://support.neat.com/support/contact-support/
I do a lot of scanning for real estate but my printer/scanner/copier died. I've had the NeatDesk for 5 years but I wasn't using it very often, and since it was sitting here, I've been using it primarily to scan. My experience with The Neat Company has been fine.
Hi Rosemarie - we appreciate your support!
I've used Neat on and off since it started. I once went several years without using it but now I'm using it everyday for expense reports. I like the system, but it has a lot of flaws. I scan the receipts in but I have to go back and put the information on the receipts. I also can't run more specific reports than what it gives me and it adds things I don't want on my report. It's still easier than doing spreadsheet but if they wanted to do something better, it could get a lot better. I need it at the moment, so I'm using it. I also haven't found a better option. Still, I'm having very good success with Neat's mobile app.
Hi Laura,
Thank you for leaving a review, we always like to hear how we are doing and where we can improve.
Neat has some exciting new features coming in the next few months, specifically improvements to our reporting functionality and how data is captured.
If you have any other feedback, we would love to hear your thoughts! Many of the new features Neat is working on have come from our customers.
I bought this product because I thought it could help me more easily with the organization of documents in my house. The first disappointment came when I knew that after paying almost $300 for the scanner I would also have to pay monthly for a subscription. However, I decided to go ahead with the use of the product because it promised to simplify my life by recognizing the documents I scanned. I used it for 3 months and I was satisfied. However, for different reasons, keep it in a box and do not use it for a while, and that was when the second disappointment came.
Three days ago I called Neat to reinstall it on my computer because I wanted to start using it again, after a long call to customer service and countless attempts by the agent to help me, he came to the conclusion that the device is broken. After being purchased only one year and three months ago, and after being used only for three months in total The NeatDesk Desktop Scanner and Digital Filing System, Home Office Edition, 2005410, is damaged and does not work. When you scan the documents, only half of the scanned document appears. As it has been more than one year (only 3 more months) they can not replace it or repair it. I mean, I lost my money and my time. I'm really frustrated.
Hello Haidy,
The Neat subscription offers many benefits beyond simply scanning and saving digital documents. It covers unlimited cloud storage, ID2 parsing of data from scanned items, keyword search, a mobile app, integrations with accounting software such as QuickBooks, and many other features.
We're sorry to hear the scanner is not functioning properly but we reviewed your case and see one last troubleshooting step you can try:Please try a different usb cable with the scanner and make sure it is plugged directly into the computer and not going through a hub, keyboard, or any other device before connecting to the computer. In some cases, the cable can be the cause of scanning problems.
We have also opened up our software to work with any TWAIN scanner on the market so Neat no longer requires a Neat scanner to work. We also have several customers who do not use a scanner at all and choose to use our mobile app for Android and iOS, import existing files from their computer into Neat, or email PDF and image files to the cloud.
Regards,Neat Customer Care
I have one of the Neat Machines for a few years and I used it to scan and file at the same time. It’s a very nice device, very friendly to use, and convenient for storing receipts, invoices, and different files. It was great. But after a while, I changed to Windows machine desktop computer then I bought an iMac. I started filing everything in the iMac and doing things with the printer. So, I left the Neat machine for two years. But now I have a new Windows desktop and I want to use the Neat machine again. So, I bought the app to work it but I haven’t installed it.
Luis,
We'll be happy to help you install the software to get you up and running so you can use your Neat scanner. A support representative will be calling you to assist but if you prefer you can also give us a call at 888-898-3253 for help when you are at your computer.
Thanks,Neat Customer Care
It is a good thought to copy your paperwork to be stored somewhere other than a box. I went and did some research probably like everyone else, within six months I pretty much had it with this JUNK UP PROGRAM called NEAT! It is what it is. "CRAP". My documents are so mess up, after trying to figure it out, Calling Support, Observing the program on what it should be doing and what is actually happening, After my final conclusion, I had documents filed in wrong places, Hardware was outdated before they started selling this junk! You have to sit there like an Eagle to make sure it copies to the right folder. The Icon for selection can only handle a few document at each copy, you would have to wait until that transfer would take place. How long did that take? FOREVER!
You cannot change setting for another folder, NOT enough Memory to hold the fist copy, I paid $400.00 for what, Old Memory!!! I have old MEMORY! I am sure that this wise guy programmer "Knew" that! This unit is for child's play. I called to return this junk and they would not do it! For the next two years I would have to work with them to fix the PROGRAM! Earlier today I need to copy some documents I could not scan because I did not have a SCAN BUTTON? A few weeks ago I was looking for a document and the folder was empty! I had a MELTdown, after searching through hundreds of documents I finally found it, IN THE TRASH!
How does this happen, I did find this document in the correct folder months ago, how did it end up in the trash. I have over 200 hundred documents in there right now. After working with with NEAT troubleshooting on the Phone for 6 - 10 hours and sometime call back the next day, I don't have the time for this junk. Well August is around the corner. I will see what I can get for this, I saw one on OfferUp $100 buck. It's still there! See what I mean! What can be done about this? FORD, CHEVY, DODGE, TOYOTA , they all have RECALLS! What are we sitting for? Thank you for your time.
Hello Randy,
We're sorry to hear you had difficulties scanning your items.
We do want to clarify that you can select the folder to scan to prior to scanning but everything in that scan batch will go to the same folder. If you need to scan items to a different folder you'll need to scan them separately and select the folder prior to scanning.
You may also want to check the memory on your PC but our current software only requires 1 GB of RAM although we highly recommend 2GB. We also recommend 2GB of available space on your local disk drive.
All the scanner models Neat has released in the last 8 years are still supported in our current software and are not out dated. We do recommend reviewing all scanned items for parsing accuracy but we also offer Neat Verify which allows for human proofreading and greater accuracy when scanning items.
We do allow for refunds within the first 30 days after purchase to allow you time to evaluate the product at no risk and we do honor refund requests within that policy.
We also provide options you can take advantage of to use the scanner without Neat. We recommend trying those options to help confirm the scanner is working properly.Please refer to this link for steps on using the scanner outside the Neat software:
https://neat.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/2934766-using-your-neat-scanner-without-the-neat-software
I am so disappointed with the new version of Neat Desk. We have been using the old Legacy version for years and now that there are ZERO fixes for that version we had to convert to the new one. We have several years of information that we cannot bring over to the new version and cannot open in another program, so essentially, it's lost. If we need it, it's gone. So, thanks for nothing and thanks for wasting my time. I have a ton of information stored on a backup drive that I can't even access.
I have been working on re-scanning just this year's documents into the new version and there are so many steps that it's taking forever. It used to be such a simple process and they've taken something that was just a single step and made it into a 5-6 step process. And, you can't combine documents that may go together but that come in at different times. So reconciling is a pain in the butt. It also doesn't tally at the bottom like the Legacy did. What's the point? I shouldn't have to run a report to see what my tally is in a pinch. It's so not worth it... I'm ready to cancel my subscription, which I think is ridiculous to have to subscribe to anyway, and just save to my own folders on my own computer.
I am a VERY organized and busy individual. The LAST thing I need is to spend more of my time farting around with this system. If I don't see some of the old and easier options being offered on this new system soon, I'm canceling my subscription. I always used to recommend Neat Desk. I cannot, in good faith, do that anymore. They took a perfectly good product and pooped all over it. It's terrible...
Nicole,
We're sorry to hear you've run into some frustrating problems with Neat and we'd like to help you out. Unless something caused damage to your original Neat database, it is possible to migrate the data to the new version. We'll have a support agent reach out to assist you in getting that done.
The cloud subscription includes the Neat mobile app, access to view and share your data on the go, and options to export your data to other services such as QuickBooks so it goes far beyond storing data on a single local computer.
We're also working on new features that will be unveiled later this year along with regular improvements and updates after that. We'll also be bringing back some of the more popular features from the retired version.
Thanks,Neat Customer Care
I've used the Neat Desktop ND1000 scanner and the Neat Software for a few years now. I use the system on my MAC. Everything ran great. I got rid of a LOT of paper and loved the system. Until the High Sierra update to MAC OS and a series of updates to the NEAT software. The system became very quirky. Sometimes the software would see the scanner and sometimes not. Eventually NEAT moved to the Cloud system. I use that system now, and am a subscriber. But still, the software never worked seamlessly with the ND1000 scanner on the MAC. There was always a set of workarounds to get the thing to work.
Eventually, it sorta got corrected through a number of updates, but now the current NEAT software will not recognize the duplex or color features of the ND1000. I tried numerous driver updates, uninstall/install attempts and never could get the ND1000 to work to its full function. It also would occasionally add a broad gray strip to the right half of every scan. That same ND1000 worked fine with the MAC Image Capture software, but of course that required file manipulation to get it into the NEAT system database.
Probably most frustrating is that I tried multiple times through NEAT support and they were never able to solve the issue and eventually just quit responding. Their final answer was "I don't know, we will have to elevate this to our developers". Phone support suggested I buy a refurbished ND1000 from them, but of course, I was not willing to try that route figuring it would not work. I really believe the conflict is between the MAC OS and the NEAT Software.
So today I bought a Brother ADS1500W which is touted as a certified 3rd party device on the NEAT website. I installed it and it works fine. Still learning some nuance with it, such as how to set the default scan resolution. But am optimistic that I can start working off that 2' pile of paper to be scanned that has been building up while I messed with the old scanner. So I think still love NEAT. I love the mobile app and the cloud access. But jeez, guys, your own scanner should work with your software! 3 stars. Would easily be 5 if the darn software worked with the MAC.
Hi Randall,
Thanks for the honest feedback and we certainly appreciate your long-time support.
We are working on new updates to Neat that will include improvements to scanning features and we'll be adding new features and updates on a regular basis after that.
We have had reports of not being able to scan or set duplex options for Neat scanners on newer Macs that use a USB-C connection. The Neat scanners are not compatible with the USB-C connection without using an adapter.
However, since you are now using the Brother ADS-1500, we don't anticipate you'll have any trouble since we have tested that specific model with Neat and a Mac with the USB-C connection and confirmed it does function correctly.
We're glad to hear you love the mobile app and cloud service and hope you enjoy the new features and updates coming soon.
Thanks,Neat Customer Care
I bought NeatDesk five years ago and I pay for the software every year. I use it for scanning pictures and all my tax documents. It's really nice to have everything organized in one place and I can find things easily too. I can search for receipts and keywords. Using NeatDesk is a much better method than a paper and a pencil, which was what I did before. I've had to call tech support twice and they were extremely responsive. I got a live person both times and on the second call, they even transferred me to the gentleman I had worked with before. It was great. They had a little bit of a bad reputation for a little while but they were great in my experience.
Becky, we appreciate your taking the time to review Neat and we're glad to hear how useful the keyword search feature is for you. Thanks for mentioning how our tech agents took good care of you.
We've had a NeatDesk for a few years and we just purchased a second one. We use NeatDesk every day and we use the features for scanning for patient profile. The NeatDesk is good and organized.
Nury, thank you for your review. We're glad to hear it helps keep you organized.
I've had NeatDesk for four years now and use it at least once a month. I scan all of my receipts for business and personal. I also use the report feature for when I want to provide my accountant with reports for different things. Using NeatDesk is so much better than having to use an extra Excel spreadsheet. It's keeping me way better organized with everything that I need for my business. Although their reps are good, I would prefer that they be in the United States. But it worked out okay and they resolved my issue. When NeatDesk messed up my printer, the rep fixed the printer for me so my scanner will now scan. But I don't want to purchase another scanner just to have my software work with it and I don't appreciate that the software I purchased is no longer being supported by The Neat.
Wendy, thanks for your feedback. It's great to hear how the reporting feature works well for you to send data to your accountant and stay organized. We're glad our agents were able resolve your issue quickly. You can continue to use the retired software but we hope you'll try out the new features we have coming later this year with the current version of Neat.
I started using the NeatDesk scanner and software in 2012 or 2013. I scanned (and shredded) 3 filing cabinets worth of paperwork. I was ecstatic to go paperless. That's the good news. The first bad thing that happened was the scanner had issues auto-feeding. I bought 2 more scanners to replace the ones that would no longer feed.
Then Neat completely changed their software. Instead of having my documents reside on my hard drive, and sync with the cloud, they decided to put everything in the cloud and leave nothing on my hard drive. Their software has always been quirky, and I was uncomfortable enough with their product that I wasn't comfortable not being in possession of my own documents. So I kept using the NeatDesk software; which they no longer support.
Then Neat came out with the NeatConnect. Even though I had spent close to $1K on scanner hardware already - and had been disappointed about how long it lasted - I decided to try this new product. I thought it was excellent, and I really liked its ability to scan directly into Dropbox and Evernote. In fact (and I'm sure Neat doesn't want to hear this) I was able to quit using Neat's software completely (but only for all new scans) and begin using Evernote.
But the scanner now has issues of its own. It quit auto feeding within 6 months of use, even though I don't use it extensively (not much is on paper anymore). I have to force papers into it to get it to scan. Then all of a sudden I was unable to scan into Dropbox. It took Neat almost 6 months to resolve this issue. Then just this week, the NeatConnect quit scanning to Evernote. It states that the credentials of my "Service" account are expired, but when I try to sign back in I can't make the virtual keyboard type in my email and password.
So if you are comfortable with Neat housing all of your data without having a backup yourself, and if you are satisfied with scanners that don't last and won't stay connected, then Neat is for you. I, however, and getting very frustrated with this product. Not to mention, all my scanned documents are stuck in Neat's proprietary software. I can export to PDF, but once that happens, there is absolutely no organization.
Hi Gary,
We're sorry to hear you had a mixed experience with Neat but we'd like to clarify a few things that we hope will help you out.
Regarding the problems feeding paper in the scanners, often times you only need to clean the scanner feed roller. Steps are included here:https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/cleaning-neatdesk-scanner/
After a while you may need to replace the feed roller which is available here:
https://support.neat.com/scanner-accessories/
We do have options to get your data stored locally even with the cloud-based desktop software.Please see these help articles for steps on storing and accessing your data locally:
a) set a local storage location
https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/define-location-offline-storage/
b) restore data from the cloud to their local pc
https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/restore-database-cloud/
options for retired and using scanner without neat
Once you access the local data you can also make a copy for backup purposes and they won't be stuck in Neat's software or cloud service.
The NeatConnect keyboard is a bit finicky due to the available space but you may be able to enter your credentials successfully if you enter them a bit more slowly. If there is a problem with the keyboard responding, you may want to try a factory reset. Steps are here:https://support.neat.com/helpcenter/neatconnect-factory-reset/
While documents exported from Neat will require you to keep them organized on your computer for easy access, keeping things organized and easy to find is one of the benefits of using the Neat software.
We are planning improvements to be available later this year and hope you'll be able to benefit from them.
Best,Neat Customer Care
I’m a fan of the Neat Desk. I have used the 4.0 version of the computer software five years ago and recently, I had upgraded to the web-based version. I've used it for personal home use as a way of budgeting and keeping track of my expenses. The Neat Desk is a recommendation from my sister. She had used it previously and talked to me about the use of it. I explained to her that I was getting ready to retire and I was trying to get an idea of what my expense habits were so I could adjust some of them as I start having a fixed income.
At 65, I started keeping track of all my expenses whether it’s small cash, credit, or check just to get an idea of what categories my expenses fall into. I use the scanning and tracking feature, and Neat does a very good job of scanning and inputting the information into the categories I had set up. I upload receipts from my expenses at least twice a week. Occasionally, I create reports on a specific category. I wanna see how much money I'm spending at a certain vendor, like Home Depot or Maynards, or Lowe's to get an idea of my shopping habits there. I tend to keep them in categories. For instance, all of those would fall for me under home repair so I have an idea of what I'm spending on home repair or where my money is going.
So far, Neat Desk offers a realistic view of your spending habits. It's human to guess at where your major expense habits are and one thing that surprised me, for instance, was what a large part of grocery bills or food expenses that I have. It was a gigantic amount in proportion to my total expenses. So what I had imagined was not as important. All of a sudden I realize that I have to find either sales or other place that will give me a better deal on the food that I’m buying as a way of reducing expenses or controlling expenses. It didn’t have to be reduced that much. There is no lying with numbers and if you set up your categories, they don’t have to be hyper-detailed. But you could do a report for instance on one grocery store versus another.
So I find that extremely helpful and I do use that part of it because it's human nature. But my tendency is to imagine for instance that I was spending X amount of dollars on car repairs where in reality, I was really spending that money on food. Recently, I've been transitioning to the Cloud version and needed to take some of my legacy files and have them imported into the new version. When you do the upgrade, it is not very easy to transfer your information into the categories that are set up on the Cloud. So I had some help with that. To explain further, I had two different accounts within Neat when I had the version that resided in my computer ‘cause I could create a new cabinet.
That feature is gone from the Cloud version. So you’ll have to consolidate your old cabinets or the contents of it into one so that you can keep track of all of your current expenses and legacy expenses. You don’t want to lose that old information. There's probably a development issue that just made it not easy to do the transfer, but with the help of the support desk, I set up my categories to be the same on my legacy version and my Cloud-based version and they’re gonna help me migrate the information in my legacy folders into the Cloud version so that I can access everything. So at one point, I won’t have the legacy version of the computer at all and I'll probably look at some of the other features that are available.
Meanwhile, the software for my use works extremely well and I have recommended it to two people that I’ve worked with who had a specific feature that Neat has. They both worked in the photography business as food stylists and they would go shopping to prepare for a photo-shoot. The client needed copies of the receipts that they had purchased food with. So one of the great features I explained to them was you could export all these stuff as PDFs. You don’t have to print and mail something. You just attach it to your email when you do your billing. The client could then see it all as PDFs. So that’s outstanding kind of stuff that’s hidden into the software that could be good for business too.
While I use Neat for personal use, a person who’s running a small business would be able to create reports, input them into Intuit where they can be exported for tax purposes. Overall, I’m very pleased with Neat and the people at support have been very helpful. The people that I have had contact with were fluent in English and I only wish that I was as fluent in their own language and very understanding of some of the subtleties in communication in English. Occasionally in the years past, I had to have some difficulties communicating because of the subtleties in the language. But it hasn’t been a problem this time at all.
There is also the feature that if you don’t necessarily wanna speak on the phone ‘cause it’s time-consuming, you can also do the chat which is also very effective. I like that part of it because once you start the process and you communicate what the issue is with the individual, they were able to go about their business. So I could watch and work on my screen and there's no need to be speaking with them. Occasionally if there was a question, I typed it in. But for the most part, it’s just sitting there and watching them do their work.
We appreciate the review, Ed. Thanks for sharing your Neat story with us!