Kofax Express, CaptureBites and Ketl: a functional comparison

TL;DR

A Kofax Express (renamed Tungsten Express) plus CaptureBites stack captures scanned documents, splits them via barcode reading, extracts metadata, then generates export files in a custom format to feed a third-party DMS or ERP. Ketl answers the same business need, splitting, identifying and exporting documents, but through a different mechanism: AI reads the content of each document rather than depending on printed barcodes. This article details, function by function, what Ketl covers natively today, what changes mechanism, and what requires an implementation project.

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Introduction

A document capture workflow built around Kofax Express and CaptureBites modules answers a precise need: turning batches of scanned documents into indexed files, ready to be imported into a DMS or accounting system. Document splitting typically relies on printed barcodes or other separators inserted between each piece. Metadata extraction reads those same codes, then an export connector generates the files in the exact format expected by the target system.

This article compares the functionality of these solutions with what Ketl offers on its platform. Some functions are found in a different form, others have no native equivalent at Ketl and require custom development. The goal is to give an honest basis for evaluating a replacement, not a promise of full functional parity.

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The Kofax Express plus CaptureBites environment, function by function

Document intake

Kofax Express typically monitors a network folder or a mailbox, automatically imports incoming files (PDF, TIFF), and can delete the source file once processing is complete. This process runs constantly in the background, with no open user session.

Document splitting by barcode

The Kofax Express engine detects physical barcodes, typically Code 39 or Code 128, printed on separator sheets between the documents of a given scanned batch. Each detected code triggers the creation of a new document in the processing flow.

Image processing

The batch benefits from automatic cleanup: straightening skewed scanned pages, cropping margins, removing blank pages, before the extraction step.

Metadata extraction via barcodes and QR codes

The CaptureBites MetaTool or MetaServer module reads the barcodes and QR codes present on each document. The first code detected generally populates the main index field, subsequent codes populate additional secondary fields, potentially up to several dozen fields per batch depending on configuration.

Export file generation

The CaptureBites Folder connector generates output in the format expected by the target system: a PDF or PDF/A file per document, individual metadata files (XML, TXT), and a global index file in a fully configurable format and encoding (for example, a custom separator, a specific encoding). This output flexibility is what allows Kofax Express plus CaptureBites to interface with various DMS or accounting systems, including older systems with precise format requirements.

Connectors to third-party systems

Beyond exporting to a folder, CaptureBites offers dedicated connectors to SAP R/3 and S/4HANA, M-Files, SharePoint, Alfresco, Box, OpenText Content Server and other systems, each packaged as a separate module.

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Functional correspondence at Ketl

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A change of approach, not just of vendor

The most important point in this table is not any single row, but a change in logic. Kofax Express plus CaptureBites solve the problem of splitting and identifying documents by relying on physical markers added by the user before scanning, barcodes printed on separator sheets. Ketl solves the same problem upstream: AI reads and understands the content of each document received, with no physical marker to print, attach or verify.

This difference has a concrete consequence on the workflow. Kofax Express requires preparing batches before scanning, printing and inserting barcodes in the right place, then verifying that the reading worked. At Ketl, a document received by email or uploaded is already a unit that the AI analyses directly, with no physical preparation step.

The difference also carries an honest limitation worth stating clearly. In its standard version, Ketl's interface is designed for SME needs. It is not built to process high volumes of standardised documents at production scale, which is exactly the scenario barcode reading was designed for. For that case, two paths exist: reorganising the upstream flow so documents arrive already separated, or an Enterprise setup (mail processing centres, insurers) where barcode and QR reading is paired with Ketl's AI. Enterprise barcode and QR handling is delivered as an implementation project, priced outside the standard licence.

The scope of Ketl's functionality is also considerably broader. Capturing information is a central element for a business, but Ketl can replace several products:

• Electronic document management
• Email management
• Task management
• CRM
• AI chat that knows your company documents

This flexibility matters particularly for SMEs looking to modernise their IT environment and internal processes. A migration to Ketl frequently reduces the number of distinct vendors and recurring costs.

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A modern and flexible environment

Kofax Express combined with CaptureBites remains, by design, limited to fulfilling the traditional role of a capture solution. Kofax Express is a batch scanning application, oriented toward high-speed scanning, with real-time display, indexing and barcode detection. Batch splitting relies on patch codes, barcodes or inserted blank pages. Everything that follows the export, namely archiving, search, email management, task tracking or customer relationships, falls to other software, purchased and maintained separately. This is precisely where Ketl's scope changes the equation for an SME.

Reading this table calls for a note on method. Kofax Express and CaptureBites form a capable pair within their scope, and replacing them with Ketl should be judged at the level of the entire IT environment rather than the capture component alone. An SME that today adds up a scanning application, its connector modules, a DMS, a CRM and a storage space ends up with a matching number of contracts, update cycles and support contacts. Consolidating these building blocks onto a single platform mechanically reduces the number of vendors, the number of integrations to maintain and the overall recurring cost.

Modernisation matters as much as consolidation. Capture software installed on a Windows workstation implies a fleet to maintain, versions to migrate and a dependency on a physical machine, whereas an online platform evolves continuously and remains accessible from any workstation. The gains from an AI that understands content then benefit the whole chain, from receiving a document to searching for it months later, rather than just the indexing step.

The question of sovereignty remains, often decisive for regulated professions. Moving to the cloud frequently raises fears of losing control over data, a legitimate concern when the vendor hosts outside Europe or falls under extraterritorial legislation. Ketl answers this point with hosting and AI models operated exclusively in Switzerland, within a framework compliant with the nLPD and GDPR. A law firm, a fiduciary or a wealth manager thus retains legal control over its data while giving up the operational burden of a local server. Modernisation and sovereignty stop being a trade-off.

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FAQ

Does Ketl read barcodes and QR codes like CaptureBites MetaTool?

Not in the standard product. Ketl extracts metadata by reading document content with AI. Where barcodes or QR codes are genuinely part of the process, typically in high-volume Enterprise environments such as mail processing centres or insurers, Ketl integrates that reading alongside its AI as an implementation project, priced outside the standard licence.

Can Ketl split a single scanned file containing several documents?

Yes, through a different mechanism. Ketl uses an AI specialised in document splitting rather than barcodes or separator sheets: it proposes the boundaries and the user validates them to split the scanned PDF into several files. This is particularly useful where users currently lose time preparing and inserting separator sheets before scanning.

Can Ketl generate an export file in the exact format expected by our current DMS or accounting software?

Ketl offers a default export in Excel format that includes a large amount of information, easy to process in other software. A specific target format or an API integration is possible via the REST API, handled by our consultants as an implementation project rather than a configuration step.

Which storage connectors does Ketl natively support?

SharePoint, kDrive (Infomaniak) and Nextcloud.

Which ERP or industry software connectors are available?

Connectors exist for Winbiz, Odoo and Abacus. On the industry software side, niche solutions by sector are available, such as ForenSys or Vertec for lawyers and notaries. We develop dedicated connectors when the market for them is sufficiently large.

What is the advantage of replacing Kofax Express plus CaptureBites with Ketl, if some functions require custom development?

On the capture side, removing the dependency on physical barcodes and manual batch preparation before scanning. Beyond capture, a single platform covering a much broader set of needs (AI, DMS, CRM, email, tasks), a transparent licensing model at CHF 39 to 89 per user per month all-inclusive rather than a perpetual licence by tier plus separately billed CaptureBites modules, and infrastructure hosted exclusively in Switzerland rather than software tied to a Windows workstation or server.

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Conclusion

Kofax Express plus CaptureBites answer a real need with a precise mechanism: physical barcodes to split and index batches of documents, then a configurable connector to generate the export expected by a target system. Ketl answers the same business need with a different mechanism, understanding content through AI, which natively covers splitting, classification and extraction for the majority of document flows, without depending on a physical marker to prepare.

The comparison does not stop at the capture component, however. Kofax Express plus CaptureBites feed a chain whose subsequent links, DMS, search, email management, tasks and CRM, still need to be acquired and maintained elsewhere. Ketl covers this chain in a single product, which reduces the number of vendors, integrations and maintenance contracts, while modernising an environment that today depends on a Windows workstation or server. All without compromise on data location, with hosting and AI models remaining exclusively in Switzerland.

The decision therefore plays out at the scale of the entire IT environment, not just the scanning workstation. The functional gaps flagged in this article are real and worth verifying against your own workflow, but they weigh against a considerably broader scope and a single licensing model.

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Next steps

If you are evaluating Ketl while running Kofax Express and CaptureBites today, these questions help identify what matters in your own situation:

• Do local hosting costs (server, maintenance) still look proportionate to your usage and productivity gains?
• What is the total cost of your current solution, including initial implementation, licences and average annual maintenance charged by your vendor?
• Do you use barcodes for anything beyond splitting?
• If barcodes carry CRM or ERP information, which fields exactly?
• Which integrations with third-party systems or ERPs are in place?
• Where are your documents stored? If they sit in a DMS, are they accessible and easily exportable, or does every export go through your vendor?
• Do your users regularly complain about juggling several applications to handle a single client request?

Based on your answers, our consultants can confirm after a short call whether Ketl fits your business. If the fit is confirmed, they prepare a detailed offer with a fixed-price commitment.

Discuss your current capture workflow with our team We have been supporting Swiss SMEs and regulated professions in their digital transformation since 2019. Contact us or contact@ketl.ch

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Written by Christophe Vallois. Structured and optimised with Ketl AI, our sovereign AI hosted in Switzerland.

Kofax Express and Tungsten Express refer to the same product before and after the January 2024 rebranding. The functionality described for Kofax Express and CaptureBites reflects their public documentation; details of a specific client configuration have been generalised for this article. Ketl is not affiliated with the vendors cited, presented here for informational and comparative purposes.

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Sources:

• CaptureBites — Folder Export Connector
• CaptureBites — MetaServer
• Kofax is now Tungsten Automation — official press release

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