What is Lido?
Lido is a web-based AI platform that reads invoices, receipts, statements, scans and emails and turns the fields you name into rows in Excel, Google Sheets or CSV.
The workflow is short. You upload files, connect Google Drive or OneDrive, or forward messages to a Lido inbox, then describe the columns you want in plain English. The AI locates matching values on each page, whatever the layout, and returns a table you can check before export. Lido’s site claims accuracy above 99 per cent on structured fields and shows confidence scores so reviewers know which values to check.
Lido, Inc. is based in New York, and one review says the company began as a spreadsheet automation product before moving into document extraction. Beyond plain extraction, the platform now covers email parsing, reconciliation against internal records, financial statement analysis, AI form filling, an OCR API and an MCP server. Named customers on its homepage include Gallagher, BDO Deutsche Warentreuhand and Smart Warehousing.
Key Features
Template-free extraction matters most in Lido, because supplier layouts change constantly and the AI finds your named fields without zones, rules or model training.
- Template-free extraction: Lido finds the fields you list on any layout without zones or trained models. You type column names such as vendor, invoice number, total and line items, and the same setup works on documents from new suppliers.
- Wide document coverage: The platform reads digital PDFs, scanned PDFs, photos and handwritten pages. Its site lists invoices, purchase orders, bank statements, bills of lading, tax forms, medical claims and contracts, in any language or currency.
- AI email parser: A forwarding rule in Gmail or Outlook sends messages to a dedicated Lido address for processing. It reads the email body, PDF and Word attachments, images and inline tables, and Lido says setup takes about two minutes.
- Validation and reconciliation: Extracted values are checked against reference lists such as PO numbers, vendor records and your chart of accounts. Records that do not match are flagged for human review, while clean rows continue to the export.
- Spreadsheet-first output: Results arrive as a spreadsheet you can download as Excel or CSV or send to Google Sheets. Finance staff can therefore review figures in a familiar grid instead of learning a new data viewer.
- API and MCP server: Developers can call Lido’s OCR API or connect AI agents through its Model Context Protocol server. API and workflow access sit on the Scale plan and above, according to the official pricing page.
Pros
Fast setup gives Lido its edge: the company quotes about one hour to go live, against the four to eight weeks it says legacy OCR projects need.
- Quick to deploy: Most teams can process real documents on the first day. Because no templates are built, the work is mainly naming columns and checking an early batch for misread labels.
- Copes with layout changes: New suppliers and redesigned invoices rarely break the extraction. This suits accounts payable teams that receive documents from hundreds of vendors, each with its own format.
- Genuine free trial: Fifty free pages come without a payment card and do not expire. That is enough to test a mixed batch of your own invoices and statements before committing to a plan.
- Strong security posture: Lido lists SOC 2 Type II certification, HIPAA compliance and AES encryption in transit and at rest. Files are deleted after 23 hours, and customer documents are not used for model training.
- Predictable billing: Plans are sold as page allowances rather than per-page charges, so there are no surprise overage fees. Failed extractions can also be reset and reprocessed free within 24 hours of upload.
Cons
Price structure is Lido’s weak spot, because the $29 Standard plan jumps straight to an annual Scale contract of about $7,000 with nothing monthly in between.
- Steep jump between tiers: Teams that outgrow 100 pages a month face a large step up to the yearly Scale plan. Mid-sized firms may end up paying for far more capacity than they need.
- Tight Standard allowance: Standard covers only 100 pages a month for a single user. Multi-page bank statements can use that up quickly, so estimate your real page count before signing up.
- Limited ready-made connectors: Native ERP links are reserved for custom Enterprise work. One competitor review reports no built-in Xero or Sage connection, so smaller firms may rely on CSV imports.
- Mixed stability reports: Some Capterra reviewers mention the interface freezing on larger batches. Splitting big uploads into smaller groups is a sensible workaround until you know how your files behave.
- Conflicting public prices: The homepage shows Scale at $7,840 a year, while the pricing page lists $7,000, and directories quote older monthly tiers. Buyers need a written quote to know the real figure.
Who is Using Lido?
Finance and operations teams buy Lido, especially accounts payable staff who key supplier invoices into spreadsheets or ERPs by hand every week.
- Accounts payable teams: Staff capture invoices and purchase orders from shared inboxes. Lido’s homepage cites a customer that freed up 85 per cent of its AP team’s capacity.
- Logistics and supply chain firms: Operators pull data from bills of lading and shipping paperwork. One case study describes processing around 400 purchase orders a week.
- Accounting practices: Firms convert client bank and credit card statements into spreadsheets. This shortens bookkeeping and year-end preparation for many small clients.
- Insurance and healthcare offices: Teams handle claims, medical forms and tax documents. They value the HIPAA compliance and the option of a Business Associate Agreement on Enterprise.
Pricing
Lido is freemium: 50 free pages, then $29 a month for Standard or $7,000 a year for Scale (official pricing page, October 2026).
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free pages | $0 | 50 pages that never expire |
| Standard | $29 a month | 100 pages a month, one user |
| Scale | $7,000 a year | 42,000 pages a year, 10 users, API |
| Enterprise | From $35,000 a year | Custom volume and ERP integrations |
Lido’s homepage lists Scale at $7,840 a year and calls the entry plan Starter, while Futurepedia still shows older monthly tiers of $24, $95 and $150.
All users in a workspace share one page pool, and you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time.
Disclaimer: Lido’s own pages quote different Scale prices, so ask for a written quote and confirm what counts as a page before you sign.
What Makes Lido Unique?
A spreadsheet interface replaces template training: you name columns once, and the AI fills a familiar grid from any layout. Older OCR products ask you to draw zones or train a model for every document style, which takes weeks.
Lido also combines extraction, email parsing and reconciliation in one workspace, so a single tool can capture an invoice, check it against your vendor list and flag mismatches. Short file retention of 23 hours and a no-training policy make it easier to justify for regulated finance and healthcare teams.
Compatibilities and Integrations
Lido runs in a desktop web browser and connects mainly through file sources, email and spreadsheet exports rather than a large app marketplace.
- Platform: Web app for desktop browsers, with no mobile app.
- File sources: Direct upload, Google Drive, OneDrive and email forwarding from Gmail or Outlook.
- Outputs: Excel, Google Sheets and CSV, with Lido’s email parser page also mentioning QuickBooks and ERP delivery.
- Developer access: OCR API, workflows and an MCP server on Scale and above.
- Enterprise: Custom ERP integrations and Business Associate Agreements.
Lido Tutorials
A first extraction takes minutes, and Lido says a full rollout can be live in about an hour.
- Create an account and claim the 50 free pages.
- Upload a few typical invoices or connect Google Drive or OneDrive.
- Type the columns you need, such as vendor, date, total and line items.
- Check the results and low-confidence values, then adjust labels.
- Set up an email forwarding rule for documents that arrive by mail.
- Export to Excel, CSV or Google Sheets, or move to Scale for API workflows.
How We Rated It
Lido scores 3.9 out of 5, with excellent security and layout handling held back by a costly gap between the Standard and Scale plans.
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy and Reliability | 4.3/5 | Strong on varied layouts |
| Ease of Use | 4.2/5 | Spreadsheet-style, little setup |
| Functionality and Features | 4.0/5 | Extraction, parsing, reconciliation |
| Performance and Speed | 3.7/5 | Some freezes reported |
| Customization and Flexibility | 3.9/5 | Custom fields, workflows |
| Data Privacy and Security | 4.6/5 | SOC 2, HIPAA, auto-delete |
| Support and Resources | 4.0/5 | Chat, email, onboarding |
| Cost-Efficiency | 3.2/5 | Steep mid-tier jump |
| Integration Capabilities | 3.6/5 | Drives, email, API, few ERPs |
| Overall Score | 3.9/5 | Average of the nine criteria |
Summary
Lido is a strong fit for finance and operations teams that still copy figures from invoices, statements and shipping papers into spreadsheets. Its template-free extraction, email parser and reconciliation checks cover most of the accounts payable workflow in one place. The biggest limitation is pricing, since the jump from 100 pages a month to an annual Scale contract is large. Native accounting connectors are also thin outside Enterprise. Before paying, run your messiest real documents through the 50 free pages and count how many pages a typical month actually uses.
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