Research Question
The user seeks to automate OCR extraction from daily scanned customer payment invoices into Excel files for ERP updates, currently using QuickBooks and planning migration to SAP S/4HANA.
Key Findings
- Make provides native Koncile OCR and WiseOCR integrations with 9 pre-built templates for invoice extraction (e.g., QuickBooks PDF to structured data via Koncile OCR, outputs to CSV/XLSX).
- QuickBooks Online has native support across platforms: Make (74 actions, 2 triggers), Zapier (premium, 33 actions, 29 triggers), n8n (33 actions), Pipedream (42 actions).
- SAP S/4HANA has native support on Make (39 actions including Create Supplier Invoice, Cancel Supplier Invoice; 6 triggers like Watch Supplier Invoices) and limited on Zapier (premium, 1 action, 4 triggers).
- Excel 365 integrations are native on Make (13 actions), Zapier (12 actions), Power Automate, and others for appending rows and tables.
- No pre-built S/4HANA OCR templates found; chain OCR to S/4HANA actions viable.
- Cost for 30,000 executions/month, 7 steps/workflow, 2 workflows: Make $214 monthly ($2,186 annual, Core 300K tier); Zapier $1,149 monthly ($9,228 annual, Professional 200K); n8n self-hosted $0; Pipedream $325 monthly.
Recommendation
Make is recommended for both QuickBooks and SAP S/4HANA due to native OCR (Koncile/WiseOCR), QuickBooks (74 actions), S/4HANA (39 actions), and Excel integrations with beginner setup (0.5 hours) at $214/month. Use pre-built QuickBooks OCR template now; extend to S/4HANA Create Supplier Invoice post-migration. Caveat: Custom validation may add steps; assumes cloud deployment and no M365 licenses specified.
Details
Cost comparison for 30,000 executions/month (prices as of 2026-03-20/2026-04-20):
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | QuickBooks Actions | S/4HANA Actions | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make | $214 | $2,186 | 74 | 39 | 0.5 hrs |
| Zapier | $1,149 | $9,228 | 33 | 1 | 0.5 hrs |
| n8n (self-hosted) | $0 (~$7 infra) | $0 | 33 | Custom API | 1 hr |
| Pipedream | $325 | $3,708 | 42 | Custom | 1.5 hrs |
| Power Automate | $0 (w/ M365) | $0 | Limited | Low | 2 hrs |
Make pricing: https://www.make.com/en/pricing
Zapier pricing: https://zapier.com/pricing
Templates include Make's "Extract data from invoices using OCR" (QuickBooks + Koncile OCR).
Methodology
Analysis used search_templates for "OCR invoice extraction excel", "QuickBooks OCR invoice extraction", "SAP invoice OCR extraction", "S/4HANA OCR/invoice"; check_solvability for Excel, OCR, QuickBooks, SAP, S/4HANA; compare_platforms for invoice-processing (30,000 executions/month, 7 steps/workflow, 2 workflows). Criteria: OCR/Excel/ERP integrations, actions/triggers, costs, templates. Limitations: No S/4HANA-specific OCR templates; community nodes excluded; assumes standard invoice fields.
FAQ
Does Make support QuickBooks OCR extraction?
Yes, Make has a dedicated template "Extract data from invoices using OCR" using QuickBooks API for PDF retrieval and Koncile OCR for structured fields like invoice number, dates, amounts, outputting to CSV/Excel.
Is SAP S/4HANA natively integrated?
Make provides official native integration with 39 actions (e.g., Create Supplier Invoice) and 6 triggers (e.g., Watch Supplier Invoices); Zapier offers limited premium support.
What is the cost at 30,000 monthly executions?
Make costs $214/month (Core 300K tier); Zapier $1,149/month (Professional 200K); n8n self-hosted $0 with ~$7/month infrastructure.
Can workflows chain OCR to ERP updates?
Yes, via Make: Scan trigger → Koncile OCR → Excel append → QuickBooks/S/4HANA Create Bill/Supplier Invoice.
Are there free options?
n8n self-hosted fits free tier ($0, intermediate difficulty); Power Automate free with M365 licenses but weak SAP support.