Recipes / Finance

Reliability 3/5

Free OCR receipt logger

Snap a receipt to a Telegram bot; free OCR extracts amount/date and appends to Sheets. Text commands for income and expenses.

Manual expense spreadsheetsn8n + OCR.space + Telegram + Google Sheets
Cost afterFree (OCR.space free key) + n8n
SetupEasy · Not reported
Time savedNot reported
SkillBeginner

App vs bot, side by side

Old app vs bot
Old app / habitBot
ToolManual expense spreadsheetsn8n + OCR.space + Telegram + Google Sheets
Monthly costNot reportedFree (OCR.space free key) + n8n
SetupNone (already in use)Not reported · Beginner
Your timeBaselineNot reported
MaintenanceHandled by vendor/you as beforeAdjust extraction rules for your receipts.
PrivacyData stays with the app vendorReceipt images go to OCR.space.

Full comparison

ReplacesManual expense spreadsheets
Bot / agent stackn8n + OCR.space + Telegram + Google Sheets
Monthly cost beforeNot reported
Monthly cost afterFree (OCR.space free key) + n8n
Setup timeNot reported
Time savedNot reported
Skill levelBeginner
Reliability3/5: published template; rule-based parsing can miss unusual receipts.
MaintenanceAdjust extraction rules for your receipts.
Privacy & dataReceipt images go to OCR.space.
Best forBudget trackers on a $0 budget
Not forItemized receipts

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free OCR
  • Simple

Cons

  • Parsing is rule-based

How it works

  1. Get OCR.space key
  2. Create Telegram bot
  3. Import template
  4. Connect Sheets

Source and evidence

Published template; rule-based parsing can miss odd formats.

Read the original Template source ↗

“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source re-checked 2026-10-15.

Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)

Free OCR receipt logger. Replaces Manual expense spreadsheets with n8n + OCR.space + Telegram + Google Sheets. Cost before: Not reported. Cost after: Free (OCR.space free key) + n8n. Setup: Not reported, Beginner. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 3/5: 3/5: published template; rule-based parsing can miss unusual receipts. Best for: Budget trackers on a $0 budget. Not for: Itemized receipts. Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/6686-track-expenses-from-receipt-photos-with-telegram-and-google-sheets-using-ocrspace/

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