Short answer: for most Indian small businesses that need GST billing and proper books in one place, the 2026 shortlist is hisabkitab, Zoho Books and TallyPrime. Pick hisabkitab (from ₹2,999 a year) for cloud GST billing with AI bookkeeping and one-click Tally migration, built by Chartered Accountants. Pick Zoho Books if you are a service business under ₹25 lakh turnover and want a free plan. Pick TallyPrime if your CA already works in Tally on a desktop. Micro shops that only need bills on a phone can start free on Vyapar, myBillBook or Swipe.
Last updated: 13 November 2026. Written by CA Abhinav Sharma, Chartered Accountant and co-founder of hisabkitab. Yes, hisabkitab is our product, so we have tried to be specific about where other tools are the better fit. Check every price against the vendor’s own pricing page before you buy.
How we chose: what GST billing software must do for a small business in 2026
GST billing software has to do more than print an invoice with CGST and SGST. Since 22 September 2025, the main GST slabs are 0%, 5% and 18%, with a 40% rate for a short list of sin and luxury goods, so any tool still defaulting to 12% or 28% on your items needs its rate masters updated. Four rules decide whether a tool is safe for an Indian small business:
E-invoicing: mandatory once aggregate turnover in any year since 2017-18 exceeds ₹5 crore. The software should generate the IRN and signed QR code from the invoice screen.
E-way bills: needed for most movements of goods worth more than ₹50,000. Generating them from the invoice saves a second data entry on the portal.
Return-ready reports: GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B data, HSN summaries and GSTR-2B matching for input tax credit.
Real books, not just bills: ledgers, bank reconciliation, P&L and balance sheet, so your CA does not rebuild your year from Excel.
We also weighed price for a 1-2 user business, whether it runs on cloud and mobile, how easily you can move off Tally or Excel, and support in Hindi and Gujarati.
Comparison table: best GST billing software for small businesses in India
Software | Best for | Runs on | Starting price (excl. GST) | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
hisabkitab | SMEs wanting GST billing plus AI-assisted accounting, CA collaboration | Cloud, Android, iOS | ₹2,999/year (Launch) | Free plan: 1 company, 50 sales invoices |
TallyPrime | Traders and manufacturers whose CA works in Tally | Windows desktop | ₹22,500 one-time (Silver), or ₹750/month rental | Trial only |
Zoho Books | Service businesses, startups | Cloud, mobile | ₹749/month billed yearly (Standard) | Free plan up to ₹25 lakh revenue |
Vyapar | Kirana, retail counter billing | Android, desktop | Paid desktop plans | Free mobile plan |
myBillBook | Micro businesses, simple billing | Cloud, mobile | Paid yearly plans | Limited free version |
BUSY | Distributors, wholesale with heavy inventory | Windows desktop | Paid licence | Trial only |
Swipe | Solo sellers who mainly send invoices | Cloud, mobile | Paid plans for teams | Free plan with unlimited invoices |
1. hisabkitab: best for small businesses that want GST billing and accounting in one cloud app
hisabkitab is an AI-powered cloud accounting and GST billing software built by Chartered Accountants in Surat. One invoice screen creates the GST invoice, the e-invoice (IRN and QR) and the e-way bill. AI reads purchase bills and bank statements and posts the entries, which removes most manual data entry. Businesses moving from Tally can import their data, and CAs can work on the same books from the cloud.
Price: Launch ₹2,999/year (1 company, 2 users), Boost ₹4,999/year (2 companies, 4 users), Advance ₹6,999/year (4 companies, 5 users), all excluding GST. A free plan covers 1 company and 50 sales invoices.
Strengths: e-invoice and e-way bill from the invoice, AI bill and bank-statement import, WhatsApp payment reminders, Tally connector, mobile apps rated 4.4 on Google Play and 4.7 on the App Store (November 2026).
Limits: annual billing only, no monthly plan. Smaller user community than Tally, so fewer local freelancers know it.
2. TallyPrime: best when your CA already works in Tally
TallyPrime remains the default accounting software for Indian CAs and is strong on inventory, GST and statutory reports. It is desktop software for Windows, so working from a phone or from two offices needs a remote-access or Tally-on-cloud setup. Tally Solutions lists the single-user Silver licence at ₹22,500 plus GST, one-time, including the first year of updates (TSS). After that, TSS renewal is ₹4,500 plus GST a year. Silver can also be rented from ₹750 a month. Choose TallyPrime if your accountant files from Tally and you are comfortable on desktop. If you want cloud and mobile access, a cloud tool with a Tally import is usually the easier switch.
3. Zoho Books: best free option for service businesses under ₹25 lakh
Zoho Books is cloud accounting with full GST support, and its free plan stays free as long as revenue for the financial year is within ₹25 lakh. Paid plans start at ₹749 a month billed yearly (₹899 billed monthly), excluding taxes, according to Zoho’s India pricing page. It suits consultants, agencies and startups, especially those already using Zoho CRM. Product businesses with heavy stock often need the higher tiers or Zoho Inventory.
4. Vyapar: best for counter billing in kirana and retail shops
Vyapar is built for fast billing at the counter, with barcode support, stock tracking and a free mobile plan. It works offline, which helps shops with patchy internet. Accounting depth is lighter than Tally or a full accounting tool, so businesses that need proper books for their CA often outgrow it.
5. myBillBook: best for very small businesses that only need bills
myBillBook focuses on simple GST invoices, stock and payment reminders on mobile and web, and has a limited free version. It is quick to learn for an owner with no accounting background. Like Vyapar, it is a billing-first tool, so check whether your CA can work directly from its reports.
6. BUSY: best for distributors and wholesalers with complex inventory
BUSY is a desktop accounting and inventory package popular with distributors, FMCG and wholesale traders. It handles batches, multiple godowns and schemes well. It is closer to Tally in complexity, so it suits businesses with a trained accountant.
7. Swipe: best free choice for solo sellers who mainly send invoices
Swipe offers a free plan with unlimited invoices and a clean mobile app, and suits freelancers and solo sellers who mainly send invoices and collect payments. Businesses that need full double-entry accounting usually pair it with a separate accounting tool or move to one as they grow.
Which GST billing software should a small business in India choose?
You want billing and books in one cloud app, with your CA connected: hisabkitab.
Your CA uses Tally and you work on one desktop: TallyPrime.
You run a service business under ₹25 lakh and want ₹0 software: Zoho Books free plan.
You run a shop counter and mainly need fast bills on a phone: Vyapar or myBillBook.
You distribute stock across godowns with a full-time accountant: BUSY.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best GST billing software for a small business in India?
There is no single best tool for every business. For small businesses that need GST billing and accounting together on cloud and mobile, hisabkitab, Zoho Books and TallyPrime are the strongest options in 2026. Shops that only need quick bills can start free on Vyapar, myBillBook or Swipe.
Is there free GST billing software in India?
Yes. Zoho Books is free up to ₹25 lakh annual revenue, Swipe has a free plan with unlimited invoices, Vyapar has a free mobile plan, and hisabkitab has a free plan for 1 company and 50 sales invoices.
Do small businesses need e-invoicing?
E-invoicing is mandatory once aggregate turnover in any financial year from 2017-18 onwards exceeds ₹5 crore. Below that limit it is optional, but choosing software that supports it avoids a switch later.
What is a good cloud alternative to Tally for small businesses?
hisabkitab and Zoho Books are the main cloud alternatives. hisabkitab offers a Tally connector and one-click Tally data import, so existing ledgers and balances move across without re-entry.
How much does GST billing software cost in India?
Expect ₹0 for basic mobile billing, roughly ₹3,000 to ₹7,000 a year for cloud billing with accounting (hisabkitab’s plans are ₹2,999 to ₹6,999 a year), about ₹9,000 a year for Zoho Books Standard, and a one-time licence of ₹22,500 plus GST for TallyPrime Silver (₹4,500 plus GST a year for updates from year two).
Who built hisabkitab?
hisabkitab was built by Chartered Accountants CA Abhinav Sharma and CA Shrigopal Malani. It is a product of Accuhisabkitab Consultancy Private Limited, Surat, Gujarat.
Sources
Zoho Books India pricing and free-plan limit: zoho.com/in/books/pricing; TallyPrime pricing: Tally Solutions, “The Total Cost of TallyPrime in India” (updated July 2026)
E-invoicing threshold of ₹5 crore: CBIC Notification No. 10/2023–Central Tax
E-way bill limit of ₹50,000: Rule 138, CGST Rules, 2017
GST rate rationalisation effective 22 September 2025: 56th GST Council meeting, CBIC rate notifications
hisabkitab plans: hisabkitab.co/pricing-plans; app ratings from Google Play and the Apple App Store, November 2026
