Pick your tools

Which software does a small business actually need?

Five pieces cover almost every small business in India: GST billing and accounting, a way to take payments, business email with shared documents, WhatsApp Business for customers, and payroll once you hire. Zoho Books is free while revenue stays under ₹25 lakh a year, then from ₹749 a month billed yearly; TallyPrime suits a business whose accountant already uses Tally, from ₹750 a month plus GST or ₹22,500 for life; myBillBook bills from a phone at ₹3,490 a year. Razorpay takes UPI and cards at 2% a transaction on its standard plan. Google Workspace gives email on your own domain from ₹99 a user a month, and Zoho Workplace is free for up to 5 users. The WhatsApp Business app is free, and Zoho Payroll is free for up to 10 employees. Rule: buy the accounting tool your CA can work in, then add nothing until a task hurts.

Part of Small business software on eChai Explore.

Go deeper

8 resources, 8 link-checked.

🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Freemium Beginner

Accounting software made in India with GST invoicing; it produces the profit and loss statement from your entries. There is a free plan for solopreneurs and micro businesses, and Standard is Rs 749 a month billed annually (Rs 899 monthly).

Zoho Books plans and pricing (India)

From zoho.com by Zoho Pricing page

Zoho Books on eChai Explore

  • Start on the free plan to invoice and keep books from the first sale.
  • Standard at Rs 749 a month billed annually adds e-invoices and expense tracking.
  • Once transactions are in, the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reports are generated for you.
Open zoho.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Paid Beginner

Tally's own price page for TallyPrime, the accounting software most Indian CAs already use. Silver for one PC is Rs 750 a month, Rs 8,100 for 12 months, or Rs 22,500 for a lifetime licence, all plus 18% GST.

Buy TallyPrime: plans and prices

From tallysolutions.com by Tally Solutions Pricing page

TallyPrime on eChai Explore

  • Silver (single PC) is Rs 750 a month or Rs 22,500 plus GST for life.
  • Every plan includes invoicing, inventory, GST returns, e-invoicing and e-way bills.
  • Remote cloud access is an extra add-on.
Open tallysolutions.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Paid Beginner

A phone-first GST billing and inventory app built for Indian shops and traders. Plus is ₹3,490 a year billed annually and Pro, which adds a desktop app, is ₹3,990 a year at the prices shown when checked.

myBillBook plans and pricing

From mybillbook.in by FloBiz Pricing page

myBillBook on eChai Explore

  • Suits a shop owner who bills from a phone at the counter rather than a CA-run ledger.
  • Plus at ₹3,490 a year covers GST invoices and stock for one business.
  • Check whether your accountant can export from it before you commit.
Open mybillbook.in →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Paid Beginner

India's most used payment gateway for small businesses, taking UPI, cards and netbanking. The pricing page lists a standard fee of 2% plus GST per transaction, with no gateway fee for the first 90 days on its current offer and custom pricing above ₹5 lakh a month.

Razorpay pricing

From razorpay.com by Razorpay

Razorpay Payment Gateway on eChai Explore

  • Payment Pages give you a payment link without any coding.
  • Budget 2% plus GST of every online sale as the cost of collecting it.
Open razorpay.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Paid Beginner

Gmail, Meet, Drive and Docs on your own domain, priced in rupees. The page lists Base at ₹99 per user a month for up to 20 users, Business Starter at ₹270 and Business Standard at ₹1,080, each with a 14-day free trial.

Google Workspace pricing (India)

From workspace.google.com by Google

Google Workspace on eChai Explore

  • Base is the cheapest way to get Gmail on your own domain.
  • Prices are per user, so make shared addresses aliases, not extra users.
Open workspace.google.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Freemium Beginner

Zoho's mail and office suite from an Indian company. The Forever Free plan hosts email on one domain for up to 5 users; Workplace Standard is ₹99 a user a month billed yearly.

Zoho Workplace pricing (India)

From zoho.com by Zoho Pricing page

Zoho Workplace on eChai Explore

  • Start free if you are 5 people or fewer.
  • A full suite that undercuts both Google and Microsoft.
Open zoho.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Free Beginner

If your customers run their business on WhatsApp, being reachable there yourself is the point. The free Business app gives you labels to track your early customers, quick replies, and a catalog, so you can be the founder who responds fast on the same number they message everyone else on. A simple way to operationalise the be reachable and onboard them personally approach.

WhatsApp Business app

From Meta / WhatsApp (Google Play) by WhatsApp Free app

WhatsApp Business on eChai Explore

  • Use labels to track your first customers by hand
  • Quick replies keep you responsive without a team
  • Meet SMB owners on the channel they already use
Open play.google.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Freemium Beginner

Indian payroll software that calculates salaries, payslips and statutory deductions. It is free forever for up to 10 employees, which covers most first hires.

Zoho Payroll pricing (India)

From zoho.com by Zoho Pricing page

Zoho Payroll on eChai Explore

  • Run your first payroll free for up to 10 employees.
  • It handles TDS, PF and payslips so you are compliant from the first salary.
  • Move to a paid plan only once you pass 10 employees.
Open zoho.com →

Terms in this answer

Goods and Services Tax

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