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Buyer's Guide

Best software for service businesses in India: billing, timesheets and projects

Rebota wrote this guide, and Rebota is one of the five products in it. Each product is described from its maker's own pages, read on 9 November 2026 or 5 November 2026 as marked. Nothing is scored or ranked, and Rebota's limits are listed next to its strengths.

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Products
5: accounting and ERP
Scores and ranks
None given
Pages read
9 November 2026, makers' own pages

Key Takeaways

  • A service firm sells time and expertise, so the question is how hours become invoices: timesheets, approvals, billing by the hour or by milestone, retainers that repeat every month, and TDS deducted by clients.
  • Zoho Books is the common starting point: Standard ₹749 a month for 3 users, billed yearly; billing timesheets, project profitability and other currencies start on Professional at ₹1,499 a month for 5 users. Prices exclude taxes.
  • Tally keeps the GST books; timesheets and project billing are not listed on the Tally pages we read.
  • Rebota adds CRM, quotations, projects, timesheets, invoices made from approved hours, recurring invoices and payroll in one account: Starter ₹9,832 for the first year, then ₹11,990 a year, up to 5 users, plus GST.
  • Staffing and security firms that bill per head or per shift should check that first: Rebota does not have manpower billing yet.
On this page
  1. How this guide was put together
  2. Five questions that sort the list
  3. Accounting first: Zoho Books and Tally
  4. Wider ERP: Odoo and ERPNext
  5. Hours to invoice in one account: Rebota
  6. Where Rebota is the wrong choice
  7. Sources
  8. FAQs

How this guide was put together #

Rebota makes software for service firms, and this page is ours. Zoho Books is described from its Indian pricing page, read on 9 November 2026; Tally, Odoo and ERPNext from the pages read on 5 November 2026 for our SAP Business One guide. Where a page does not mention something, we write "not stated": the product may still have it, so ask.

Five questions that sort the list #

  1. How do you charge? By the hour, by milestone, a fixed monthly retainer, or per person supplied. Each needs a different billing screen.
  2. Who records time? If staff record hours, you need timesheets with approval before they are billed.
  3. Do you need profit by client or project? Then costs and staff time must be booked to the project, not only to the company.
  4. Do you bill abroad? Export of services needs invoices in other currencies and a record of the exchange rate.
  5. How many people sign in? Plans are priced per organisation with a user count, or per user. Count partners, staff and your accountant.

Accounting first: Zoho Books and Tally #

  • Zoho Books lists, per organisation a month billed yearly: Standard ₹749 (3 users), Professional ₹1,499 (5), Premium ₹2,999 (10), Elite ₹4,999 (15) and Ultimate ₹7,999 (25); prices exclude local taxes. Its free plan is for 1 user and 1 accountant while revenue for the financial year stays within ₹25 lakh. Billing timesheets, project profitability and other currencies start on Professional.
  • TallyPrime Silver (one PC) is ₹750 a month, ₹8,100 for 12 months or ₹22,500 for life; Gold (several users) is ₹2,250, ₹24,300 or ₹67,500; all plus 18% GST. It is accounting and GST software; timesheets and project billing are not listed on the Tally pages we read.

Wider ERP: Odoo and ERPNext #

  • Odoo lists One App Free (one app, unlimited users); Standard at ₹580 a user a month billed yearly for the first 12 months, then ₹725; and Custom at ₹1,080, then ₹1,350. Implementation is not included.
  • ERPNext is open source (GPL-3.0) and free to host yourself, with Frappe Cloud sites from ₹410 a month. Frappe does not implement it directly; a partner does.

Hours to invoice in one account: Rebota #

Rebota keeps CRM and quotations, projects and tasks, timesheets with approval, invoices made from approved hours (time and material), recurring invoices for retainers, GST and TDS, payroll and the accounts in one account online. It is set up for IT and software firms, consultants, engineering and design consultants, architects, agencies, facility management companies and CA practices. Starter ₹9,832 for the first year, then ₹11,990 a year, up to 5 users, plus GST; Growth ₹32,546 for the first year, then ₹39,690 a year, up to 25 users. After the 15-day trial, keep using Rebota free: 1 user, 30 GST invoices a month, stock, suppliers and cash. Upgrade only when you need more.

Where Rebota is the wrong choice #

  • Staffing and security agencies that bill per head or per shift: manpower billing is not built yet.
  • Clinics that need patient records, and schools that need admissions and fee structures: these are not in Rebota yet.
  • A sole consultant with a few invoices a month may find Zoho Books' free plan enough while revenue stays within ₹25 lakh.
  • Generating the IRN or the e-way bill number from inside Rebota needs its GST service-provider connection, which was not switched on as of 29 October 2026; until it is, they are generated on the government portals.

Sources #

Every statement about another product comes from these pages. Rebota's figures come from its own plan settings and its services page.

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At a Glance

ProductWhat it isListed priceBill from timesheetsFree or trial
Rebota CRM, projects, billing and books, runs online Starter ₹9,832 first year, then ₹11,990 a year, 5 users, plus GST Yes, from approved hours 15-day trial with all modules, then a free plan
Zoho Books Online accounting Standard ₹749 a month (3 users), billed yearly, taxes extra From Professional (₹1,499 a month) Free plan up to ₹25 lakh revenue
TallyPrime Accounting and GST Silver ₹22,500 for life or ₹8,100 a year, + 18% GST Not listed Ask Tally
Odoo Modular ERP ₹580 a user a month first year, then ₹725 Ask Odoo One app free
ERPNext Open-source ERP Self-host free; Frappe Cloud from ₹410 a month Ask a partner Free to self-host

Which One Should You Actually Use

Who Should Use Rebota

Indian consultants, agencies, IT and software firms, architects, engineering and design consultants, facility management companies and CA practices who want quotations, projects, timesheets, billing, payroll and the books in one account at a published price.

Who Should NOT Use Rebota (Yet)

Staffing and security agencies billing per head or per shift, clinics and schools, and anyone who must generate e-invoices from inside the software today.

When the Other Option Is Genuinely Better

Zoho Books when you need only accounting and invoices, and its free plan or Standard fits your size. Tally when your accountant already works in it and you do not bill time. Odoo or ERPNext when you want to assemble an ERP app by app with a partner.

When You Don't Need Software At All

A few clients, fixed monthly fees and one person who raises every invoice. Excel stops working when hours go unbilled or nobody knows which client is profitable.

Hidden Costs to Weigh In Either Direction

Higher plans needed for timesheets and other currencies; per-user prices as the team grows; partner implementation for Odoo and ERPNext; GST on prices shown before tax; and unbilled hours.

The Short Version

If you only need books and invoices, compare Zoho Books and Tally on price. If hours, projects and retainers drive your billing, compare Rebota with Zoho Books Professional and a partner-built Odoo or ERPNext on how approved time becomes an invoice.

Professional Practices

Take one real month to every demo: three clients, one billed by the hour, one on a monthly retainer and one on milestones, a week of staff timesheets and one export invoice. Ask each vendor to raise all four invoices and show the profit of each client.

Action Checklist

  • Count your clients, staff who record time, and invoices a month.
  • Check which plan includes timesheets, projects and other currencies, and its price before tax.
  • In each demo, approve a week of hours and turn them into an invoice.
  • Set up one retainer that repeats every month.

Related Intelligence

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best accounting software for a small service business in India?▾
For accounting and invoices alone, Zoho Books (Standard ₹749 a month for 3 users, billed yearly; free up to ₹25 lakh revenue) and Tally are the usual choices. If you bill hours, run projects and pay staff, Rebota keeps quotations, projects, timesheets, invoices from approved hours, retainers, payroll and the books in one account (Starter ₹9,832 first year, then ₹11,990 a year, 5 users, plus GST).
Which software turns timesheets into invoices?▾
Rebota makes invoices from approved timesheets. Zoho Books lists billing timesheets from its Professional plan (₹1,499 a month, billed yearly). Timesheets are not listed on the Tally pages we read.
Is Zoho Books free?▾
Zoho Books has a free plan for 1 user and 1 accountant while revenue for the financial year stays within ₹25 lakh. Rebota has a 15-day trial and then a free plan.
Can a staffing or security agency use Rebota?▾
Not yet for billing: manpower billing per head or per shift is not built. Payroll and contracts are, so check the gap before choosing.
Can I bill clients abroad?▾
Zoho Books records other currencies from Professional. Rebota raises invoices in other currencies and records the exchange rate. Ask Odoo and ERPNext partners to show an export invoice.
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