Several good products cost nothing to start. None is free without a condition: a revenue cap, an invoice limit, one device, no GST features, or a server you have to run. Pick the one whose condition you will not hit soon.
GST registration is compulsory once turnover crosses ₹40 lakh for goods or ₹20 lakh for services (less in some special category states), and below that you can still register voluntarily. Once registered, you need proper tax invoices with HSN or SAC codes, and monthly or quarterly returns.
E-invoicing applies only once aggregate turnover has crossed ₹5 crore in any year from 2017-18. Most businesses looking for free software are below that, so a free plan without e-invoicing is often fine.
Companies have one more rule: since 1 April 2023, accounting software must keep an audit trail of every change that cannot be switched off.
Zoho Books Free — one user plus your accountant, GST reports and filing, invoices, expenses and basic stock, in the browser and on phones. The catch: it stays free only while revenue is under ₹25 lakh in a financial year, and e-invoicing is on paid plans.
Rebota free plan — 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. The trial has every module, including projects, manufacturing and payroll, so you can see the whole system before deciding what to pay for. The catch: one user and a monthly invoice limit on the free plan.
Vyapar free version — the basic Android app is free for life, with GST billing, invoices and stock, and it suits a shop or a one-person business working from a phone. The catch: syncing several devices, more users and detailed reports are on paid plans.
Odoo One App Free — one Odoo app, such as Invoicing, free for unlimited users on Odoo Online. The catch: the second app moves the whole account to a paid plan priced per user, ₹580 per user a month billed yearly on Standard (October 2026).
BUSY Express — a free desktop edition for billing and accounting. The catch: no GST features, so a registered business needs the paid Standard edition (₹16,500 one-time plus GST).
TallyPrime Educational mode — the full program, free, for learning. The catch: vouchers can only be dated the 1st, 2nd or 31st of a month, so it cannot keep real books.
ERPNext and Odoo Community — open source, so the licence is free. The catch: you pay for hosting and for someone to set it up, apply updates and check the Indian GST setup.
Checked on 20 October 2026 on the vendors' own pages: Zoho Books, Odoo, BUSY, Vyapar. Free plans change; check before you build your books on one.
Check three things. Can you export everything, ledgers, invoices and stock, to Excel or a standard format if you leave? What happens on the day you cross the limit: does it stop working, or ask you to pay? And can your accountant get in without paying for an extra user?
A free plan you outgrow in four months costs more than a cheap paid plan you keep for four years, because the move between systems is the expensive part.
| Free option | The limit | GST | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books Free | Revenue under ₹25 lakh a year; 1 user + accountant | GST reports and filing; e-invoicing on paid plans | Browser and phone |
| Rebota free plan | 1 user, a monthly GST invoice limit | Browser and Android | |
| Vyapar free version | Basic Android app; sync and more users are paid | GST billing | Android |
| Odoo One App Free | One app only, unlimited users | Through Indian localisation | Browser |
| BUSY Express | No GST features | Windows PC | |
| TallyPrime Educational mode | Entries only on the 1st, 2nd and 31st | For learning only | Windows PC |
| ERPNext / Odoo Community | Free licence; you pay hosting and upkeep | Needs setting up and checking | Your server or a host |
Rebota suits businesses that need more than books: contractors, manufacturers, traders with several godowns and teams on payroll, who want one system for stock, projects, production, payroll and GST. The free plan covers one user while you find out.
A freelancer or a small shop that only needs invoices and GST returns. Zoho Books Free or Vyapar's free app will do the job with less to learn.
Zoho Books Free wins for small businesses under ₹25 lakh revenue that want full books and an accountant login. Vyapar wins for phone-first shops. Odoo One App Free wins when one app is all you need for a large team.
Below the GST threshold, with a handful of invoices a month, a spreadsheet and a proper invoice format are enough. Start with the free GST invoice format.
Every free plan: the move when you outgrow it. Zoho Books: the first paid plan once revenue crosses ₹25 lakh. Vyapar: paid plans for a second device or user. Odoo: per-user pricing from the second app. Open source: hosting, setup and someone to keep it updated.
Choose by the limit you will hit last. Under ₹25 lakh with a CA: Zoho Books Free. Phone-first shop: Vyapar. More than books: an ERP with a free start. And never put real books into Tally's Educational mode or a GST business into BUSY Express.
Write down your revenue for the last twelve months, the number of invoices a month, how many people need to enter bills, and whether you track stock. Those four numbers decide which free plan lasts. Then run one real month of invoices through your shortlist before moving opening balances, and ask your accountant to open the result.
