Best Free Accounting and Billing Software for Small Businesses. Recommended by Government of India & GST Network

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Updated on 18-06-2020

Hello, I welcome you all to the fifth article of my blog Sewa Diary. This article is going to be very useful, especially for small businesses (having turnover less than 1.5 crores), startups, MSMEs and for those persons who want to maintain their accounting work in a software but have not started yet because of lack of funds, insufficient knowledge, legal complications or due to the risks of frauds.

So, here in this article i am going to tell you the most trusted sources from where you can download one of the Best Free Accounting Software for your small business. The basic requirement to download these software(s) is a valid GST Number & turnover less than 1.5 crores per annum. Unregistered businesses or individual having inactive GST Number are not eligible to download these software  - as per GSTN Report.

These software have been designed in such a way that any person, whether he's from accounting background or not, can also use them easily. The free version of these software are equipped with functionality as per the basic requirements of a new business, such as creating Sale invoice, Purchase invoice, Journal entries, Contra, prepare GST returns, Inventory management, Recording of expenses, incomes and a lot more. You are informed that, these pieces of software may adhere to the Indian Accounting Standards (AS) and the Indian Taxation System of indirect or direct taxes. 

There are no extra or hidden charges for basic version. As of now, you can start using it just after installation without any tension of paying renewal fee, AMC (annual maintenance charges), or other annual charges. So, read this article till the end for a hassle free experience.

Accounting And Billing Software 1 to 8. Recommended by Government of India & GSTN

As on 10/06/2020, these 8 software are available for download from the Government of India (GOI's) website https://services.gst.gov.in.

According to a report of GSTN and newspaper The Times of India "Almost 80 lakh MSMEs with turnover of less than Rs 1.5 crore could benefit from these free software" ↗ . Let me tell you how to find these software on GST website. Follow 3 simple steps mentioned below:
  • Step 1. Go to login page on GST Website Here ↗
  • Step 2. A new page will be opened. Enter username, password and type the characters you see in the image section on same screen. At the end, click the LOGIN button. If you don't know the username/password, you can ask it from your CA (Chartered Accountant) or Accountant who file your GST Returns. 
  • Step 3. After login, go to section 'Downloads' then click the subsection 'Accounting And Billing Software'. A popup window will be appeared for confirming the business turnover, click Yes to proceed. Refer to Figure 1. and 2 below.
Figure 1. Go to Downloads > Accounting & Billing Software
Figure 2. Confirm Annual Turnover, click YES to proceed.


So now, you can see a list of software. You can check the features of each software by clicking (+) button given on the right side of each software. Refer to figure 3. for list of software.

Figure 3. Preview of Account & Billing Software inside GST Portal.


For better understanding, i have categorized the list of software in two types, i.e. Online and Offline.  Let's check them in detail below:

Offline Accounting & Billing Software 1 to 5

1. Marg GST Pro.*

Logo from Marg Website under Fair use policy

This free product is offered by the company Marg ERP Ltd. It creates industry oriented billing software, especially for Pharmaceuticals businesses (like retailers, distributors & manufacturers) and for Supply chain management it has also launched mobile apps.


How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity using OTP and then your software download will be started. For more detail about its products you can visit the MARG ERP. WEBSITE ↗. 

My Suggestion: I am using the paid version of this software from the year 2017. It's easy to use and it has tons of features to handle the complexities of a small pharma manufacturing unit. My favourite feature is BOM (bill of material) which i will discuss in detail in other article. My feedback for free version is 5 out of 5 stars and for paid version 4 out of 5 stars. No doubt company has a dedicated support team at headquarters to help its customers, but some of its zonal/local distributors are rude and they charge higher fees for paying a physical visit at the business location. These local distributors have insufficient knowledge of their subject matter, they don't understand the customers' perspective.

2. Saral Accounts (Relyon Softech Limited)*

To check the features of Saral Accounts, you can visit to the product detail page on:
How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.

My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

3. Cygnet FACE (Cygnet Infotech Private Limited)*

To check the features of Cygnet FACE, you can visit to the product detail page on:
How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.


My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

4. uBooks (Adaequare Info Pvt. Ltd.)*

To check the features of uBooks, you can visit to the product detail page on:
How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.


My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

5. FocusLyte (Focus Softnet Pvt Ltd)*

.To check the features of uBooks, you can visit to the product detail page on:
  • YouTube Channel Here ↗ 
  • For contact, office address & other detail, kindly visit YouTube Channel.
  • Partially Offline software. Online available.
How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.

My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

Online Accounting & Billing Software 6 to 8

6. Zoho Books (Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd.)*


Logo from Wikipedia under Fair use policy

It is a cloud based accounting system, which means it will not work if you have no internet connection. But it doesn't mean it's insecure. It can be used from the comfort of your home, because here everything is online. According to me, it is highly secured and has dedicated team members to support the customers. Obviously, if it is recommended by GST network then we do not need to worry on the grounds of security and privacy.  According to company's website, When you choose Zoho, you get more than just a single product or a tightly integrated suite. It's true though because company has provided tons of its utility and accounting software to common public at no extra cost. If you are a android smartphone user, open Play Store and type Zoho in the search box, A huge list of Zoho software will be shown to you. For more detail, you can review ZOHO BOOKS WEBSITE ↗.

How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.

My Suggestion: I am neither using its free nor paid version right now. The reason is online access. I can't be online every time. But i am using its applications which are available free to download from Google Play Store for Android users. So, i give it 4 out of 5 stars.

7. Vyapari (IRIS Business Services Limited)*

To check the features of Vyapari, you can visit to the product detail page on:
How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.

My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

8. GenieBooks (Seshaasai Business Forms Private Limited)*

How to Download: On GSTN portal, Click on download link and Accept the declaration. After that you will be redirected to company's website where you've to register and verify the business entity either by OTP or email verification and then your software download will be started.


My suggestion: I haven't tried this software yet, so i prefer you to check it yourself and start using it, only if it suits to your requirements. Whenever i will use it, i will write a Feedback Article separately and will tag the same article here.

***

Frequently Asked Questions

Click the question to know the answer ˃

Yes, few of them can be downloaded directly from the website of software provider. As of now, you can Download MargGSTPro here ↗ from the website of Marg ERP Ltd. after submitting personal detail like mobile number, email, name and how did you come to know about Marg. If above link is not working go to: https://margcompusoft.com/gstpro.aspx and click DOWNLOAD NOW button on the shown screen.
Yes available. These 8 Accounting and Billing software are 100% Free at the basic level. These are provided by Government of India and GSTN in partnership with well known Accounting Software Providers. You can download them either after logging into GST portal or directly from their website.
According to reports, 80 lakh Micro, small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) could benefit from these free of cost Accounting Software. But it does not mean that it is available only for MSME, any GST payer 'having turnover as mentioned on the portal' can download it from the GST portal.

***

At The End.

In case of non-satisfactory support from product owners, the tax payers may write to GSTN on the mail id (ecosystem@gstn.org.in), highlighting their grievance. Please note that they must write to GSTN only after they have exhausted all the escalation levels provided by vendor.

For suggestions, complaints and queries related to this article, submit your comment in the comment box below. We are happy to hear from you.

You can also Send Me Email ↗ for the faster and better resolution of your queries. If you like my work and want to support, please do share this article with your friends and colleagues and do Subscribe this blog.

Thank You. 

**Disclaimer(s)

* Disclaimer by GSTN and by Author of this Article:
GSTN or SewaDiary or its associated blogs/authors makes no representations or warranty whatsoever about the Accounting & Billing Software(''Software'') which you may access through www.gst.gov.in(''Website''). When you access the software, please understand it is independent from GSTN or SewaDiary or associate blogs, and ther GSTN (or SewaDiary or associated blogs) has no control over that Software. GSTN (or SewaDiary or associated blogs) do not endorse or accepts any responsibility the use/misuse by such Software. It is upto you to take necessary precautions. GSTN (or SewaDiary or associated blogs) is not collecting taxpayers' data through the Software in any manner. Please read the terms and conditions of the Software properly before proceeding forward.

* If Accepted, Declaration by the Taxpayer:
I hereby declare that my annual turnover is less than Rs. 1.5 Cr. I understand and agree that GSTN should not be liable in any way for the services in respect of Accounting and Billing Software.
  

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