Acctivate vs Busy (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Acctivate if

• Fits if your books are in QuickBooks and you run Windows PCs
• Works for small distributors that need costing and assemblies

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use a Mac or want a browser-only tool, as the listing is Windows only
• Not for you if you want a price first, since packages come through a quote form
• Tight if you are one person, as the Starter package covers one user and Professional five
• Watch out: mobile warehouse, EDI, bin-location and web store tools are package modules
• Skip it if you want to try free, as no trial is listed

Pick Busy if

• Fits if you run a small Indian business and want free GST billing and accounts
• Works for shops that need stock, POS and e-way bills in one program

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you sell outside India, as it is built around GST
• Watch out: paid plans switch to Demo Mode when the subscription expires
• Watch out: cloud access is separate at ₹10,800 or ₹16,800 for 360 days, excluding GST
• Tight if you need the mobile app, because Express has none
• Skip it if you want one price, since older perpetual plans carry yearly renewal fees

Acctivate

• No prices are published: packages are quoted through a Get my price form or the sales team.
• The Starter package covers a single user; Professional is described as covering five users.
• The pricing page lists mobile warehouse, EDI, bin-location and web store tools as package modules, so not every feature is in every package.

Busy

• Prices are in rupees, exclude GST, and are shown for India; the page also has South Asia and Global views in dollars.
• Subscription plans switch to Demo Mode when the subscription expires.
• Cloud access is separate: BUSY Online costs ₹10,800 per 360 days for Access or ₹16,800 for SQL, excluding GST.
• The pricing page also sells older perpetual plans (BUSY 21) with a yearly renewal fee for updates and support.

Acctivate

Inventory costing and tracing

Unlimited products, landed cost, lot and serial tracking, and average, standard, LIFO, FIFO or actual costing methods.

QuickBooks sync

Two-way integration with QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online, so accounting stays in QuickBooks.

Multi-channel orders

Brings in-store, phone, web store and EDI orders into one workflow, with quotes, kitting and drop ship handling.

Warehouse tools

Multiple warehouses, counts and transfers; bin locations, picklists and mobile barcode receiving sit in the higher packages.

Reports and alerts

Over 100 standard reports, a customizable dashboard and alerts for reorders, credit holds and overdue invoices.

Manufacturing and assemblies

Handles discrete, process, refurbish and custom production runs; listed as part of the Professional package.

Busy

Accounting and billing

Vouchers, invoices, ledgers, receivables and payables, a balance sheet and P&L, with multiple companies and financial years.

GST compliance tools

The Smart plan and above add GSTR-1 tools, return downloads, GSTIN and HSN validation, e-way bills and e-invoices up to plan limits.

Stock management

Multiple godowns, MRP-wise stock, batch and serial numbers, reorder levels and item parameters such as brand, size and colour on Smart and above.

POS and barcodes

Smart and higher plans list point-of-sale billing and barcode and QR code scanning for fast invoicing.

Mobile app

A mobile app for iOS and Android shows reports, creates orders, quotations and invoices, and checks stock.

Access controls

User-definable access rights, an audit trail and user login scheduling are listed on the higher plans.

Acctivate

Pricing could not be confirmed. See acctivate.com.

Busy

• Express₹0

  Free billing and accounting: vouchers, invoices, ledgers, P&L and balance sheet. No mobile app.

• Start₹5,000

  per 360 days, single user, excluding GST

  Billing, accounting and inventory for non-GST businesses, with Mobile App Lite free for the first 360 days.

• Smart₹8,000

  per 360 days, single user, excluding GST

  Adds GST returns tools, e-way bills and e-invoices up to 10,000, POS, barcode scanning, batch and serial tracking.

• Power₹12,000

  per 360 days, single user, excluding GST

  Adds multiple GSTINs in one company, e-way bills and e-invoices up to 20,000, SQL support and premium voice support.

• Power+₹50,000

  per 360 days, 10 users, excluding GST

  For larger firms: 10 users, 150 companies, e-way bills and e-invoices up to 50,000, email, WhatsApp and voice support.

Acctivate

No public discounts listed.

Busy

• Other savings

  Mobile App Lite free for 360 days

  Every BUSY Magic subscription plan includes Mobile App Lite with 250 credits for the first 360 days.