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

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

Pick HandiFox if

• Fits if you run QuickBooks and want barcode scanning for stock
• Works for small warehouses that count and pick with phones

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you do not use QuickBooks, as the product is built around it
• Tight if you add staff, since Start has 2 users and 1 device and extras cost $15 and $40 a month
• Watch out: serial and lot numbers, pick and pack and the B2B portal are Pro only
• Watch out: the pricing page shows a first-year offer ending August 1 and no regular price
• Pricey if you use QuickBooks Desktop, because that is a separate $1,995 licence per mobile device

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.

HandiFox

• The pricing page still labels its prices as ending August 1 and as a first-year discount for new customers; the regular price after that is not shown.
• Plans cap users and mobile devices (Start has 2 users and 1 device); extra users cost $15 a month each and extra devices $40 a month each.
• Serial and lot numbers, picking and packing, and the B2B portal are Pro only.
• HandiFox Desktop, for QuickBooks Desktop, is sold separately as a perpetual license of $1,995 per mobile device, with a yearly support add-on of $495 per device.

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.

HandiFox

Barcoding and label printing

Barcodes in several formats and barcode label printing, with scanning from the mobile app.

Counting and replenishment

Cycle counts, physical counts, reorder points and purchase orders generated from stock levels.

Sales and fulfillment

Invoices on Optima; sales orders, picking, packing and three-stage fulfillment on Pro.

Serial and lot tracking

Serial numbers, lot numbers and expiration dates on Pro, with FIFO/FEFO fulfillment.

QuickBooks sync

Optional transaction-level sync with QuickBooks Online, including locations and sales taxes.

B2B portal

A customer ordering portal is included in the Pro plan.

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.

HandiFox

• Start$49

  per month for 2 users, billed annually ($59 monthly)

  1 device, 1 location, barcoding, counting, auto-replenishment and the mobile app. Page labels the price as lasting until August 1, first year only.

• Optima$95

  per month for 4 users, billed annually ($105 monthly)

  2 devices, up to 3 locations, invoices, customers, payments and transfers. Same first-year note as Start.

• Pro$129

  per month for 5 users, billed annually ($159 monthly)

  3 devices, unlimited locations, sales orders, pick and pack, serial/lot numbers, manufacturing, B2B portal, phone support.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For larger teams and custom implementations. Sold through sales.

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.

HandiFox

• Annual discount

  Save up to 20% with annual subscriptions

  HandiFox's pricing page says annual billing saves up to 20% against monthly billing.