ClearTax vs Tally Prime (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ClearTax and Tally Prime share a 1.6 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about platforms, where ClearTax grades higher, or the free plan, where Tally Prime does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ClearTax
Indian income tax filing, with self-filing and CA-assisted plans
Tally Prime
Desktop accounting and inventory software, mainly for Indian SMBs
Which one is for you
Pick ClearTax if
- Fits if you're an Indian taxpayer with salary or capital gains income who wants a CA to file
- Works for self-employed people in India who want expert-assisted returns
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're outside India, as it's rupees and Indian tax rules only
- Skip it if you need bookkeeping or invoicing, because it's a tax-filing product
- Watch out: plan prices show only inside checkout, so the figures above are the FAQ's starting prices
- Watch out: audit fees, where an audit is needed, are paid to the auditor and aren't in the plan price
Pick Tally Prime if
- Fits if you run a small business on Windows and want accounts and stock in one program
- Works for Indian businesses that need GST-style tax compliance built in
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac or want a phone app, because it is Windows only
- Not for you if you want cloud access in the price, as that is bought separately
- Watch out: prices differ by region, with the India page quoting 750 rupees a month plus 18% GST
- Watch out: the trial length is not stated, and the multi-user Gold plan showed placeholder prices on the North America page
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAClearTaxWeak | 1.6GPATally PrimeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C₹1,299 a return and up for CA-assisted salary filing, ₹3,999 for capital gains or self-employed work. A per-return service doesn't compare cleanly with monthly plans, so this is the middle grade. | CSilver for one user is $342 for 12 months, about $28.50 a month, in accounting's middle band. Lifetime is $855, which is more than two years of the $25 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on record, and each plan's price shows only inside the checkout flow. | DA free trial is offered, but the pages we read do not say how long it lasts. |
| Features | CSelf-filing, CA-assisted filing, capital gains import and year-round support. It files tax and does nothing else: no invoices, no ledger. | CInvoicing, accounting, inventory, tax compliance and banking. Cloud access and WhatsApp sharing are bought separately, and the tax side is built around India. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Which plan you need depends on what kinds of income you have. | CNo store rating on record. It is a desktop program with a learning curve for anyone new to it. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and Indian tax rules only. No integrations are listed. | DA Windows desktop program only; no Mac, iOS or Android app on the pages read, and 1 integration on record. |
| Best for | filing Indian income tax returns with a CA's help | a small business running accounts and stock on a Windows PC |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ClearTax and Tally Prime. How we grade
Where they differ
- Tally Prime can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- ClearTax also covers workflow automation.
- Tally Prime also covers invoicing, bookkeeping and inventory.
At a glance
| ClearTax | Tally Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | ₹1,299 and up for CA-assisted filing of salary income | $86 per 3 months (single user), on the North America price list |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered; its length is not stated on the pages read. |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Defmacro Software Pvt. Ltd. (Clear) | Tally Solutions Private Limited |
| Price read from | cleartax.in | tallysolutions.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ClearTax
- It serves Indian taxpayers and Indian tax rules only, and prices are in rupees.
- The price of each plan is shown only inside the checkout flow; the pricing page's FAQ gives starting prices.
- Audit fees, where an audit is required, are not part of the plan price and are paid to the auditor separately.
- It is a tax-filing product, not general bookkeeping or accounting software.
Tally Prime
- Runs as a Windows desktop program; the pages read list no Mac, iOS or Android app.
- Prices differ by region: the India page shows 750 rupees a month (plus 18% GST) for the single-user Silver edition, and the North America page shows dollars.
- On the North America page, the multi-user Gold plan showed rupee placeholder prices when read, so no dollar Gold price is recorded here.
- Cloud access and WhatsApp sharing are not part of the plan price and are bought separately.
Key features
ClearTax
- Self ITR filing
- Upload Form 16 or other documents and the return is pre-filled, with old and new tax regimes compared.
- CA-assisted filing
- A tax expert files the return for salaried people, investors, traders, freelancers, NRIs and people with RSUs or ESOPs.
- Capital gains import
- Imports capital gains from more than 80 brokers, according to the homepage, for investors and traders.
- Year-round tax support
- An annual subscription to a personal tax expert is sold for people who want help beyond the filing.
- Business tax products
- Separate Clear products cover GST, e-invoicing, TDS compliance, vendor management and input tax credit for companies.
Tally Prime
- Invoicing and accounting
- Vouchers, ledgers and financial reports in one desktop product, with the same features on every plan.
- Inventory management
- Stock tracking is part of the standard feature set rather than an add-on.
- Tax compliance
- The India price list lists GST, e-invoicing and e-way bills among the included features.
- Banking and cash flow
- Banking and cash flow tools are listed in the feature set on the buy page.
- Connected services
- Tally Software Services adds connected services and free upgrades while it is active.
- Optional add-ons
- Cloud access (shown as powered by AWS on the North America page) and WhatsApp sharing of invoices are bought separately.
Plans
ClearTax
CA-assisted: salary and house rent₹1,299
per return and up
Expert-assisted filing for salary and house rent income; the pricing FAQ says plans start from this figure.
CA-assisted: crypto traders₹2,999
per return and up
Expert-assisted plan for people with cryptocurrency income.
CA-assisted: capital gains₹3,999
per return and up
Expert-assisted plan for people with capital gains income.
CA-assisted: self-employed₹3,999
per return and up
Expert-assisted plan for self-employed people and professionals.
Tally Prime
Silver, 3 months$86
for 3 months, single user
Single-user edition for one PC, with all features and Tally Software Services included. Shown as USD 86 on the North America page.
Silver, 6 months$171
for 6 months, single user
Same single-user edition on a six-month term.
Silver, 12 months$342
for 12 months, single user
Same single-user edition on a twelve-month term, about $28.50 a month.
Silver, lifetime$855
one-time, single user
Perpetual single-user license with one year of Tally Software Services included.
Ways to pay less
ClearTax
No public discounts listed.
Tally Prime
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license
The buy page sells a perpetual single-user license, shown as USD 855 on the North America page, in place of renewing subscriptions.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ClearTax or Tally Prime?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ClearTax starts at ₹1,299 and up for CA-assisted filing of salary income, and Tally Prime starts at $86 per 3 months (single user), on the North America price list.
Which has a free plan, ClearTax or Tally Prime?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither ClearTax nor Tally Prime has a free plan. Tally Prime has a free trial.
Which platforms do ClearTax and Tally Prime run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only ClearTax lists a web app and only Tally Prime lists a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.