Khatabook vs Tally Prime (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Khatabook grades higher than Tally Prime: 3.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Khatabook grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Tally Prime
Desktop accounting and inventory software, mainly for Indian SMBs
Which one is for you
Pick Khatabook if
- Fits if you run a small Indian shop and track what customers owe
- Works for shopkeepers who want reminders sent by SMS or WhatsApp
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need double-entry accounting, since it is a ledger and billing app
- Watch out: the Google Play listing says the app contains ads
- Watch out: loans come from partner lenders at 15% to 24% interest and fees up to 5%, per the Play listing
- Skip it if you are outside India, because it is built for GST bills and rupee loans
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
| 3.2GPAKhatabookVery good | 1.6GPATally PrimeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree. The site calls the apps free and lists no paid plan, which is below anything else in the category. | 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 | AFree outright, with no paid plan on the site or the Google Play listing. You will see ads. | DA free trial is offered, but the pages we read do not say how long it lasts. |
| Features | CCustomer ledger, payment reminders, GST bills and stock. It does that job fully, a smaller job than accounting: no double-entry books. | 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 | BNo rating on record, but you install it and start entering what people owe. | CNo store rating on record. It is a desktop program with a learning curve for anyone new to it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BAndroid, iPhone and web, with Tally and WhatsApp. No desktop app or API is listed. | DA Windows desktop program only; no Mac, iOS or Android app on the pages read, and 1 integration on record. |
| Best for | tracking who owes you in a small Indian shop | 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: Khatabook and Tally Prime. How we grade
Price against what you get
Khatabook has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tally Prime starts at $28.67 a month and scores 1.7.
Khatabook scores higher and starts $28.67 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, none scores higher than Khatabook for less, and 73 score higher than Tally Prime for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Tally Prime can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Khatabook | Tally Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $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 | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Khatabook | Tally Solutions Private Limited |
| Price read from | khatabook.com | tallysolutions.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Khatabook
- It is a ledger and billing app, not a full double-entry accounting system.
- The Google Play listing says the app contains ads.
- Loans come from partner lenders; the Play listing gives interest of 15% to 24% and processing fees of up to 5%.
- Built for India: GST bills and rupee loans only, and the site does not publish a paid plan list.
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
Khatabook
- Customer ledger
- Records credit and debit transactions per customer, so the balance each person owes or is owed stays in one place.
- Payment reminders
- Sends reminder links by SMS or WhatsApp, including several at once, to chase unpaid balances.
- GST bills
- Creates GST and non-GST invoices and shares them over WhatsApp.
- Inventory
- Tracks stock with low-stock alerts and item-wise reports.
- Multiple businesses and backup
- Several businesses can be managed from one account, with automatic backup when the device is online.
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
Khatabook
Free$0
The site calls the apps free; no paid plan is listed on the site or the Google Play page, which says the app contains ads.
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
Khatabook
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, Khatabook or Tally Prime?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Khatabook is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $28.67 a month for Tally Prime. Khatabook is free, and Tally Prime starts at $86 per 3 months (single user), on the North America price list.
Which has a free plan, Khatabook or Tally Prime?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Khatabook has a free plan. Tally Prime does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Khatabook and Tally Prime run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Khatabook lists a web app and iOS and Android apps 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.