ProfitBooks vs Refrens (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ProfitBooks grades higher than Refrens: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ProfitBooks grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ProfitBooks
Online accounting and GST invoicing for small businesses
Refrens
GST invoicing, accounting and lead tracking for Indian firms
Which one is for you
Pick ProfitBooks if
- Fits if you invoice under 1,000 times a year and want GST or VAT handled
- Works for traders who need stock tracked across warehouses
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 10 invoices a month and 50 customers
- Watch out: Essential caps at 1,000 invoices a year and Growth at 5,000
- Pricey if you need payroll or multi-currency, which start on Growth at $20 a month
- Watch out: unlimited invoices and warehouses are SMB Pro at $35 a month
- Watch out: WhatsApp is an add-on on Essential, and India shows separate rupee prices
Pick Refrens if
- Fits if you're an Indian business that needs GST invoices, e-way bills and GSTR reports
- Works for freelancers who share invoices over WhatsApp
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you use Free: 15 documents, then a paid plan
- Not for you if you're outside India, as it's rupees and GST
- Pricey if you want bookkeeping: that's Pro at ₹30,900 a year, and e-invoices and e-way bills need Plus at ₹16,900
- Watch out: prices exclude GST, and extras such as custom templates and digital signatures cost more
- Watch out: the pricing FAQ says there's no downloadable app, while the footer links Android and iOS apps
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAProfitBooksGood | 2.2GPARefrensFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BEssential is $99 a year, about $8.25 a month, inside the $9 where the cheaper quarter ends. The category's middle is $20. | C₹8,900 a year for Lite, ₹16,900 for Plus and ₹30,900 for Pro, excluding GST. Lite is about ₹742 a month, but bookkeeping sits on Pro, around the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CStartup is free for good but only 10 invoices and 10 journal vouchers a month, and 50 customers. You'll hit that fast. | CA free plan of 15 documents, then you need a paid plan to keep creating them. |
| Features | BGST and VAT invoicing, inventory, bank reconciliation, expenses and accountant access. The caps are on volume, not on what it does. | CGST invoices and quotations, e-invoices, GSTR reports, inventory and AI bill capture. Bookkeeping starts at Pro, and custom templates and digital signatures cost extra. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating read for it here. Plenty to set up: tax, stock, banks and warehouses. | CNo store rating on record. You set up inventory, GST details and clients before it saves time. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with PayPal and WhatsApp (an add-on on Essential). No desktop app. | BWeb, with IndiaMART, Google Calendar and WhatsApp sharing. The footer links Android and iOS apps but the FAQ says there's none, so we don't count them. |
| Best for | small-business accounting with GST or VAT | GST invoicing for Indian firms |
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: ProfitBooks and Refrens. How we grade
Price against what you get
ProfitBooks starts at $9.95 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Refrens starts at about $7.81 a month and scores 2.3.
ProfitBooks scores higher, and starts $2.14 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 2 score higher than ProfitBooks for less, and 11 score higher than Refrens 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
- ProfitBooks also covers reports and payroll.
- Refrens also covers sales pipeline and quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| ProfitBooks | Refrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.95 per month, billed monthly | ₹8,900 per year, excl. GST (₹742 a month effective) |
| Free plan | Startup plan: free with no time limit, for 1 user, 10 invoices and 10 journal vouchers a month, basic reports and 1 warehouse. | 15 documents free, then a paid plan is needed to keep creating new ones. |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial of the SMB Pro plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ProfitBooks Solutions Private Limited | Refrens |
| Price read from | profitbooks.net | refrens.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ProfitBooks
- Prices exclude GST in India; the rupee prices are separate, such as ₹2,499 a year for Essential.
- Essential and Growth cap invoices per year (1,000 and 5,000); SMB Pro is unlimited.
- Payroll starts on Growth, and WhatsApp integration is an add-on on Essential.
- The free plan caps customers at 50, per the pricing FAQ.
Refrens
- Prices are in rupees and exclude GST; the page lists 3-month, 1-year and 3-year terms.
- The Free plan stops at 15 documents, and extras such as custom templates and digital signatures are charged on top.
- Built for Indian tax rules, with GSTR reports and e-way bills at its core.
- The pricing page FAQ says there is no downloadable app, while the footer links Android and iOS apps.
Key features
ProfitBooks
- GST and VAT invoicing
- Applies GST for India and VAT for the UAE and other countries, and picks CGST/SGST or IGST from the place of supply.
- Inventory and warehouses
- Stock tracking with one warehouse on Startup and Essential, three on Growth and unlimited on SMB Pro.
- Bank reconciliation
- Bank rules match transactions automatically, and the site lists reconciliation among the core features.
- Reports and tax data
- More than 45 financial reports, plus GSTR1 and GSTR3B on paid plans.
- Accountant access
- A CA or accountant can log in read-only, and SMB Pro adds an auditor access feature.
Refrens
- Invoices and quotations
- Create, customize and share invoices, quotations and purchase orders, with recurring invoices and payment reminders.
- GST compliance
- E-invoices, e-way bills, GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B reports with reconciliation, from the Plus plan.
- Accounting
- Automated bookkeeping, charts of accounts, bank reconciliation and financial statements, from the Pro plan.
- Inventory
- Stock tracking across locations, with batch and serial tracking and expiry reports on higher plans.
- AI bill capture
- OCR scanning and a WhatsApp and email assistant turn vendor bills into draft entries; 100 to 500 scans a year by plan.
- Leads and vendors
- Track sales leads across pipelines, and run vendor approval and onboarding workflows on Enterprise.
Plans
ProfitBooks
Startup$0
1 user, 10 invoices and 10 journal vouchers a month, basic reports, 1 warehouse.
Essential$9.95
per month, billed monthly
1 user and 1,000 invoices a year, GSTR1 and GSTR3B, invoice reminders and signature. $99 if paid yearly.
Growth$20
per month, billed monthly
10 users, 5,000 invoices a year, payroll, multicurrency and 3 warehouses. $199 if paid yearly.
SMB Pro$35
per month, billed monthly
25 users with custom roles, unlimited invoices and warehouses, projects and auditor access. $349 if paid yearly.
Refrens
Free₹0
Create up to 15 documents, such as invoices and quotations, before a paid plan is needed.
Lite₹8,900
per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹10,680)
Unlimited documents, inventory, recurring invoices, WhatsApp sharing and OCR scanning; 2 users.
Plus₹16,900
per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹20,280)
Adds e-invoices, e-way bills, GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B reports and lead management; 3 users.
Pro₹30,900
per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹37,080)
Adds automated bookkeeping, journals, bank reconciliation, balance sheet and batch tracking; 5 users.
Enterprise₹44,900
per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹53,880)
Adds document and vendor approval workflows, RFQ and RFI links and vendor verification; 5 users.
Ways to pay less
ProfitBooks
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs less than monthly
Yearly prices are $99, $199 and $349 for Essential, Growth and SMB Pro; the FAQ says SMB Pro yearly billing is 10 months for 12.
Refrens
- Annual discount
Save 16% on 1 year and 25% on 3 years
The Premium page marks its 1-year term as 16% cheaper and its 3-year term as 25% cheaper than the shorter terms.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ProfitBooks or Refrens?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Refrens is cheaper to start with: about $7.81 a month, against $9.95 a month for ProfitBooks. ProfitBooks starts at $9.95 per month, billed monthly, and Refrens starts at ₹8,900 per year, excl. GST (₹742 a month effective).
Which has a free plan, ProfitBooks or Refrens?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both ProfitBooks and Refrens have a free plan.
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.