BillCraft vs Tally
If you’re shopping for billing or accounting in India, you’ve probably heard of Tally — the 30-year-old standard. We’re a modern web tool. They’re full Windows accounting books. Here’s the honest comparison — without bashing a tool that built half of India’s back office.
BillCraft
Free web-based invoice + GST bill generator. Works in any browser, also has an Android app. 13+ bill formats, instant PDF download, no signup wall.
Tally
India’s legacy accounting standard. Full double-entry books, GST returns, payroll, inventory, multi-company. Windows desktop only. Powerful but with a steep, keyboard-driven learning curve.
The 60-second verdict
If you only read one thing on this page, read this table. Everything else is detail.
| What you care about | BillCraft | Tally |
|---|---|---|
| PriceFor a typical small business | Free forever | ~₹18,000 one-time (Silver, single-user) or ~₹630/mo rental |
| PlatformWhere it runs | Web (any browser) + Android | Windows desktop only No web, no Mac, no native mobile |
| Sign-up required | ✓No — just open and use | ×License purchase + activation |
| GST invoicesCGST/SGST/IGST auto-calc | ✓Yes | ✓Yes — full GSTR returns |
| Bill templatesDifferent formats for different uses | 13+ designs GST, retail, rent, e-commerce, etc. | Standard invoice formats Customisable via TDL scripting |
| Inventory management | ×No | ✓Yes — full stock + godown |
| Accounting / ledger / P&L | ×No (focused on bills) | ✓Full double-entry, P&L, balance sheet |
| Works offline | !Web cache + Android app | ✓Yes (native desktop) |
| PDF export | ✓Instant, one tap | ✓Yes |
| Learning curve | Zero — one form, one screen | Steep Keyboard-driven UI from the DOS era |
| Best for | Freelancers, side-hustles, occasional billers | Established businesses, CAs, full books + payroll |
Who should pick what?
Honest answer: there’s no “best.” There’s only what fits your workflow.
Pick BillCraft if…
You just want a clean bill out the door — not a full set of accounting books.
- You’re a freelancer, consultant, or solo service provider
- You don’t need GSTR-1/3B return filing built into the tool
- You don’t want to spend ₹18,000+ upfront for invoicing
- You’re on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Linux, or Chromebook
- You want zero learning curve — not Tally’s shortcut-heavy UI
- You’ll hand books to a CA anyway
Pick Tally if…
You’re running serious accounting, not just billing.
- You file GSTR-1/3B returns yourself and want one tool that does it
- You need P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, ratio analysis
- You manage payroll, multi-company, multi-godown inventory
- You have a CA already trained on Tally
- You’re fine on a Windows machine and don’t need cloud/mobile
- The one-time license fee is fine for a multi-year horizon
Pricing deep-dive
Real numbers from each company’s public pricing page. Verify on their site before paying — prices change.
- Unlimited bills, every format
- GST auto-calc on every line
- PDF download — one tap
- 13+ bill templates included
- Web + Android, both free
- Optional sign-in to sync (also free)
- One-time perpetual license, single computer
- Gold edition for multi-user offices ~₹54,000
- Monthly rental option ~₹630/mo (Silver)
- Annual TSS subscription extra for updates & remote access
- Tally on AWS available for cloud/remote access (separate cost)
- Free educational version for learning — no commercial use
What each tool actually does well
Quick look at where Tally pulls ahead, and where BillCraft is plenty.
1. Invoice creation
Both produce GST-compliant invoices. Tally has been doing it for decades and supports every edge case — reverse charge, multi-rate, e-invoice JSON.
BillCraft wins on speed of first invoice — open pybillcraft.shop/generator, fill, download. Tally wins when you have a fully set-up ledger system, party masters, and recurring billing patterns — that infrastructure pays off over years.
2. GST compliance
Tally is a full GST returns engine. It generates GSTR-1, GSTR-3B JSONs ready to upload to the GST portal, handles reverse charge, e-invoice (IRN), and e-way bills end-to-end.
BillCraft generates compliant tax invoices with HSN, GSTIN, CGST/SGST/IGST — but does not file returns. If you file yourself and want everything in one place, Tally is the heavyweight answer.
3. Inventory & stock
Tally wins outright. Multi-godown, batch tracking, expiry, BOM, manufacturing, opening stock, sales/purchase orders, the whole stack.
BillCraft does not do inventory at all — it’s a bill generator, not a stock manager. If your daily reality is “how much stock did we sell today?” you need Tally (or Vyapar, MyBillBook).
4. Accounting & reports
Tally is the accounting suite for India. Daybook, ledger, cash/bank book, P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, ratio analysis, cost centres, multi-company consolidation. It’s overkill for a freelancer; it’s essential for a 50-employee firm.
BillCraft has no books. Pair with a CA-managed Tally setup, or use Excel/Zoho Books for actual accounting.
5. Where you can use it
BillCraft works in any browser — phone, laptop, Mac, iPad, Chromebook. Plus an Android app. Anywhere with internet.
Tally Prime runs on Windows only. There’s no native Mac, no iOS, no Android, no web app. Tally on AWS lets you remote into a hosted Windows VM — useful but a separate paid service. If you’re a Mac shop or work mostly from a phone, Tally is awkward.
6. Customer support
Tally has a massive partner ecosystem — certified resellers, training institutes, CAs trained on Tally, books and YouTube tutorials. Premium support via TSS subscription.
BillCraft is self-serve: docs, FAQ, email contact. Honest tradeoff for being free.
The honest pros & cons
Including the cons of our own tool. Because pretending we’re perfect is how trust gets broken.
BillCraft — Pros
- Free forever — no card, no trial, no upsell
- Zero learning curve — one form, one PDF
- Works in any browser — no install
- 13+ bill formats covering GST, retail, rent, electricity, e-com, medical, travel
- India-tuned defaults — rupee symbol, GST slabs, Indian number format
BillCraft — Cons
- No inventory — bills, not stock
- No customer ledger — no udhari tracking, no outstandings
- No accounting reports — pair with separate tool for books
Tally — Pros
- Industry standard — 30+ years, every CA knows it
- Full double-entry accounting, P&L, balance sheet
- GST returns & e-invoice end-to-end
- Multi-company, multi-godown, payroll in one tool
- Works fully offline on desktop
- One-time license — no annual SaaS lock-in
Tally — Cons
- Steep learning curve — keyboard-driven UI from another era
- Windows-only — no Mac, no iOS, no real web
- Expensive upfront — ~₹18,000+ for Silver
- Dated UI — functional but not modern
- Overkill for invoicing alone
Switching from Tally to BillCraft?
If you tried Tally and just need clean bills without the full accounting overhead, here’s the path.
Export your party + item masters from Tally
In Tally Prime, go to Gateway of Tally → Display More Reports → List of Accounts and export the ledger list to Excel. You’ll get GSTINs, addresses, and item masters. Keep that file for reference while billing in BillCraft.
Open BillCraft & pick your bill format
Head to pybillcraft.shop/generator. Pick the GST tax invoice format for B2B work, or one of the 13+ other layouts (rent, retail, e-commerce, medical, etc.) depending on what you raise.
Generate, download, hand books to your CA
Fill seller and buyer details, add items, hit Download PDF. Hand the PDFs (or summary Excel) to your CA, who can post them in their own Tally instance for your books. You stop paying for a license you didn’t need.
Common questions
Try BillCraft free — no signup, no card
If you’ve been paying for invoicing alone, you’re probably overpaying. Generate your next bill in 30 seconds — on us.