Guide

How to choose billing software for a shop in India

A shop can buy accounting software and still have a slow counter. First decide which job you are hiring for.

By the Nivasik Team · Last reviewed · 5 min read

Shop software does one of three jobs: invoices (bills and GST paperwork from a phone), a counter (fast scanning, loose goods, khata, the drawer), or accounts (double-entry books and returns). Most disappointment comes from buying for one job and expecting another.

Decide which job comes first, then test it at your own counter with your own goods, and ask what the second year costs.

Which job comes first?

Which kind of software fits which day
If your day is mostlyYou needExamples of what to test
Sending GST invoices to businessesAn invoicing appE-way bills, party balances, a CA login
A queue at the counterA counter (POS)Scan speed, loose goods by weight, one-tap payment, offline billing
MedicinesA counter with batchesExpiry refused at the sale, search by salt, strips and loose tablets
Books, returns and auditAccounting softwareDouble-entry, filing, your accountant’s comfort

Many shops use two: a counter for the day and accounting software with the accountant at month end.

The checklist

  • Speed: scan 20 items in a row. Does it keep up?
  • Loose goods: sell 750 g from a sack, or “₹50 worth”. Does stock follow?
  • MRP: does it stop a line going above the printed price?
  • Khata: who owes what, since when, and how do you remind them?
  • Batches and expiry: does it sell the oldest first, and refuse what has expired?
  • Purchases: a delivery raises stock and what you owe the supplier in one step.
  • The drawer: does closing the day compare what should be there with what you count?
  • No internet: does the counter keep billing, with real bill numbers?
  • Staff: their own logins, and limits on discounts.
  • Your data: can you take it away as a file?

The test: an hour at your own counter

  1. Load your own 50 fastest-selling items.
  2. Bill a real customer’s basket, with barcodes and something loose.
  3. Put a bill on khata, then take part of it back.
  4. Return one item from a paid bill.
  5. Record a delivery from your supplier, on credit.
  6. Print on your own printer.
  7. Cut the internet and bill for ten minutes.
  8. Close the day.

What it really costs

Questions for any vendor
CostWhat to ask
The planPer year, or one-time with a yearly charge? Is it per user?
Extra usersWhat does a second counter or login cost?
What the low price leaves outStock, reports, removing a watermark, support
The second yearWhat is the renewal, in writing?
TaxIs GST on top?

Published prices are side by side on the billing software comparison.

Red flags

  • “Free download, full version” from a site that is not the maker’s: ask who supports it and where your data goes.
  • No way to get your data out.
  • A price with no period and no written renewal.
  • A demo that never uses your own goods.

Setting it up, and the first month

  1. Load items from a spreadsheet, and start with what sells most.
  2. Count the shelf once.
  3. Enter what customers already owe you.
  4. Run it beside your current way for a few days.
  5. Count again after a week: the gap tells you where stock goes.

How Nivasik handles this

Nivasik is a counter, not accounting software, and it is one of the options, so test it the same way.

  • Barcode billing at MRP, loose goods by the kilo, and label-scale barcodes.
  • Batches and expiry: in-date stock sold first, and an expired batch refused.
  • Khata, with a reminder drafted for WhatsApp; you press send.
  • The counter keeps billing when the internet drops.
  • A 45-day free trial this Diwali, at ₹0. After it, you pay less than you pay today. When the 45-day trial ends, show us what you pay now for similar software and we quote you less, in writing.

What it does not do

  • It does not file GST or issue e-invoices or e-way bills, and it is not double-entry accounting.
  • It has no Schedule H register, prescription check or drug database.
  • It does not read a weighing scale over USB.

Questions people ask

Which billing software is best for a small shop?

For invoices, a low-cost app. For a queue at the counter, a POS. For accounts, accounting software. Test one at your own counter before you pay.

What is the cheapest billing software in India?

Several have free tiers, each with limits. See the comparison.

Do I need a computer?

Not always. Many run on a phone or tablet. A scanner that types like a keyboard usually works; test yours first.

Is free billing software safe?

Check who makes it, who supports it, where your data is kept, and whether you can take it away.

Sources

  1. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017: rule 46 (tax invoice) — Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, accessed 4 November 2026.

Last reviewed: , by the Nivasik Team. Found something out of date? Write to support@nivasik.com and we will correct it.

Run your own place on it, free. It is ₹0 for everyone.

We do the setup with you — your rooms, menu or stock list, your staff and your prices — in about a day. No card, so there is nothing to pay or cancel. This is an opening offer: we may change it, or end it, at any time, without prior notice.

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