Tally built the foundation for accounting in India. But the way teams work has changed — and the gaps add up.
Tally lives on one desktop. ReadyBooks runs in any browser, on phone, on tablet — your books travel with you.
Tally Multi-User is a per-machine license. ReadyBooks gives unlimited team seats with role-based permissions on every plan.
A skipped backup can wipe months of work. ReadyBooks auto-saves every change with full version history — recoverable in one click.
Tally relies on manual voucher entry from bank statements. ReadyBooks pulls transactions automatically via account aggregator and matches them for you.
Field teams can't raise an invoice from a customer site on Tally. ReadyBooks ships native iOS and Android apps with full invoicing and approval flows.
Tally answers questions you ask through reports. ReadyBooks' AI assistant answers in plain English — "How much GST do I owe this quarter?" — and surfaces issues before you ask.
The features Indian SMBs actually use, lined up so you can decide in one glance.
| Feature | Tally Prime | ReadyBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Desktop only (Windows) | Web, iOS, Android — anywhere |
| Team access | Per-device license, costly to scale | Unlimited team seats with role-based permissions |
| Backups | Manual; data loss is real | Automatic with full version history |
| Bank reconciliation | Manual voucher entry | Real-time sync via account aggregator + auto-match |
| GST returns | Export-only; file elsewhere | Direct GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-9 generation |
| E-invoicing | Add-on configuration | Built-in IRN generation |
| AI assistant | Not available | Plain-English queries on your books |
| Mobile app | Not available | Native iOS + Android with offline support |
| Updates | Reinstall required | Automatic, zero downtime |
| Starting price | ₹18,000+/year (Silver, single-user) | Free forever; paid from ₹532/mo with launch offer |
Most small businesses complete migration in under three hours. You can keep Tally running in parallel until you're confident.
In Tally Prime, use Gateway → F3 → Backup to generate an XML of your company data. No special tool required.
Free in under a minute. No credit card required. You can keep using Tally in parallel while you set up.
Upload the XML through the import wizard. Parties, items, ledgers, vouchers, and opening balances map automatically.
Spot-check a few balances against Tally, lock the cutover date, and continue from there. Audit trail intact.
You're not learning accounting from scratch. The principles you trust stay exactly the same — the daily friction goes away.
Double-entry accounting principles
CGST / SGST / IGST split with HSN/SAC
Voucher-style power-user entry
Inventory with weighted-average cost
Multi-godown stock
Year-end close and audit logs
Real-time bank sync with auto-match
AI assistant for instant answers
Native iOS and Android apps
Auto-backup with version history
Multi-user audit trail and approvals
Direct GSTR-1, 3B, and 9 filing
Everything teams ask before they migrate. If you have a question that isn't here, talk to us.