Swadeshi Apps Logo
Swadeshi Apps

India's Alternatives Apps

HomeAboutSubmit AppBlogWhy Swadeshi?
HomeAboutSubmit AppBlogWhy Swadeshi?

Know an Indian Product?

Help us grow this directory! If you know a great Indian software product that's not listed yet, share it with the community.

Swadeshi Apps LogoSwadeshi Apps

Promoting Indian software innovation and helping users discover quality alternatives. Supporting Swadeshi movement and Atmanirbhar Bharat through technology.

Submit AppBlog

Explore

  • Home
  • About
  • Contribute
  • Blog
  • Why Swadeshi?
  • Alternatives

Categories

  • Business
  • Finance
  • Development
  • Communication

ยฉ 2026 Made with โค๏ธ in India

Business
Zoho Books
Zoho Books favicon

Zoho Books

by Zoho Corporation

Online Accounting Software for India | Zoho Books

Freemium๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ93%businessChennai
Visit WebsiteGoogle PlayApp Store

About This App

Zoho Books is an online accounting software built by Zoho Corporation in Chennai, India. It is designed specifically for small and medium businesses, freelancers, and accountants who need GST-compliant bookkeeping without the complexity of enterprise ERP systems. Zoho Books competes directly with QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks โ€” but with deeper India-specific tax compliance built in. The platform handles invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, project accounting, inventory management, and multi-currency transactions. For Indian businesses, the standout features are native GST compliance โ€” Zoho is a registered GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) and supports GSTR-1, GSTR-3B filing directly from the app, e-invoicing (IRN generation) for B2B transactions, e-way bill generation, TDS tracking, and multi-GSTIN management from the Professional plan onward. It integrates deeply with other Zoho apps (CRM, Desk, Projects, Inventory) and supports 40+ payment gateways including Razorpay and PayU. Pricing starts with a genuinely free plan (no time limit) for businesses with revenue under Rs 25 lakh โ€” rare for accounting software. The Standard plan is Rs 899/month, Professional at Rs 1,499/month (the sweet spot for most Indian SMBs โ€” includes inventory, purchase orders, 2 GSTINs, project accounting), and Premium at Rs 2,999/month. Annual billing saves ~17%. All prices are subject to 18% GST. Zoho Books is best suited for Indian SMBs, freelancers, and CAs who need affordable GST-compliant accounting with Tally-like functionality in the cloud. The platform struggles with high-volume data entry (rate limiting kicks in), batch imports can be unreliable for multi-line invoices, and customer support quality varies โ€” chat is good but ticket responses can take days. Businesses outgrowing Zoho Books' reporting capabilities may need to upgrade to Zoho One or switch to dedicated ERP solutions.

Information updated 7 months ago

App Details

Company
Zoho Corporation
Location
Chennai
Category
business
Pricing
Freemium
Twitter
@ZohoBooks
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ
93%Highly Swadeshi

Zoho Corporation

Honest Review

4.4/5 on Capterra (668 reviews) ยท Last verified 2026-04-25

What works well

  • +Genuinely free plan for businesses under Rs 25 lakh revenue โ€” no time limit, no credit card
  • +Native GST compliance โ€” GSTR-1/3B filing, e-invoicing, e-way bills, TDS all built in
  • +Registered GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) โ€” file returns directly without third-party tools
  • +Deep integration with Zoho ecosystem โ€” CRM, Desk, Projects, Inventory all sync natively
  • +Multi-GSTIN management for businesses registered in multiple states (Professional plan+)
  • +40+ payment gateway integrations including Razorpay, PayU, and Indian bank feeds

What needs improvement

  • -Rate limiting on high-volume data entry โ€” get blocked if entering transactions too fast
  • -Batch import is unreliable for multi-line invoices โ€” doesn't pick up product codes correctly
  • -Reporting has limitations โ€” difficult to access and compare historical data across periods
  • -Customer support is inconsistent โ€” good chat support but ticket/email responses take days
  • -Pricing increases after first year have caught some users off-guard

Common user complaints

  • !Gets blocked during bulk data entry โ€” have to wait hours before being allowed back in
  • !Recurring invoices don't pick up updated pricing โ€” customers get invoiced at old rates
  • !Support tickets go unresolved for months โ€” one user reported 7 months without a fix
  • !Some features are US-centric and don't work properly for Indian GST workflows
  • !Bank reconciliation matching can be inaccurate and requires manual intervention

Learn Zoho Books on YouTube

Hand-picked videos to help you get started โ€” tutorials, demos, and reviews.

Tutorial

Zoho Books Tutorial For Beginners (2026)

Tutorial

Zoho Books 2025 Full Course โ€” Zero to Hero Accounting & GST Training

Product demo

Zoho Books Demo โ€” Complete Overview for Beginners

Review

Zoho Books Accounting Software Review โ€” How to Use Zoho Books App

Zoho Books preview

Indian Alternative To

Zoho Books is a powerful Indian alternative to these international apps:

Is Zoho Books an alternative to QuickBooks?

Yes, Zoho Books by Zoho Corporation is an Indian alternative to QuickBooks. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to QuickBooks โ†’

Is Zoho Books an alternative to Xero?

Yes, Zoho Books by Zoho Corporation is an Indian alternative to Xero. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to Xero โ†’

Is Zoho Books an alternative to FreshBooks?

Yes, Zoho Books by Zoho Corporation is an Indian alternative to FreshBooks. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to FreshBooks โ†’

Related Indian Apps

Zoho Invoice favicon

Zoho Invoice

Zoho Corporation

Zoho Invoice is a Chennai-built free online invoicing platform for freelancers, consultants, and small businesses. GST-compliant invoice templates, one-click invoicing from estimates, recurring invoices, automated payment reminders, multi-currency, time tracking, expense tracking with receipt upload, and a self-service customer portal. Razorpay, Stripe, and PayPal built in. Completely free under $50,000 annual revenue; Premium $9/org/month above that.

FreeView Details
Zoho Analytics favicon

Zoho Analytics

Zoho Corporation

Zoho Analytics is an AI-powered self-service BI platform from Chennai-based Zoho Corporation, part of Zoho One. Connects to 500+ data sources, builds drag-and-drop dashboards across 50+ chart types, and answers natural-language questions via the Zia AI assistant. White-label embedded analytics. Integrates with Zoho CRM, Books, Projects, Desk. Indian data residency. Free for 2 users; paid plans from $24/month. Best for SMBs without a data team.

FreemiumView Details
Zoho Assist favicon

Zoho Assist

Zoho Corporation

Zoho Assist is a cloud remote support and unattended access platform from Chennai-based Zoho Corporation, part of Zoho One. Lets IT teams and MSPs troubleshoot Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices with file transfer, remote printing, multi-monitor navigation, session recording, and voice/video chat. Native integration with Zoho Desk, ServiceDesk Plus, and Zendesk. Free plan for 1 technician; Remote Support from $12/month. Best for Indian IT teams and MSPs.

FreemiumView Details
ProfitBooks favicon

ProfitBooks

ProfitBooks

ProfitBooks is a Pune-built cloud accounting and inventory software for Indian SMEs serving 100,000+ businesses. GST-compliant invoicing (GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, HSN/SAC codes, e-way bills), expense tracking, bank reconciliation, inventory with low-stock alerts, time tracking with billable hours, 40+ financial reports, and multi-currency. Free under Rs 50,000 annual revenue; SMB plan from Rs 749/month. Tally and QuickBooks alternative for non-accountants.

FreeView Details
Zoho BackStage favicon

Zoho BackStage

Zoho Corporation

Zoho Backstage is a Chennai-built all-in-one event management platform for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Drag-and-drop multi-language website builder, visual agenda, tiered ticketing, sponsor portals, branded mobile app, plus live polls and Q&A. Free tier; subscriptions $199โ€“$499/month or pay-per-event from $299. Best for Indian conference and corporate-training organisers wanting Cvent-style features without the price.

FreemiumView Details
Zoho Bookings favicon

Zoho Bookings

Zoho Corporation

Zoho Bookings is a Chennai-built AI-powered appointment scheduling platform. Branded self-serve booking pages, two-way Google/Outlook/Zoho Calendar sync, email and SMS reminders, buffer times, round-robin team assignment, and built-in payments via Razorpay, Stripe, and PayPal. Free for 1 staff; paid plans from $6/user/month โ€” 30โ€“50% cheaper than Calendly. Best for Indian consultants, clinics, salons, and small teams.

FreemiumView Details
Browse All Business Apps