5 Best GST Software In India

After a decade of debates, amendments, discussions, and varied opinions, India is all set for the implementation of GST Laws, which is a historic move by the government of India. The “One Nation, One Tax” is the core reason for the GST rollout, making way for GST software to emerge.

It is a simplified, yet mechanical system of taxation that always requires a professional’s assistance to let you maintain your account books in a better, more efficient, and streamlined way. GST software makes this process even more streamlined.

But, letting yourself visit different people for assistance, travel here and there, and paying high fees to professionals for every little support is not very viable and stress-free. The current ongoing scenario is all about mobile and desktop applications, web assistance, softwares, etc. and therefore, there are a lot of softwares that help you maintain your account books by GST Laws in a more simplified way.

 

Choose A Good GST Software

There are varied reasons for the failure of a business unit and its operations. One of them is the unsystematic way of bookkeeping their financial records and cash flow; one should always maintain their account books regularly to be well prepared for the worst situations such as going bankrupt or indebted to a great extent.

There are different ways to manage financials, such as doing it manually (writing down the transactions in a book), Electronic (via spreadsheet), or accounting software.

 

How To Find The Best GST Software?

Like every person, every business unit is different. Every firm has different expectations from any accounting software. Based on your business, you should check the following points:

• Whether the software includes all requirements relating to payroll.
• Whether the system tracks available stock, work in progress, orders, jobs, and other task management requirements
• Whether there is a provision to handle more than one bank account.
• Whether the software handles foreign exchange.
• Whether there is a system to keep records of each business or various departments under one business unit.
• Whether the software provides you with an online platform for different activities such as online payments, verifying records,
• Whether the system keeps a managed record of what customers buy, how much they buy, the tax charged on it, etc

 

Top Factors To Consider While Selecting A GST Software

ONLINE or OFFLINE?

Both online and offline-based software have their distinct advantages. One has to choose between the two according to their

The offline software will need you to save your transactions, maintain the database, have a regular backup, and manually update it, Yet, using offline software is advantageous to people who indulge in bulk transactions and need a faster way to record them on software, as online software tends to go slow a little depending on the speed of the internet connection.

Using online based software has its advantages. Like, you don’t have to install anything and just sign-up online and start entering your transactions, Synchronising data across the office on different computer systems is easy, No fear of losing data as it will store and back up everything on an online server, and when you enter the transaction.

You can access the software from any device having an internet connection at any point of the day.

Read about how cloud accounting can benefit your business.

 

User-friendly interface

In the business fraternity, not everyone is well acquainted with accounting technicalities or procedures. So, if the software provided is stuffed with every possible feature, then it may become a little more complex for the user to use it.

Even if the software is used by a professional for the business unit, every other member of that unit should know how to use the Therefore it has to be user-friendly and not at all mechanical.

Every user of the business unit should be able to sign in and use it as per their requirement at any point of the day without any procedural technicality.

 

The Budget

It’s the most important part of the decision-making process. Online softwares have a recurring cost but they are inexpensive. Most offline software comes up with a one-time purchase option but is often expensive and you might have to pay annually for updates.

If the firm knows how much they need to spend on softwares and have a fixed budget, then most of the options will filter out.

 

Features To Look For In A GST Software

The GST software should generate GST invoices and allow customization to match the business’s desired appearance. It should also enable the categorization of expenses into various categories.

To simplify bank reconciliation, the software should have the functionality to import bank transactions and generate Bank Reconciliation Statements (BRS). It should maintain a record of inventory purchases and purchase orders (PO). Furthermore, it should facilitate the creation and management of GST taxes such as SGST, CGST, and IGST.

The GST software should provide a means to record Journal Voucher entries and maintain a database of customers and vendors. It should ensure that the user has up-to-date information about accounts payable and accounts receivable.

In terms of financial reporting, the software should be capable of generating Balance Sheets, Trial Balance reports, and Profit and Loss statements on demand.

Finally, the software should offer a multi-user platform for a business unit, allowing different users to access it simultaneously. This is particularly useful in scenarios where multiple users operate within the same business unit.

Good to have features:

• Support for multi-currency transactions.
• Option to manage employees and process payroll.
• Categorize transactions according to projects.
• Access control for every team member.

 

List Of Top 5 GST Softwares In India

 

1) ProfitBooks

ProfitBooks is a popular and widespread GST accounting software in India. Launched in 2012, ProfitBooks has managed to get thousands of businesses on its platform.

This is one of the early online accounting softwares that was launched in India. It has matured over time and now includes a lot of GST-compliant features.

Price:
ProfitBooks offers 3 simple pricing plans.

1. Professional Plan (Good for service-based businesses): Rs. 5,999/year
2. SMB Plan (Good for resellers & traders): Rs. 8,999/year
3. GST Company plan (Good for busy business owners who want to outsource): Rs. 1,999/month

Key Advantages:

• Very simple interface
• GST Invoicing with payment gateways integration
• Easy expense management
• Inventory management features
• Warehouse management
• Multi-currency support
• Multi-user support
• Payroll processing
• Facility to invite an accountant

2) TALLY ERP 9

Tally ERP 9 is a popular accounting software that is used by resellers and manufacturers. It was primarily designed for accountants and hence business owners might find it very complex to use. It boasts a lot of features that make it even more complex.

Tally works offline and doesn’t require an internet connection. So, the GST return filing process becomes a little tedious with Tally as you have to manually import and export the data in its tax filing utility.

Price:

• Single User – Rs. 21,780
• Multi-user – Rs. 65,340
• Annual Renewal is 25%

Features:

• Manages HR and Payroll.
• Multiple company support.
• Financial management.
• Inventory management.
• Invoicing and billing.
• Product database.
• Supplier and purchase order management.
• Taxation management.

Advantages:

• Accountant Friendly.
• Independent of an internet connection to operate, as it is an offline software

Disadvantages:

• Needs LAN to operate multi-user.
• Needs Tally.net and Static IP to operate multiple locations.
• Data is not real-time which results in delay.
• Susceptible to Hard-disk crashes.
• Chances of easy data theft.
• Susceptible to Virus Attacks.
• Version upgrades are charged every time.
• No business-specific features are available.
• Expensive for multi-user systems.

Read about the comparison between Tally and ProfitBooks

 

3) ZOHO Books

Zoho is around for the past few years and mainly catered to International markets. Recently they have introduced Zoho Books in the Indian markeIt’sIts cloud-based accounting software that comes with easy-to-use features. As Zoho is relatively new in the industry, a lot of India-specific features are still missing. However, it’s good for early-stage business.

Price:

• Rs. 2500/- per year.
• Rs. 20,000/ per year for the Finance Plus package.

Features:

• Simple invoicing and billing.
• Simple accounting.
• Cloud-based system.
• Multi-user.
• Multi-currency.

Advantages:

• Fully Cloud-based System.
• Even if the hard disk crashes, it doesn’t affect data.
• No Anti-virus software is needed for it.
• High control over data is present.
• The updates are free.
• Can be customized.
• Low pricing.

Disadvantages:

• Doesn’t allow more than 7 users/accounts.
• Branch consolidation is not possible.
• Lacks key features required by Indian businesses.
• Very basic Inventory management.
• Limited support.

 

4) Clear Tax

Clear Tax started as an IT return filing software and services company and now they have come up with GST return filing software.

It is more focused on the Accounting Fraternity and can be a good option for Accountants who require a platform to prepare accounts according to GST for their clients. Clear Tax works as a useful app that can be used for filing only after extracting data from any other accounting software and ERP Systems.

Price:

• Rs. 10,000/- per year

Features:

• Online GST Course is available.
• Assists accountants to find clients.
• Preparation for GST.
• Filing of GST.
• Store data and imports/exports.

Advantages:

• It helps an accountant get listed under GST.
• Provides free e-learning solutions.

Disadvantages:

• Not an Accounting Software.
• No business features are available.
• It is only a disjointed tax preparation tool.
• It is not a business-specific tool.
• It can solely be used only by accountants.

5) Intuit Quickbooks

This again is an online accounting software initially developed for the International market. Quickbooks is trying very hard to comply with Indian accounting standards. Currently, it’s suitable for service providers who want a good invoicing tool.

Price:

• Rs. 5,000/- per year

Features:

• Invoicing.
• Expense management.
• Basic inventory management.

Advantages:

• Web-based, can be accessed from anywhere.
• Good for micro businesses.
• A good set of financial reports.

Disadvantages:

• Does not offer GST return filing as of now.
• No business-specific features are available.
• Little complex for Indian businesses.
• Lacks few GST-related features.

 

Final Verdict – Which GST Software You Should Buy?

With the onset of GST in India, businesses that comply with the rules of GST are made to operate under various regulations. This means that there should be regular filings of financial records and auditing. When you own a medium-sized business, all these tasks can cause a huge headache. With the listed softwares you can easily take control of your financial record and welcome GST well-prepared.

Selecting a good GST software is crucial for your business as you won’t be changing your software more often. Good accounting software can help you save time and money lost in complying with the GST law.

So, if you want offline accounting software and have an accountant to operate it, go for Tally. You’ll easily get someone to operate it. But it might prove a little expensive if you have multiple users accessing it.

If you want easy-to-use GST software, go for ProfitBooks. It’s a complete accounting software that fully complies with GST law. It is designed in India and or Indian businesses. It has the most simple interface among all the softwares available in the market.

Most importantly, ProfitBook is known to offer very fast and friendly support. They even answer accounting-related queries. You can try ProfitBooks for free.

Which one is your favorite GST software? Please feel free to post your views in the comments.

 

Also Read:
How to select an accounting software
30 Tips to save money in Business
How to write professional invoices & get paid faster