Quick answer: all four issue GST-compliant invoices for Indian small businesses, and they differ mainly in form factor and depth. Vyapar is the most complete for a shop or trader who wants billing plus inventory, works well offline, and has a strong desktop product. myBillBook is mobile-first with good inventory and staff features. Swipe is the fastest for simple GST invoicing and e-invoicing. Sleek Bill is a straightforward invoicing product with a clean desktop and online option, favoured by service businesses and small traders who want simplicity.
The comparison
| Vyapar | myBillBook | Swipe | Sleek Bill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary form | Desktop + mobile | Mobile-first + web | Web + mobile | Desktop + online |
| Works offline | Yes, strongly | Partially | Limited | Yes (desktop) |
| Inventory depth | High | High | Moderate | Basic to moderate |
| Best for | Shops, traders, distributors | Retail and small wholesale | Fast GST invoicing, e-invoicing | Services, simple trading |
| Multi-user / staff | Yes on higher plans | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Accounting depth | Billing-led, not full accounting | Billing-led | Billing-led | Invoicing-led |
None of these is full accounting software. They bill, track stock and produce GST reports; they do not replace Zoho Books, TallyPrime or BUSY for ledgers, bank reconciliation and complete GST return workflows. Many small businesses run one of these at the counter and hand data to a CA working in Tally.
Choosing by business type
A retail shop with stock and a counter. Vyapar or myBillBook. You need barcode billing, stock in and out, low-stock alerts and offline operation when the internet drops — which it will, at the worst moment. Vyapar's offline-first desktop is a genuine advantage here.
A distributor or wholesaler. Vyapar for the smaller end; above that you outgrow this category and want BUSY, Marg ERP or TallyPrime, which handle multi-godown stock, schemes, batch and expiry properly.
A service business or consultant. Sleek Bill or Zoho Invoice, which is free. You need clean invoices, recurring billing and receivables tracking rather than inventory.
A business crossing the e-invoicing threshold. Confirm IRN generation and e-way bill support explicitly, and confirm it on your plan. Swipe positions strongly here. See our e-invoicing and e-way bill guide.
A cloth, garment or footwear shop. You need size-and-colour matrix billing, which general products handle poorly. See our billing software for cloth and garment shops guide.
How these are priced
All four use a freemium or tiered subscription model, typically annual, often with the mobile app free or heavily limited and the useful features — multi-user, desktop, e-invoicing, advanced inventory, e-way bills — on paid plans. The common traps:
- Per-device or per-user limits. A shop with two billing counters needs two users; check what that costs.
- Feature placement. E-invoicing, e-way bills and multi-godown stock are frequently on higher plans.
- Data ownership. Confirm you can export your full data in a usable format if you leave.
- Offline behaviour. If you need offline billing, test it by disconnecting the internet mid-bill, not by asking.
What to test in a trial
- Bill your ten most common items at counter speed, with a barcode scanner if you use one.
- Print on your actual printer — thermal receipt printers are where trials fail.
- Create an invoice with discount, multiple GST rates and a round-off, and check the totals.
- Run a GSTR-1 style report and have your accountant look at it.
- Disconnect the internet and keep billing.
- Export everything and see what you get.
FAQs
Which is the best billing software for a small business in India?
For a shop with stock, Vyapar or myBillBook, because they combine GST billing with inventory and work well on a counter. For a service business, Sleek Bill or the free Zoho Invoice. For fast GST invoicing with e-invoicing, Swipe. The right answer depends on whether you carry stock and whether you need offline billing.
Is Vyapar or myBillBook better?
Vyapar is stronger on desktop and offline operation, which matters for shops with unreliable internet, and has deeper inventory. myBillBook is mobile-first with good staff and inventory features and suits businesses run primarily from a phone. Both are GST-compliant; test both on your own items and printer before deciding.
Do these apps replace Tally?
No. They are billing and inventory products, not full accounting. They will not give you complete ledgers, bank reconciliation and the full GST return workflow that TallyPrime, Zoho Books or BUSY provide. Many small businesses bill in one of these and hand data to a CA working in Tally.
Do they support e-invoicing and e-way bills?
Several do, but usually on paid plans rather than free tiers. If you are above the e-invoicing turnover threshold, confirm IRN generation and e-way bill support on the specific plan you are buying, in writing. See our e-invoicing and e-way bill guide.
Is there a genuinely free billing app for Indian businesses?
Zoho Invoice is free for invoicing with usage limits, and it is the most complete genuinely free option. Vyapar, myBillBook and Swipe all have free tiers, but the features most businesses need — multi-user, desktop, e-invoicing, advanced inventory — sit on paid plans.
Next step: get a free matched billing software shortlist for your business type and counter setup.
