How much does RealBooks actually cost?
Checked against realbooks.in/pricing on 28 July 2026: Professional ₹800 per user per month or ₹8,000 per user per year, Business ₹1,250/₹12,500, Enterprise ₹2,000/₹20,000 — with a minimum of five users. So the real entry cost is ₹40,000 a year, not ₹8,000. That minimum is the single most commonly missed fact about RealBooks pricing. Note also that Techjockey lists Professional at ₹5,000/year and SoftwareSuggest lists it at about $56/user/year — both materially below the vendor page and both omitting the five-user floor.
What does HelloBooks cost in India?
Free forever with 2,500 AI credits a month, up to two users, and no turnover cap. Pro is ₹499/month or ₹4,999/year against a list price of ₹999, with unlimited users, multi-entity, GST filing and e-invoicing, Tally sync, API access, inventory, three-way matching and multi-currency. Business is ₹1,999/month or ₹19,999/year. Adding people does not change the price.
Is RealBooks a real double-entry accounting system?
Yes, and it is the best-documented one in our India comparison set. Its help pages show ledger creation under Masters, Accounts, Ledger with groups selected according to the chart of accounts; a Day Book described as a book of original entries with voucher edit, copy, cancel and restore; and dedicated articles for journal entries, trial balance, credit notes and purchase returns. This is a genuine ledger, not a billing app.
Does RealBooks file GST returns?
For GSTR-1, it says yes — its GSTR-1 page states there is GSP integration through which data can be uploaded directly to the GST portal from the software, replacing the JSON download-and-upload cycle. Two caveats: the GSP is referenced only generically and never named, and GSTR-3B and GSTR-9 filing are not confirmed anywhere. HelloBooks names its GSP — Fynamics — and files GSTR-1, 3B and 9 through it.
Does RealBooks have AI?
No. We found no AI feature page, announcement or documentation on realbooks.in, and no 2026 directory listing attributes AI capability to it. If AI-assisted categorisation, OCR or a conversational assistant is part of what you are shopping for, there is nothing to evaluate here — which is a straightforward factual difference rather than a criticism of the accounting engine.
What AI does HelloBooks include?
AI auto-categorization at 95%+ accuracy, OCR bill and receipt capture with smart line-item extraction, Munimji — a conversational accounting assistant with 60+ tools — bookkeeping over the official WhatsApp Business API in Hindi, English and Hinglish with voice notes and India data residency, AI payables, AI calling for overdue receivables, a CFO agent, and an AI Analysis tab on every standard report. The Free plan includes 2,500 credits a month.
Can I do data entry on the RealBooks mobile app?
Largely no, according to its own users. Play Store reviewers state the app does not provide the facility of making entries, that expected reporting tools including GST features are missing, and that many improvements are pending. Techjockey echoes that the mobile app lacks advanced features and comprehensive reporting. Treat it as a read-and-approve companion. HelloBooks ships full iOS and Android apps with complete data entry on every plan, including Free.
Does RealBooks work with Tally?
No — it positions as a replacement. Its integrations page lists HDFC, ICICI, Federal Bank, GSTN, IRP, Maruti DMS, ShipX and Excel templates, but not Tally, and there is no Tally connector. Migration would be through Excel master and transaction templates. HelloBooks takes the opposite approach: a Tally 6.2 connector that imports keeping every voucher number and keeps pushing to Tally afterwards, so your CA is not forced off it.
Which is better for multi-branch businesses?
RealBooks has the edge here and it is worth saying so. Multi-branch accounting with centralised consolidated reporting, branch transfers, cost centres and multi-GSTIN is core to the product rather than an add-on. HelloBooks includes multi-entity management and consolidation reporting from Pro at ₹499/month, which suits semi-independent entities consolidating at month-end, but a genuinely branch-heavy operation should evaluate RealBooks properly.
What about manufacturing?
On RealBooks, bill of materials and quality control are Enterprise-only at ₹20,000 per user per year — so five seats is ₹100,000 a year. HelloBooks includes bill of materials, work orders, MRP and job costing from Pro at ₹499/month, with every movement posting to valuation and the general ledger in the same transaction.
Can I migrate from RealBooks to HelloBooks?
Yes, and RealBooks gives you the tools. Excel import and export templates cover masters and transactions, and its read API exposes vouchers, ledgers, day books and purchase and sale registers, so a complete extraction is achievable. HelloBooks imports chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items, invoices and bills from CSV with AI mapping that retains your account numbers, and the flow at /migrate includes a dry-run preview and one-click rollback.
What do RealBooks users complain about?
The mobile app not supporting data entry is the loudest theme. Beyond that, SoftwareSuggest reviewers cite occasional challenges with bank integration and Techjockey notes bank reconciliation sometimes requires manual intervention; reviewers on both platforms ask for expanded reporting. Techjockey also notes limited functionality for complex accounting needs versus larger ERPs. Review volume is low across the board — 8 to 52 depending on the platform — so weigh accordingly. Reviewers do consistently praise the document-attachment feature.
Is HelloBooks secure?
HelloBooks is SOC 2 Type II certified, with the report available under NDA through the Trust Center; ISO 27001 is on the compliance roadmap and we do not claim it as certified. Data is AES-256 encrypted at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, MFA is available, hosting is AWS with 99.9% uptime and daily encrypted backups, and bank connections are read-only. India DPDP is covered.
Which should a CA firm choose?
Both target CA firms and the models differ. RealBooks sells per user with a five-seat floor, which suits a firm that wants one system across a client book and can absorb the seat cost. The HelloBooks Partner Program is free to join with no upfront fee — you resell standard Pro and Business plans to clients and earn a wholesale discount that grows from Bronze 5% to Platinum 20%, with unlimited clients on one practice dashboard and bulk AI operations across clients. You earn margin rather than paying per seat.