What Pro adds over Free
Pro is ₹499/month or ₹4,999/year, excluding GST.
- GSTR-9 generated ready to file
- E-invoicing
- Unlimited users
- Tally sync
- Export to Excel
Free vs Paid GST Software: What Pro Adds | HelloBooks India Free vs paid GST software in India: HelloBooks Free files GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B for one GSTIN at ₹0; Pro at ₹499/month adds GSTR-9 generated ready to file, e-invoicing and unlimited users.
Free vs Pro · India
Free vs paid GST software: what Pro adds
Free is ₹0 and files GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B for one GSTIN. Pro is ₹499/month and adds the annual return, e-invoicing and more users. Here is exactly where the line sits.
GST filing included, no card
When Business makes sense
Business is ₹1,999/month and covers several entities under one subscription. See India pricing for the full list.
Free GST software in India, compared
Each row states only what the vendor's own page said on the date shown. Prices change; check the source before you decide.
| Product | Files GST returns? | What we recorded | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| HelloBooks Free | Yes, GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B for one GSTIN | ₹0, no card, no expiry, no cap on returns, invoices or turnover. | India pricing |
| Zoho Books | Yes | The free tier stops at ₹25 lakh turnover and 1,000 invoices a year. | Zoho Books India pricing, 28 September 2026 |
| ClearTax | Yes | Offers a 30-day free trial of its GST software for small businesses; the page lists no prices. | ClearTax GST software for small businesses, 28 September 2026 |
| Busy | Yes | The GST tier is about ₹8,000 per 360 days. | Busy pricing, September 2026 |
| Vyapar | No, billing and reports only | Generates GST bills and reports but does not file returns. | Vyapar, September 2026 |
| myBillBook | No, billing and reports only | Generates GST bills and reports but does not file returns. | myBillBook, September 2026 |
| TallyPrime | Yes | Silver (single user) is ₹750/month, ₹8,100/year or ₹22,500 lifetime; Gold (multi-user) is ₹2,250/month, ₹24,300/year or ₹67,500 lifetime, all plus 18% GST. | TallyPrime pricing, 28 September 2026 |
What the Free Plan includes
The same Free Plan every Indian business gets: permanent, no card, no trial expiry.
- Unlimited GST filing — GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B
- GSTR-2B reconciliation with ITC tracking
- 2 users · 1 GSTIN
- Free AI credits to get started (upgrade for more)
- Unlimited invoices, bills & quotes
- AP/AR aging · P&L · Balance Sheet · Cash Flow
- Full mobile app (iOS & Android)
- Robust email support
- "Powered by HelloBooks" badge on invoices
What is not in the Free Plan
Pro at ₹499/month adds GSTR-9 generated ready to file, e-invoicing and unlimited users.
- GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C annual returns
- GSTR-7 (GST TDS) and GSTR-8 (GST TCS) returns
- ITC-04 job-work returns
- E-invoice and e-way bill volume
- More than one GSTIN, or more than 2 users
What's metered on Free
Only the AI is metered. Free includes free AI credits to get started; when they run out, upgrade to get more AI credits; paid plans can also recharge with a credit pack.
Your ledger, invoices, bills, reports and GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filing for one GSTIN are never locked, whether or not you upgrade.
How teams use HelloBooks
What HelloBooks does for businesses like yours
“AI categorizes every transaction automatically and learns from your corrections, so a small team keeps clean books without spending evenings on manual data entry.”
“For a practice managing dozens of client books, automated reconciliation turns a full day of matching into a background task — review the AI matches, approve, and move on.”
“Snap a receipt on your phone and the AI reads, categorizes, and files it — bookkeeping stays current even for people who would rather not think about numbers.”
Illustrative scenarios describing what the product does for each business type — not attributed customer reviews.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Is GST filing software ever really free?
- HelloBooks Free files GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B for one GSTIN at no cost, with no expiry. Annual returns, e-invoicing and more users are on Pro.
- What does Pro do with GSTR-9?
- Pro generates GSTR-9 ready to file. It is not included in Free.
- What happens when the free AI credits run out?
- AI categorisation pauses and you carry on by hand. Upgrade to get more AI credits; paid plans can also recharge with a credit pack. Your books and GST filing keep working either way.
Sources
- Zoho Books India pricing — checked 28 September 2026
- ClearTax GST software for small businesses — checked 28 September 2026
- Busy pricing — checked September 2026
- Vyapar — checked September 2026
- myBillBook — checked September 2026
- TallyPrime pricing — checked 28 September 2026
Zoho Books, ClearTax, Busy, Vyapar, myBillBook and TallyPrime are trademarks of their respective owners. HelloBooks is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.