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
- Export to Excel
Free vs Paid GST Software: What Pro Adds | HelloBooks 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
Signs you have outgrown Free
You are close to the yearly transaction cap, a third person needs a login, or your turnover now requires e-invoices. Any one of these is a reason to look at Pro; none of them changes the books you already keep.
When Business makes sense
Business is ₹1,999/month per entity and supports management across subscribed entities. See India pricing for the full list.
Free GST software in India, compared
Vendor facts as dated. Check each source.
| 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 |
Free Plan at a glance
- Unlimited GST filing — GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B
- GSTR-2B reconciliation with ITC tracking
- 2 users · 1 GSTIN
- Up to 200 transactions
- Free AI credits to get started (upgrade for more)
- Invoices, bills & quotes included
- Tally sync
- AP/AR aging · P&L · Balance Sheet · Cash Flow
- Full mobile app (iOS & Android)
- Robust email support
- "Powered by HelloBooks" badge on invoices
Outside the Free Plan
- 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 200 transactions
- More than one GSTIN, or more than 2 users
What's metered on Free
Full details: see the Free Plan guide below.
- Up to 200 transactions in total
- Free AI credits; upgrade for more
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.
- Is Tally sync included on Free?
- Yes. Tally sync is part of the Free Plan, so you can import your Tally company and keep pushing entries back to Tally without upgrading. Pro and Business include it too.
- Can I start on Free and upgrade mid-year?
- Yes. Upgrade whenever you need a Pro feature; the same books carry on, so the annual return on Pro is prepared from the whole year.
- Are e-invoices part of any free GST plan here?
- Not on HelloBooks Free: IRN generation and e-way bills start on Pro. If your turnover does not require e-invoicing yet, Free covers your monthly returns.
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.