Billing softwarePricingTatva ERP
GST billing software price in India: what it costs, and what the renewal costs
Billing software in India is sold four different ways. The first-year price is the one on the brochure; the renewal is the one that decides what you actually pay. Both explained, including ours.
- Author
- Kentron Technologies
- Published
- Reading time
- 6 min read
GST billing software in India is sold in four ways: a one-time licence with a yearly maintenance charge, an annual or monthly subscription, a price per user, or a price per branch or GSTIN. Every vendor advertises the first-year figure. The number that decides what the software costs you over five years is the renewal, and it is usually printed nowhere. This article explains both, and publishes our own.
The four pricing models
| Model | How it is charged | Suits | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-time licence plus AMC | A price once, then an annual maintenance charge from year two | A shop or firm that expects to use the same software for years | Whether AMC is optional, and what stops working if you skip it |
| Annual subscription | One price every year, updates and support included | Businesses that would rather not think about AMC separately | The renewal price after the introductory year |
| Per user | A base price plus a charge for each login | Teams that will add staff | The cost of the fifth and tenth user, not the second |
| Per branch or per GSTIN | A price for each location or each registration | Multi-branch retailers and distributors | Whether a second GSTIN is an add-on or a whole new licence |
Most Indian vendors mix two of these. A common shape is a one-time licence for a single user, an add-on charge for each extra user, and an AMC of roughly a quarter to a half of the licence price from the second year. Another common shape is a low monthly subscription that quietly doubles when the introductory period ends. Neither is dishonest. Both are hard to compare unless you write the five-year total on paper.
What actually drives the price
- Number of users, because support load scales with people, not invoices.
- Number of branches and GSTINs, because each one needs its own books, numbering series and returns.
- Whether you are buying billing only, or billing with accounting: ledgers, receipts, payments, trial balance, profit and loss, balance sheet.
- Inventory depth. Plain stock is cheap. Batch and expiry, size-wise stock for garments, and serial numbers each add work.
- GST returns. Producing a GSTR-1 JSON for the portal is a different piece of software from printing an invoice.
- Support: the hours, the channel, and whether the person who answers knows accounting or only reads a script.
- Data migration from whatever you run today, which is often the largest hidden cost of the first year.
The costs that appear in year two
- Renewal or AMC. Ask for the figure in writing before you buy, not in the eleventh month.
- Extra users as the counter gets busier, and extra branches when you open one.
- Migration again, if the software you chose cannot export your data in a form anyone else can read.
- Training for staff who joined after the first batch was trained.
- Hardware: a thermal or A4 printer, a barcode scanner, a label printer if you print your own barcodes.
- e-Invoicing and e-way bill, once your turnover crosses the thresholds. See who must generate an IRN.
What Tatva ERP costs
Tatva ERP is our GST billing and accounting system: sale, purchase, returns, quotations, receipts, payments, journal and contra, stock with batches and expiry, the registers, the final accounts, and GSTR-1, GSTR-2 and GSTR-3B with the portal JSON. It is new, it runs in a browser, and it is priced as a one-time licence with an AMC from the second year.
| Plan | First year | From year two | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | ₹8,000 | ₹4,000 a year | One company (one GSTIN), one branch, two users |
| Business | ₹15,000 | ₹7,000 a year | One company, two branches, five users |
| Larger setups | On request | On request | More than one GSTIN, more branches, or more users |
All prices are exclusive of GST, for the reason set out in why we publish prices ex GST. The first-year price includes setup, import of your parties, items and opening balances, training for your billing staff, and support. Extra users and extra branches are quoted on request, and the quotation states the AMC effect before you agree to it.
Two things it does not do today, which you should know before you pay: it does not generate e-invoice IRNs, and it does not generate e-way bills. If you are above those thresholds, tell us before you buy and we will tell you honestly whether to wait.
What to ask any vendor before you pay
- What is the renewal price, in rupees, from year two?
- What happens to my data and my bills if I stop paying the AMC?
- Is the price per user, per branch or per GSTIN, and what does the next one cost?
- Is data migration from my current software included, and who does the checking?
- Can I export my masters, vouchers and ledgers to CSV or Excel whenever I want?
- Does the price include GST returns, or is that a separate module?
- Who answers the phone in March, and until what time?
- What is the total I will have paid at the end of five years?
That last question is the only fair way to compare a one-time licence with a subscription. Write both totals down. The cheaper brochure is often the more expensive five years.
Frequently asked questions
How much does GST billing software cost in India?
For a single-counter shop, expect a one-time licence in the low five figures, or a subscription of a few hundred rupees a month, with more for accounting, multiple branches and extra users. Tatva ERP is ₹8,000 for the first year and ₹4,000 a year from year two for one company, one branch and two users, exclusive of GST. Always ask any vendor for the year-two figure as well as the year-one figure.
Is a one-time licence cheaper than a subscription?
It depends on how long you stay. A licence with a low AMC wins over five years; a subscription wins if you are likely to switch within a year or two, because you have not paid for anything you stop using. Do the arithmetic over the period you actually expect to keep the software, not over one year.
What does an AMC cover, and can I skip it?
A maintenance charge should cover updates, statutory changes such as GST rate revisions, and support. Ask specifically what stops if you do not pay it. With some desktop products the software keeps working but stops being updated, which becomes a problem the first time the return format changes. With Tatva ERP the AMC covers updates, GST changes, backups and support, and your data remains exportable either way.
Does the price include GST return filing?
In Tatva ERP, GSTR-1, GSTR-2 and GSTR-3B summaries and the GSTR-1 portal JSON are part of the product, not a paid add-on. Filing itself happens on the GST portal or through your accountant; no billing software files on your behalf without your credentials.