Honest comparison
Tally was built for the 1990s. We built for now.
Tally Prime is the legacy king of Indian accounting. AskBooks is the cloud-native challenger. Here's an honest, detailed comparison.
Quick verdict
Choose Tally Prime if…
- ›You need decades of feature depth in one specific niche
- ›Your CA insists on Tally and cannot change workflow
- ›You are truly offline-only with no internet plan
- ›You want to avoid SaaS subscriptions entirely
Choose AskBooks if…
- You want cloud + mobile from day one
- You want a free Khata tier forever — no ₹18,000 license
- Multi-user without Tally Server licensing fees
- GST e-invoice and e-way bill in one click
- You want an API to connect other business tools
Common mistake…
Sticking with Tally because "switching is hard." Our Tally XML migration takes about 5 minutes for 5 years of data — ledgers, vouchers, parties, opening balances all come across. Most customers run both in parallel for 2 weeks then fully cut over.
Feature by feature
| Feature | AskBooks | Tally Prime |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-native | Desktop-bound (ERP cloud is paid add-on) | |
| Mobile app | Native iOS / Android | Limited |
| Free tier | Khata forever | ₹18,000+ one-time license |
| Setup time | 30 seconds | 1–3 days |
| Multi-user | Built-in from Pro | Tally Server (~₹54k/year extra) |
| GST e-invoice IRN | Built-in | Add-on |
| e-Way bill API | Built-in | Add-on |
| WhatsApp invoice share | Native | |
| Bank reconciliation | Auto-match rules engine | Manual |
| Multi-currency live FX | Auto daily rates | Manual rate entry |
| Audit trail | Hash-chained, tamper-evident | Basic change log |
| Auto backup | Continuous cloud backup | Manual scripts |
| Software updates | Auto in cloud | Download + reinstall |
| Custom reports | Drag-drop builder | TDL programming required |
| API for integrations | Public REST + webhooks | ODBC bridge only |
| DPDPA compliance | Native data rights API | Manual |
| Tally migration | Native XML importer | N/A |
| Multi-company | Up to 5 in Business | Built-in (same license) |
| Historical track record | 2 years (young) | 25+ years (proven) |
| Offline mode | PWA partial offline | Always offline |
Where Tally Prime wins
We are not perfect. Here's where Tally legitimately beats us.
- Decades of feature depth in niche scenarios — project costing, complex inventory valuation, manufacturing
- Trusted by CAs and auditors across India for 30+ years — near-universal familiarity
- Truly offline-first; works on patchy rural internet without compromise
- One-time license cost vs recurring subscription — lower 5-year TCO if you skip updates
- Massive community of trained Tally operators you can hire in any city
Migration guide
Migrate from Tally in 5 minutes
XML import preserves ledgers, vouchers, opening balances, and party masters. Try it free — no card required.
Export from Tally
Go to Gateway of Tally → Export → XML. Takes 2–5 minutes depending on data size.
Upload to AskBooks
Settings → Data Import → Tally XML. Drag and drop your file.
Review mapping
We show you a preview of ledgers, parties, and opening balances before confirming.
Go live
Confirm import. Your data is live. Most customers start their first invoice within 15 minutes.
Switched from Tally
We ran Tally for 12 years. The XML migration to AskBooks took 3 hours including verification. First GSTR-3B filed the same week.
Our CA said switching would take 6 months. It took 2 weeks. He now uses CA Connect to file for us without any Tally at all.
Switching FAQ
Will my Tally data come over completely?
Yes. Export your Tally data as XML (Tally's native format) and upload it. We map ledgers, vouchers, parties, items, and opening balances automatically. Most migrations finish in under 5 minutes.
Can my CA still file my GST?
Absolutely. Through CA Connect, your CA gets a multi-client portal with the same returns workflow they're used to — GSTR-1, 3B, 9, and 2B reconciliation included.
Is the cloud safe enough for my books?
AES-256-GCM encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit, hosted on AWS Mumbai for India data residency, DPDPA-compliant, hash-chained audit trail. More secure than a Tally backup on a USB drive.
What about offline access?
AskBooks ships as a PWA that caches recent data. Read-heavy work continues offline; mutations queue locally and sync when you're back online. Not as seamless as Tally's always-offline mode, but covers most field scenarios.
Can I run both during the transition?
Yes. Many customers run Tally and AskBooks in parallel for 2–4 weeks, comparing GSTR outputs side by side. Most fully migrate within 30 days.
Ready to switch?
Free Khata, 14-day Pro trial. Migrate your Tally data in 5 minutes.