JustBill vs Zoho Books: a Zoho Books alternative for GST billing

Zoho Books suits you if you want full online accounting with bank feeds, GST returns filed directly from the software, native mobile and Windows apps, and links to other Zoho apps such as CRM, Inventory and Payroll. It fits growing businesses that work closely with an accountant.

JustBill suits you if billing is the centre of your day: a shop, trader, distributor or service firm that needs fast GST invoices, a POS screen, stock across godowns and payment follow-up. Invoice limits are monthly, and Gold removes the limit entirely.

JustBill has three plans. Free is ₹0 for 50 invoices a month and one user. Silver is ₹349 a month or ₹3,399 a year, with 500 invoices a month, 3 users, reports and WhatsApp. Gold is ₹399 a month or ₹3,799 a year, with unlimited invoices, unlimited users, e-invoicing, CA sharing and priority support. See JustBill pricing.

Zoho Books India lists five paid plans on its pricing page: Standard (₹899 a month, or ₹749 a month billed yearly), Professional (₹1,799 or ₹1,499), Premium (₹3,599 or ₹2,999), Elite (₹5,999 or ₹4,999) and Ultimate (₹9,599 or ₹7,999). Zoho says prices are exclusive of local taxes and offers a 14-day free trial. Higher plans add users, higher invoice limits and features such as projects, multi-currency, payroll and advanced inventory.

The two price differently. Zoho sets yearly invoice limits and adds accounting depth as you move up. JustBill sets monthly invoice limits and removes them on Gold. Work out your monthly invoice count and team size, then compare the plan you would actually need on each.

• Direct GST filing. Zoho Books files GST returns directly as a GST Suvidha Provider. JustBill prepares the JSON files, which you or your CA upload on the GST portal.
• Bank feeds. Zoho imports bank transactions automatically. In JustBill you upload a CSV statement to reconcile.
• Native apps. Zoho offers Android, iOS and Windows apps. JustBill works in the browser and can be installed as a web app.
• The Zoho ecosystem. If you already use Zoho CRM, Inventory or Payroll, Books connects to them, and it offers customer and vendor portals and 70+ built-in reports.
• Guided migration from Tally. Zoho documents a full Tally migration, importing chart of accounts, contacts, items, transactions and manual journals from CSV, TSV or XLS files.
• Full accounting. Zoho supports manual journals. JustBill’s general ledger is built from your transactions and does not yet accept manual journal entries.

• Unlimited invoices at a set price. Gold at ₹399 a month has no invoice cap and allows unlimited users, which helps high-volume counters.
• Built for the billing counter. POS billing with thermal receipts, barcode scanning and godowns sit next to your GST invoices. See POS billing software.
• Hindi and English. Switch the interface language for staff who are more comfortable in Hindi.
• Keeps billing when the line drops. New invoices and payments made offline are saved on the device and sync later.
• Works alongside a Tally-based CA. Export sales and purchase invoices as Tally XML for your accountant.
• Every everyday document. Ten document types, from quotations and proforma invoices to delivery challans, credit notes, debit notes and purchase orders.

JustBill is a practical Zoho Books alternative if you raise many invoices, sell over a counter or from godowns, and want your GST data ready for your CA without paying for accounting depth you do not use. If you need bank feeds, direct GST filing, manual journals or the wider Zoho suite, Zoho Books is likely the better fit.

For the stock side, see how inventory management works in JustBill.

1. 1

   Choose a start date

   Pick the first day of a month or the financial year and close that period in Zoho Books first.

2. 2

   Get your contacts and items into a spreadsheet

   Prepare a CSV or Excel file of customers and suppliers with their opening balances, and another of items with HSN/SAC, GST rate, prices and opening stock. See Zoho Books’ help pages for how to export these lists.

3. 3

   Import into JustBill

   Upload the files from the Parties and Items pages. JustBill accepts .csv, .xlsx and .xls, checks each row and lists any errors by row number before saving.

4. 4

   Set up billing

   Add your GSTIN, bank account and UPI ID, logo, signature and invoice theme. Set up godowns if you stock goods in more than one place.

5. 5

   Invite your team and CA

   Add staff with admin, staff or view-only access. On Gold, share reports with your CA through a read-only link.