6 Questions to Ask Before You Buy Billing Software (Ahmedabad Traders' Guide)
Every billing software demo looks good. The invoice prints, the GST adds up, the dashboard has charts. The differences show up later: in the third year's bill, at month end with your CA, or the day a tempo leaves with goods that were never entered. These six questions bring those differences out before you pay.
We make Tradeloom, so we have an interest here. We have tried to write questions that are fair to any software, and we say plainly below when Tally on its own or a simple billing app is the better choice.
1. What will it cost over five years, not just this year?
Software is sold in two ways. A subscription is a monthly or yearly fee for as long as you use it. A licence is a larger one-time payment, usually with a yearly fee for updates, hosting or support. A subscription is cheaper to start; a licence often costs less if you keep the software for several years.
Ask each vendor for the full five-year cost in writing, and check:
- whether the price goes up after the first year,
- whether you pay per user, per location or per company, and what one more user costs,
- whether GST is included in the price you were quoted,
- what you pay for setup, data migration and training.
Tradeloom, for example, is a one-time licence plus a yearly fee for hosting, nightly backups and support: Starter is ₹9,999 once and ₹9,999 a year, and Growth is ₹34,999 once and ₹24,000 a year, excluding GST. Add up any vendor's numbers the same way before you compare.
2. Does stock go down when goods leave, or only when you bill?
In many Ahmedabad markets, goods go out first and the bill follows: a challan today, the invoice at the end of the week or the month. If the software reduces stock only when the invoice is made, your stock report is wrong for every day in between, and someone sells goods that have already left the godown.
Ask the vendor to show you a delivery challan, then open the stock report before any invoice is made. The stock should already be lower. Then ask to bill two or three challans on one invoice, and check that the stock does not go down a second time.
3. Will you type each order only once?
Orders arrive on WhatsApp, on the phone and at the counter. The real cost is not the first time someone types an order in; it is the second and third time, into an order book, a challan and then a bill, with a chance of a wrong rate or quantity each time.
Ask to see one quotation become a sales order, then a challan, then an invoice, without the items being typed again. Then ask what happens when only part of an order is delivered: the rest should stay visible as pending, item by item, so nothing is forgotten.
4. What does your CA get, and in what format?
Most traders' books are kept in Tally by a CA. Billing software that does not feed Tally well means your CA types your bills in again, or charges you for it.
Ask exactly what is exported (sales only, or purchases, receipts and payments too) and in what format. Then ask your CA to import one month of test data before you decide. Check what happens if the same month is exported twice: the entries should update, not appear twice.
Tradeloom exports sales, purchases, receipts, payments and journals, with ledgers and stock masters, as Tally XML your CA imports into TallyPrime, and re-importing a period updates entries instead of duplicating them.
5. Where does your data live, and can you take it out?
Your item list, your party balances and years of bills are worth more than the software. Ask:
- where the data is stored, and whether it is kept apart from other businesses' data,
- how often it is backed up,
- whether you can export everything yourself, at any time, in a format you can open,
- what happens to your data if you stop paying.
Tradeloom keeps each business's data in its own database on servers in India, with nightly encrypted backups. If a renewal is missed, we give 30 days' notice and a full export of your data before the hosted service ends.
6. Can you try it on your own data before you pay?
A demo with sample data shows the screens. It does not show whether the software fits your items, your units and your customers. Before you pay, ask for a trial with your own item list and parties, and run a real day's work through it:
- a quotation that becomes an order,
- a part delivery on a challan,
- a return from a customer,
- a payment against two invoices,
- the month's GST report, checked by your CA.
Tradeloom has a live demo with sample data, and a free 30-day pilot set up with your own items, parties and logo.
When Tally or a simple app is enough
Not every business needs separate billing and stock software.
Tally on its own is enough when most of your work is bookkeeping and GST compliance, and one or two people make the bills on the same computer as the accounts. Adding another system would only add work.
A simple billing app is enough when you make a few invoices a day, sell from one shop, and do not need to track challans, credit customers or stock in more than one place.
Software like Tradeloom fits when several people bill and deliver, goods go out on challans before the invoice, stock sits in a godown as well as the shop, and you need to know who owes what without asking your CA.
Common questions
Is a one-time licence cheaper than a subscription?
It depends on how long you keep the software. A subscription costs less in the first year or two; a one-time licence with a yearly fee often costs less over five years. Ask each vendor for the five-year total, including price rises, extra users and GST, and compare those numbers.
Do I have to stop using Tally if I buy billing software?
Not necessarily. Many traders keep Tally for the books and use billing software for daily sales, stock and deliveries. What matters is how cleanly the billing software exports to Tally, so ask your CA to test an import before you buy.
How long should a software trial be?
Long enough to include a month end, so you can check the GST report and the Tally export with your CA. A trial with your own items and parties tells you far more than a demo with sample data.
Is billing software worth it for a small shop with one person billing?
Often not. If you make a few bills a day from one shop and your CA keeps the books in Tally, Tally on its own or a simple billing app may be all you need. Separate billing and stock software pays off when several people bill and deliver, and stock moves on challans.