Zoho Inventory and Khatabook both come up when an Indian shop owner looks for an app to organise the business, but they solve different problems. Zoho Inventory is order and stock management software: sales orders, warehouses and online channels, priced by how many orders you process. Khatabook is a digital bahi-khata: a free phone app for recording udhaar and cash. This guide compares them on what each vendor lists publicly, so you can tell which one your shop actually needs.
Quick answer
Choose Zoho Inventory if you sell through orders, online marketplaces or several warehouses and are fine paying from ₹999/month (billed annually) with plans capped by monthly orders. Choose Khatabook if your main need is recording customer credit and cash and sending payment reminders, and your billing is simple. If you run a retail counter that needs barcode GST billing, live stock and due reminders together, a retail POS such as RichPOS fits better than either.
Zoho Inventory vs Khatabook at a glance
| Point | Zoho Inventory | Khatabook |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Order, stock and warehouse management | Digital ledger for udhaar and cash book |
| Best for | Order-heavy, online and multi-warehouse sellers | Small shops tracking customer credit |
| Price | Free plan; paid ₹999, ₹2,299, ₹4,999 and ₹7,499 per month, billed annually, plus GST | Core ledger free |
| Limits | Monthly order caps (50 free, 500 to 15,000 on paid plans), users and locations by plan | Not a volume-capped product |
| Inventory | Item and location stock; barcode, serial and batch tracking from Premium | Not a full inventory system |
| Counter POS and barcode billing | Order-led, not a walk-in POS | No |
| Credit and reminders | Invoices and order records | Yes, core feature |
| Platform | Cloud, web and mobile apps | Mobile-first app |
| Setup effort | Moderate: items, warehouses, channels | Almost none |
| Free trial of paid plan | 14 days | Not applicable to core ledger |
Competitor details are as listed on public sources in September 2026; confirm with each vendor before buying.
Zoho Inventory plans in India
| Plan | Price (billed annually, plus GST) | Orders/month | Users | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ₹0 | 50 | 1 | 1 |
| Standard | ₹999/month | 500 | 3 | 2 |
| Premium | ₹2,299/month | 3,000 | 5 | 4 |
| Plus | ₹4,999/month | 7,500 | 10 | 6 |
| Enterprise | ₹7,499/month | 15,000 | 10 | 10 |
Extra users cost ₹399/month each. For a retail counter the order cap is the number to watch: a busy shop can pass 500 bills a month in its first week, so check how Zoho counts your sales before you pick a plan. For other options, see Zoho Inventory alternatives for retail shops.
Where Khatabook fits
Khatabook replaces the paper bahi-khata. You record who owes you what, log cash in and out, and send payment reminders from your phone, and the core ledger is free. Anyone in the family can use it on day one. What it does not do is run a billing counter or a stockroom: there is no barcode POS, no full GST invoicing flow and no item-by-item stock. A shop that grows into many GST bills a day, or needs to know what is on the shelf, needs billing software as well. See Khatabook alternatives and how to recover udhaar from credit customers.
A worked example: two businesses in Surat
- An online saree seller ships about 1,200 marketplace orders a month from two godowns. Khatabook cannot track this stock or these orders. On Zoho Inventory, 1,200 orders a month is past the Standard cap of 500, which points to Premium at ₹2,299/month billed annually, about ₹27,588 a year plus GST, with room for 5 users and 4 locations.
- A hardware shop with one counter makes about 50 walk-in bills a day and gives credit to 30 regular contractors. Khatabook handles the contractors' dues but not the billing or stock. On Zoho Inventory, about 1,500 bills a month also points to Premium, for a product built around orders rather than a fast counter. A retail POS at ₹2,000 a year covers barcode billing, stock and due reminders in one place.
The businesses and figures are illustrative; your own volumes and quotes will differ.
Pick Zoho Inventory if
- You sell mostly through orders, online marketplaces or B2B, not a fast walk-in counter.
- You manage stock across more than one warehouse and want channels connected.
- Your monthly order count sits comfortably inside a plan's cap.
Pick Khatabook if
- Your main job is tracking udhaar and cash, not issuing GST invoices or managing stock.
- You want something free and mobile that anyone can use today.
- Your billing volume is small and simple.
Consider RichPOS if
- You bill at a retail counter. Fast barcode billing on thermal or A4, with cash, card, UPI and split payments. See Billing & POS.
- You want stock that updates as you sell, with barcode labels and low-stock alerts. See Inventory & barcode.
- You give credit and need to chase dues. Send bills and scheduled payment-due reminders by SMS, email and WhatsApp. See SMS, email & WhatsApp.
- Your CA needs GST data. GST-ready sales and purchase reports by HSN/SAC, exported to Excel, CSV or PDF. See GST & reports.
- You have a godown or more than one branch. Multi-store stock and role-based user logins. See Multi-store & warehouse and Users & roles.
Comparing more options? Read Zoho Inventory vs RichPOS, RichPOS vs Khatabook, Zoho Inventory vs Vyapar, Vyapar vs Khatabook and Marg ERP vs Khatabook.
RichPOS costs ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Zoho Inventory better than Khatabook?
- They do different jobs. Zoho Inventory manages orders, stock across warehouses and online sales channels, with paid plans from ₹999/month billed annually. Khatabook is a free mobile ledger for recording udhaar and cash and sending payment reminders. Pick Zoho if you run on orders and stock; pick Khatabook if you mainly need to track who owes you money.
- Is Khatabook free?
- Khatabook's core ledger for udhaar and cash entries is free, as listed on its public pages in September 2026. Check with Khatabook for any paid add-ons before relying on them.
- How many orders does Zoho Inventory's free plan allow?
- Zoho Inventory's free plan allows 50 orders a month, 1 user and 1 location, as listed on its India pricing page in September 2026. Paid plans run from ₹999 to ₹7,499 per month billed annually, plus GST, with monthly order caps from 500 to 15,000.
- Can Khatabook track stock like Zoho Inventory?
- No. Khatabook is a credit and cash ledger with basic billing, not a full inventory system. It has no counter POS or barcode billing. Zoho Inventory tracks stock by item and location, with barcode, serial and batch tracking from its Premium plan.
- What should a retail shop with a billing counter choose?
- A walk-in counter needs fast barcode GST billing, stock that updates with each sale, and a way to chase credit customers. RichPOS covers these at ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial, without monthly order caps, and can send scheduled payment-due reminders by SMS, email and WhatsApp.
Bottom line: Zoho Inventory suits order-heavy and online sellers who can live with order caps; Khatabook is a free ledger for tracking credit. If you run a retail counter and want billing, stock and due reminders together at a flat price, try RichPOS. Call +91 90333 31255 for a demo, or start the 30-day free trial from the pricing page.
Prices and features of other products change often. Figures here are from each vendor's public pages in September 2026; confirm current plans and GST with Zoho and Khatabook before deciding.
