Zoho Inventory and Vyapar both show up when an Indian business owner searches for GST-ready inventory software, but they are built for different shops. Zoho Inventory comes from the order-management side: sales orders, warehouses and online channels. Vyapar comes from the billing side: quick GST invoices on a phone or PC, even offline. This comparison uses what each vendor lists publicly so you can decide which fits your counter.
Quick answer
Choose Zoho Inventory if you process many orders across warehouses or online marketplaces and are fine paying from ₹999/month (billed annually) with plans capped by monthly orders. Choose Vyapar if you run a small counter, want simple GST billing that works offline, and can start on its free plan. If you want a retail POS with multi-store support at a flat ₹199/month, look at RichPOS.
Zoho Inventory vs Vyapar at a glance
| Zoho Inventory | Vyapar | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Order and warehouse management, online channels | GST billing and accounting for small businesses |
| Free plan | Yes: 50 orders/month, 1 user, 1 location | Yes: "lifetime free plan" advertised |
| Paid pricing | ₹999, ₹2,299, ₹4,999 and ₹7,499 per month, billed annually, plus GST | Not published in plain text; confirm with Vyapar |
| Limits on paid plans | Monthly order caps (500 on Standard up to 15,000 on Enterprise), users and locations by plan | Confirm with Vyapar |
| Extra users | ₹399/month per added user | Confirm with Vyapar |
| GST, e-way bill | Yes | Yes, plus e-invoice |
| Barcode | Barcode generation, serial and batch tracking from Premium plan | Barcode generator and scanner |
| Offline billing | Cloud, used online | Yes |
| Devices | Web and mobile apps | Android, iOS, Windows and Mac |
| Free trial of paid plan | 14 days | Not stated |
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 |
The order cap matters for retail. A busy kirana or pharmacy counter can cross 500 bills a month in the first week, so check how Zoho counts your sales against the limit before you pick a plan. For more options in this space, see Zoho Inventory alternatives for retail shops.
Where Vyapar fits
Vyapar is aimed at small traders who want GST invoices, stock and basic accounts in one app, with offline billing and apps on phone and desktop. The free plan is a low-risk start. The gaps show when you grow: paid prices are not listed openly, and multi-branch or multi-cashier needs are worth confirming plan by plan. See Vyapar alternatives, Vyapar vs Khatabook and Vyapar vs Marg ERP.
A worked example: a stationery shop in Nagpur
A Nagpur stationery shop makes about 60 walk-in bills a day, around 1,800 a month, and keeps a small godown for school-season stock. On Zoho Inventory, 1,800 orders a month is past the Standard plan's 500 cap, which points to Premium at ₹2,299/month billed annually, about ₹27,588 a year plus GST. On Vyapar, the owner can start free and would need to ask Vyapar for the price of a paid plan with the features they need. On RichPOS, the same shop pays ₹2,000 a year with the godown set up as a warehouse. The shop and figures are illustrative.
Pick Zoho Inventory if
- You sell mostly through orders, online marketplaces or B2B, not a fast walk-in counter.
- You already use other Zoho apps and want them connected.
- Your monthly order count sits comfortably inside a plan's cap.
Pick Vyapar if
- You are a single small shop and want to start on a free plan.
- Your internet is unreliable and offline billing is a must.
- You bill mostly from a phone.
Consider RichPOS if
- You run a retail counter and want fast GST billing with barcode scanning. See Billing & POS and Inventory & barcode.
- You have more than one store or a godown. See Multi-store & warehouse.
- You need GST-ready sales and purchase reports by HSN/SAC for your CA. See GST & reports.
- You want separate logins and permissions for cashiers. See Users & roles.
For head-to-head pages, see Zoho Inventory vs RichPOS and RichPOS vs Vyapar. RichPOS costs ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Zoho Inventory better than Vyapar?
- Neither is better for everyone. Zoho Inventory is built around orders, warehouses and online sales channels, with paid plans from ₹999/month billed annually. Vyapar is a GST billing and accounting app for small counters that works offline on phone and desktop. Pick by how you sell: order-heavy and online, or walk-in billing.
- Does Zoho Inventory have a free plan in India?
- Yes. 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 start at ₹999/month billed annually, plus GST, with a 14-day free trial.
- How much does Vyapar cost?
- Vyapar advertises a lifetime free plan. Its paid plan prices are not published in plain text on its homepage, so confirm the current price and what each plan includes with Vyapar before buying.
- Does Vyapar work without internet?
- Yes. Vyapar lists offline billing on its site, which suits shops with patchy internet. Zoho Inventory is a cloud product and is used online.
- What is a lower-cost alternative for a retail counter?
- RichPOS is a retail POS with GST billing, barcode inventory, multi-store and warehouse support and GST reports by HSN/SAC. It costs ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial.
Bottom line: Zoho Inventory suits order-heavy and online sellers who can live with order caps; Vyapar suits small counters that want free, offline GST billing. If you run a retail shop or several, and want 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 change often. Figures here are from each vendor's public pages in September 2026; confirm with the vendor before buying.
