BUSY software alternative for retail shops
Last updated · by Ashok Sachdev
Short answer: If you mainly bill walk-in customers at a counter, RichPOS is a lighter BUSY alternative: it runs in a browser on any phone or computer with no installation, and starts at ₹1,999 a year with barcode billing, stock, udhaar and GST reports. Dukaan Plus (₹3,999 a year) adds offers, loyalty, gift vouchers and day close. BUSY is the better pick if you need full accounting (balance sheet, TDS, GST reconciliation and filing), e-way bills, e-invoices or a local partner, and are happy with desktop software.
RichPOS and BUSY side by side
| Feature | RichPOS | BUSY |
|---|---|---|
| Listed price | Dukaan ₹1,999/year, or ₹199/month after ₹99/month for the first 3 months (billing, stock and GST reports, 2 staff users, 1 location); Dukaan Plus ₹3,999/year adds offers, loyalty, vouchers and day close; Business ₹5,999/year has unlimited users; Business Pro ₹8,999/year | BUSY Magic per 360 days: START ₹5,000 (for non-GST businesses), SMART ₹8,000, POWER ₹12,000, POWER+ ₹50,000; GST to be added (as listed on 27 Oct 2026) |
| Free option | 30-day free trial, no card; then a paid plan | BUSY Express listed as 100% free (no mobile app); 15-day free trial |
| Runs on | One web app in any browser (phone, iPhone, tablet, laptop); free Windows, Mac and Linux desktop apps; Android app | BUSY Desktop software; Mobile App Lite free for the first 360 days with BUSY Magic |
| Access from anywhere | Included: log in from any browser | BUSY Online is separate: ₹10,800 per 360 days (Access) or ₹16,800 (SQL), excluding GST |
| Users | Staff users: 2 (Dukaan), 5 (Dukaan Plus), unlimited (Business, Business Pro); unlimited devices | Plan prices are for single-user access; SMART, POWER and POWER+ allow more users; POWER+ lists 10 users and 150 companies |
| Accounting | Customer udhaar and supplier ledgers; profit & loss, expense, stock valuation and GST reports; Tally export (XML or CSV) from Dukaan Plus | Chart of accounts, P&L, balance sheet, ledger reconciliation and depreciation; TDS summary and MSME audit report on SMART |
| GST returns | GSTR-1 and GST reports by HSN for your CA | GSTR-1 / IFF dashboard, download all returns, GST reconciliation and filing (SMART) |
| E-way bill / e-invoice | No | Up to 10,000 on SMART, 20,000 on POWER, 50,000 on POWER+ |
| POS billing and barcode | POS billing screen and barcode label printing, every plan | POS for fast billing, barcode and QR code scanning (SMART) |
| Items | Categories, brands, size and colour variants; batch and expiry (FEFO) | MRP-wise stock; brand, size and colour tracking; warehouses, batch, serial number and reorder level (SMART) |
| Loyalty points, automatic offers, gift vouchers | Dukaan Plus and above | Item discounts, bill discounts and schemes listed |
| Staff control | Discount limits by role; day close with cash count, staff sales report and activity log from Dukaan Plus | User access rights; audit trail and user login scheduling (SMART) |
| Multiple stores | Locations: 1 (Dukaan), 2 (Dukaan Plus), 3 (Business), unlimited (Business Pro) | Several GSTINs in one company (POWER); multi-branch management listed as upcoming |
| Support | WhatsApp, phone and email; free setup help | 24/7 live support line, partner network; premium voice support on POWER |
Competitor facts as listed on busy.in/pricing, busy.in and busy.in kirana store software, checked 27 October 2026. Prices exclude GST unless the vendor says otherwise. “Not stated” means we could not find it on their public pages, not that it is missing; ask the vendor. RichPOS prices from our pricing page.
Where BUSY is stronger
- Full accounting. BUSY lists a chart of accounts, P&L, balance sheet, ledger reconciliation, depreciation, a TDS summary and an MSME audit report. RichPOS keeps billing-side ledgers and reports (including profit & loss), not full books such as a balance sheet. As listed on busy.in/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- GST returns and reconciliation. SMART lists a GSTR-1 / IFF dashboard, downloading all GST returns from one window, and GST reconciliation and filing. RichPOS gives your CA GSTR-1 reports. As listed on busy.in/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- E-way bills and e-invoices. SMART lists up to 10,000 e-way bills and e-invoices, POWER 20,000 and POWER+ 50,000. RichPOS does not make either. As listed on busy.in/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- Inventory depth for traders. BUSY lists MRP-wise stock, serial numbers, warehouses, reorder levels and several GSTINs in one company (POWER), which suits distributors and multi-GSTIN businesses. As listed on busy.in/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- A free edition. BUSY Express is listed as 100% free billing and accounting, without the mobile app. As listed on busy.in/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- Track record and partners. BUSY says 6,00,000+ businesses have trusted it for 30+ years, and it has a partner network for local help. As listed on busy.in, checked 27 October 2026
Where RichPOS fits better
RichPOS is built for the retail billing counter. What it offers, with the plan noted where it is not on every plan:
- Barcode billing and barcode label printing
- Automatic offers: bill % off and buy X get Y (Dukaan Plus and above)
- Credit notes; loyalty points and gift vouchers from Dukaan Plus
- Day close with cash count, staff-wise sales report and activity log (Dukaan Plus and above)
- Discount limits by staff role
- Customer udhaar with WhatsApp payment reminders
- Online catalog with WhatsApp ordering
- GSTR-1 reports for your CA; Tally export (XML or CSV) from Dukaan Plus
- RichPOS AI chat on your shop data and AI scan of purchase bills
- Locations: 2 on Dukaan Plus, 3 on Business, unlimited on Business Pro
Not for you if: RichPOS needs an internet connection (no offline billing), does not generate e-invoices (IRN) or e-way bills, and does not connect to a weighing scale by cable (it does read barcode labels printed by label-printing scales).
Who should choose what
You or your accountant keep full books, TDS and GST reconciliation in the same software
BUSYYou need e-way bills or e-invoices
BUSYYou are a distributor or trader with several GSTINs or warehouses
BUSYYou run a retail counter and want to bill from any browser, with nothing to install (RichPOS Dukaan, ₹1,999 a year)
RichPOSYou want to check sales from your phone without paying for a separate cloud plan
RichPOSYou want loyalty points, automatic offers, gift vouchers and day close for your staff (Dukaan Plus, ₹3,999 a year)
RichPOSHow much does RichPOS cost vs other GST billing software in India?
RichPOS Dukaan costs ₹1,999 a year (about ₹5.50 a day), or ₹199 a month after ₹99 a month for the first 3 months, with a free 30-day trial first. On 22 October 2026 that was less than the 1-year price of the entry paid GST billing and stock plan of Swipe, myBillBook, Vyapar Desktop, Marg ERP, Zoho, BUSY, TallyPrime and GoFrugal.
What the ₹1,999 Dukaan plan includes:
- GST billing, barcode stock, purchases, udhaar, WhatsApp bills, GST reports and an online catalog
- 2 staff users, 1 location, 2,000 items and 1,500 bills a month; unlimited devices
- Web app on any browser, free Windows, Mac and Linux desktop apps, and an Android app
- No setup fee and no GST. More users, locations and modules: Dukaan Plus ₹3,999, Business ₹5,999, Business Pro ₹8,999 a year
What you do not get at this price: offline billing, GST e-invoices (IRN), e-way bills or a weighing scale connected by cable (it does read barcode labels from label-printing scales). RichPOS does not do these; Vyapar, Swipe (Jet) and myBillBook (Pro Max) list e-way bills, and Vyapar lists offline billing.
See the dated price table with 10 other billing apps.
Vyapar's mobile-only Silver plan (₹699 a year) costs less than RichPOS, and Vyapar, Swipe, Zoho Books, Zoho POS, Zoho Inventory and BUSY Express have free plans with limits.
Common questions
What is a good BUSY software alternative for a retail shop?
For a shop that mainly bills walk-in customers, such as a kirana, clothing, footwear, gift or general store, RichPOS is a lighter alternative. It runs in any browser with no installation, includes barcode billing, stock, udhaar and GST reports from ₹1,999 a year, and adds loyalty points, automatic offers, gift vouchers and day close on Dukaan Plus at ₹3,999 a year. If you need full accounting or e-way bills, BUSY suits you better.
How much does BUSY cost compared with RichPOS?
On 27 October 2026 BUSY listed its BUSY Magic plans at ₹5,000 (START, for non-GST businesses), ₹8,000 (SMART), ₹12,000 (POWER) and ₹50,000 (POWER+) per 360 days, with GST to be added and prices for single-user access. Cloud access through BUSY Online is separate, from ₹10,800 per 360 days. RichPOS Dukaan is ₹99 a month for the first 3 months, then ₹199 a month, or ₹1,999 a year, and runs in a browser at no extra cost. Prices change, so check both sites.
Is BUSY better than RichPOS for accounting?
Yes. BUSY is accounting software: it lists P&L, balance sheet, ledger reconciliation, TDS, GST reconciliation and filing. RichPOS is retail billing software with customer udhaar, supplier ledgers, GST reports for your CA and Tally export (Dukaan Plus and above). It does not replace a full accounting package.
Do I need to install anything for RichPOS?
No. RichPOS runs in any browser at app.richdaddy.in, with your data in the cloud, so you can check sales from your phone. Free Windows, Mac, Linux and Android apps are optional. You need an internet connection to bill.
Can RichPOS make e-way bills or e-invoices?
No. RichPOS makes GST bills and GSTR-1 reports, but it does not generate e-way bills or e-invoices (IRN). BUSY lists both on its SMART, POWER and POWER+ plans.
Can I move from BUSY to RichPOS?
Yes, for billing. Export your item list to Excel or CSV and import it into RichPOS, then print barcode labels for items that have none. Keep BUSY for past years' books until your CA has closed them. We help with the import for free on WhatsApp.
Can I bill in RichPOS and keep my accounts elsewhere?
Many shops bill in RichPOS and let their CA keep the books. From Dukaan Plus, RichPOS exports sales and purchases to Tally in XML or CSV. We have not tested importing that file into BUSY, so ask your CA which format they need.
Can I try RichPOS before I pay?
Yes. Sign up at app.richdaddy.in/register for a free 30-day trial. No card needed.
Try RichPOS free for 30 days
No card needed. Import your item list and make your first GST bill today. Not sure it fits? Ask us on WhatsApp.