Tally alternative for Indian startups
Checked on Tally's own website on . Prices exclude 18% GST.
Tally is the safe choice if your CA already works in it and you like owning a licence. Margin is for startups that want the books kept close to daily, in a browser, with a person approving every entry before it reaches the books. Here's how the two compare.
What Tally does well
- Your CA knows it. Most Indian CAs and accountants have used Tally for years, so handing over a Tally file is normal.
- It's complete for Indian compliance. GST returns filed from inside TallyPrime, e-invoices and e-way bills, TDS and TCS, stock, and payroll with PF, ESI and professional tax.
- One licence, every feature. You can buy it once and keep using it, and Tally says every plan comes with all features.
- Fast for heavy data entry. People who use it every day are very quick with the keyboard.
- It reaches beyond the desktop. Tally connects live to Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank, and TallyPrime Cloud Access opens the same books from a browser, from ₹600 a user a month on top of the licence.
Who Tally suits
- Your CA works in Tally and wants a Tally file.
- You hold stock, or your turnover is above ₹5 crore and you need e-invoices.
- An accountant keeps the books in-house every day.
- You'd rather own a licence than pay each month.
Where Margin is different
- Kept close to daily. Bills, invoices, payroll and bank lines each propose an entry as they come in, and it reaches the books only when someone approves it.
- Made for the whole team, in a browser. Approvals by amount, roles for finance staff, and your CA signs in with their own email. Or they keep Tally, with Margin's Tally export each month.
- Less typing. Attach a bill as a PDF or photo and Margin fills in the vendor, amounts, GST, invoice number and date for you to check. Upload a bank statement and each line is matched with a payment run, bill, receipt or rule.
- Returns worked out from the books. GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, GSTR-2B matching, and the TDS returns, for your CA to check and file. Margin shows whether the filed figures agree with the books.
- Payroll in the same books. PF, ESI and professional tax, payslips and Form 16, with the salary entries posted for you.
- Numbers for investors. A monthly board pack and a 90-day cash-flow forecast.
What Margin doesn't do yet. E-invoices, e-way bills and stock. It works with statements from your bank's website, not a live bank connection. It's for Indian companies only, and it's much newer than Tally, so weigh that too.
Side by side
| What | TallyPrime | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Single user: ₹750 a month, ₹8,100 a year, or ₹22,500 once. Multi-user: ₹2,250 a month, ₹24,300 a year, or ₹67,500 onceTallyPrime pricing | Books: ₹1,999 a month |
| After a one-time licence | Software services renewal: ₹4,500 (Silver) or ₹13,500 (Gold) a yearTallyPrime pricing | No licence |
| Payroll | IncludedPayroll in TallyPrime · TallyPrime pricing | ₹60 a person a month (₹1,999 minimum), or Books and Payroll at ₹3,499 a month for up to 25 people |
| Where you work | Installed on your computer; Cloud Access from ₹600 a user a month, licence separateDownload TallyPrime · TallyPrime Cloud Access | In a browser |
| Bank statements | Imported, or live from Axis Bank, SBI, Kotak and ICICIBanking in TallyPrime | Downloaded from your bank's website and uploaded, then matched |
| GST and TDS returns | Filed from inside TallyPrimeTallyPrime | Worked out for your CA to file |
| E-invoices and e-way bills | YesTallyPrime | Not yet |
| Stock | YesTallyPrime | No |
| Your CA | Most already work in it | Their own sign-in, or a Tally export each month |
Tally's facts checked on its own website on 21 October 2026; each links to the page it came from. Margin's prices are from our price list. Prices exclude 18% GST.
How to switch from Tally
- Pick the date. The start of a financial year (1 April) is cleanest. The start of a quarter works too.
- Close the old books properly. Ask your CA to finalise the trial balance up to the switch date.
- Bring in opening balances. Export the trial balance on your start date from Tally as a CSV and upload it in Books → Opening & tie-out. Match any ledger names Margin can't place once, and it remembers. Margin posts one opening entry. How do I bring in our opening balances from Tally?
- Add who owes you and whom you owe. Customers' and vendors' opening balances go in Reference, customers' from a CSV. Where do I add customers?
- Upload your bank statements, as the file your bank's website gives you. How do I bring in our bank statement?
- Run both for one month. Compare the trial balances (Margin's tie-out does it account by account), then stop the old one.
Keep last year's Tally data as a file for the audit. Need a hand? Write to hello@1936ai.com and we'll help.
Questions
Does our CA have to use Margin?
No. Send them the Tally export each month and nothing changes for them. Or add them with the Finance role, so they sign in to the same books with their own email.
How much does TallyPrime cost?
On Tally's own pricing page on 21 October 2026, a single-user licence was ₹22,500 for life and a multi-user licence ₹67,500, plus 18% GST. Subscriptions start at ₹750 a month, or ₹8,100 a year.
Does Margin do e-invoicing?
Not yet. If your turnover is above ₹5 crore, get the IRN on the government e-invoice portal, or ask your CA.
