Kitaabh vs Zoho Books: The Complete Comparison for Tally Users

If you're a Tally user thinking of migrating to a cloud accounting platform, you're facing an important decision. Both Kitaabh and Zoho Books offer cloud-based alternatives, but which one is truly built for Indian businesses used to Tally? Let's compare them point by point.

1. Ease of Migration from Tally

Kitaabh

Kitaabh provides an Official Tally Migration Tool (Kitaabh Migration Hub) where you can migrate 100% of your data with a single click.

• Not just Masters and Transactions but all your data including configurations
• All GST and TDS configurations like GST Classifications, TDS Nature of Payments are automatically migrated
• Chart of Accounts, Inventory settings and everything else transfers completely
• No additional configurations needed after migration

Zoho Books

The migration is cumbersome, complex and multi-step with high risk of data loss.

• You'll need to manually export reports from Tally
• Then import them to Zoho Books in pre-defined formats
• Chart of Accounts, GST, TDS will require additional configurations and mapping
• Significant manual work required even after migration

Migration Verdict: You can get started immediately with Kitaabh's migration support without the concern of data loss.

2. Flexible Double Entry Accounting

Kitaabh

When it comes to managing your accounting entries, Kitaabh offers true flexibility with proper double-entry principles.

Let's take a common example: Your employee, Ram Kumar, spent ₹10,000 on LinkedIn ads and paid directly from his personal account.

In Kitaabh, handling this transaction is straightforward:

First entry:

• Debit: Advertisement Expenses ₹10,000
• Credit: LinkedIn ₹10,000

Second entry:

• Debit: LinkedIn ₹10,000
• Credit: Ram Kumar ₹10,000

This properly records both the expense and shows that your business owes Ram Kumar for the out-of-pocket expense.

Zoho Books

Try this same transaction in Zoho Books. You'll need to create LinkedIn as a vendor first, and even then, you'll struggle to close this transaction with just two simple entries. More importantly, you won't be able to view LinkedIn in Ram Kumar's ledger statement later.

Accounting Flexibility Verdict: For those who need a powerful yet simple solution for double-entry accounting, Kitaabh stands out and does not restrict anywhere.

3. Custom Dashboards and Visualisations

Kitaabh

Kitaabh provides custom dashboards and visualisations built right into the platform - a first for any Cloud Accounting Software in India.

• Create visual dashboards without additional subscriptions
• Build custom reports and visualisations easily
• Even MSME business owners can create powerful dashboards
• No technical skills required

Zoho Books

To visualise even basic data in Zoho Books, you need a separate subscription to Zoho Analytics. This means:

• Extra cost for basic visual reporting
• Learning another software system
• Managing multiple subscriptions

Dashboard Verdict: If you've made up your mind to upgrade from Tally to a modern accounting software, Kitaabh offers intuitive dashboards, data visualisation, and smart insights without extra subscriptions.

4. Cost Centres/Projects

Kitaabh

In Kitaabh you can easily track cost centre expenses right in your transactions.

• Cost Centres are 100% synced when migrating from Tally
• A single expense can be allocated to multiple cost centres
• Example: Split a ₹50,000 electricity bill between Project 1 (₹30,000) and Project 2 (₹20,000)
• Detailed Cost-Center wise P&Ls available without additional setup

Zoho Books

For equivalent functionality in Zoho Books:

• You must either subscribe to Zoho Projects (additional cost)
• Or use basic tagging features with limited functionality
• No seamless allocation of expenses across multiple projects

5. Inventory Reports and Price Lists

Kitaabh

Kitaabh offers comprehensive inventory management in one package:

• Stock Summary
• Multiple Warehouses tracking
• Batch management
• Ageing Analysis
• Item-Wise Reports (Top Customers, Top Suppliers)
• Godown Wise Reports
• Batch Wise Reports

Zoho Books

If you need complete inventory management in Zoho:

• You'll need a separate subscription to Zoho Inventory
• Pay additional fees for essential inventory features
• Manage multiple systems and subscriptions

6. For Chartered Accountants - Close Audits 5x Faster

Kitaabh

Chartered Accountants who are used to auditing in Tally can switch to Kitaabh seamlessly.

• Preserves and enhances existing Tally workflow
• Powerful split-view feature allows simultaneous viewing of Trial Balance and ledger details
• Scroll through the Trial Balance while checking individual ledgers
• No retraining needed - just added efficiency

Zoho Books

• Different interface requires relearning audit processes
• No specialised features designed specifically for CA workflows
• No easy transition from Tally auditing methods

The Package vs Modules Approach

Kitaabh

• One complete software with all features included
• Single price covers everything you need
• No surprise costs or additional subscriptions

Zoho Books

• Fragmented approach with multiple subscriptions
• Zoho Books for basic accounting
• Zoho Analytics for dashboards and reports
• Zoho Projects for project management
• Zoho Inventory for complete inventory management

Conclusion

If you're a Tally user looking to move to the cloud without compromising on features or flexibility, Kitaabh offers a more complete solution that's built specifically for Indian businesses and accounting practices.

Kitaabh preserves everything you love about Tally while eliminating the limitations:

• True one-click migration with 100% data preservation
• Flexible double-entry accounting without restrictions
• All features included in one comprehensive platform
• CA-friendly interfaces that speed up audits
• No need for multiple subscriptions as your needs grow

For businesses that want a true Tally replacement in the cloud, Kitaabh offers the uncompromising solution you've been looking for.