Free inventory tracking with GST for Indian shops

Pick the right free plan for your shop size

Accountune Free stands out for Indian small businesses because it bundles GST billing, inventory tracking, e-way bills and full financial reports in one place. The company states the plan gives 100 invoices and 10 e-way bills at no cost with no time limit and no card required. Zoho Inventory offers a free tier limited to 50 orders per month according to multiple 2026 comparisons. ProfitBooks also lists a free forever plan that includes real-time stock, purchase orders and GST invoices for Indian users.

These options work best for shops handling under 100 transactions a month or those testing before scaling. Larger operations will hit the caps quickly and need to move to paid tiers. The free tiers stay cloud-based so offline use is not available in most cases.

Self-hosted open source tools like the MyCompany repository on GitHub provide unlimited use once installed but require a server with at least 4 GB RAM and ongoing maintenance. That route suits users comfortable with Linux setup scripts and PostgreSQL.

Start with Accountune or Zoho if you want quick sign-up and mobile apps. Choose the GitHub option only if you already run your own server and want to avoid monthly limits entirely.

Sign up and confirm the free limits

Visit the Accountune site and create an account using your business email. The dashboard immediately shows the free plan details including the 100 invoice cap. Zoho Inventory requires a Zoho account and then selection of the free inventory module with the 50 order limit clearly listed in the pricing page.

During signup add your GSTIN and business address so invoices generate correctly. Both services verify Indian compliance features in their free tiers without extra payment. Keep records of the exact invoice count shown in the dashboard from day one.

ProfitBooks free plan activates after registration and lists GST-compliant invoicing and inventory reports as included. No credit card is needed for any of these according to their sites. The catch remains the hard monthly caps that reset but do not increase.

Test invoice creation right after signup to confirm GST formatting matches your state requirements. If the numbers do not match your expected volume move to the next option before investing time in setup.

Add your products and set stock levels

Once inside the dashboard create items one by one or import a simple CSV of your current stock. Accountune and Zoho both support SKU, price, GST rate and current quantity fields in the free tier. Enter accurate opening stock so the system can track movements from the first day.

Set low stock alerts if the tool offers them in the free plan. This prevents running out of fast-moving items without paying extra. Multi-warehouse tracking is usually restricted or absent in free versions so start with a single location.

Link items to suppliers where possible so purchase orders can be raised later. The free tiers handle basic stock in and out but advanced features like bill of materials appear only on paid plans. Verify each item shows the correct GST rate before saving.

Double-check totals against your physical count on the first day. Any mismatch now will compound when you start selling.

Create your first GST invoices

Select an item and generate an invoice through the sales section. The free plan automatically calculates GST based on the rate you set during item creation. Add customer details including GSTIN when required for B2B sales.

Download the PDF and check that the invoice number, tax breakdown and e-way bill option appear correctly. Accountune allows up to 10 e-way bills free so reserve those for higher value shipments. Zoho limits total orders so use the free tier for the smallest sales first.

Record payments against each invoice inside the same screen. The system updates stock levels automatically after each confirmed sale. Export monthly GST summaries directly from the reports section at no extra cost.

Keep a manual backup of the first ten invoices in case you approach the free limit faster than expected. This habit prevents surprises when the cap is reached.

Monitor usage and plan the next move

Check the usage dashboard weekly to see how many invoices remain before the reset. Accountune shows the exact count while Zoho displays orders used against the 50 limit. Set a calendar reminder two weeks before you expect to hit the cap.

When volume grows consider upgrading only the features you actually use rather than switching tools entirely. Many shops stay on free tiers for years by keeping sales under the stated monthly numbers. The open source MyCompany repo removes limits but adds server costs and update work.

Export all data before any upgrade so you can import into the next plan without re-entering everything. Both Accountune and Zoho support exports in common formats from the free dashboard.

Review the reports section monthly to spot trends in stock movement. This data helps decide whether the free tier still fits or whether a paid plan at a few hundred rupees per month becomes worthwhile.

Handle common setup problems

If GST rates do not appear correctly recheck the item master and state settings during initial configuration. Most free plans pull rates from the GSTIN you entered at signup. Contact support only after confirming the issue is not a data entry error.

Mobile apps for Accountune and Zoho work on the free tier but some advanced barcode scanning may require paid add-ons. Start with manual entry and add hardware later if needed. The self-hosted option needs port forwarding and domain setup for remote access which takes extra time.

Backup your data regularly even on free plans. Cloud providers keep copies but local exports protect against account issues. The GitHub repo requires manual database backups as part of routine maintenance.

Test one full sales cycle from stock entry to invoice and payment report before relying on the system for daily operations. This reveals any hidden limits not listed in the marketing pages.

Sources

• https://www.business-software.com/blog/no-cost-office-free-inventory-management-solutions/
• https://github.com/orgs/redhat-developer/repositories
• https://ubikon.in/blog/inventory-management-software-small-business
• https://profitbooks.net/inventory-management-software/
• https://github.com/orgs/AI4Bharat/repositories
• https://github.com/lsfusion-solutions/mycompany
• https://github.com/orgs/xdevplatform/repositories
• https://github.com/orgs/developersIndia/repositories

Reported from the sources above on 2026-09-15. Figures are as published at the time of writing. If something here has moved on, the linked source is the one to trust.