A barcode billing app that uses the phone you already have
Point your phone camera at the barcode on a pack and Books adds it to the bill with its price, with a short beep so you know it worked. No scanner machine to buy. Loose items stay one tap away.
Works in your browser — nothing to install.
From pack to bill in about a second
Set a product's barcode once. From then on, every scan bills it at the price in your product list.
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Step 1
Add the barcode once
In Products, tap Scan next to Barcode and hold the pack up. Or type the number under the lines.
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Step 2
Tap Scan on a new bill
The first time, your phone asks to use the camera. Tap Allow.
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Step 3
Hold the pack a hand-span away
About 15 to 20 cm, until the lines look sharp. A beep, and it is on the bill.
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Step 4
Next pack, same again
Two of the same pack? Scan one, move it away, scan the other. Holding one in view counts once.
Scan the way your counter works
Phone camera
Android and iPhone, in the browser or from the home-screen app. Nothing to install from a store.
Laptop at the counter
Use the laptop webcam, your phone connected as a webcam, or a USB / Bluetooth barcode scanner.
Barcodes only, never QR codes
Product barcodes (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC, Code 128 and more) are read; QR codes are ignored.
No wrong items
Each EAN and UPC barcode has a check digit; a blurry misread fails it and is skipped.
Hear it, don't look
A short beep when a product is added, two low buzzes when a code is unknown.
Torch and zoom
On phones that allow it, a torch button for dim shops and zoom so the camera can focus.
Good to know
Most packs sold in India carry an EAN-13 barcode whose first three digits are 890, the code GS1 India gives to Indian brands. Books reads the barcode and looks for a product in your list with that number; the price always comes from your list, never from the pack.
The camera is used only while the scan screen is open. No photo or video is saved or sent anywhere.
What Books does not do (yet)
- It does not count stock. Scanning bills the product; it does not reduce a stock count (stock tracking is planned).
- It does not look up products by itself. Each barcode is linked to a product in your list once.
- Very shiny, crumpled or tiny barcodes may need better light or the torch.
Questions shop owners ask
Do I need to buy a barcode scanner?
No. The phone camera is the scanner, on Android and iPhone. If you bill all day at a laptop, any USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner also works: plug it in and scan, nothing to set up.
Does it work on iPhone?
Yes. Open Books in Safari or Chrome, tap Scan and allow the camera once. iPhones switch to their close-up lens by themselves when the pack is near.
Many packs have a QR code next to the barcode. Will it read the wrong one?
No. Books reads only the barcode lines and ignores QR codes, so a promotional QR code never lands on the bill.
How do I add a product's barcode?
Open Products, edit the product and tap Scan next to Barcode. If you scan a pack Books does not know on the bill screen, it offers to add it with the number filled in.
What about items without a barcode, like tea or loose sweets?
Tap them on the bill screen as usual. Scanning and tapping go into the same bill.
Is barcode scanning part of the free plan?
Yes. Scanning is a counter job, so it is free on every plan.
Also useful
Bill packaged goods by scanning their barcode with your phone, add loose items in one tap, and see your kirana store's daily profit. Free to start.
Print every bill on a 58 mm or 80 mm Bluetooth thermal printer straight from your phone or laptop. Tamil and Hindi print correctly, no printer driver needed.
Books is free forever for daily billing, expenses and today's profit. Books Pro adds every old month, yearly reports and Excel/PDF export from ₹149 a month.