The ₹20,000 POS machine, replaced by the phone in your pocket.
An Android POS billing machine costs ₹12,000 to ₹30,000, then a yearly software fee, its own paper rolls, and a service centre when it dies. Books does the same job on the phone you already own, in your language, free to start — and a ₹1,500 Bluetooth printer gives you paper bills if customers ask.
Works in your browser — nothing to install.
Typical shop prices in 2026, rounded. Yours may differ.
POS machine or your phone: side by side
The same jobs, two very different bills. Typical figures for a small shop in 2026.
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To startPOS₹12,000 – ₹30,000Books₹0 — you have the phone
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GST billsPOSBuilt inBooksTax Invoice or Bill of Supply, with Books Pro
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Every yearPOS₹3,000 – ₹6,000 software feeBooks₹0 on Counter; ₹1,499 for Pro, if you want it
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Paper billsPOSBuilt-in printer, its own rollsBooks₹1,500 Bluetooth printer, standard 58 mm rolls
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BarcodesPOSBuilt-in or add-on scannerBooksPhone camera, or any USB / Bluetooth scanner
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Your languagePOSEnglish menus, maybe HindiBooksTamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, English
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When it breaksPOSService centre, days without billsBooksLog in on any other phone; nothing is lost
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UpdatesPOSTechnician, or a renewal codeBooksNone to do — it is a website
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Takes with youPOSStays on the counterBooksDoorstep, stall, stock room: wherever you are
| POS machine | Your phone + Books | |
|---|---|---|
| To start | ₹12,000 – ₹30,000 | ₹0 — you have the phone |
| GST bills | Built in | Tax Invoice or Bill of Supply, with Books Pro |
| Every year | ₹3,000 – ₹6,000 software fee | ₹0 on Counter; ₹1,499 for Pro, if you want it |
| Paper bills | Built-in printer, its own rolls | ₹1,500 Bluetooth printer, standard 58 mm rolls |
| Barcodes | Built-in or add-on scanner | Phone camera, or any USB / Bluetooth scanner |
| Your language | English menus, maybe Hindi | Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, English |
| When it breaks | Service centre, days without bills | Log in on any other phone; nothing is lost |
| Updates | Technician, or a renewal code | None to do — it is a website |
| Takes with you | Stays on the counter | Doorstep, stall, stock room: wherever you are |
Built for the counter, not the showroom
One hand, big buttons
Bill while handing over change. Total and Save sit within reach of your thumb.
Tap or scan
Loose items in one tap, packed goods by pointing the camera at the barcode.
Paper when asked
Pair a 58 or 80 mm Bluetooth printer once; bills print after every save (Pro).
Expenses on the same phone
The POS machine knows your sales. Books also knows your milk, gas and rent, so it knows your profit.
Backed up by default
Every bill is saved in the cloud as you make it. No memory card, no pen drive.
Installs like an app
Add to the home screen, open in one tap. Nothing from the Play Store to update.
What Books does not do (yet)
- No built-in printer, cash drawer or card swipe. A separate Bluetooth printer and a UPI QR stand cover most small shops.
- Books does not file GST returns or make e-invoices; GST bills themselves are part of Pro.
- No stock counts and no credit (udhaar) book yet.
Questions shop owners ask
What does a POS machine do that my phone cannot?
It has a printer built in and a cash drawer port. Books prints to a separate ₹1,500 Bluetooth printer instead, and most small shops keep cash in a tray anyway. Everything else — billing, products, expenses, reports, barcode scanning — the phone does.
POS machines come with GST billing. Does Books?
Yes, with Books Pro: a Tax Invoice with CGST and SGST for regular GST, or a Bill of Supply for composition, printed on screen or on your Bluetooth printer, plus a monthly GST summary for your accountant. Shops not registered for GST keep ordinary bills.
What if the phone breaks?
Log in on any other phone and your books are there; nothing is stored on the device. A broken POS machine means a service centre and a week without bills.
Will it work in Tamil or Hindi?
Yes, the whole app and the printed bill, in 8 Indian languages. Most POS machines offer English menus with a Hindi keyboard at best.
Is there a yearly fee like the POS software?
The Counter plan is free forever for a normal shop day: up to 500 products and 100 bills a day. Books Pro is ₹149 a month or ₹1,499 a year for old months, exports and printing, and nothing renews by itself.
Can my helper bill on their phone too?
Yes, with the same shop login on any phone. Separate staff logins are not available yet.
Also useful
No desktop, no monitor, no UPS, no technician. Books runs in the browser on your phone: tap or scan to bill, note expenses, print on Bluetooth. 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.