Zoho Books → OnGravy
Zoho is good.
OnGravy is better at India.
Zoho Books is international software with India support added. OnGravy was built India-first — GST + TDS + MSME + AIS depth, WhatsApp + voice + Hindi for SMEs, practice management for CAs at one price for all clients (not Zoho’s per-business punishment).
No credit card. WhatsApp OTP login. Zoho CSV import accepted directly.
Where Zoho still beats us: International coverage (Zoho is more mature: 50+ countries vs our 61 jurisdictions with India deepest), a 45-app ecosystem (CRM, Projects, Sign) and SOC 2 / ISO certifications, and Zoho’s genuinely useful free tier under ₹25L turnover. If you need global ops, Zoho is the right call. If you’re India-only and want deeper India depth + better CA practice management, read on.
Zoho Books vs OnGravy — every dimension that matters
We won’t pretend to win categories we don’t. This table is honest.
| Dimension | Zoho Books | OnGravy | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| UI polish | 8/10 — modern SaaS feel | 8/10 — same era | Tied |
| GSTR-1 / 3B speed-to-spec | Ships in months after notification | 30-day SLO — public changelog tracks it | OnGravy |
| See our public /compliance/changelog for the audit trail. Zoho doesn’t publish one. | |||
| TDS / TCS section coverage | Broad, incl. niche sections | ~34 of ~45 Ch. XVII-B sections — all common ones | Tied |
| We cover every everyday TDS section (192–196D) plus the full TCS series (206C 1/1C/1F/1G/1H/7) with 206AA/206AB/206CCA escalation. Zoho edges ahead only on ~10 niche sections (194BA online gaming, 194E/194F, the 194LB-series). Note: Chapter XVII-B has ~45 TDS sections, not "100+". | |||
| MSME §43B(h) tracking | Basic overdue list | Overdue list + estimated tax-disallowance ₹ impact | OnGravy |
| AI tax advisor | Bookkeeping AI assist; no tax advice | GST + TDS + ITR advice with citations | OnGravy |
| Voice voucher entry | Not available | Hindi / Marathi / Gujarati / Tamil / Bangla / Punjabi support | OnGravy |
| WhatsApp-driven approvals | Email approvals | WhatsApp interactive buttons; reply to approve | OnGravy |
| Bank feeds (Indian banks) | Top 4 banks reliable; smaller banks flake | AA framework — same coverage as the bank supports | Tied |
| Mobile-first SME workflows | Mobile apps available | Camera receipt + voice voucher native to mobile | OnGravy |
| Multi-business pricing (CA) | ₹749/mo PER business — 50 clients = ₹37,450/mo | CA plans from ₹1,999 · 3–5 clients incl, then ₹299/mo per client | OnGravy |
| Practice management for CAs | Add-on (Zoho Practice — separate product) | Built-in — engagement kanban, cross-client deadlines | OnGravy |
| International / multi-country | 50+ countries (more mature) | 61 jurisdictions (India deepest; others Beta) | Tied |
| Customer support response | 8/10 — India-staffed | Direct founder access at this stage; will scale with team | Tied |
| For 50 customers, founder support is a feature. For 5,000 it becomes a bug. We acknowledge this. | |||
| Free tier | Free under ₹25L turnover | ₹799/mo (no free tier) | Zoho |
| Zoho’s free tier is a real wedge for new businesses. We bet on concierge onboarding + lower friction instead. | |||
Migration takes 30 minutes
Bring Zoho’s CSV export. We accept Zoho’s format directly — no conversion script needed. Sandbox-first cutover means your live books aren’t touched until you’re sure.
- Export from Zoho Books. Settings → Data backup → Export all → ZIP of CSVs. Takes about 5 minutes from Zoho.
- Upload to OnGravy migration. Settings → Restore from backup. We accept Zoho’s CSV export format directly.
- Map your chart of accounts. We try to auto-map. Anything ambiguous is shown side-by-side for you to confirm.
- Verify opening balances. OnGravy shows the Zoho trial balance next to ours. They should match to the rupee. If not, we surface the gap before posting.
- Cancel Zoho — when you’re ready. We hold your last 30 days of Zoho data in cold storage as a safety net. Cancel your Zoho subscription on day 7 or day 60 — your call.
Try it on a sandbox business
Plans from ₹799/month with 30-day money-back guarantee. Upload your Zoho CSV. If the India depth + CA practice management don’t feel meaningfully better, full refund on your first month — your Zoho subscription stays untouched.
See plans →