An honest, row-by-row comparison — including where Tally is still ahead.
| Particulars | Total | TallyPrime |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹0 beta; ₹9,900 perpetual Business licence after beta | See current Tally pricing |
| Fully offline | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native macOS app | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data format | Open SQLite file | Proprietary |
| GSTR-1 / GSTR-3B | ✓ | ✓ |
| e-Invoice / e-Way bill | Offline JSON always; live filing experimental | Mature, live filing |
| Payroll | Pay heads, EPF/ESI/PT, payslips | Paid add-on module |
| Inventory & manufacturing | BOM, batches & expiry, godowns, FIFO / weighted avg, price levels | Deeper inventory tooling |
| Bank reconciliation | ✓ + BRS, rules, cheque printing | ✓ |
| Cash flow & ratio reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost centres & budgets | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agent access (Claude/Codex entries via validated inbox) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi-user | Local users + roles (one machine) | ✓ (network) |
| Audit trail | ✓ | ✓ |
| ⌘K command search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Updates | Auto-updates itself | Manual |
| Track record | Beta | 30+ years in the market |
Total is a young, single-developer offline app built for macOS — it does the everyday books, GST returns and payroll well, but it is still a beta with one person behind it and no multi-user support. If your business needs multiple simultaneous users, deeper inventory, or the statutory breadth of a 30-year-old product today, buy Tally.