Centrik vs TallyPrime
One is accounting software, the other runs the operations around it. Here is where each one fits, and why many businesses use both.
The short answer
TallyPrime is accounting software. It is built for bookkeeping, GST compliance, banking and payroll, and its own pages show GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filing from inside the product. If your main need is keeping the books and filing returns, Tally is the right tool.
Centrik is not accounting software. It runs the work that happens before and around the invoice: purchase requests and orders, goods receipts and matching, stock by location, bills of materials and manufacturing orders, job work, sales orders and bookings. It runs in the browser with nothing to install.
For most Indian MSMEs this is not an either-or choice. Keep Tally for the books and use Centrik for day-to-day operations, so your team stops tracking purchases, stock and production in spreadsheets.
At a glance
| Centrik | TallyPrime | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Operations: procurement, inventory, manufacturing, orders and bookings in one connected system | Accounting, invoicing, GST compliance, inventory, banking and payroll |
| Accounting and GST returns | Not an accounting product. Keep Tally or Zoho Books for bookkeeping and GST filing, and export the data your CA needs | Full accounting. Upload and file GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, reconcile GSTR-2B, and generate e-invoices and e-way bills |
| Purchase workflow | Purchase requests, purchase orders, multiple GRNs per PO, quality check per GRN line, two-way or three-way matching, department budgets and approvals | Purchase orders and receipt notes, with a purchase order book and outstanding order reports |
| Inventory | Live stock by location, transfers, reservations, reorder alerts, serial or batch tracking with expiry, and full stock history | Godowns or locations, stock groups and categories, and batches with manufacturing and expiry dates |
| Manufacturing | Bills of materials with scrap and by-products, cost per unit, manufacturing orders with a stock check, store issue slips and output in runs | Bill of materials and manufacturing journal for components, by-products and scrap, plus job costing |
| Job work and ITC-04 | Job work challans, what is still out per order, returns and losses, an overdue list, and ITC-04 tables 4 and 5A as CSVs | Job work out and job work in orders, tracked with material out and material in vouchers. Check with Tally for ITC-04 output |
| Sales documents | Quote, proforma, sales order and tax invoice without re-entry, delivery challans, returns and credit notes, and a point-of-sale screen | Invoicing with e-invoice and e-way bill generation |
| Appointments and bookings | 1:1 appointments and group sessions, staff schedules, waitlists, packages and invoicing a completed booking | Its product pages focus on accounting, GST, inventory and payroll |
| Deployment | Web-based. Nothing to install | Installed on a PC, single user (Silver) or multi-user on a LAN (Gold). Cloud Access is a separate add-on, and reports can be viewed in a browser |
| Pricing model | Free forever plan with no credit card, and paid plans when you need more. See pricing | Rental plans or a one-time lifetime licence, with Tally Software Services for upgrades. Tally pricing |
TallyPrime details checked on 24 October 2026 from its public website. Products change, so check the latest on their site.
Choose TallyPrime if
- You need full accounting: ledgers, vouchers, banking, and the balance sheet and profit and loss your CA prepares from them
- You want to file GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B and reconcile GSTR-2B from inside your accounting software
- Your CA already works in Tally and you want to keep their familiar workflow
- You need payroll, TDS and TCS handled alongside your books
- You prefer software installed on your own PC, with the option of a one-time licence
Choose Centrik if
- Your purchases need a proper trail: purchase requests, approvals, POs, partial GRNs, quality checks and invoice matching
- You make things and want bills of materials, a stock check before production, and an estimated cost per unit
- You send material to job workers and want to see what is still out, with ITC-04 tables ready as CSVs
- Several people across locations work on stock, orders or bookings, each with their own permissions
- You want a browser-based system your team can start on today, on a free forever plan, in English or Hindi
How businesses run Centrik and Tally together
Centrik handles the operational side: who asked for material, what was ordered, what arrived and passed quality check, what was made and what was sold. Tally keeps the books, files GST returns and produces the statements your CA signs off.
Because Centrik raises GST invoices with the correct CGST, SGST or IGST split and lets you export the data you need as CSV, your accountant gets clean records to post into Tally. You can also give your CA role-based access to Centrik to look things up directly.
Keep reading
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Centrik is not accounting software. Keep Tally for bookkeeping and GST filing, and use Centrik for procurement, stock, manufacturing, orders and bookings before and around the invoice.