Billing app, khata app or online store: what does your shop need?

Most shops need help with three jobs: making bills at the counter, keeping track of udhar, and taking orders from customers who are not in the shop. Different apps start from different jobs. Knowing which job matters most to you makes the choice easy.

What we say about other apps below comes from their own websites, as we read them on 28 October 2026. Apps change, so check their sites for the latest.

Billing and accounting apps

These start from the bill and grow into accounting. Vyapar, for example, describes GST billing with e-invoices and e-way bills, stock tracking, accounting and business reports, counter (POS) billing and its own online store, on Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac.

This kind of app suits you if your accountant wants detailed books from you, or you need e-way bills for goods you send out.

Khata apps

These start from the credit notebook. Khatabook, for example, describes a digital bahi khata with automatic payment reminders, along with invoice creation, inventory management and loans, on mobile and desktop.

This kind of app suits you if most of your trouble is collecting money that customers owe you.

Where LokMilo fits

LokMilo starts from the shop as a whole, with your own online store at the centre. In one app you get:

• A shop link where customers see your items, prices and photos and send orders, with designs made for grocery stores, restaurants, salons, hotels and more.
• Counter billing with GST bills, barcode scanning with your phone camera, cash or UPI, returns and day close.
• Udhar khata, where every bill to a customer can go straight onto their page.
• Stock that goes down with every counter bill and online order.
• Rewards for regulars, staff logins with permissions, and more than one store or branch on one account.
• Everything in English, Telugu, Hindi and Tamil.

It is free to start, and paid plans are billed once a year with no auto-renewal. See the plans.

Questions that decide it

• Do customers already order from you by phone or WhatsApp? Then a shop link will save you the most time.
• Is udhar your biggest headache? Make sure the app you pick keeps one clear page per customer, with dates.
• Does your accountant need e-way bills or detailed books? Choose an app built for accounting, or ask your accountant what they need from you.
• Do your staff make bills? Look for separate logins, so you decide what each person can see and do.
• Which language is your shop most comfortable in? Use an app your staff can read without help.

You can try LokMilo free with your real items for a week. If it fits, keep going. If not, you have lost nothing.