Free restaurant billing software in India: what “free” really gets you

• A free first monthThe full product, free for a few weeks, then a monthly or yearly plan. POSBADA works this way: one month free for one outlet, every feature, no card.
• A free version with limitsFree to use but capped, for example a few bills a month, one device, no KOT or kitchen display, ads, or a logo on your bill.
• Open-source softwareNo licence fee, but you install it, set up the printer and GST, keep backups and fix problems yourself, or pay someone to.
• Excel or a bill bookCosts nothing and works for a small stall. It stops working once you have tables, a kitchen and GST bills to number.

A free version is a fair way to try billing software. The real question is what happens on a busy Saturday night when the limit runs out.

A shop counter can live with simple billing. A restaurant needs a few more things every day, and these are the ones to check in any free plan:

• KOT to the kitchen. Orders printed or shown in the kitchen the moment they are taken. See KOT software.
• Tables and open tabs. Table 6 orders a second round; the bill should add both.
• A proper GST bill. Your GSTIN, a consecutive serial number unique for the financial year, and the tax split. The restaurant GST bill format has the full list.
• More than one phone. Waiters take orders on their own phones while the counter bills.
• Billing when the internet drops. A web app that needs the internet stops at the worst moment.
• A day-end report. Cash, UPI and card totals that match the galla.

People look for free billing software by device. Here is what to check on each.

• Android phone or tabletCheck that it prints to your thermal printer and that waiters can order from their own phones. POSBADA runs in Chrome on Android and has its own Android app.
• PC or Windows laptopDesktop-only software ties billing to one computer. Browser-based billing runs in Chrome on any Windows or Mac computer, and on phones too.
• OfflineAsk what happens when the internet drops in the middle of dinner. POSBADA keeps billing and printing over your local network with POSBADA-HUB on a Windows computer at the outlet.
• PrinterMost restaurants print on 58 mm or 80 mm thermal paper. POSBADA prints on USB thermal printers.

The POSBADA Android app page shows how it installs on a phone or billing machine.

For a tea stall with ten items and no GST registration, an Excel sheet or a printed bill book is enough. It stops being enough when:

• you register for GST, and every tax invoice needs a consecutive serial number unique for the financial year (Rule 46, CGST Rules);
• orders need to reach the kitchen as a KOT;
• two people bill at the same time;
• you want to know each night how much came in by cash, UPI and card.

At that point the time spent fixing sheets is worth more than ₹499 a month.

POSBADA's first month is free for one outlet, with every feature: billing, KOT, kitchen display, QR table ordering, your own online ordering shop at 0% commission, staff apps, reports and POSBADA-HUB offline support. No card is needed to start, and we set up your menu with you on WhatsApp, often from a photo of your menu.

After the month it is ₹499 a month per outlet, or ₹4,999 a year, plus GST. Nothing renews by itself; if it doesn't suit you, just stop. Home chefs have their own plan: 30 days free, then ₹199 a month. For a full cost comparison, see restaurant billing software price in India.