Free Restaurant Billing Software in India: What's Actually Free

Free restaurant billing software in India comes in three kinds: software that says its core billing is free forever, general billing apps with a free tier and paid upgrades, and "free to start" products that expect you to upgrade later. All of them can print a GST bill. They differ in what they leave out, and in how the company plans to make money from you.

To be clear about who's writing this: dineomAI is a paid product, so we're not one of the free options below. We've described them from their own pages, as of 27 October 2026.

Key takeaways

• "Free" means three different things in this market, and the difference matters more than the feature list.
• PeeledOnion says its core billing and POS are free forever, with unlimited bills; it says optional paid add-ons may come later.
• Vyapar has a free mobile plan for one business, with paid desktop plans from ₹308 to ₹833 a month, billed annually, plus GST.
• Whatever you choose, check that it numbers bills in an unbroken sequence, lets you export your data, and tells you what support you get.
• Hardware isn't included in any of them: budget ₹3,500 to ₹7,000 for a thermal printer.

The three kinds of free

None of these is a trick. A company has to earn money somehow, and knowing how tells you what you'll be asked to pay for later. Ask each vendor directly: "What will I eventually pay for, and what happens to my data if I leave?"

What free software must still get right

A bill being free doesn't excuse it from GST rules. Whatever you use has to produce a proper tax invoice, and these are the parts to test before you trust it on a busy night.

Unbroken bill numbers. Under Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, a GST invoice number must be consecutive and unique within the financial year, and no longer than 16 characters. Make three test bills, cancel one, and check the next number doesn't skip or repeat.

CGST and SGST on separate lines. Most standalone restaurants charge 5 percent, which must show as 2.5 percent CGST and 2.5 percent SGST, not one combined line. Our GST on restaurant food guide explains which rate applies to you.

Liquor kept separate. If you serve alcohol, the drinks carry state VAT, not GST, so they need their own section of the bill. A general-purpose billing app may not handle this, so test it before you rely on it in a bar.

Your data, exportable. You should be able to download your sales, item by item, as a spreadsheet. If you ever switch, your bill history and GST reports have to come with you.

To see what a correct bill looks like before you choose, our free restaurant bill format generator builds one with the CGST and SGST split and liquor VAT handled.

When free is enough

Free software is genuinely fine for a lot of places:

• A single-counter cafe, tea stall, bakery or cloud kitchen that mainly needs clean GST bills and a daily sales total.
• A new outlet testing whether the business works before committing to annual software fees.
• Anyone currently writing bills by hand. Any of these is better than a bill book, because the software numbers the bills for you.

Pair it with an 80mm thermal printer at ₹3,500 to ₹7,000 and a phone or tablet you already own, and you have a working billing setup. We cover the hardware side in what a restaurant billing machine actually costs.

When paying starts to make sense

The case for paid software usually isn't billing at all. It's what sits around the bill:

• Several outlets that need one menu and one set of reports.
• Inventory and recipe costing that link sales to stock; see what restaurant inventory software should do.
• Delivery apps whose orders should land in the same system as dine-in.
• A bar, where liquor VAT and stock control get complicated.
• Selling more per table, which billing software doesn't do at all.

That last point is the one we'd argue matters most. Billing software, free or paid, records the sale after the guest has decided what to order. It doesn't change what they order. We explain the difference in POS versus ordering system.

If you're comparing paid options, we've reviewed the best restaurant billing software in India and broken down what Petpooja actually costs.

How to test a free option in one evening

1. Set up your real menu, with your actual GST rate.
2. Make 20 test bills, including a split bill, a discount and a cancelled bill.
3. Check that the bill numbers run in sequence and the GST lines are correct.
4. Print on your thermal printer and read the bill as a customer would.
5. Export the day's sales to a spreadsheet and check the totals match.
6. Switch off the internet and see whether billing still works.
7. Email support with one question and note how long the reply takes.

If it passes all seven, it's good enough to start. If it fails the numbering or the export, look elsewhere, however free it is.

FAQ

Is there any truly free restaurant billing software in India?

Yes. PeeledOnion, for example, says its core billing and POS features are free forever, with unlimited bills, KOT and a captain app, and that it may add optional paid add-ons later. Vyapar has a free mobile plan for one business. Check what "core" covers before relying on it.

Is free billing software GST compliant?

It can be, but check it yourself. The bill must have a consecutive, unique number within the financial year, show CGST and SGST as separate lines, and keep alcohol on state VAT if you serve it. Make test bills, including a cancelled one, and check the numbering.

What does Vyapar cost for a restaurant?

Vyapar's page lists a free mobile plan for one business, covering invoices, bills, GST reports and expense tracking. Its paid desktop plans run from ₹308 a month (Gold) to ₹833 a month (Platinum), billed annually, plus 18 percent GST. Vyapar is a general billing app with a restaurant page.

Can I use free billing software offline?

Some free options work offline and some need the internet for every bill. Test it before you rely on it: switch off the Wi-Fi, make a bill, and see whether it prints and later syncs. A billing system that stops when the internet drops will stop your counter too.

When should a restaurant pay for billing software?

When you need more than billing: several outlets, inventory linked to recipes, delivery-app orders in one place, a bar with liquor VAT, or tools that raise the average order. For a single counter that needs clean GST bills, free software is often enough.

What to do next

Pick two free options, run the seven-step test on each one evening after closing, and keep the one that passes the bill-numbering and export checks. Spend the money you save on a decent thermal printer.

If the billing works but your average ticket isn't moving, that's a different problem. Book a short dineomAI demo to see guests order from their table and get the next item suggested.