What is Hisaabo?

Hisaabo is a self-hosted invoicing and business management app designed for Indian small businesses. It replaces tools like MyBillBook, Vyaapaar, and Tally for teams that want to own their data and run the software on their own infrastructure.

You get GST-compliant invoicing, party (customer/supplier) management, inventory tracking, payment recording, expense management, banking, and a built-in online store — all in one app. The full-featured web application works in any browser on any device. Hisaabo Cloud adds native Android/iOS apps and a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Who is Hisaabo for?

Hisaabo is the right fit if you:

Run a small business in India with GST needs (regular, composition, or unregistered)
Want your business data on your own server, not locked in a third-party cloud
Have basic technical ability to run a Docker container (or have someone who can)
Need to manage multiple businesses from one account
Want to move away from MyBillBook or a similar tool and keep your existing data

Hisaabo is not a good fit if you need real-time inventory counting hardware integration (barcode scanners with live sync) or complex multi-warehouse logistics with zone-based picking.

Key features

GST-compliant invoicing

Create sale and purchase invoices with automatic CGST/SGST/IGST calculation. The system detects whether a transaction is intra-state or inter-state based on the 2-digit GST state codes you configure on your business and each party. Invoice numbers are assigned atomically — no duplicates, no gaps.

Multiple document types

Beyond standard invoices, you can create quotations, proforma invoices, delivery challans, credit notes, debit notes, sales returns, and purchase returns — all from the same interface with sequential numbering per type.

Party management

Maintain a ledger for every customer and supplier. Track opening balances, credit limits, credit periods, GSTIN, PAN, billing and shipping addresses, and bank details. View a running balance statement for any party at any time.

Items and inventory

Add products and services with sale price, purchase price, HSN/SAC code, GST rate, and stock tracking. Three item modes are supported: simple items, items with alternate units (for example, selling cloth by the metre but tracking in rolls), and items with variants (for example, t-shirts in multiple sizes and colours).

Payments

Record payments against invoices with support for cash, bank transfer, UPI, and cheque. A single payment can be allocated across multiple invoices. The system automatically updates each invoice’s paid amount and status.

Expenses

Log business expenses by category with a payment mode and optional reference number. Expenses appear in your dashboard totals and financial year summaries.

GST reports

Generate GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B reports for any month directly from your invoice data. Export GSTR-1 as CSV for uploading to the GST portal.

Online store

Publish a customer-facing storefront at a URL you choose (for example, yourshop.hisaabo.in). Customers browse your items, place orders, and provide their delivery details. Each order automatically creates a draft invoice in your account.

Banking

Track multiple bank accounts, UPI accounts, and cash balances. Payments can be linked to a bank account, automatically creating a transaction in that account. Transfer money between accounts with a dedicated transfer feature.

Multi-business support

One account can own and manage multiple businesses. Switch between businesses from the navigation bar.

How it works

Hisaabo is a full-stack application with a backend API and a web frontend. You run the server on your own infrastructure using Docker. Your business data is stored in a PostgreSQL database that you control.

Your server
├── PostgreSQL database  ← your data
├── Hisaabo API (Node.js)  ← business logic
└── Hisaabo Web (Vite)  ← browser interface

Self-hosted access
└── Web app (any browser, including mobile browsers)

Hisaabo Cloud (additional)
├── Native Android app
├── Native iOS app
└── Desktop app (macOS / Windows / Linux)

The web app and all clients communicate with the API through tRPC — a type-safe RPC protocol. The web app uses session cookies for authentication; the native mobile app uses Bearer token authentication via the Authorization header.

The native mobile and desktop apps connect to Hisaabo Cloud by default. Self-hosted users access the same full feature set through the web app, which is fully responsive on all screen sizes.

What you need to get started

A Linux server (VPS, cloud VM, or a home server) with Docker and Docker Compose installed
A PostgreSQL 16 instance (included in the Docker Compose setup)
About 15 minutes

Ready to install? Continue to Self-Hosting Setup.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hisaabo free? Yes. Hisaabo is open-source software. You pay for your own server; the software itself has no licence fee.

Does Hisaabo work without internet? Yes. Once installed on your server, Hisaabo runs entirely on your local network. Your data never leaves your server unless you configure email delivery.

Can I import data from MyBillBook? Yes. Hisaabo supports importing parties, items, invoices, and payments from MyBillBook export files. See Import Data for the step-by-step process.

How is security handled? Passwords are hashed with Argon2id. Sessions use HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax cookies with a 30-day expiry. The mobile app authenticates via Bearer token in the Authorization header (using the same session ID). The API applies rate limiting (120 requests per minute per IP). All requests require authentication except the online store’s public-facing product listing.

Does it support multiple users per business? Yes. You can invite team members and assign them roles: Superadmin, Admin, Seller Manager, Seller, or Accountant. Each role has different permissions. See Team & Roles for details.