Selvi vs Khatabook vs Vyapar — honestly
All three are good apps. They are built for different shops. Here is where each one wins, including where Selvi is not the right choice.
| Selvi | Khatabook | Vyapar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice billing in Tamil script | Yes | No | No |
| Answers questions about your shop | Yes | No | No |
| Udhaar / khata book | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GST invoices | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full inventory + accounting | Basic | No | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Trial only |
| Price | ₹0–999/yr | Free–paid | ₹3,599+/yr |
Choose Khatabook if…
You only want a digital udhaar book and nothing else. It is the simplest of the three, it is free, and millions of shops already use it. If billing and stock are not your problem, Selvi is more app than you need.
Choose Vyapar if…
You need full accounting — purchase orders, balance sheets, multi-staff roles, e-way bills. Vyapar is a proper business suite. Selvi deliberately does not do all that, because most kirana shops never open those screens.
Choose Selvi if…
You are a Tamil-speaking shop owner and billing takes too long. Selvi is the only one of the three where you can speak in Tamil — "ரெண்டு கிலோ சர்க்கரை ராமு கு" — and get a finished bill, updated stock and an udhaar entry. It also answers questions about your own numbers: "நேத்து எவ்வளவு விற்பனை?"
What Selvi does not do
Being straight about this matters more than winning a comparison table:
- No full accounting or balance sheet. Use Vyapar or your auditor.
- No e-way bills or multi-branch stock transfer.
- Tamil first. Hindi and other languages are not the focus today.