MBook vs Tally
MBook vs Tally — for the project, not just the books
Tally is not the problem. It is excellent at accounting, GST returns and statutory filing, and most contractors will keep it for exactly that. The problem is everything between the contract and the ledger — the BOQ, the measurement book, the RA bill, retention, subcontract certification. That never lived in Tally, and no customisation makes it live there. If your accountant loves Tally and your QS is drowning in spreadsheets, you do not have a Tally problem — you have a gap between the books and the project.
Where Tally is genuinely strong
Say it plainly, because it is true. Tally gives you deep double-entry accounting, mature GST returns, statutory compliance and decades of chartered-accountant familiarity, at a low one-time cost. For book-keeping and filing, it is hard to beat, and MBook does not try to replace it.
Many contractors run MBook for the project and keep Tally for the statutory books, exporting cleanly between the two. That is a sensible split, not a compromise.
Where it leaves a contractor exposed
Tally records transactions. It does not run a project. For a contractor, that shows up as:
No BOQ or measurement book
There is nowhere to hold a frozen bill of quantities or measure L×B×D against it — the two things a contractor is actually paid on.
No RA billing
Running-account bills priced off cumulative executed quantity, with retention and escalation inside, are not a Tally concept.
No earned value
Value-weighted physical progress against the BOQ has no home in an accounting ledger.
No subcontract certification
The submit–verify–certify chain and back-to-back margin against the client rate sit outside Tally, usually in Excel.
No project cost control
Material reconciliation against the rate analysis and committed cost by WBS are not there.
What MBook adds — while Tally keeps the books
MBook owns the project: the frozen BOQ, the measurement book, RA billing with retention and escalation, subcontract certification with computed margin, and material reconciliation against the rate analysis. It is India-first — place-of-supply GST and SAC 9954 on every bill.
You do not have to move accounting. Keep Tally for the statutory books and let MBook run the project, exporting the GST summary and ledgers cleanly between them.
Honest comparison
| Capability | Tally | MBook |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting & GST returns | Excellent | Not its job — export to Tally |
| Frozen BOQ | None | Locked baseline, variations only |
| Measurement book | None | Central; L×B×D with the working |
| RA billing | None | Cumulative executed quantity |
| Retention & escalation | Manual journals | Inside the RA bill |
| Earned value | None | Value-weighted against the BOQ |
| Subcontract certification | Outside Tally | Measurement chain, computed margin |
| Material reconciliation | None | Against the rate analysis |
When to choose which
Keep Tally for
Statutory accounting, GST returns and filing. If book-keeping is your only gap, stay on Tally and do not let anyone talk you out of it.
Add MBook when
Your gap is the project — BOQ, measurement, RA billing, retention, subcontract certification and material control. MBook runs those and hands the numbers to Tally.
Common questions
Do I have to replace Tally to use MBook?
No. Most contractors keep Tally for statutory books and run MBook for the project, exporting the GST summary and ledgers between the two.
What does MBook do that Tally cannot?
It holds a frozen BOQ, a measurement book, RA billing with retention and escalation, earned value, and subcontract certification with computed margin — none of which lives in an accounting ledger.
Is MBook an accounting system?
No. MBook runs the project and its billing; accounting and statutory GST filing stay in Tally or your finance system, fed cleanly from MBook.
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