These two are not really the same category. Zoho Books is accounting software with billing in it; MaterialBill is a shop billing system with the accounting summarised at the other end for your CA. The right choice depends less on features than on who keeps your books.
The question is who does the accounting
If you or someone in your business actually does the bookkeeping — chart of accounts, journals, reconciliations — then a full accounting product is the right tool and Zoho Books is a serious one. If your CA does the books and what you need is for the shop to be recorded correctly so they have something to work from, then an accounting package is more machinery than the job requires, and it usually gets abandoned somewhere between setup and the second month.
Where the material trade differs
The things that decide a material shop's day are specific: an item that sells in kilos but is bought in tons, an invoice carrying cement at 28% and steel at 18%, a delivery challan with a vehicle number that will settle an argument two years from now, and a credit ledger that a contractor can check himself. General accounting software can usually be configured to do most of this. MaterialBill does it by default, which is the difference between a fortnight of setup and half an hour.
Who is going to use it every day
This is the question that decides whether software survives in a shop, and it is rarely asked. The person on the counter has usually kept a paper register for years. A screen built around accounting concepts, in English, is where that person stops and the register comes back out. Both products are perfectly usable by someone comfortable with software; only one of them is designed for someone who is not.
What we would actually recommend
If you run a services business, a trading company with a finance person, or anything where proper double-entry books matter to you directly, look at a full accounting product. If you run a shop — counter, credit, stock, deliveries — start with the billing system and let your CA handle the accounting from its output. You can always add the second later; almost nobody goes the other way.
Side-by-side comparison
MaterialBill
Zoho Books
Category
Shop billing system for the material trade
Cloud accounting software
Who it assumes is using it
A shopkeeper and their counter staff
Someone comfortable with accounting concepts
Multi-unit billing (kg, ton, bag, CFT, box)
Built in, unit and conversion per item
Configurable in most accounting products
Site delivery challan with vehicle and freight
Built into the invoice and the ledger
Not the focus of an accounting product
Customer portal for the party's own khata
Each party can log in and see their account
Varies — check their current feature list
Staff attendance and salary
GPS attendance and salary slips included
Handled by separate products in most suites
Double-entry accounting and journals
Summaries for your CA, not full books
That is what it is for
Hindi interface and Hindi phone support
Both, by default
Check what is available in your language
Setup time
About 30 minutes on a call
Longer — a chart of accounts has to be decided
Our honest verdict: Different tools for different jobs. If your books are done by a CA and your problem is the counter, the credit and the godown, take the billing system. If you genuinely need double-entry accounting in-house, take the accounting product — and let your shop billing feed it.
We describe the other product at a general level rather than listing its features one by one, because those change often and we would rather say nothing than say something inaccurate. Check their current features and pricing on their own website, and try both on your own bills before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Can MaterialBill replace accounting software?
For most shops, yes, in the sense that your CA can prepare the books from its output. It does not do double-entry journals, depreciation or statutory payroll, and it does not claim to.
Which is cheaper?
Compare over three years, not by sticker price, and include what it costs to add a staff login or a second branch. MaterialBill has a free plan with no card; check their current pricing on their own site.
Can I use both?
Some businesses do — bill in the shop system and hand the summaries to an accounting product. Ask your CA whether the duplication is worth it for your size.