A paper register and an Excel sheet both work. The difference is how much of the work they leave to you. This is a fair comparison.
| What you do | Paper register | Excel sheet | eKhata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding a customer's balance | Turn the pages and read the handwriting | Filter or scroll, if the sheet is well built | Search by name or phone, running balance ready |
| Working out balances | Added up by hand, errors carry forward | Formulas you write and must keep right | Calculated from the entries automatically |
| Reminding customers | A phone call or an awkward remark | Copy figures into a message yourself | PDF statement or reminder to WhatsApp in one tap |
| Stock | A separate notebook, counted by hand | A sheet you update after each sale | Falls with every bill, low-stock levels, movement ledger, average cost |
| Cash book | Written separately from sales | Typed in again from bills | Bills, expenses and salary post to it; cash, bank, Easypaisa and JazzCash kept apart |
| Bills | Handwritten slips | A template you design and print | PDF invoice, 58mm and 80mm thermal receipt, WhatsApp, returns |
| Staff and salary | Attendance and advances remembered or noted | A sheet per month | Attendance, advances, salary slip, staff logins with permissions |
| Knowing your profit | Guesswork until someone adds it all up | Only if you build the report | Profit and loss, balance sheet and trial balance for any dates |
| If the device or book is lost | The khata is gone | Gone unless you backed the file up | Daily cloud backup; log in on another device |
| Where you can use it | At the counter | On the computer holding the file | Android, iPhone and Windows, in Urdu and English |
| Setting up | Nothing to do | You design the sheets | Our team creates your account and helps with opening balances |
| Cost | Cheap to buy, costly in mistakes and time | The software may be free; your time is not | From Rs 2,000 a month, 7-day free trial |
With a handful of regular customers, no staff and little stock, a notebook or a simple sheet can do the job. The case for going digital grows with the number of customers, the amount of stock and the number of people touching the books.
Run eKhata beside your register during the 7-day free trial. Compare the balances and the evening cash tally. When the figures agree, retire the register.
Pick a question to see how eKhata works, what it costs and how to get started.
For most shops, yes. Excel can hold a ledger, but you have to build the sheets, keep the formulas right and update stock, cash and balances yourself. In eKhata one bill updates the customer's khata, the stock and the cash book together, and the reports are built for you.
Yes, and it is a good way to start. During the 7-day free trial, use both for a few days and compare the balances and the evening cash tally. When the figures agree, you can retire the register.
You do not retype the whole register. Enter each customer's and supplier's current balance as an opening balance, and each product's opening stock. Our team can help with the first entries.
Yes. You can try eKhata free for 7 days. Message our team on WhatsApp and they will set up your account.
For most shops, yes. Excel can hold a ledger, but you have to build the sheets, keep the formulas right and update stock, cash and balances yourself. In eKhata one bill updates the customer's khata, the stock and the cash book together, and the reports are built for you.
Message us on WhatsApp for a 7-day free trial. Our team will set up your account and help move your existing khata.
