Fast Inventory vs Tally

This is not really an either/or

In plain words: TallyPrime is accounting software with built-in stock; Fast Inventory is a stock-control system. A few terms below: a godown is Tally's word for a store or warehouse; a GRN (goods receipt note) brings stock in; a material issue takes it out to production; a lot or batch is stock received or made together, with its own expiry; FEFO means issue the nearest-expiry batch first; a stock journal is Tally's voucher for stock transfers and adjustments; and the stock ledger is the tamper-proof history of every movement.

Here is the honest bit: Tally is superb at what it is built for — books, GST, financials — and its godown stock is fine for accounting. We are not asking you to drop it. The gap most manufacturers and distributors feel is on the shop floor: material issue to production, batch traceability, FEFO, physical count variance and reorder discipline. Fast Inventory fills that gap and posts back to Tally, so your stock and your books finally agree.

Is this you?

Tally keeps your books, but your physical stock and the Tally figure never quite match.

You issue material to production off paper because it does not fit an accounting screen.

You need lot, batch and FEFO discipline, not just a stock quantity per godown.

Physical count day never reconciles cleanly against the accounting stock.

A customer or auditor asked for batch traceability and the books could not give it.

You want reorder alerts and store-to-store transfers your accountant should not have to run.

Fast Inventory vs Tally, side by side

Both are strong — at different jobs. Tally leads on accounting; Fast Inventory leads on physical stock control. The best answer is usually to run them together.

	Fast Inventory Software	TallyPrime
Best for	Indian manufacturers & distributors needing real shop-floor stock control	Accounting, GST and financials, with godown stock built in
Core strength	Stock-control engine — material issue, lot/FEFO, cycle count, ABC, reorder, valuation, immutable ledger	Books, GST returns, financial reporting
Shop-floor movements	Core — issue & return to production, gate pass, store-to-store transfer, physical count variance	Godown stock & stock journals for accounting
Lot, batch & traceability	Lot & expiry with FEFO, expiry dashboard, quarantine/hold, immutable ledger for batch trace	Batch and expiry fields for accounting stock
Relationship	Integrates with Tally — posts movements as stock journals with godown mapping, no double entry	Your system of record for the books
Support & setup	On-site setup, opening-balance import & training from the Pune team that builds it	Partner network
Deployment & pricing	Cloud & on-premise; per user, per store, or flat fee (ask for a quote)	On-premise; perpetual licence plus TSS (confirm quote)

How we compare: this table uses each vendor's own public positioning and documented focus. We do not score, rank or give star ratings — we simply describe which type of buyer each tool fits best. Features and pricing change, so confirm the current details with each vendor before you decide.

Where Fast Inventory wins

Best for Indian manufacturers & distributors that want real shop-floor stock, batch and reorder depth on top of Tally — with on-site support at an affordable price, and no double entry.

This is not a knock on Tally — it is one of the best accounting products in India, and Fast Inventory is built to work with it, not against it. Keep Tally for your books and GST; add Fast Inventory for material issue, batch traceability, FEFO, count variance and reorder discipline on the shop floor. Movements post back to Tally as stock journals with godown mapping, so your physical stock control and your financials line up instead of drifting apart.

What you get with Fast Inventory

Material issue and return to production, gate pass and store transfer, each writing a ledger line.
Lot and batch tracking with FEFO issue, an expiry dashboard and quarantine/hold status.
Physical stock taking that flags book-versus-counted variance for a clean adjustment.
ABC, reorder and non-moving reports, plus valuation on cost or lot rate.
Tally integration that posts movements as stock journals with godown mapping, no double entry.
A path to full production, purchase and planning on one platform when you are ready.

Proof, without the marketing

Fast Inventory is a Fast Technology product, built in Pune (Nigdi) by Improsys — the stock-accuracy and valuation profile of a 12-product suite on one shared platform. Its reference deployments span manufacturing, engineering and distribution stores, and the same stock engine serves pharma, food and beverage, chemical, dairy, retail, spare-parts and 3PL operations. Improsys carries ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013 and CMMI Level 5, provides on-site setup and support, and serves businesses across India and worldwide, cloud and on-premise.

Where to go next

See the Tally integration See how pricing is scoped Manufacturing inventory 3PL & warehousing Inventory + Tally integration guide What is a stock ledger? Inventory vs warehouse management Book a demo

Common questions

Fast Inventory vs Tally — do I have to choose?

No, and that is the point. TallyPrime is accounting-first — outstanding for books, GST returns and financials, with godown stock built in. Fast Inventory is stock-control-first — material issue to production, lot and FEFO, cycle-count variance, ABC, reorder and an immutable ledger. Most businesses keep Tally for the books and add Fast Inventory for real shop-floor stock, and the two connect: movements post to Tally as stock journals with godown mapping, so there is no double entry.

What does Fast Inventory add over Tally's stock?

Tally handles godown stock and valuation well for accounting. Fast Inventory adds shop-floor discipline: material issue and return to production, gate pass, store-to-store transfer, lot and batch genealogy with FEFO issue and an expiry dashboard, quarantine/hold status, physical stock taking with book-versus-counted variance reconciled by adjustment, and an immutable stock ledger for full batch traceability — the movements and controls a working store needs day to day.

Does Fast Inventory replace Tally?

No. Fast Inventory is not an accounting package and does not try to replace your books. It focuses on physical stock control and integrates with Tally so your inventory movements and your financials stay aligned. You keep Tally for accounting and GST; Fast Inventory keeps your stock accurate, traceable and reorder-disciplined.

How does the Tally integration work?

Inventory movements — transfers and adjustments — can post to Tally as stock-journal vouchers, with your stores mapped to Tally godowns, and receipts and issues syncing to the matching entries. This keeps physical stock control and the financial books aligned without keying everything twice. Confirm the exact scope for your setup on the scoping call.

How much does Fast Inventory cost?

It is priced for Indian SMEs — per user, per store, or a flat fee — scoped to the modules you run, with an itemised written quote within 48 hours that includes implementation, opening-balance import, training and handholding. It sits alongside your existing Tally licence rather than replacing it.

Is Fast Inventory cloud or on-premise?

Both. It runs as a cloud deployment or an on-premise install on your own server inside your own network — a common choice for manufacturers and traceability-critical businesses that already run Tally on-premise.