Vyapar got you started. Expiry is where it lets go of your hand.
Vyapar is brilliantly simple for GST billing and a basic stock list — that’s why you chose it. But batch numbers are a text field, expiry is a date nothing acts on, and nothing stops the counter selling the fresh stock first. When perishables become real money, ShelfLifePro is what Vyapar owners upgrade to.
14-day trial, no credit card. The audit needs no signup at all.
Why stores go looking for a Vyapar alternative
If more than two of these sound familiar, you're the person this page was written for.
- You started as one kirana and now run 2–5 locations Vyapar can’t see together in real time
- You added dairy, bakery, or medicines — and now batch + expiry actually matters
- You’re losing money to near-expiry stock despite technically "tracking" dates
- You want WhatsApp alerts and AI-ranked actions, not just e-invoices
- Your reports can’t tell you which batch actually sold — because Vyapar doesn’t know
Where Vyapar is genuinely good
Vyapar deserves its popularity: dead-simple GST invoicing, e-way bills, a stock ledger, and a price a one-counter kirana can say yes to. If you bill packaged goods with long dates and just need clean invoices, staying on Vyapar is the right call.
If that's all you need, stay — switching software you don't need to switch is a tax. The rest of this page is for stores where expiry is real money.
ShelfLifePro vs Vyapar on the things that expire
The snapshot version — expiry-critical capabilities only.
| Capability | ShelfLifePro | Vyapar |
|---|---|---|
| GST invoicing + e-way bills | ||
| Basic stock ledger | ||
| Batch-level tracking per SKU | PartialBatch number only | |
| Expiry date tracking + alerts | PartialDate field only | |
| FEFO enforcement at POS | ||
| WhatsApp near-expiry alerts | ||
| Prioritised morning report | ||
| Near-expiry markdown automation | ||
| Multi-location real-time | Partial | |
| Invoice OCR (photo → GRN) |
ShelfLifePro starts at ₹1,999/month with unlimited users. Vyapar’s paid desktop plans list around ₹3,599/year per device — genuinely cheaper, and genuinely a different category. The question is what near-expiry stock costs you per month.
Want the full feature-by-feature version? ShelfLifePro vs Vyapar
How switching actually goes
No big-bang cutover. Your old system keeps running until you trust the new one.
Export from Vyapar, run the free audit
Export your items to CSV, add expiry dates where you have them, and upload to the free 60-second audit. If the at-risk number is small, stay on Vyapar — honestly.
Import your catalog
The same CSV imports items and parties. From your next delivery, batches and dates capture at receiving — photograph the supplier invoice and the GRN fills itself.
Switch billing when the team is ready
GST invoicing and e-way bills work the same, so the counter experience carries over. The difference shows up at 6 AM, when the morning list tells you what to move today.
Starting at ₹1,999/month. No credit card for the trial.
Frequently asked questions
Still comparing vendors? The expiration date tracking software buyer's guide has the full checklist to run against every demo — ours included.
See your own numbers before you decide
Export your stock from Vyapar, upload it to the free audit, and see the value at risk in about 60 seconds — no signup, no sales call.
Run the free audit