Rulee vs ICAI Practice Management Software
We make Rulee. Everything about ICAI's software below comes from its own website as it read on 19 October 2026; "not stated" means its site did not say, not that the feature is missing. If anything is wrong, write to support@rulee.in and we will correct it.
The short answer
Choose ICAI PMS if you are a practising CA, want it free, and need tasks, documents, billing and client records in one place with an app on the phone. Choose Rulee if you want the compliance calendar to fill itself, GST invoices that settle with TDS, each client's fee set against the hours worked, GST reconciliation, or if yours is a CS firm, which ICAI's software is not offered to.
Side by side
| Rulee | ICAI PMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Bookify Global Services LLP, Kochi | The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (Beneficiary Schemes Directorate) |
| Built for | CA and CS firms in India (the firm picks CA, CS or Other and the templates follow) | CA practitioners and CA firms only; you register with an ICAI membership number |
| Price | Per firm: Free (2 users, 10 clients); Basic ₹899, Plus ₹1,499, Pro ₹1,999 a month plus GST (7, 15 and 50 users); 15% off yearly | Free for CA practitioners and CA firms, with no charge for onboarding, training or data migration |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan forever; 3 weeks free on every paid plan, no card | Free; a user limit or end date is not stated |
| Indian compliance calendar | Yes: GST, TDS, ITR, audit, payroll, and ROC / MCA for CS firms; tasks created by date every night | Not stated |
| GST invoicing | GST invoices from finished tasks (CGST and SGST or IGST from the GSTIN), credit notes, instalments; payments settle with the TDS deducted; GSTR-1 JSON | Billing and job automation ("account management"); GST-specific billing not stated |
| Time and fees | Timer and manual entries; Fees review sets each client's fee against the hours logged | Time tracking, work allocation and capacity planning |
| Attendance and leave | Check-in and check-out, leave with quotas, monthly payroll figures | Not stated |
| Client portal | Clients get invoices, reminders and the newsletter by email from the firm's own address | Client-wise login |
| Document storage | Client documents stay with the firm; Rulee stores none | Document management ("paperless office") |
| Portal sync and notices | GST notices on Pro, pulled by OTP consent without storing portal passwords | Not stated |
| DSC register | DSC register with custody and expiry alerts | Not stated |
| GST reconciliation | Purchases against GSTR-2B and sales against GSTR-1 (Plus and Pro) | Not stated |
| Letters | Proposals, engagement letters and up to 33 standard letters for a CA firm (26 for a CS firm) | Not stated |
| Phone | Works in any phone browser and can be added to the home screen; nothing to install | Android and iOS apps |
| AI | Pro: health summary, Ask AI over the firm's data, Morning Brief, AI drafting | Not stated |
Where ICAI PMS fits well
- Price. It is free for practising CAs.
- Documents. It includes document management for a paperless office.
- Apps. It has Android and iOS apps.
- It comes from the Institute, which some firms will value on its own.
Where Rulee goes further
- The compliance calendar fills itself. Set a client's services once and every GST, TDS, ITR, audit, payroll and ROC task is created on its date.
- GST invoicing that closes the loop. Invoices are raised from finished tasks, settle when the payment is recorded with the TDS the client deducted, and feed GSTR-1.
- Fees review. Each client's fee against the hours the team logged, the rate an hour it makes, and a fee revision letter.
- GST reconciliation, letters and the vault. Purchases against GSTR-2B and sales against GSTR-1; proposals, engagement letters and standard letters; a credential vault Rulee itself cannot read.
- CS firms and mixed practices. ICAI's software is for CA practitioners; Rulee serves CA and CS firms, with ROC and MCA templates for CS.
The wider picture, with ten tools side by side: practice management software for CA and CS firms in India, compared.
Frequently asked questions
Is ICAI's Practice Management Software really free?
ICAI's page says it is completely free for CA practitioners and CA firms, with no charge for onboarding, training or data migration. Its pages do not state a user limit or an end date.
Can a Company Secretary use ICAI PMS?
ICAI describes it as exclusively for CA practitioners and CA firms. Rulee is for both CA and CS firms.
Can I move from ICAI PMS to Rulee?
Yes. Rulee imports clients from Excel or CSV, from a TallyPrime export of Sundry Debtors or from Zoho Books, and tasks and team members from CSV.