Workflow guide
Offline billing software for Indian shops: how Tiram's Windows and Mac desktop app works
Quick answer
Tiram ships a full offline desktop app for Windows and Mac — billing, inventory, and GST invoicing keep working with no internet connection at all. Unlike the cloud app, desktop invoices are never volume-capped on any paid plan.
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Keep billing even when the internet doesn't
Full offline billing and GST invoicing for Windows and Mac, included on every paid plan. 30-day free trial, no card needed.
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Cloud app vs offline desktop app
| Cloud app (SaaS) | Offline desktop app (Windows/Mac) | |
|---|---|---|
Internet required | Yes, always | No — works fully offline |
Invoice volume cap | By plan (Silver/Gold/Platinum) | Never capped, any plan |
Data storage | Hosted Postgres (Coolify) | Bundled local Postgres on your PC |
WhatsApp delivery receipts | Full Delivered/Read tracking | Sends work; receipts need Meta's webhook |
Best for | Multi-location, always-connected counters | Power-cut-prone or low-connectivity counters |
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Why offline billing matters for Indian shops
Power cuts, patchy broadband, and godowns with no fixed-line internet are routine for a large share of Indian retail and distribution businesses — a cloud-only billing tool simply stops working at exactly the moment a customer is standing at the counter. Tiram's desktop app is built for that reality: the whole application, including the database, runs on the shop's own PC, so a lost connection never interrupts a sale.
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How Tiram's desktop app works, under the hood
The Windows and Mac builds bundle Postgres, the Django backend, and the Next.js frontend together as one installable app — there's no separate database server or hosting to manage. On launch, a splash screen walks through a boot sequence (database, then backend, then frontend) before handing control to the familiar Tiram interface. A background process supervisor watches each component and automatically restarts it with an exponential backoff (starting at 1 second, capping at 30 seconds, up to 5 attempts) if something crashes — the kind of resilience a shop owner shouldn't have to think about.
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What works offline, and what needs the internet
Billing, inventory, GST invoicing, HSN/SAC, reports, and the customer ledger all work with zero internet connection — everything a counter needs during a sale. A handful of things need connectivity: sending a WhatsApp message (though it queues and sends once connected), delivery/read receipts for WhatsApp (which arrive via Meta's webhook, only reachable from the cloud app), and the one-time step of activating your license. Desktop activation itself is designed for low connectivity — the Tiram team issues a 20-character activation code over WhatsApp that the desktop app verifies without needing a live connection at the moment of entry.
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Automatic backups and updates
The desktop app takes an automatic database backup before every update, and ships an in-app update manager that supports both an online check and a fully offline (local installer file) update path — useful for a shop that only gets internet access intermittently. None of this requires the shop owner to remember a manual backup routine.
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Which plan includes the offline desktop app?
The offline Windows/Mac desktop app is included with every paid Tiram plan — Silver, Gold, and Platinum — at no extra cost; you're licensed for the desktop build the same way you're licensed for the cloud app. Unlike the cloud app, desktop invoice volume is never capped on any plan — the per-year invoice limits that apply to Silver and Gold on the cloud app simply don't apply to a desktop install.
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Cloud app or desktop app — which should I choose?
Most multi-location or always-connected businesses run the cloud app for its centralised access from any browser. A single counter or godown with unreliable power or internet — a common pattern for hardware stores, provision stores, and rural distributors — is usually better served by the desktop app, since a dropped connection there simply can't stop a sale. Nothing stops a business from running desktop at one location and cloud at another; the underlying data model, billing flow, and reports are identical either way.
Quick answers
- Is there billing software that works without internet?
- Yes. Tiram's Windows and Mac desktop app runs billing, inventory, and GST invoicing fully offline — the whole app, including the database, is installed on the shop's own computer.
- What happens to billing if the internet goes down?
- On Tiram's desktop app, nothing — billing, invoicing, and inventory all run locally with no internet dependency. Only WhatsApp sending and delivery receipts need connectivity.
- Can I use Tiram on Windows without an internet connection?
- Yes. The Windows desktop build bundles its own database and backend, so it runs and bills with zero live internet connection after installation and one-time license activation.
- Does the offline desktop app limit how many invoices I can raise?
- No. Desktop invoice volume is never capped, on any Tiram plan — unlike the cloud app, which caps annual invoices by plan (Silver, Gold, Platinum).
FAQs
- Is Tiram's desktop app available for both Windows and Mac?
- Yes, both platforms are supported with the same bundled architecture — Postgres, backend, and frontend packaged together as one installable app.
- Do I need internet to install or activate the desktop app?
- Installation needs an internet connection to download the installer once. Activation uses a 20-character code the Tiram team issues over WhatsApp, designed for low-connectivity setups.
- Does the desktop app get software updates without internet?
- Yes. The in-app update manager supports a fully offline update path using a local installer file, alongside the standard online check.
- Is my data backed up automatically on the desktop app?
- Yes. The desktop app takes an automatic database backup before every update, without any manual step from the shop owner.
- Does WhatsApp invoicing work on the offline desktop app?
- Sending works fully on desktop. Delivered/Read receipts arrive via Meta's webhook, which is available on the cloud app; on desktop, sends still work but the read-receipt feed is the exception. WhatsApp itself is a Gold-and-Platinum-plan feature, not on Silver, on both apps.
- Can I switch between the cloud app and the desktop app later?
- The billing and data model are identical between the two, so moving a business between them doesn't mean relearning the product — check with Tiram support on the specific data-migration path for your case.
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Keep billing even when the internet doesn't
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