Udaar Book App: How to Choose the Best Digital Udaar Book
Every shop that gives credit keeps an udaar book. Moving it to your phone takes an afternoon, but choosing the wrong app can cost you months of records. Here is what to look for.
Quick answer
An udaar book (also written udhaar book or udhar khata) is the register where a shop records goods given on credit and the payments received, one account per customer. An udaar book app keeps the same record on your phone: it adds up every balance, backs up your records and sends customers their statement on WhatsApp. When choosing one, check that it is free to use in full, works in your language, works offline and backs up your data. MobiKhata does all of that for free on Android, iPhone and the web.
Key takeaways
- An udaar book app is a digital credit register: one account per customer, each with a running balance.
- The four checks that matter most: free in full, your language, works offline, backed up.
- You can move a paper udaar book in one sitting by entering each customer’s current balance as an opening entry.
- Share a statement before you ask for payment; most disputes end there.
What is an udaar book?
Udaar (ادھار), also spelled udhaar or udhar, is credit: goods given now and paid for later. The udaar book is where a shopkeeper writes it down. In most shops it is a long register or a red bahi with a page for each regular customer. Every line records a date, what was taken, the amount and any payment made, so the shopkeeper can tell at a glance who owes what.
The idea has not changed in generations. What has changed is how many customers a shop serves on credit, and what a mistake costs. A lost page or a wrongly added total is money that is hard to get back, and often an argument with a good customer. For the meaning of udaar and how it works between shop and customer, see what is udaar; for the columns of a paper register, see our khata book format guide.
Paper udaar book or udaar book app?
| Paper udaar book | Udaar book app | |
|---|---|---|
| Adding up balances | By hand, after every entry | Automatic |
| Backup | None; if the register is lost, so is the record | Synced to your account |
| Finding a customer | Turning pages | Search by name |
| Showing a customer their account | The page, at the shop | A PDF statement on WhatsApp or SMS |
| Reminders | Your memory | Scheduled reminders (MobiKhata on Android) |
| Cost | The price of a register | Free (MobiKhata) |
A paper register still works for a shop with a handful of credit customers. Once you have dozens, the time spent adding up and the risk of a lost page make an app worth the switch.
What to look for in an udaar book app
- Free to use in full. Some apps are free to download but charge later. Check the “Contains ads” and “In-app purchases” labels on the store page; our guide to which khata apps are really free explains what to look for.
- Backup and sync. Sign in with Google, Apple or email, so a new phone restores every customer and balance.
- Works without internet. Entries should save on the phone during a power or signal cut and sync later.
- Your language. If you or your staff read Urdu, Pashto or Dari more easily than English, the app should be in that language.
- Customers and suppliers. Udaar goes both ways. You need to see what you will receive and what you have to pay.
- Statements on WhatsApp. A PDF statement with dates and a running balance is the most polite way to ask for payment.
- Reminders. Scheduled balance reminders save you from remembering every due date yourself.
- Lock and privacy. A fingerprint or Face ID lock keeps customers’ balances private, and the app should have no ads and not sell your data.
- Your currency. If you deal in more than one currency, each should have its own balance. MobiKhata keeps one currency per business, so you can run a rupee business and a dollar business side by side.
Udaar book apps at a glance
| App | Price | Urdu | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MobiKhata | Free; no ads or in-app purchases | Yes | Also Pashto, Dari, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic and Spanish; 127 currencies on Android |
| DigiKhata | Free download; paid iPhone subscriptions | Yes, per its store descriptions | Built for Pakistan |
| Easy Khata | Free, per its Google Play listing | Yes, per its Google Play listing | Built for Pakistan |
| Khatabook | Free | Not listed | Built for India |
| OkCredit | Free Basic plan; paid Premium plan | Not listed | Built for India |
We checked each app’s store listing in October 2026; prices and features change, so check again before you download. For a fuller comparison, read which khata app is best.
How to move your paper udaar book to MobiKhata
- Download MobiKhata free from Google Play or the App Store and sign in with Google, Apple or email.
- Choose your language in Settings and create your business with its currency, for example Pakistani rupee (PKR).
- Add each customer from your register as a party, with a phone number so you can send statements.
- Enter the current balance as one Cash Out entry with the note “Opening balance from register”. Entries can be backdated, so use the date of the last line in the register.
- Do the same for suppliers, entering what you owe them as a Cash In entry.
- From today, record at the counter. Goods given on udaar are a Cash Out; a payment received is a Cash In.
- Keep the paper register for a month as a backup, then retire it.
Start with the ten customers who owe the most; the rest can follow over a few evenings. For example, if the register shows that Rashid owes Rs. 12,400 as of 1 November, add Rashid as a party and record a Cash Out of Rs. 12,400 dated 1 November with the opening-balance note. His balance appears under To Receive straight away.
Using your udaar book well
- Agree a payment day when you give udaar, and put it in the entry note: “1 tareekh tak”.
- Decide a limit for each customer from their payment history, and pause new udaar when a balance passes it.
- Look at To Receive once a week and send statements to the customers who owe the most.
- Send the statement before you ask. A customer who sees their own dated entries rarely argues. Our payment reminder templates help with the wording, and udhar wapas kaise le covers what to do when payments stop.
Your udaar book, on your phone
Free on Android and iPhone, in Urdu, Pashto, Dari and five more languages. Works offline and backs up to your account.
On a computer? Use the same account in the MobiKhata web app.
Frequently asked questions
What is an udaar book?
An udaar book is a shop’s credit register: one account for each customer who buys on credit, with the date, items, amount and payments, and a running balance. It is also called an udhaar book, udhar khata or khata book.
Which is the best udaar book app in Pakistan?
Choose one that is free to use in full, works in Urdu, works offline and backs up your data. MobiKhata does all four on Android, iPhone and the web; DigiKhata and Easy Khata also support Urdu. Check each app’s store page before you decide.
Is there a free udaar book app?
Yes. MobiKhata is free, with no subscription, ads or in-app purchases, and no limit on customers or entries.
Can I use my udaar book on a computer?
Yes. Open web.mobikhata.com and sign in with the same account as your phone. Your customers and balances are the same on both.
Does an udaar book app work without internet?
MobiKhata does on Android and iPhone: entries are saved on the phone and sync when you are back online. The web app needs internet to save.
How do I move my paper udaar book to an app?
Add each customer as a party and enter their current balance as one opening entry, then record new udaar and payments as they happen. Keep the paper register for a month as a backup.
Related reading
- What Is Udaar? Meaning and How Udaar Works
- Udhar Wapas Kaise Le? 10 Polite Ways to Get Your Udhar Back
- Payment Reminder Messages: 20 Polite Templates
- Hisab Kitab App: How to Choose the Best App for Daily Hisab Kitab
- Khata Book Format: How to Write a Customer Ledger
Move your udaar book to MobiKhata
Download MobiKhata free and keep every customer’s udaar added up and backed up.
Free on Android and iPhone. Also on the web.