Affordable ERP and CRM software for small businesses
Start with the four modules that replace Excel, pay one fixed fee with no per-user charges, and add production, portals, apps and CRM when the business is ready. Built by a local team in Surat.
Affordable ERP by LKR Code Orbit, in short
LKR Code Orbit builds affordable custom ERP and CRM software for small businesses in Surat, Gujarat and across India. A small unit starts with three or four modules such as masters, purchase and stock, sales and GST billing, pays a one-time fixed fee with no per-user charges, goes live in 3 to 6 weeks, and adds modules as it grows.
The low-budget starter: four modules
This is where most small manufacturers, traders and brands begin. It replaces the spreadsheets and most of the daily re-typing, and it is a small fixed quote.
Masters
Products, parties, price lists, HSN and GST rates. The base every other module reads.
Purchase and stock
Purchase bills, GRN, FIFO-valued stock and reorder alerts.
Sales and GST billing
Quotes, orders, tax invoices, e-way bills and GSTR-ready data.
Receivables
Party ledgers, outstanding, ageing and WhatsApp payment reminders.
Add later, when it has paid for itself
- Batch production and recipe costing
- Dealer or distributor portal
- Shopify, Amazon and courier sync
- Sales-rep and owner mobile apps
- CRM pipeline and follow-ups
- Attendance, job work, expiry tracking
Why a custom build can cost less than you expect
- Ready core, not a blank page. The ERP already runs for live clients, so you pay for configuration and the pieces that are unique to you.
- Modules you keep, nothing else. Anything your business does not do is switched off and left out of the quote.
- One-time project fee. No per-user, per-branch or per-month licence. Adding a user costs nothing.
- Your own database and hosting. Hosting for a small business runs on low-cost cloud plans you own.
- Local team, no agency layer. The founders scope, build and support it directly on WhatsApp.
- Phased, so cash flow stays easy. Start with what saves the most time, add the rest when it has paid for itself.
What moves the quote up or down
| Factor | Keeps the budget small | Adds to the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | The four-module starter | Production, portals, apps, CRM in phase one |
| Custom screens and reports | Use the standard documents and reports | Your own invoice formats, labels and dashboards |
| Integrations | None at first | Shopify, marketplaces, couriers, Tally, WhatsApp API (one-time each) |
| Data migration | Opening stock and parties from Excel | Years of history imported and reconciled |
| Users | Any number: no per-user fee | Partner portal logins are counted separately |
| Support | Standard support on WhatsApp | Priority support with response-time commitment |
Small-business ERP: custom build vs Tally, Odoo or Zoho, vs legacy ERP
Licensing is the line small businesses underestimate: per-user monthly fees grow with every hire, a one-time fee does not.
| LKR Code Orbit custom ERP | Tally / Busy | Odoo / Zoho (SaaS) | Legacy or enterprise ERP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customisation | Built around your process; modules kept, removed or built new on the same records | Accounting-first; extras via TDL add-ons | Configurable within product limits; custom modules cost extra | Possible, through long consulting cycles |
| Licensing | One-time project fee with a fixed written quote; no per-user charge | Annual subscription per licence | Per-user monthly fee that grows with headcount | Per-user licence plus annual maintenance |
| WhatsApp reporting and alerts | Built in: daily owner summary, dues, dispatch and expiry alerts | Not built in | Paid add-ons or third-party tools | Rarely available |
| Shopify, marketplace and courier sync | Native: Shopify, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Delhivery, Shiprocket, GoKwik | Third-party connectors | Connector apps, often extra | Custom middleware project |
| GST, e-way bill, e-invoice | From live records; GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B data, e-way bills via government API | Yes, core strength | Via India localisation | Yes, after configuration |
| Industry fit | FMCG batch and expiry, FIFO costing, diamond price masters, textile job work, dealer portals | Generic | Generic, industry apps vary | Deep but expensive |
| Support | Direct from the founders who built it, on WhatsApp | Dealer or partner network | Ticket queue or partner | Implementation partner |
| Go-live | 4 to 8 weeks for most scoped projects | Days | Weeks to months | 6 to 18 months |
| Data ownership | Your own database, nightly off-site backup, Excel export of any table | Local data files | Vendor cloud | Vendor or on-premise |
Before and after for a small unit
Excel, Tally and WhatsApp
- Stock counted at month end, never matches
- Prices and outstanding from memory
- GST data re-typed from five places
- Owner calls three people for one number
Four-module starter ERP
- Live stock, valued batch by batch
- Party-wise prices and dues on every order
- GSTR-ready data from the same invoices
- One dashboard and a WhatsApp summary each morning
From first message to go-live
- 01
WhatsApp or call
Tell us what you run on today
- 02
Discovery
45 minutes, at your office in Surat or on video
- 03
Scope and fixed quote
Usually within 2 to 3 days
- 04
Configure and build
Weekly demos on a staging link
- 05
Import, train, go live
3 to 6 weeks for a starter
Proof, not promises
The same core already runs for small and mid-size clients. Numbers from the Work page.
- live systems in production
- 13+
- ERP, Shopify and web platforms running for clients in Surat and across India
- custom ERP systems
- 5+
- FMCG manufacturing, Ayurvedic food, diamond jewellery and CAD studio ERPs
- Shopify stores and apps
- 8+
- D2C food, dairy, skincare, cookware, neon decor and luxury jewellery
- founders you talk to
- 4
- The people who quote the project write the code and answer on WhatsApp
- Multi-tier diamond price masters by carat range, shape, cut, colour and clarity, plus multi-stage labour masters (Excellent Jewels, Surat)
- Jewellery CAD, SET and 3D-render approval pipeline with a client sign-off portal (Maulshree Studio)
- FIFO batch costing with recipe/BOM masters and moisture-loss adjustment for food manufacturing (Mukhras Food Products)
- Shopify and Amazon order sync into one stock ledger with 1-click bulk Delhivery AWB booking
- Dual-warehouse stock synced to Shopify with batch and lot traceability (Samsiddhi Naturals)
- GoKwik 1-click checkout, subscriptions and pin-code delivery slots on Shopify (A2 Origins)
A local team you can meet
We are in Mota Varachha, Surat, and visit clients across Surat and Gujarat for discovery and training. Everyone else is onboarded over video call and WhatsApp. See ERP in Surat.
Affordable ERP and CRM: common questions
What is the cheapest way to start with ERP as a small business?
Start with masters, purchase and stock, sales and GST billing, and receivables. That replaces Excel and most of the daily typing, and it is a small fixed quote. Production, portals, integrations and apps come in later phases.
Do you publish prices?
No, because a snacks maker with two distributors and a textile trader with forty agents should not pay for each other's modules. After a short call we send a written scope and a fixed quote, usually within 2 to 3 days, and that quote does not change for the agreed scope.
Are there per-user or monthly fees?
No per-user fees on anything we build. The ERP is a one-time project fee. Optional monthly maintenance covers fixes, updates, hosting and backups at a fixed amount you choose.
Is a custom ERP really cheaper than Tally, Zoho or Odoo for a small business?
For accounting alone, Tally is cheaper. Once you need stock, production, dealer orders, Shopify or WhatsApp alerts together, a scoped custom build on a one-time fee usually costs less over two to three years than per-user SaaS plus add-ons, and it matches how you work. See the comparison on this page.
Do you work with businesses outside Surat?
Yes. We are a local team in Mota Varachha, Surat, and work across Gujarat with on-site discovery where it helps, and across India over video call and WhatsApp.
How long does a small ERP take to go live?
A four-module starter usually goes live in 3 to 6 weeks, including importing your products, parties and opening stock from Excel and training each role.
Can we add a CRM later?
Yes. The CRM shares the same customer records, so leads, quotes, orders and invoices flow through one system when you add it.
Guides on cost and choosing
How much does a custom ERP cost in India? What actually drives the price
Why ERP quotes vary so much, the six factors that decide the price of a custom ERP in India, and practical ways to keep cost down without buying the wrong system.
Tally vs ERP: when does a growing business need more than accounting software?
Tally is excellent accounting software. An ERP runs operations. Here is the difference, the signs you have outgrown Tally alone, and how to run both together.
How to choose an ERP software company in Surat: a checklist for manufacturers and traders
A practical checklist for Surat businesses choosing an ERP partner: industry experience, local support, scoping, fixed quotes, data ownership, GST readiness and the questions to ask before you sign.