What Tally on Cloud includes that a VPS does not
On Tally on Cloud each person gets a personal login with optional two-factor authentication, TallyPrime is already installed, company data is backed up every night and kept 7 days, and printing reaches the printer next to the user. You never see Windows Update, antivirus or a disk filling up.
On a Windows VPS you get an administrator account and a blank Windows Server. Installing TallyPrime, creating users, enabling Network Level Authentication, scheduling backups and locking down Remote Desktop to your office IP is your work, or your IT contractor's.
When a Windows VPS is the better buy
- You already run other Windows software next to Tally, such as a payroll tool, a CRM or Busy, and want them on one machine.
- You need full administrator rights, custom ODBC connections or a Tally.NET synchronisation setup that your consultant manages.
- One or two users only, and you are comfortable administering Windows. Two Remote Desktop sessions are allowed without extra licensing.
When Tally on Cloud is the better buy
- Several users on one company. Per-user pricing, per-user logins and nightly backups are set up on day one.
- Your CA or branch staff connect from different places and you do not want a shared administrator password in circulation.
- You want a browser tab instead of an RDP client, or you want mstsc without administering Windows: the Windows RDP plan gives you a managed server with Remote Desktop access.
Cost comparison for a typical firm
Tally Shared starts at ₹349 per user per month from a single user. Tally Dedicated gives a firm its own server at ₹449 per user, billed for at least 5 users. The Windows RDP plan starts at ₹599 per user with 2 users included. A Windows VPS from the rate card starts at ₹336 per month plus the Windows licence, for any number of users up to two Remote Desktop sessions.
For one user who is happy with a browser, Shared is the lowest total. For two users who insist on mstsc, a Windows VPS can be cheaper if you do the administration yourself. From three users upward, Remote Desktop needs an RDS licence per user, which the Windows RDP plan includes at no extra charge.
Moving between the two later
Your Tally data folder is portable. Download it from the Data panel on Tally on Cloud, or copy it from the VPS disk, and load it on the other side; the serial re-activates in TallyPrime. Migration help is free in both directions.