The Pyrelo Blog
Honest comparisons, pricing breakdowns, and tool reviews for small teams.No marketing fluff · Real numbers · Lessons from building Pyrelo
HSN Code Lookup with BCD, IGST & FTA Rates: A Complete Guide (2026)
A complete HSN code lookup joins five datasets per 8-digit code: the full duty stack (BCD + AIDC + SWS + IGST + Cess), the IGST schedule under Notification 9/2025, FTA preferential rates across 23 country groups, and PGA compliance. Here's what each layer means, where the data comes from, and how to use it for accurate landed-cost and import-clearance decisions.
Read postHow to Find the HSN Code for Your Product (2026 Guide)
Four reliable ways to find the correct HSN code for any product you sell — supplier invoices, keyword search, chapter browse, and the CA fallback. With worked examples for textiles, electronics, plastics.
Read postGST Rate vs Customs Duty: What's the Difference? (With Worked Example)
GST applies to domestic and inter-state sales; Customs Duty applies at the border. But on imports you pay both — BCD + SWS + IGST. Below: when each applies, how they interact, and a real ₹100 import worked example.
Read post5 ITC-HS Classification Mistakes That Trigger GST Audits (And What They Cost)
Wrong HSN code triggers wrong GST rate, which triggers tax shortfall, interest, and Section 122 penalties. The five misclassifications auditors look for, plus what each costs when caught.
Read postTop 10 HRMS in India 2026 — Best by Category (Honest Ranking)
A wider survey of the Indian HRMS market — enterprise to SMB, payroll-only to full work OS. The 10 tools worth considering, with pricing, pros, cons, and which kind of team each fits.
Read postTDS Sections Explained: 192, 194A, 194C, 194H, 194J — When Each Applies
The five most-used TDS sections decoded. Section 192 (salary), 194A (interest), 194C (contractor), 194H (commission), 194J (professional fees) — with rates, thresholds, and the rule for missing PAN.
Read postPIN Code System India: How the 6-Digit Postal Index Number Actually Works
What each of India's 6 PIN code digits means — region, sub-region, sorting district, post office. The 9 zones, why Mumbai's 400 prefix sometimes ends up in MP, and how Indian Post routes 14 billion items a year.
Read postPAN Card Format Decoded: What Each of the 10 Characters Means
The 10-character PAN format isn't random — each position encodes specific information about the holder. Below: what each character means, the entity-type letter (P/F/H/A/T/B/L/J/G), and how to verify a PAN's structural validity.
Read postHSN Code Explained: India's 8-Digit ITC-HS System (What Each Digit Means)
HSN code structure decoded — chapter, heading, sub-heading, India-specific tariff suffix. How the 8-digit ITC-HS extends the global 6-digit HS, when 4 / 6 / 8 digits are required on invoices, and how to find the right code for your product.
Read post8th Pay Commission Explained: Fitment Factor, Salary Hike, Implementation Timeline
What the 8th CPC is, when it'll take effect, the fitment factor scenarios analysts predict (1.92 to 2.86), and what your projected basic pay will look like under each. Plus how DA merger and pension revision work.
Read postRD vs FD vs SIP: Which Is Right for Your Goal? (Returns + Tax Compared)
Recurring Deposit, Fixed Deposit, or Mutual Fund SIP — which builds wealth fastest? Comparing 1, 3, 5, and 10-year returns post-tax for a ₹5000/month commitment, and which fits which goal.
Read postHRA Exemption Guide: Section 10(13A) Calculation, Metro Rules, Documentation
HRA exemption is a three-way least — actual HRA, rent − 10% of basic, 50/40% of basic. Below: when each binds, the metro definition the IT Act actually uses, and the documentation you need to defend it during scrutiny.
Read postSIP vs Lumpsum: Which Builds More Wealth in Indian Mutual Funds?
The mathematical answer (lumpsum usually wins on average) vs the behavioral answer (SIP usually wins for real humans). Comparing 5/10/20-year backtests, market-timing risk, and when each strategy actually fits your situation.
Read postImport Duty India Explained: BCD + SWS + IGST + Cess (Worked Example)
The complete Indian customs duty stack — Basic Customs Duty, Social Welfare Surcharge, Integrated GST, Compensation Cess. How CIF is calculated, where each duty bites, and a worked example for a ₹1 lakh import.
Read postGST Calculator Guide: Forward, Reverse, CGST + SGST + IGST Split (2025)
The complete GST math walkthrough — forward calculation (price + rate → total), reverse (inclusive → base), CGST/SGST/IGST split for intra-state and inter-state transactions, and slab-by-slab examples for 5%, 12%, 18%, 28%.
Read postOld vs New Tax Regime AY 2025-26: Which Saves More? (Worked Examples)
The breakeven income, deduction levels, and household profiles where each regime wins. Includes worked examples for ₹8L, ₹15L, ₹25L, and ₹50L incomes — and a calculator to plug in your own numbers.
Read postHow to Calculate Gratuity in India: Formula, Examples, Tax Treatment
The Payment of Gratuity Act 1972 explained — covered vs non-covered employers, the 15/26 vs 15/30 formula, the ₹20 lakh tax-exempt cap, and what happens if you change jobs. Worked examples included.
Read postHow to Compress PDF Without Losing Quality (Free, In-Browser, 2025 Guide)
Compress a PDF to a target size — 100KB, 200KB, 500KB — without uploading it. We compare in-browser, server, and command-line methods, with quality vs size tradeoffs and a free tool that runs entirely on your device.
Read postHow to Convert PDF to Word: 5 Free Methods Compared (2025)
Comparing five ways to convert a PDF to an editable Word document — browser tools, Word's built-in import, Google Docs, OCR for scans, and Acrobat. Quality, privacy, and speed compared.
Read postHow to Convert PDF to Excel: Tables, Bank Statements, and Best-Effort Extraction
Convert PDF tables to Excel without uploading. Comparing browser tools, Power Query, Tabula, and Adobe Acrobat for invoices, bank statements, and structured data.
Read postHow to Unlock a Password-Protected PDF (Free, Browser-Only)
Remove password protection and edit / print / copy restrictions from PDFs you have access to. Three methods compared — browser tool, qpdf command-line, Adobe Acrobat. Plus the legal nuances.
Read postPayroll Explained: Components, Statutory Deductions, and Compliance for Indian SMBs
What payroll actually is in India — salary structure, statutory deductions (EPF, ESI, TDS, PT, LWF), compliance deadlines, and when to switch from Excel to dedicated software.
Read postDearness Allowance Explained: Current Rates, Formula, and How DA Mergers Work
What Dearness Allowance is, the AICPI-IW formula central employees use, current 2025 rates, central vs state, taxability, and how the 7th and 8th Pay Commission mergers reset DA to zero.
Read postFour New Image Tools: Cropper, Compress-to-KB, OCR, Photo-to-Sketch
Pyrelo Tools just shipped four browser-based image utilities — an aspect-ratio cropper, a compress-to-target-KB tool for Indian govt forms, multilingual OCR (English / Hindi / Tamil and 11 more), and a photo-to-sketch converter. All run entirely on your device. No upload, no signup, no watermarks.
Read postSWIFT / BIC Code Explained: What Each Character Means and How to Find Yours
Eight or eleven characters that decide whether your wire transfer arrives in 2 days or gets bounced through three correspondent banks. Here's what a SWIFT code actually is, what each character does, how it's different from IFSC and routing numbers, and how to find yours.
Read postIFSC Code Explained: What Each Character Means and How to Find Yours
An 11-character code that nobody really thinks about — except when a salary bounces or a vendor payment fails. Here's what an IFSC actually is, what each part means, how it differs from MICR and SWIFT, and the four reliable ways to find yours.
Read postThree New Tools: SaaS Cost Calculator, Real PDF Redactor, In-Browser AI Background Remover
Pyrelo just shipped three tools that each fill a gap free alternatives don't: a calculator that prices your full SaaS stack against Pyrelo, a PDF redactor that genuinely destroys text (not just covers it), and an AI background remover that runs entirely in your browser.
Read post11 New Website Inspector Tools: OG Preview, DNS, SSL, PageSpeed & More
Pyrelo Tools just shipped 11 new browser tools for inspecting any URL — Open Graph preview, HTTP headers, SSL/TLS check, DNS lookup, WHOIS via RDAP, robots.txt + sitemap, URL→PDF, OG image generator, page weight analyzer, PageSpeed audit. Free, no signup.
Read postPreview Any Website On 24 Device Sizes At Once
Stop resizing your browser to spot responsive bugs. Pyrelo's Website Preview tool renders any URL across iPhone, Android, iPad, MacBook, Desktop, ultrawide, and 4K — all in one view, in seconds.
Read postSheet Tracker: Turn Any Google Sheet Into a Live Dashboard
Stop manually filtering your lead form spreadsheet every morning. Connect a Google Sheet to Pyrelo's new Sheet Tracker and get a live, filterable dashboard with column mapping, dedupe, and presets like 'today' and 'last 7 days' — all in your browser.
Read postWhat is an HRMS? A Plain-English Guide for Indian SMBs (2026)
What does HRMS actually mean, what does it do, and do you need one? An honest, jargon-free guide for small business owners and HR managers in India.
Read postBest HRMS for Small Business in India (2026): Honest Comparison
Keka, factoHR, greytHR, Pocket HRMS, Kredily, Pyrelo — a practical, honest comparison of the top HRMS tools for Indian SMBs with 5-100 employees.
Read postAttendance Management Software for Indian SMBs: A Practical Buyer's Guide (2026)
Biometric, web-based, GPS, or mobile clock-in? Which attendance tool actually works for small Indian businesses. An honest guide comparing the real options.
Read postHow to Merge PDF Files Free in 2026 (No Upload, No Signup)
Merge PDF files free in your browser without uploading them anywhere. The fastest way to combine multiple PDFs into one — no signup, no watermarks, works offline.
Read postHow to Convert PNG to PDF Free (Browser-Based, No Upload)
Convert PNG images to PDF free in your browser. Single PNG or batch — no upload, no signup, no watermarks. Works for any number of images.
Read postHow to Rotate a PDF Free (No Upload, No Software Install)
Rotate PDF pages 90°, 180°, or 270° free in your browser. Fix sideways scans and upside-down pages without uploading. No software install needed.
Read postHow to Convert TXT to PDF Free (No Upload, No Signup)
Convert TXT or plain text files to PDF free in your browser. Turn any text file into a clean PDF document — no upload, no signup, no watermarks.
Read post6 New Browser-Based PDF Tools: Split, Rotate, Organize, Crop, Page Numbers, Watermark
Pyrelo Tools just shipped 6 new PDF utilities — all running 100% in your browser with zero uploads. Split, rotate, organize, crop, page numbers, and watermark. Free forever.
Read postPrivate PDF Tools That Don't Upload Your Files (Free, Browser-Based)
Most online PDF tools upload your files to their servers. Here's why that's a privacy problem, and 3 truly private alternatives that run 100% in your browser.
Read postClickUp Pricing in 2026: Full Breakdown of Every Plan (and How to Save 90%)
ClickUp pricing explained: every plan compared, hidden costs revealed, and a simple way to get the same features for a fraction of the cost. Updated for 2026 with real numbers.
Read postSlack Pricing Explained: Is Slack Pro Worth It in 2026?
Slack pricing in 2026: Free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise plans compared with real costs and the hidden gotchas. Plus what to use if Slack is too expensive.
Read postNotion Alternatives: 8 Better Options for Teams in 2026
The best Notion alternatives in 2026, ranked. Honest comparison of 8 tools that work better than Notion for teams, including free, paid, and self-hosted options.
Read postSlack Alternatives: 7 Better Team Chat Apps in 2026
The best Slack alternatives in 2026 for teams of every size. Free, open-source, and bundled options that don't lock you into per-seat pricing.
Read postAsana Alternatives: 8 Better Project Management Tools in 2026
The best Asana alternatives in 2026, compared honestly. 8 project management tools that work better than Asana for small and growing teams, with pricing breakdowns.
Read postTrello Alternatives: 8 Better Kanban Tools for 2026
The best Trello alternatives in 2026, ranked by use case. 8 kanban tools that scale better than Trello as your team grows, with honest pricing comparisons.
Read postClickUp Alternatives: 7 Better Options in 2026 (Honest Review)
The best ClickUp alternatives in 2026 after testing 7 of them for a real team. Honest pros, cons, and pricing for each — no marketing fluff.
Read postNotion vs ClickUp: Honest Comparison After Using Both for a Year
Notion vs ClickUp: a real comparison of features, pricing, performance, and use cases. Which one fits your team — based on a year of using both daily.
Read postMonday.com Alternatives: 7 Cheaper Options in 2026
The best Monday.com alternatives in 2026 for teams that want similar features without the per-user pricing trap. Compared honestly.
Read postBasecamp Alternatives: 7 Better Options for Small Teams in 2026
The best Basecamp alternatives in 2026 — modern, flat-priced project management tools that work better for small remote teams.
Read postFreelance Time Tracking: How to Track Hours and Bill Clients in 2026
A practical guide to freelance time tracking in 2026 — what to track, the best free and paid tools, and how to convert hours into invoices that get paid on time.
Read postToggl Alternatives: 6 Better Time Tracking Tools in 2026
The best Toggl alternatives in 2026 for freelancers and small teams. Free, paid, and bundled time tracking options ranked honestly.
Read postHow Much Does SaaS Actually Cost a Small Business in 2026? (Real Stack Teardown)
I added up what a 20-person small business actually pays for SaaS in 2026. The number was over $10,000/year. Here's the full breakdown plus how to cut it 90%.
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