Tofler vs Zauba Corp vs MCA: Which to Use to Check an Indian Company (2026)

Quick answer: Use Zauba Corp or Tofler to scan many Indian companies quickly, and use the MCA portal for any number you will rely on in a deal. All three show what a company has filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. MCA is the source; Zauba Corp and Tofler copy that data and make it easier to search, compare and read.

What separates them is what each shows for free, what it charges for, and how current it is. The rest of this guide explains why, and covers the filing rules most buyers never learn, which decide whether the numbers you want exist at all.

Tofler vs Zauba Corp vs MCA at a glance

Free and paid sections as shown on each site in October 2026. Prices for paid reports and subscriptions are not published on the pages we checked, so confirm them on each site.

MCA portal: the official record

Companies file here, so the MCA portal can never be behind its own filings. Master data, charges and director details are free and need no login. Filed documents, including the AOC-4 financial statements and the MGT-7 annual return, cost ₹100 per company with a free MCA login.

Use it for: anything that goes into an offer or a negotiation: revenue, profit, debt, open charges and director history.

The catch: it is slow for scanning many companies, and the documents are PDFs you read yourself. Our guide to checking a company on MCA walks through the 30-minute check.

Zauba Corp: fast, free screening

Zauba Corp shows each company’s master data, compliance status and directors for free, on a page that is easier to read than the MCA portal. Its compliance block shows the date of the last AGM and the last balance sheet filed, so a company that has stopped filing stands out at once.

Financial figures sit behind a paid report. “Key Numbers” such as revenue, profit, total assets and salary costs are marked as part of the paid company report, as are MSME outstanding payments and complaints.

The catch: freshness. Zauba Corp’s data is only as current as its last update of that company. When we checked Tata Consultancy Services’ page in October 2026, it still showed the last balance sheet as 31 March 2023 and the last AGM as June 2023. TCS files every year. For a small private company, a stale page can make an active business look dormant, or hide a recent change in directors or charges.

Use it for: building a long list and screening out companies that are struck off, dormant or not filing.

Tofler: financials and comparisons

Tofler covers more than 10 million Indian businesses, sourced from government filings including MCA. Its free page shows an overview, directors, charges with lender names and amounts, the network of linked companies and revenue as a range. For a large company, revenue shows as more than ₹5,000 crore.

Exact financials, the balance sheet, margins and ratios sit behind a Tofler Pro subscription. Tofler also sells credits: one credit unlocks or updates the financial data for one company. Paid tools add a health score, peer comparison and a 62-point risk analysis.

Use it for: comparing a shortlist on revenue, margins and debt before you spend time on calls.

The catch: you pay to see the numbers, and like Zauba Corp it is a copy of the filings, not the filings themselves.

What most buyers don’t know about Indian company data

1. This year’s numbers may not exist yet

A company’s financial year ends on 31 March. It has six months to hold its AGM, and then 30 days to file the AOC-4 financial statements; the MGT-7 annual return follows within 60 days of the AGM. So the accounts for the year to March 2026 often reach MCA only in October or November 2026, and the aggregators later still. If you check a company in September, the latest figures you can see may be 18 months old. Ask the seller for management accounts for the gap.

2. Most small companies don’t file a cash flow statement

From 1 December 2025, a “small company” is one with paid-up capital up to ₹10 crore and turnover up to ₹100 crore (up from ₹4 crore and ₹40 crore). Small companies don’t have to include a cash flow statement in their financial statements, and they file a shorter annual return, the MGT-7A. Most acquisition targets fall in this group, so the filing will show profit but not how much cash the business actually produced. Ask for the bank statements.

3. Small companies file PDFs, not structured data

Only listed companies and their Indian subsidiaries, companies with paid-up capital of ₹5 crore or more, companies with turnover of ₹100 crore or more, and Ind AS companies must file their financial statements in XBRL, a machine-readable format. Everyone else files PDFs. That matters for Tofler and Zauba Corp: figures for a large company come from structured data, while figures for a small one have to be pulled from a PDF. For a small target, always check the aggregator’s numbers against the AOC-4 itself.

4. “Active” doesn’t always mean compliant

A company that didn’t file the INC-22A (ACTIVE) form, which confirms its registered office and details, is marked “Active – Non Compliant” in MCA master data. Until it fixes this, it cannot file changes to its capital, directors or registered office. If you plan to buy shares or change the board, that is a problem to solve before closing.

5. MSME dues are a cash-stress signal

Companies that owe micro or small suppliers for more than 45 days must file the MSME-1 return every half year, by 30 April and 31 October, naming the supplier, the amount and the reason for the delay. Repeated MSME-1 filings tell you a company is paying suppliers late. It is the same data Zauba Corp puts in its paid report.

6. The CIN tells you a lot for free

Every company has a 21-character Corporate Identification Number. Read it like this, using U72300KA2012PTC066088 (Zauba Corp’s own company) as the example:

The industry code is the one chosen at registration. A company can change what it does without the CIN changing, so treat it as a clue, not a fact.

Which to use at each stage of a deal

Three habits that save you from bad data

1. Search by CIN, not name. Names repeat and change; the CIN is unique.
2. Check the director, not just the company. All three tools show a director’s other companies. A pattern of struck-off or non-filing companies tells you how the owner runs things.
3. Confirm anything that matters on MCA. If an aggregator shows something that changes your view of a deal, open the same company on MCA before acting on it.

What none of them show

These tools cover company filings only. Before an LOI, also check GST registration and filing on the GST portal, court cases on eCourts and the NCLT, and property, PF and ESI dues. Our due diligence checklist covers each one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zauba Corp free? Company information, compliance status and directors are free. Revenue, profit, MSME outstanding payments and complaints are in a paid company report.

Is Zauba Corp an official government website? No. It is run by a private company and republishes data from official and third-party sources. The official record is the MCA portal.

Is Tofler data accurate? It comes from government filings, mainly MCA, so it is as accurate as the filings it has. Check the filing date, and for small companies check the figures against the AOC-4.

How can I see a company’s turnover for free? Tofler shows a revenue range for free. For the exact figure, download the AOC-4 from MCA for ₹100, or buy a Tofler or Zauba Corp report.

Why can’t I find last year’s financials for a company? It may not have filed yet. Accounts are usually due with MCA about 30 days after an AGM held by 30 September, so the latest year often appears only in October or November.

Why is there no cash flow statement in the filing? Small companies, now those with up to ₹10 crore of paid-up capital and ₹100 crore of turnover, don’t have to prepare one. Ask the seller for bank statements.

Tofler or Zauba Corp: which is better? For quick, free screening, Zauba Corp is simpler. For comparing financials, Tofler is stronger if you pay. For anything you rely on in a deal, use MCA.