Buying guide · 11 tools researched · prices checked 4 Nov 2026
Best HR & Payroll software, by situation
We researched 11 HR & Payroll tools, including AQUA HRMS, factoHR, and greytHR. There is no single best option: find the situation closest to yours, see what it costs, and check the trade-off against the runner-up.
Our picks
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01 Payroll, attendance and expenses in one plan
factoHR
Good value if you want payroll, attendance with face recognition and expenses in one plan. Pricing is billed yearly, so the monthly figure is a commitment, not a pay-as-you-go rate.
- What it costs
- 100 employees on Premium: ₹10,949/month equivalent, billed yearly
- Skip it if
- You need month-to-month billing with no annual commitment
- Runner-up
- greytHR
-
02 Compliant Indian payroll for 50–500 employees
greytHR
A dependable default for Indian payroll. Essential covers payroll and leave for 50 employees at ₹2,495/month; move to Growth only if you need shift and geo-fenced attendance.
- What it costs
- 100 employees on Essential: ₹4,745/month before GST
- Skip it if
- You are under 15 employees and want a free tool, or you need global payroll
- Runner-up
- factoHR
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03 HRMS for Indian teams of 50+
HROne
A solid all-in-one HRMS for Indian companies with transparent entry pricing, particularly when core HR, time and payroll must live together.
- What it costs
- 100 users on Basic: ₹9,900/month before tax (₹4,950 base plus 50 × ₹99).
- Skip it if
- You have fewer than 50 employees or only need basic payroll
- Runner-up
- Pocket HRMS
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04 All-in-one HR and payroll for Indian growth companies
Keka HR
A broad HR suite for Indian mid-sized organisations that want payroll plus workforce management in one product, but a sales quote is needed to establish the real cost.
- What it costs
- Request a quote for your exact employee count; compare recurring subscription, setup, support and add-on charges.
- Skip it if
- You require instantly transparent self-serve pricing
- Runner-up
- HROne
-
05 Hiring, performance and engagement on one platform
peopleHum
Flexible if you want to buy only the HR modules you need. The $2 figure is a starting point; expect a custom quote once you add hiring, performance and engagement.
- What it costs
- 100 employees at the entry rate: from $200/month, modules extra
- Skip it if
- You want a fixed, published price for a full HR and payroll bundle
- Runner-up
- greytHR
-
06 Budget HRMS with mobile attendance
Pocket HRMS
A competitively priced India HRMS for companies with about 50 or more employees, with useful payroll and attendance tools but a separate implementation quote.
- What it costs
- 100 employees on Standard: ₹5,995/month equivalent before GST and implementation (₹2,995 plus 50 × ₹60).
- Skip it if
- You want zero implementation cost or have a very small team
- Runner-up
- HROne
-
07 The lowest per-employee cost for HR and payroll
sumHR
The cheapest per-employee option in this set, with payroll included from Startup. Check the fine print on the free offer: it depends on salary accounts with Jupiter.
- What it costs
- 60 employees on Basic: ₹4,140/month (₹49,680/year) before GST
- Skip it if
- You want advanced attendance hardware integrations or a heavily customised enterprise setup
- Runner-up
- greytHR
-
08 Enterprise HCM across India and MEA
ZingHR
A broad India-origin HR suite for mid-market and enterprise organisations that want payroll, workforce and talent modules together, but it is a consultative purchase with no public list price.
- What it costs
- For 500 employees across two entities, compare the annual subscription plus payroll setup, historical-data migration, attendance integrations, manager training and support.
- Skip it if
- You are a very small company seeking transparent self-serve payroll pricing
- Runner-up
- HROne
-
09 Free payroll for small Indian employers
Zoho Payroll
Excellent value for small Indian employers that need compliant payroll and clear local pricing, especially within the Zoho ecosystem.
- What it costs
- 100 employees on Standard: ₹4,000/month equivalent (₹1,000 plus 75 × ₹40), billed annually, before GST.
- Skip it if
- You need a global multi-country payroll platform
- Runner-up
- greytHR
-
10 HR for teams already on Zoho
Zoho People
A good-value HR system for Indian SMBs already in the Zoho ecosystem, covering attendance, leave and performance; payroll is a separate Zoho product, so total cost needs checking against all-in-one Indian HRMS tools.
- What it costs
- A 50-person company on Essential pays about ₹2,400 a month before GST, per the partner's estimate.
- Skip it if
- You want payroll, statutory compliance and HR in a single product from one subscription
- Runner-up
- greytHR
-
11 Invite-only attendance portal
AQUA HRMS
AQUA may fit organisations already evaluating the vendor's attendance and HR workflows, but its public product and pricing documentation is too limited for a confident feature-by-feature buying decision without a live demo and written scope.
- What it costs
- For 100 employees, request an itemised annual quote including attendance devices or integrations, onboarding, administrator training and support.
- Skip it if
- You need transparent public pricing, extensive documentation or a self-serve trial
- Runner-up
- greytHR
Full profile → Official pricing (opens in a new tab) Price not fully verified
How the options compare
| Compare | AQUA HRMS |  factoHR |
greytHR |  HROne |
 Keka HR |
 peopleHum |
 Pocket HRMS |
 sumHR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams specifically invited to evaluate AquaTeams' attendance and HR portal | Indian businesses of 20–300 employees that want payroll, attendance and expenses without add-ons | Indian companies of 20–500 employees that want compliant payroll with leave and attendance | Indian organisations with 50 or more employees seeking an integrated HRMS | Indian growth companies wanting an integrated HR, payroll and performance platform | Companies that want to assemble hiring, performance and engagement modules on one HR platform | Indian SMBs wanting HRMS, payroll and mobile attendance in one system | Small Indian companies that want HR and payroll at a low per-employee cost |
| Starting price | Contact sales | Free up to 20 employees; paid from ₹4,499/month | ₹2,495/month (up to 50 employees) | ₹4,950/month for 50 users | Contact sales | From $2/employee/month | ₹2,995/month billed annually for 50 employees | ₹49/user/month, billed annually |
| Free plan / trial | Demo | Free plan for up to 20 employees; free trial on paid plans | 7-day free trial | Trial | Free trial, then pricing from Keka sales | 7-day free trial, no credit card | Trial | Free plan tied to Jupiter salary accounts |
| Pricing model | Custom quote; public pricing not available | Monthly rate for up to 50 employees, billed yearly, plus a per-employee charge | Monthly base fee for 50 employees plus a per-employee charge above that | Base price includes 50 users, then per additional user; higher suite quoted | Quote-based by plan, modules and employee count | Per employee per month, modular packaging | Annual base package includes 50 employees, then per additional employee | Per employee per month, billed annually |
| Biggest limitation | The public official presence is primarily a sign-in portal, with sparse verifiable product detail | Paid plans are billed yearly; performance management requires Ultimate | Performance management, expense management and GPS tracking are add-ons unless you buy Premium | The published starting package is sized for 50 users | Public pricing amounts were not reliably displayed on the checked page | Only the starting price is published; module-level pricing needs a quote | Implementation is separately quoted | Listed prices are annual commitments; the free offer requires employees to use Jupiter salary accounts |
| Price checked |
Prices are taken from each vendor's own pricing page on the dates shown. Taxes and add-ons may apply; confirm before you buy.
Every HR & Payroll tool we've profiled
- AQUA HRMSContact salesTeams specifically invited to evaluate AquaTeams' attendance and HR portal
- factoHRFree up to 20 employees; paid from ₹4,499/monthIndian businesses of 20–300 employees that want payroll, attendance and expenses without add-ons
- greytHR₹2,495/month (up to 50 employees)Indian companies of 20–500 employees that want compliant payroll with leave and attendance
- HROne₹4,950/month for 50 usersIndian organisations with 50 or more employees seeking an integrated HRMS
- Keka HRContact salesIndian growth companies wanting an integrated HR, payroll and performance platform
- peopleHumFrom $2/employee/monthCompanies that want to assemble hiring, performance and engagement modules on one HR platform
- Pocket HRMS₹2,995/month billed annually for 50 employeesIndian SMBs wanting HRMS, payroll and mobile attendance in one system
- sumHR₹49/user/month, billed annuallySmall Indian companies that want HR and payroll at a low per-employee cost
- ZingHRContact salesMid-sized and enterprise organisations managing complex employee lifecycles across India, MEA or Southeast Asia
- Zoho PayrollFree for up to 10 employees; Standard ₹1,000/organisation/month billed annuallyIndian small and mid-sized employers wanting payroll, compliance and employee self-service
- Zoho PeopleAround ₹48 per employee/month (Essential, per a Zoho partner)Indian SMBs on Zoho that want attendance, leave and performance in one HR app
