Buying guide · 10 tools researched · prices checked 23 Sep 2026
Best HR & Payroll software, by situation
There is no single best HR & Payroll tool. Find the situation closest to yours, see what it will cost, and check the trade-off against the runner-up.
Our picks
-
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
-
03 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
-
04 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
How the options compare
| Compare | AQUA HRMS |  factoHR |
greytHR |  HROne |
Keka | 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 | Demo | 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
- KekaContact 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
