Zoho People vs Keka HR: Running a small business in India is no small feat. Between managing teams, keeping customers happy, and staying compliant with ever-changing labour laws, HR often becomes a juggling act. Many founders and HR managers look for software that can take some of that load off their shoulders, something that handles attendance, payroll, and performance seamlessly in the cloud.
That’s where the comparison of Zoho People vs Keka HRMS: Cloud HR for Small Businesses in India becomes so relevant. Both platforms promise to simplify HR operations, but they do it in different ways. The real question is which one fits your small business better, the modular flexibility of Zoho People or the employee-centric design of Keka?
Why Small Businesses Are Moving to Cloud HR
Before comparing Zoho People and Keka HR, know why small businesses in India prefer cloud-based HR tools. Traditional HR management, Excel sheets, emails, and piles of paper might work for a team of five. But once that number starts growing, chaos creeps in. Attendance tracking becomes a headache. Payroll errors occur, and managers find leave approvals stuck in their inboxes.
Cloud HR software solves this by putting everything in one place: attendance, payroll, onboarding, performance reviews, compliance, and employee engagement. And the cherry on top? These systems work from anywhere, whether you’re managing a hybrid team, a remote setup, or multiple offices. If Indian SMEs, cloud-based systems like Zoho People and Keka HRMS are their best bet.
Zoho People: Modular and Scalable HR
Zoho People is part of a much larger Zoho ecosystem that includes products like Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Projects. That integration is one of its biggest strengths. If your business uses other Zoho products, Zoho People feels like a natural extension. It grows with your organisation, whether it’s 10 employees or 1,000.
The design philosophy driving Zoho People is modularity. You can start small, just using basic features like leave and attendance management, and later add modules for performance reviews, training, and advanced analytics. That flexibility appeals to small businesses that want an HR solution they won’t outgrow in two years.
Zoho People also focuses a great deal on automation. Leave approvals, tracking of timesheets, and documents work in an automated mode once set up. For small teams without a dedicated HR staff, this saves time and confusion. The self-service portal of this system allows employees to mark their attendance, request time off, and download payslips without any interference from HR-a small yet powerful shift that gives HR teams room to breathe.
Zoho People also provides great support for compliance with Indian regulations: statutory deductions for EPF, ESI, and professional tax are correctly made through the integration of payroll software.
Although payroll is not integrated within Zoho People, it integrates smoothly with Zoho Payroll, which is totally compliant with Indian law.
Keka HRMS: Built for employee experience
Keka HRMS, on the other hand, wears its philosophy right on its sleeve. The product tagline could easily be “People First.” From its interface to its features, Keka is designed around the employee experience. For small businesses in India that want their HR software to feel intuitive and people-friendly, Keka’s design hits the mark.
Unlike Zoho’s modular approach, Keka HRMS offers an all-in-one experience, you do not need to integrate separate products for payroll, attendance, and performance management; each component will sit within one system. That all-in-one design appeals to business owners who want simplicity and quick setup rather than deep customisation.
Keka’s payroll engine is one of its highly acclaimed features: built specifically for Indian businesses, it provides automatic statutory updates, real-time payslip calculations, and seamless integration with bank formats for salary transfers.
For small companies that cannot keep up with changes in compliance, this is a huge relief.
Also remarkable is the strong performance management embedded in the tool, often missing in this class of HR systems, with features including goal setting, OKR tracking, and peer feedback.
For growing companies, this focus on employee growth and engagement can make a real difference in retention and morale.
Zoho People vs Keka HR: Cloud HR for Small Businesses in India – Comparing the Core
The core difference between Zoho People and Keka HR:
Cloud HR for Small Businesses in India lies at the focus of their approach, flexibility of ecosystem integration with Zoho People and ease of use, strong India-first design with Keka HRMS.
If your business runs on Zoho’s suite of tools already, then it will make sense to add Zoho People into the mix. The integrations are smooth, and you’ll love the consistent design and data flow between apps. The HR processes become part of one large digital ecosystem: CRM, finance, and projects all tied together.
To tech-savvy teams looking to scale in the long run, Zoho People is like a foundation to which you can keep building over time. Keka HRMS shines in simplicity; even a first-time HR user can run payroll or approve leaves without a manual.
The dashboard is clean, the reports are visual, and the user experience feels human, which is something many small businesses value over heavy customisation. It’s not just a tool for HR teams; it’s something employees actually enjoy using.
Both platforms provide mobile apps through which teams can manage HR-related tasks on the go. While Keka’s app leans toward employee interaction check-ins, performance updates, payslip views Zoho’s app provides deeper administrative control.
Implementation, Support, and Real-World Use
One area where small businesses often get tripped up is implementation. A system might look perfect on paper but still fail if setup and onboarding are too complicated.
Zoho People’s modular system can take more time to configure, especially if you’re syncing it with Zoho Payroll or third-party apps. But once you set it up, it’s powerful.
The learning curve is slightly steeper, yet Zoho offers plenty of online help, training sessions, and community support to make it manageable.
Where Keka HRMS excels is in its faster go-live time. Many small business owners start within a few days. Guided setup, and the support team is responsive. In particular, first-time users who don’t have IT teams appreciate Keka’s support.
When it comes to scalability, Zoho wins due to its ecosystem. Your business grows or adds branches in other countries, and Zoho People grows with it.
Keka’s strength lies more in the Indian context, where statutory rules, regional attendance policies, and local banking integrations mattermost. For purely India-based small businesses, that local focus can be a blessing.
Customization vs Simplicity : What Matters More
Zoho People offers deep customization: you can adjust the workflows, define your own fields, and automate nearly anything. With such freedom comes a degree of complexity. Creating a custom workflow for appraisals or attendance approvals may take a little more time and planning to set up.
This is a plus for small businesses that have someone tech-savvy on the team, but for anyone who just wants it to “work out of the box,” it can be daunting.
The approach of Keka HRMS is more “ready-to-run”. Most items are pre-set, and even if you can alter some settings in line with your needs, the focus is on simplicity. This makes Keka less flexible than Zoho in certain areas, but easier to maintain. If your business doesn’t have a full-time HR tech expert, Keka’s simplicity becomes its biggest strength.
Keka and zoho people pricing :
For small businesses, cost is one of the most important factors. In the pricing model of Zoho People, you pay per user per month, depending on the modules you use. That means you can start small and scale up gradually. It’s ideal for startups that want to control costs while still investing in solid HR infrastructure.
Keka HRMS also uses a per-employee pricing model but includes payroll in its base package. While this can make it slightly costlier upfront, you don’t need to buy multiple add-ons. For small Indian businesses that prefer one predictable bill covering everything HR-related, Keka’s pricing feels transparent and fair.
Both offer free trials, so the best method is to actually test each platform using real data. The typical small business finds that the “feel” of the system how it fits their day-to-day rhythm is even more important than price differences.
Zoho People vs Keka HR : The Human Side of HRMS
At the centre of this debate, Zoho People vs Keka HRMS lies one simple question: what kind of HR culture are you building? Zoho People supports structured growth. It’s for businesses that want strong systems and scalability. Keka HRMS supports connected teams. It’s for businesses that care about employee experience and everyday simplicity.
In essence, when it comes to choosing the best HRMS for a small business in India, it is not about technology but finding something that saves time, reduces stress, and engages your people. Both Zoho People and Keka HRMS can do that, but in different ways.
Final Thoughts on Zoho People vs Keka HR: Cloud HR for Small Businesses in India
Cloud HRMS for Small Businesses in India. The choice depends on your priorities. If your focus is integration, scalability, and the long-term vision of connecting HR with finance, CRM, and projects, Zoho People works great. But if you want a product that’s simple, intuitive, and ready for Indian compliance out of the box, Keka HRMS deserves your attention.
Both of these platforms represent the growing maturity of Indian HR tech and empower small businesses to act big. Whichever path you choose, the aim is the same: building an HR process that’s less about paperwork and more about the people.
FAQS :
Which HR software is cheaper for small teams?
Zoho People is generally cheaper for small teams as it uses per user per per-user-per-month structure it is starting from just ₹ 48 per user per month. Keka has higher minimum monthly commitments.
Is Keka HR cost-effective for 100 + employees?
Yes, Keka HR is more cost-effective for 100-plus employees because its entry plan covers up to 100 users, and additional users are priced lower, i.e at Rs 16- 19 per month
What is the difference between Zoho People Essential HR and Professional pricing?
Essential HR ₹ 48 per user per month, while the Professional plan is ₹ 96 per user per month; both are billed annually
What is the KEKA HR entry-level plan name and price?
KEKA HR offers its entry level foundation plan at ₹ 9999 per month for up to 100 Employees
Do Zoho people offer monthly billing
Zoho people listed prices ₹ 48, ₹ 96, etc, are on being billed annually, meaning the user must pay for the full year upfront for those rates
Disclaimer:
This article is purely for informational purposes. Product features and pricing change over time; therefore, it is always a good idea to verify the details with official sources before purchasing or making business decisions.
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