Best Payroll & HR Software for Small Business in India (2026)

The case for

• The free tier runs forever for up to 20 employees and covers employee records, letter generation and payslip generation with no card required.
• Payroll, attendance, leave and the HR helpdesk all sit in the entry Core plan at 4,999 rupees a month rather than a higher tier.
• No lock-in period and no cancellation fee on any plan, so you can walk away at the end of a quarterly term.

The catch

• Every paid plan is priced for up to 50 employees, so a 20 person company pays the same 4,999 rupees a month as a 50 person one.
• Billing runs quarterly or annually with no monthly option, so the smallest real commitment is three months of Core at 14,997 rupees.
• Cancel an annual plan part way through and the remaining credit is forfeited, which factoHR states plainly in its own pricing FAQ.

The case for

• Basic runs 80 rupees per user per month, which is low for an Indian HRMS quoted openly in rupees rather than behind a sales call.
• Cards, net banking, UPI and wallets are all accepted, so an Indian buyer can pay on local rails without arranging an international card.
• A 14 day free trial is offered before purchase, and plan changes are allowed whenever you want rather than only at renewal.

The catch

• Both Basic and Standard carry a minimum billing of 50 users, so a 15 person company still pays for 50 seats every month.
• That 50 user floor makes Basic cost at least 4,000 rupees a month and Standard at least 8,000, whatever your actual headcount is.
• Performance, Learn, Engage, Trip Management and Timesheet each add 40 rupees per user per month, so two modules alone double the Basic seat price.

The case for

• Zoho People bills in rupees. Essential HR is 60 rupees per user a month, and 48 rupees when paid yearly, before GST
• The free edition covers a very small team with employee database, leave management and document management at no cost
• Enterprise tops out at 240 rupees per user a month, which keeps an HR suite with LMS and help desk inside most India budgets

The catch

• Every paid plan carries a five user minimum, so a three person company still pays for five seats
• Attendance tracking, biometric integration, timesheets and roster management are absent from Essential HR and start at Professional, which doubles the per user price
• E-signature templates need a separate Zoho Sign subscription, so paperless onboarding costs more than the Zoho People licence alone

The case for

• The Free Forever plan runs payroll, attendance and leave for unlimited employees at zero rupees, with PF, ESI, PT and TDS calculated on every tier.
• Payroll OS costs 1,249 rupees a month covering the first 25 employees and 50 rupees per employee beyond that, including PF and ESI challans, Form 12BB and Form 16.
• Kredily is billed in rupees by an Indian company, PeopleProsper Technologies Private Limited, with GST added to the listed plan price.

The catch

• InstaCash, a credit facility from partner lenders, is switched on by default for all your employees once you use payroll and salary payouts.
• Kredily messages your employees on WhatsApp, SMS and email on behalf of your HR admin, and the stated scope includes offers for financial products and rewards.
• Cancelling needs one month of notice, after which a final invoice covering pending dues must be cleared before the account is deactivated.

The case for

• Billed in rupees with 18 percent GST on the invoice, so an Indian entity claims input credit without forex or card friction
• Essential starts at 2495 rupees a month covering 50 employees, so a small team knows the floor before ever talking to sales
• Indian statutory payroll compliance is built into the core product rather than sold as a separate localisation module

The catch

• The 50 employee base is included, and every employee past that adds 45 rupees on Essential or 85 rupees on Growth monthly
• Attendance and shift management sit on the Growth plan at 4495 rupees a month, about 80 percent more than Essential
• Add-on modules bill separately, with GPS live tracking at 140 rupees per user monthly and recruitment at 2500 rupees per recruiter monthly

The case for

• Compliance calculation, payments and filings are included on every tier including Prime, so statutory filing is not held back as an upsell.
• Prime costs 2,499 rupees a month for up to 20 employees, which works out near 125 rupees per head for a small Indian team.
• Pricing is published in rupees by an Indian entity with the GST rate stated openly, so there is no forex conversion or dollar invoice.

The catch

• Prime stops at 20 employees, so hiring a twenty first person moves you to Elite at 5,499 rupees a month and more than doubles the bill.
• Elite covers 50 employees and every employee beyond that adds 150 rupees a month, so headcount growth shows up directly on the invoice.
• All listed prices exclude 18 percent GST, which puts the real Prime cost near 2,949 rupees a month rather than the advertised 2,499.