Best HRMS Software in India for Small Business (Compared)

Short answer: the best HRMS software for a small business in India depends on what you need most. greytHR is the strongest choice for fully automated statutory payroll. Keka suits growing companies that want performance management built in. Zoho People fits businesses already on Zoho. PagarBook suits shops and factories that pay staff by attendance. Aajar is the lowest-cost way to get attendance, leave and payslips in one app. For a 25-person team, monthly costs range from about ₹500 to ₹4,495 before GST.

We compared five HRMS platforms that small businesses in India shortlist most often, using each vendor's public pricing in October 2026. The focus is teams of 10 to 100 employees that need attendance, leave and payroll, rather than enterprise suites.

Best HRMS software in India at a glance

Prices exclude GST and were checked on each vendor's website in October 2026. Keka does not publish prices; the figure shown is from Toolradar.

What a 25-person team pays each month

Headline prices are hard to compare, because vendors charge per user, per organization or per year. Here is the monthly cost for 25 employees who need attendance, leave and payroll:

Our calculations from published prices, excluding GST and add-ons.

The five HRMS platforms in detail

1. greytHR: best for statutory payroll

greytHR is one of India's most established HR and payroll platforms. Its payroll automates PF with ECR generation, ESI challans, state-wise professional tax, TDS with Form 24Q and Form 16. The Essential plan (₹2,495 a month for up to 50 employees) covers payroll and leave. Attendance, shifts, overtime and geo-fencing need the Growth plan (₹4,495 a month). Above 50 employees, each extra person costs ₹45 or ₹85 a month.

Watch out for: a 10-person team pays the same as a 50-person team, and performance management, expenses and GPS tracking are paid add-ons. Read our full greytHR pricing breakdown.

2. Keka: best for growing teams that want performance management

Keka offers HR and payroll plans called Foundation, Strength and Growth. Growth adds built-in performance management and business reviews. Separate products cover hiring and project timesheets.

Watch out for: Keka doesn't publish its prices; you need a call with sales. Third-party listings put Foundation at about US$108 a month for up to 50 employees, which is high for a very small team.

3. Zoho People: best if you already use Zoho

Zoho People is priced per user: ₹48, ₹96, ₹144 or ₹192 a month billed yearly (₹60 to ₹240 billed monthly). Attendance, shifts and biometric integrations start on Professional. Payroll runs in Zoho Payroll, which is free for up to 10 employees and covers EPF, ESI, PT and LWF.

Watch out for: the free plan (5 users) has no attendance, and adding payroll means a second subscription above 10 employees. See our Zoho People pricing guide.

4. PagarBook: best for shops, factories and daily-wage staff

PagarBook is built for Indian SMEs with frontline staff, from textile units and restaurants to security and logistics firms. It offers phone and GPS attendance, face attendance (PagarBook Lens), its own biometric device, overtime, and payroll with PF, ESI, PT and TDS. Plans cost ₹499 per staff per year for the app, ₹699 with a web dashboard, and ₹1,398 with face attendance.

Watch out for: it is priced per staff per year, so you pay upfront annually. Its biometric device costs extra (listed at ₹18,000 + GST).

5. Aajar: best low-cost option for attendance, leave and payslips

Aajar is an attendance, leave and payroll app for small and mid-sized teams in India, priced per user with no minimum headcount. Employees check in from a phone or computer, and the app can be installed on Android and iPhone home screens. Late grace, half-day rules, weekly offs, alternate Saturdays, leave policies with carry-forward, the sandwich rule, salary structures, payslips and income-tax declarations are all included from the ₹20 Starter plan. Growth (₹35) adds shifts, geofencing, comp-off and overtime. Business (₹50) adds eSSL biometric sync, expense claims, hiring requests and an asset register.

Watch out for: Aajar doesn't generate statutory returns such as PF ECR or Form 24Q, and it has no performance reviews. It works best when your CA handles filings or your needs are mainly attendance, leave and payslips.

Free and attendance-only alternatives

If you only need to record attendance and run payroll elsewhere, free tools can be enough. Jibble is free for unlimited users, with face recognition, GPS and leave tracking. StaffApp says its core features are free forever. See our comparison of free attendance apps in India.

How to choose the right HRMS for your business

• Under 25 employees, mainly attendance and leave: choose a per-user tool such as Aajar, or Zoho People with free Zoho Payroll if you have 10 or fewer staff.
• Frontline or daily-wage staff: PagarBook or Aajar, depending on whether you want yearly or monthly billing.
• You want the software to file PF, ESI and TDS: greytHR or Zoho Payroll, which both list these filings on their own sites.
• Performance reviews and hiring in one place: Keka, greytHR Premium or Zoho People Premium.
• You already own an eSSL biometric machine: check that the HRMS syncs it. Aajar's Business plan does over ADMS; see how to connect an eSSL device.

Before you sign up, run a two-week pilot with one team. Our employee attendance app guide has a checklist to take into any demo.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best HRMS software in India?

There is no single best. greytHR leads on automated statutory payroll, Keka on performance management, Zoho People on integration with other Zoho apps, PagarBook on frontline staff, and Aajar on low cost for attendance, leave and payslips.

What is the cheapest HRMS software in India?

Among full attendance, leave and payroll tools, Aajar's Starter plan at ₹20 per user per month is among the cheapest: ₹500 a month for 25 people. Free attendance-only apps such as Jibble cost nothing, but don't include Indian payroll.

Is there a free HRMS in India?

Zoho People is free for up to 5 users without attendance, and Zoho Payroll is free for up to 10 employees. Aajar is free for 3 months for teams of up to 50. greytHR offers a 7-day trial.

What should an HRMS include for a small business?

At minimum: employee records, attendance, leave with Indian rules (holidays, comp-off, sandwich leave), payroll with payslips, and employee self-service on mobile. Statutory filing, performance reviews and hiring are useful extras.

Do small businesses need an HRMS?

Once you have more than about 10 employees, keeping attendance, leave balances and salaries in Excel takes hours each month and invites errors. An HRMS pays for itself if it saves a day of HR work a month.