Zoho People vs Keka: Which HR Software Fits Your Team?

Zoho People and Keka come up together constantly because they sit in a similar price bracket and both promise a modern, employee-friendly HR experience. The real difference most buyers miss until after signing is architectural: Zoho People is a pure HR platform with payroll and statutory compliance sold as a separate product, while Keka bundles HR, payroll, and compliance into one. Zoho Corporation was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Chennai, one of India’s largest and most established software companies. Keka is newer, founded in Hyderabad in 2014, built specifically around a unified HR and payroll experience.

Here is how they actually compare, including the part most comparison pages gloss over: what it costs once you add Indian payroll compliance to Zoho People. Both fall under the broader category of HR software, and if you want the fuller category breakdown before comparing specific products, our what is HRMS guide is a good starting point.

Zoho People vs Keka at a Glance

The Part Most Comparisons Skip: Zoho’s Two-Product Structure

Zoho People handles the HR side (onboarding, leave, performance, attendance) but does not run Indian statutory payroll on its own. To get PF, ESI, TDS, and professional tax compliance, you need Zoho Payroll, sold separately: free for up to 10 employees, then ₹1,000/month covering 25 employees plus ₹40 per additional employee on annual billing (roughly ₹1,250/month plus ₹50/employee on monthly billing). Some sources also list it as a ₹33/employee/month add-on directly inside Zoho People, so the effective bundled price for HR plus payroll compliance is meaningfully higher than the Zoho People sticker price on its own.

Keka does not have this split. Payroll, PF, ESI, TDS, and professional tax are part of the same subscription as core HR, with no second product to buy, configure, or keep in sync. If your priority is one vendor, one login, and one bill, this is Keka’s clearest structural advantage. If you are already deep in the Zoho ecosystem (Zoho CRM, Desk, Recruit, Books) and value everything talking to everything else, Zoho’s two-product approach can still make sense, since Zoho People integrates natively with the rest of Zoho.

One real limitation worth flagging on Keka’s side: it is built primarily for Indian payroll and does not handle multi-country payroll well, a genuine constraint if you have or expect to have employees outside India. Zoho People, as part of a much larger global platform, handles that scenario more naturally. If you want to see how Keka compares against a similarly India-focused, compliance-first platform instead, our Keka vs greytHR comparison covers that pairing.

Ratings and Real-World Feedback

Both platforms rate well, and reported scores cluster close together across review sites, typically Zoho People in the mid 4.5s and Keka a few tenths higher (G2 shows Keka at 4.5 across roughly 1,800 reviews versus Zoho People’s 4.4 across roughly 376), with Keka consistently showing a much larger review volume. User feedback also points to a genuine trade-off: Zoho People’s interface is frequently described as feature-rich but “complex and overwhelming for new users,” while Keka is more consistently praised for a cleaner interface but flagged for a steeper initial setup process and occasional biometric sync issues. A recurring specific complaint in Keka reviews is worth flagging directly: several G2 reviewers describe implementation support as slow and email-thread-only when configuration gets complex, worth asking about directly during your sales conversation if a smooth rollout matters to you. Neither platform is a clear winner on usability overall; it depends on whether your team wants depth of configuration (Zoho People) or a faster day-one experience (Keka).

Zoho People: Strengths and Considerations

Strengths:

• Native integration with the wider Zoho ecosystem (CRM, Desk, Recruit, Analytics, Books)
• Built on the Zoho Creator platform, giving it real customization depth for unusual workflows
• Free plan available for teams up to 5 employees
• GPS-based time tracking suited to remote and field teams

Considerations:

• Payroll and statutory compliance are not included, you need Zoho Payroll as a separate product and cost
• Interface complexity is a recurring theme in user reviews, especially for smaller teams without a dedicated HR admin
• Reporting is described as more limited than dedicated HRMS platforms in several independent reviews

If your team is small enough that Zoho People’s free plan actually covers you, our guide to HR software for small businesses in India covers a few other budget-friendly options worth a look too.

Keka: Strengths and Considerations

Strengths:

• HR, payroll, and statutory compliance in a single product and single bill
• Old vs. new tax regime switching with a real-time take-home preview for employees
• Consistently higher review volume and marginally higher average ratings across independent platforms
• Native mobile apps with multilingual support

Considerations:

• Pricing is quote-based rather than a fixed public rate card, confirm current numbers directly
• Fewer native third-party integrations than an ecosystem player like Zoho
• Not built for multi-country payroll, a real constraint if you have or expect employees outside India
• Some reviewers report slow, email-thread-only implementation support when configuration gets complex

Keka sits within the broader payroll software category on hrsoftware.in, worth browsing if you want to see it alongside other India-focused vendors.

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Zoho People if you are already running other Zoho products and want your HR data connected to that ecosystem, or if your team is small enough to stay on the free plan and you are comfortable adding Zoho Payroll separately once you need statutory compliance.

Choose Keka if you want HR and payroll compliance in one subscription without managing two vendors, or if a cleaner, more modern day-one interface matters more to your team than deep customization options.

If you are still weighing this against a third option, our HRMS vendor evaluation checklist covers the questions worth asking before you sign with either. Other real alternatives worth a look include Zimyo for budget-conscious teams and Darwinbox if you have outgrown mid-market tools entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Zoho People include payroll?
No. Zoho People handles core HR functions; PF, ESI, TDS, and professional tax compliance require the separate Zoho Payroll product, which has its own pricing.

Is Keka or Zoho People cheaper?
Zoho People’s base plan starts lower (₹50/employee/month) than Keka’s flat tiers, but once you add Zoho Payroll for statutory compliance, the effective combined cost narrows the gap. Get a quote for both, priced for compliance, not just the HR module, before comparing. Our guide to budgeting for HRMS costs covers the hidden costs worth asking about beyond the headline price.

Which one is easier to set up?
User reviews lean toward Keka for a cleaner initial experience, though it is not without its own setup complexity. Zoho People’s flexibility (built on Zoho Creator) comes with a steeper learning curve for teams without a dedicated HR admin.

Can Zoho People integrate with other business tools?
Yes, this is one of its clearest strengths if you already use Zoho CRM, Desk, Recruit, Analytics, or Books, since Zoho People connects to them natively.

Does Keka support old and new income tax regime switching?
Yes, with a real-time preview of the take-home impact for employees, a workflow that is specifically highlighted as a Keka strength.

Which is better for a very small team?
Zoho People has a genuine free plan for up to 5 employees, useful if you are pre-revenue or very early stage. Once you need statutory payroll compliance though, factor in the Zoho Payroll cost.

Do both offer mobile apps?
Yes, both have Android and iOS apps. Keka’s is more consistently rated well in reviews, though both have had reported performance issues at times.

Which has better reporting and analytics?
Keka’s reporting is generally rated stronger in independent reviews. Zoho People’s reporting is described as more limited out of the box, though its underlying Zoho Creator platform allows custom report building if you are willing to configure it yourself. Browse hrsoftware.in’s full vendor directory if you want to weigh more than these two options.