Kredily and greytHR sit at opposite ends of the price spectrum, which makes this one of the more clear-cut comparisons in this series. Kredily runs a genuinely free-forever plan for unlimited employees, including statutory compliance calculations. Greytip Software, the company behind greytHR, was founded in Bengaluru in 1994 and launched the cloud-based greytHR product in 2011, and has never offered a free tier, its pricing starts from the Essential plan.
The real question is not whether Kredily is “as good” as greytHR, it’s whether greytHR’s paid depth is worth paying for over Kredily’s free core offering, for your specific situation within the broader HR software market.
Kredily vs greytHR at a Glance
| Factor | Kredily | greytHR |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | ₹0/month, Free Forever plan, unlimited employees, no credit card required | ₹2,495/month for up to 50 employees (Essential plan), plus ₹45/employee beyond |
| Compliance on the free tier | PF, ESI, PT, and TDS calculations included even on the free plan | Not applicable, no free tier exists |
| Paid tier additions | Payroll OS (₹1,249/month, 25 employees) and Professional (₹1,749/month, 25 employees) add PF/ESI challan generation, Form 12BB, and Form 16, plus optional attendance add-ons (₹50/user/month each) | Growth plan (₹4,495/month) adds shift management, overtime tracking, and confirmation workflows; deep multi-state labour reports (Shops and Establishments Act, Factories Act, CLRA) |
| Best suited for | Startups and small businesses wanting genuinely free core HR and payroll with compliance calculations included | Companies needing deep, dedicated multi-state statutory compliance reporting as a core, well-supported product |
Is “Free” Actually Enough?
For many small businesses, yes, more than you’d expect. Kredily’s free plan covers HR, payroll, attendance, and leave for unlimited employees, and statutory calculations (PF, ESI, PT, TDS) are included at no cost, not held back as a paywall feature. Where you start paying is for statutory document generation: PF/ESI challans, Form 12BB, and Form 16 require the paid Payroll OS tier (₹1,249/month for 25 employees) or above.
greytHR’s advantage is depth and dedicated support at scale: multi-state labour law reporting (Shops and Establishments Act, Factories Act, CLRA), automated compliance filing reminders and calendars that flag deadlines before they’re missed, a longer track record with 27,000+ customers, and a support model built around HR teams that need reliability at volume, not just a free tool. If your compliance needs are straightforward and you’re comfortable with less hand-holding, Kredily’s free tier plus a modest paid upgrade likely covers you. If you operate across multiple states with complex labour law reporting requirements, greytHR’s dedicated depth is worth the cost.
Ratings: A Small Sample Worth Being Honest About
On G2, greytHR rates 4.5 out of 5 across roughly 1,221 reviews, while Kredily rates 4.1 out of 5 across only about 18. That’s not a fair fight statistically, 18 reviews is too small a sample to draw strong conclusions from, and it mostly just confirms greytHR has been around longer and been reviewed by far more people. Where the difference is more meaningfully reported is interface: greytHR gets consistent praise for a clean, minimal UI that makes daily tasks (leave requests, attendance checks) easy, while Kredily’s interface is functional but doesn’t draw the same level of acclaim. Neither data point should be the deciding factor here, the free-vs-paid trade-off discussed above matters far more than a ratings gap this lopsided in sample size.
Kredily: Strengths and Considerations
Strengths:
- Genuinely free core HR, payroll, attendance, and leave for unlimited employees
- PF, ESI, PT, and TDS calculations included even on the free plan
- Fast, guided setup, most businesses reportedly running payroll within a few days
- AI-powered attendance add-ons (face recognition, GPS live tracking) available at low added cost
Considerations:
- Statutory document generation (challans, Form 16, Form 12BB) requires a paid tier
- Less multi-state labour law reporting depth than a dedicated compliance-first platform
- Newer, smaller company with a shorter enterprise support track record than greytHR
If your team is under 50 people and still comparing options broadly, our guide to HR software for small businesses in India covers more budget-friendly platforms too.
greytHR: Strengths and Considerations
Strengths:
- Deep, dedicated multi-state statutory compliance reporting
- 27,000+ customers, one of the longest track records in Indian HR software
- 7-day full-access free trial, no credit card required, though no ongoing free tier
- Established support infrastructure built for HR teams at scale
Considerations:
- No free tier at all, meaningfully higher cost than Kredily at every headcount
- Performance management is a separate paid add-on, not included in core plans
See greytHR compared against a similarly established competitor in our Keka vs greytHR comparison.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Kredily if you’re a startup or small business that wants genuinely free core HR and payroll with statutory calculations included, and you’re comfortable paying a modest amount only when you need document generation.
Choose greytHR if you need deep, dedicated multi-state compliance reporting and established enterprise-grade support, and the cost difference is justified by that depth for your organization.
Weigh the free-vs-paid trade-off above against your actual compliance complexity, not the ratings gap, since that gap mostly reflects sample size rather than quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kredily actually free, or is it a limited trial?
It’s genuinely free forever for core HR, payroll, attendance, and leave, for unlimited employees, with no credit card required. Statutory document generation (challans, Form 16) requires a paid tier.
Does Kredily’s free plan include statutory compliance?
Yes, PF, ESI, PT, and TDS calculations are included even on the free plan. Document generation like challans and Form 16 requires the paid Payroll OS tier or above.
Why would anyone pay for greytHR if Kredily is free?
Mainly for depth and scale: greytHR’s dedicated multi-state labour law reporting and established enterprise support infrastructure are built for HR teams with more complex or higher-volume needs than a free tool typically covers.
How much does Kredily cost once you need paid features?
Payroll OS starts at ₹1,249/month for 25 employees (₹50/employee beyond), and Professional starts at ₹1,749/month for 25 employees (₹70/employee beyond), both still meaningfully cheaper than greytHR’s plans. See our guide to budgeting for HRMS costs for other line items worth asking about with either vendor.
Which is easier to set up?
Kredily, generally, most businesses are reported to be running payroll within a few days using guided templates. greytHR’s advanced customization can take longer to configure.
Does greytHR offer any free option?
Only a 7-day full-access trial, no credit card required. It does not have an ongoing free tier the way Kredily does.
Which has better multi-state compliance reporting?
greytHR, with dedicated statutory labour reports for the Shops and Establishments Act, Factories Act, and CLRA across states.
Is performance management included in either?
Neither includes it free. greytHR sells Performance Management as a separate add-on at ₹35 to ₹45 per employee per month; check Kredily directly for its current performance-management options. Our HRMS vendor evaluation checklist and what is HRMS guide cover the basics either way, and the full vendor directory on hrsoftware.in lists more options.