Collage vs Zoho People (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Zoho People: it is first in our ranking of HR software, and it grades higher too, 2.4 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zoho People grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Collage
Canadian HR and payroll software with a built-in HR advice line
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Which one is for you
Pick Collage if
- Fits if you run a Canadian company and want HR and payroll in one
- Works for small teams that want an HR advice line
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're outside Canada, as it's built around CRA remittances and T4s
- Pricey if you want payroll, which needs the CA$18 tier
- Watch out: the page doesn't say if the per-employee price is monthly or yearly
- Watch out: no free plan or trial
Pick Zoho People if
- Fits if you already use Zoho apps for hiring, expenses or payroll
- Works for staff who clock in at a kiosk or a biometric device
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need both attendance and reviews, as that means Enterprise at $8 a user
- Skip it if you want payroll in the same app, as Zoho sells it separately
- Not for you if you're more than 3 people and hoping to stay free
- Pricey if you want recruiting and expenses too, as the People Plus bundle is $9 a user a month
- Watch out: Essential HR at $3 leaves out time off, and firms over 500 users must ask for a quote
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACollageWeak | 2.4GPAZoho PeopleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCA$14 an employee a month, about US$10, which sits in the dearer quarter of this category, so C. Payroll takes CA$18. | CWorkforce is $5 a user a month on yearly billing, the cheapest plan with time off, so a ten-person company pays $50. It adds attendance and timesheets too. That's under this category's middle; Essential HR is $3 but leaves time off out. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed. It offers a free demo only. | CFree for up to 3 users, with records, time off and documents. Fine for a look around, but a ten-person team is well past it. There's also a 30-day trial. |
| Features | CHR records and Canadian payroll, but the listing says payroll is on the higher tier and the pages are built around CRA remittances and T4s. | BRecords, onboarding, documents, an HR help desk, time off, attendance by kiosk or biometric device, shift rosters, timesheets, goals, appraisals and courses. The whole job, though payroll and hiring are separate Zoho apps. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you'd set it up with your own people data first, so it's an ordinary C. | CNo App Store rating on record, and with features split between Workforce and Talent, you'll need to think before you pick a plan. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with six listed integrations. No mobile or desktop app named. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack and Zoho's own apps. No desktop app. |
| Best for | Canadian HR and payroll | small businesses already on other Zoho apps |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Collage and Zoho People. How we grade
Where they differ
- Collage also covers expense tracking, payroll and applicant tracking.
- Zoho People also covers shift scheduling.
At a glance
| Collage | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | CA$14 per employee / month | $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Collage | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | collage.co | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Collage
- Built for Canada: the pricing page lists CRA remittances and T4s, and prices are in Canadian dollars.
- The page does not state a free plan or a free trial; it offers a free demo.
- Payroll is only on the higher HR and Payroll tier.
- The pricing page does not say whether per-employee prices are for monthly or yearly billing.
Zoho People
- The free plan stops at 3 users in the US (5 elsewhere) and covers only records, time off and documents.
- Payroll and recruiting are separate Zoho products; the People Plus bundle with Recruit, Expense, Sign and others is $9 per user a month billed annually.
- Workforce and Talent each cover half the toolset: getting both attendance and performance reviews means Enterprise.
- Companies with more than 500 users are asked to request a quote.
Key features
Collage
- Employee records and onboarding
- Stores employment history and documents with e-signatures, and runs onboarding and offboarding task lists.
- Time off and timesheets
- Custom leave policies, approvals and balances, with timesheets and geofenced clock-in that feed payroll.
- Recruiting
- An applicant tracking system with a job board, a resume screener and offer letters.
- Payroll
- On the HR and Payroll tier, payroll runs with CRA remittances, pay stubs and T4s.
- HR on Call
- Phone and email access to HR advisers, plus a library of 100+ policy and document templates.
- Performance and surveys
- Review templates, manager and self reviews, engagement surveys and HR analytics.
Zoho People
- Employee records and documents
- A central employee database with self-service profiles, multi-entity management, onboarding and offboarding flows, exit interviews and document storage.
- Attendance and time off
- Staff check in on the web, the mobile app, a face-recognition kiosk or a biometric device, with IP and location limits, leave policies and accruals.
- Shift rosters and timesheets
- Create shifts, rotate them automatically, take shift-change requests, and log time against jobs and clients for approval.
- Goals, appraisals and training
- The Talent plan adds OKRs, appraisals with feedback, and a learning management system for courses.
- Zia AI
- Zoho's assistant answers employees' questions, carries out HR tasks and analyzes people data.
- HR help desk and surveys
- Employees raise cases with HR in a help desk, and HR runs eNPS, pulse and engagement surveys.
Plans
Collage
HR PremiumCA$14
per employee / month
Onboarding, employee records, training, engagement surveys, HR analytics, time off, AI recruiting, time tracking, clock-in, performance reviews and expert HR advice.
HR and PayrollCA$18
per employee / month
Everything in HR Premium plus payroll, CRA remittances, pay stubs and T4s, and expense management.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom packages and pricing, quoted on request.
Zoho People
Free$0
Up to 3 users, with the employee database, time off and documents.
Essential HR$3
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
AI agent, onboarding and offboarding, documents, benefits and compensation planning, engagement surveys, HR help desk and reports.
Workforce$5
per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Essential HR plus time off, attendance for full-time staff and timesheets with overtime rules.
Talent$5
per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Essential HR plus OKRs, performance evaluations and a learning management system.
Enterprise$8
per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Essential HR, Workforce and Talent together, plus a sandbox and premium support.
Ways to pay less
Collage
- Other savings
10% off to switch or buy Canadian
The pricing page mentions a 10% discount for businesses that switch or buy Canadian, and says volume and nonprofit discounts are available.
Zoho People
- Annual discount
Over 20% off with yearly billing
Zoho says yearly billing saves more than 20%: Essential HR is $3 a user a month billed yearly against $4 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Collage or Zoho People?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Collage starts at CA$14 per employee / month, and Zoho People starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Collage or Zoho People?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zoho People has a free plan. Collage does not.
Which platforms do Collage and Zoho People run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zoho People lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.