Factorial vs Mekari Talenta (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mekari Talenta grades higher than Factorial: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Factorial grades higher on features. Mekari Talenta grades higher on the free plan. 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.
Factorial
HR, time, shifts, expenses and IT for small firms, quoted by module
From $8/mo
Mekari Talenta
Indonesian HR and payroll software with three quoted tiers
Free trial
Which one is for you
Pick Factorial if
- Fits if your staff work shifts and clock in by QR code or location
- Works for firms that want HR, expenses and company devices in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a full price on the page, as only $8 and up is published
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as no trial is on record
- Pricey if you add lots of modules, since each one is quoted on top
- Watch out: monthly plans bill for everyone on staff at the start of each month
- Watch out: the site gives both 12 and 120 customer countries and doesn't list where payroll works
Pick Mekari Talenta if
- Fits if you run payroll and BPJS in Indonesia
- Works for firms that want attendance and payroll on one login
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're outside Indonesia, as the payroll is built for local rules
- Not for you if you want a published price, as sales is by WhatsApp
- Tight if you want a full feature set on a lower tier, since many are add-ons
- Watch out: the free trial's length isn't stated
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFactorialFair | 2.2GPAMekari TalentaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFactorial starts at $8 a user a month, so a ten-person company pays $80 and up, right on this category's middle. That's for Core, with records, onboarding, payslips and e-signatures; any modules you add are quoted on top. | CNo price is published: each tier links to a WhatsApp chat with sales. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan, and the trial links on its pages led to a missing page, so no trial is on record. | CThere's a free trial button, but its length isn't stated and no free plan is shown. |
| Features | BRecords, documents and e-signatures, time off, clock-ins by location or QR code, shift planning, hiring, reviews, training, expenses and device management. The whole job, with a fair bit more besides. | CEmployee data, attendance, payroll, hiring, development and reports. Many talent, attendance and reporting features are add-ons on lower tiers. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and picking modules with sales, then setting up shifts and policies, takes a while. | CNo store rating on record. Sales contact and set-up come first, and the pricing page is mostly Indonesian. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Google Workspace, Zapier, DATEV, Sage 200, Okta and Power BI. No desktop app. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android, with Klikpajak, Mekari Sign and Coretax links. No desktop app. |
| Best for | shift-based teams wanting HR and rotas together | HR and payroll for Indonesian companies |
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: Factorial and Mekari Talenta. How we grade
Where they differ
- Factorial also covers time tracking and expense tracking.
- Mekari Talenta also covers payroll.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresShift schedulingApplicant trackingEmployee recordsTime off
At a glance
| Factorial | Mekari Talenta | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8 per user / month and up, by quote | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | A free trial is offered through a Coba gratis (try free) button; its length is not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Factorial | PT Mid Solusi Nusantara |
| Price read from | factorial.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Factorial
- Only the $8 starting figure is published; the real price comes in a quote that depends on the modules and the headcount.
- Monthly plans bill for the employees present at the start of each month; annual plans bill extra only in months above the agreed count.
- Offices are in Spain, Germany and Mexico; the about page says both 12 and 120 countries for its customers and does not list where payroll works.
- The free-trial links on its pages lead to a missing page, so a trial could not be confirmed.
Mekari Talenta
- No prices are published: each of the three tiers links to a WhatsApp chat with sales.
- Many talent, attendance and reporting features are marked Add-on on the lower tiers in the feature comparison.
- Built for Indonesia; the payroll and tax features are specific to local rules, and the site also has Singapore and Malaysia versions.
- The pricing page is mostly in Indonesian and the site offers an English version.
Key features
Factorial
- Core HR and documents
- Every plan has the employee directory, onboarding and offboarding, payslip distribution, bulk document sending, fillable PDFs and legal e-signatures.
- Time off and time tracking
- Unlimited time-off policies and custom absence types, plus clock-ins by geolocation or QR code with overtime compensation.
- Shift planning
- Build shifts in bulk, set rotating patterns or generate them automatically, and share the schedule with staff.
- Recruiting, reviews and training
- Post jobs to several boards with AI CV parsing, run 360-degree performance reviews, track goals and manage training with certificates.
- Expenses, projects and IT
- Read receipts with OCR, route expenses through multi-step approvals, log hours to projects, and manage devices and SaaS licenses.
- One, the AI assistant
- An AI agent that searches and analyzes company data, builds reports and prepares policies, contracts and payroll documents for review.
Mekari Talenta
- Employee data and self-service
- Employee database, self-service, multi-level approvals, documents, onboarding, offboarding and an org chart; custom fields are capped at 5 on Essential.
- Time and attendance
- Shift management, overtime, leave, mobile attendance and attendance locking; AI liveness validation is an add-on on lower tiers.
- Payroll
- Payroll, holiday allowance (THR), tax and BPJS calculations with reports; Plus adds eBupot creation connected to the tax office.
- Recruitment
- Applicant tracking with 5 active jobs on the lower tiers and unlimited on Talenta 360, plus manpower planning from Plus.
- Talent development
- Performance reviews, KPI and OKR, competency reviews, development plans, succession plans and a learning management system, several sold as add-ons.
- Reports and AI
- Comprehensive reports and an AI chatbot called Airene for HR questions; custom dashboards (Insight+) are an add-on.
Plans
Factorial
Tailored plan$8
per user / month and up
Factorial Core (directory, onboarding, payslip delivery, bulk documents, e-signature) plus the modules chosen. Quoted and sold through sales.
Mekari Talenta
Pricing could not be confirmed. See talenta.co.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Factorial or Mekari Talenta?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Factorial starts at $8 per user / month and up, by quote, and Mekari Talenta has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Factorial or Mekari Talenta?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Factorial nor Mekari Talenta has a free plan. Mekari Talenta has a free trial.
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.