greytHR vs SimplePay (2026): which should you pick?

Pick greytHR if

• Fits if you run payroll for an Indian company with PF, ESI and tax rules
• Works for firms of 50 employees or fewer on the base plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you pay staff outside India, as the vendor describes it as software for Indian businesses
• Watch out: prices are in rupees, and the page does not say if GST is included
• Watch out: attendance and shifts start at Growth, and performance, expense and recruitment tools cost extra on lower plans
• Watch out: annual plans are not refunded if you stop during the term

Pick SimplePay if

• Fits if you run payroll for a South African business of up to 500 people
• Works for owners who want one plan with every feature included

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you run payroll outside South Africa: it is built around SARS rules
• Pricey if you add VAT: the prices shown exclude VAT
• Watch out: accountants, bureaus and firms over 500 employees must request a quote
• Watch out: each extra company is billed separately and needs its own quote

greytHR

• Prices are in Indian rupees and the page does not say whether GST is included.
• Attendance and shift management start at the Growth plan; performance management, expense and recruitment tools cost extra on lower plans.
• The vendor describes it as software for Indian businesses.
• Annual subscriptions are offered, but remaining credit is not refunded if you stop during the term.

SimplePay

• Prices are in South African rand and exclude VAT.
• Companies with more than 500 employees, and accounting firms or bureaus running payroll for clients, must request a quote.
• Multiple companies are billed separately, each needing its own quote.
• The site says its ISO 27001 certification is still in progress.

greytHR

Indian statutory payroll

Computes PF, ESI, professional tax, LWF and TDS across all 28 states, with direct filing to government portals.

Attendance and leave

Punches from biometric devices, GPS, GeoMark+ or Visage face recognition feed one leave and attendance engine and then payroll.

Employee self-service

Employees see payslips, leave balances, claims, Form 16 and tax declarations in the greytHR portal and app.

NAVOS AI assistant

Typed commands grant leave, pull reports and update records within a user's permissions; included on paid plans.

Add-on modules

Performance management, time sheets, expense management, recruitment and GPS tracking are sold as add-ons on lower plans.

SimplePay

Payroll processing

Calculates salaries, wages and tax from employee data and produces payment files to upload to your bank.

Statutory calculations and filing

Handles PAYE, UIF and SDL, with EMP201 and UIF declaration data, and tax certificate exports for eFiling or e@syFile.

Leave management

Custom annual leave policies, built-in sick and family responsibility leave, and approvals through self-service.

Employee self-service

Employees see payslips, request leave, log expense claims and submit banking and address changes through the website or the mobile app for iOS and Android.

Flexible pay structures

Supports variable pay rates, bonuses, commissions and unlimited custom income and deduction items.

Accounting integrations and API

Connects to Xero and QuickBooks and offers an API for other systems.

greytHR

• Essential₹2,495

  per month, plus ₹45 per employee above 50

  Payroll, leave management and core HR for up to 50 employees at the base price, with the NAVOS AI assistant.

• Growth₹4,495

  per month, plus ₹85 per employee above 50

  Essential plus attendance, shift management, overtime, geo-fencing and a confirmation workflow.

• PremiumCustom

  All modules included; the page says it saves about 30% against Growth plus add-ons. Contact sales.

SimplePay

• The One PlanR70

  per month, plus R19.50 per employee (first 5)

  All features. Per-employee rate falls to R13.60 for employees 6 to 10, R11.00 for 11 to 300 and R8.75 from 301; 10 employees come to R235.50 a month, excluding VAT.