HRMantra 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 2.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zoho People grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Which one is for you
Pick HRMantra if
- Fits if you want records, attendance, payroll and performance in one system
- Works for firms that want APIs and workflows to connect their own tools
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
- Watch out: the free implementation claim has an asterisk whose terms aren't shown
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
- Watch out: the site claims SOC II, GDPR and ISO 27001 certification, and we have not checked it
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
| 2.0GPAHRMantraFair | 2.4GPAZoho PeopleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price list is published; the pricing page covers channel partner plans and the site asks visitors to book a demo. | 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 on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | 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 | BHire-to-retire records, attendance and leave, payroll and claims, performance, learning, workflows and APIs. The listing names no gap in the core HR work. | 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. Payroll rules, leave policies and workflows need setting up. | 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 plus iOS and Android apps, with workflows and APIs. No desktop app and no integrations list on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack and Zoho's own apps. No desktop app. |
| Best for | hire-to-retire HR for firms in India | 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: HRMantra and Zoho People. How we grade
Where they differ
- HRMantra also covers expense tracking, payroll and applicant tracking.
- Zoho People also covers reports, shift scheduling and time clock.
At a glance
| HRMantra | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $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 | HRMantra | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HRMantra
- No price list is published; the pricing page covers channel partner plans and the site asks visitors to book a demo.
- The site says data migration and implementation cost nothing, with an asterisk whose terms are not shown on the page.
- The vendor claims SOC II, GDPR and ISO 27001 certification; we have not checked these.
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
HRMantra
- Hire-to-retire records
- A human resource module with org and position charts, readymade letter templates and a form designer for building pages.
- Attendance and leave
- Attendance management includes geo-fencing and geo-tagging, and a user monitor records presence for staff working from home.
- Payroll and claims
- Claim and payroll modules with formula builders and graphical tools for payroll processing.
- Performance and learning
- Performance tools include 360-degree appraisals with bell curve normalization and succession planning, plus learning with online tests.
- Workflows and APIs
- Over 40 readymade workflows, a no-code workflow builder and open APIs for fetching data into third-party software.
- Travel, projects and assets
- Separate modules cover local, domestic and overseas travel, project time targets and company asset management.
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
HRMantra
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hrmantra.com.
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
HRMantra
No public discounts listed.
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, HRMantra or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HRMantra has no price we could confirm, and Zoho People starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, HRMantra or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zoho People has a free plan. HRMantra does not.
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.