HROne 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 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.
HROne
Indian HRMS covering core HR, attendance, payroll and hiring
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Which one is for you
Pick HROne if
- Fits if you run an Indian firm of up to 50 people and need attendance and payroll
- Works for firms that want a flat monthly fee rather than a per-seat price
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want dollar prices, as the pricing page shows rupees only
- Tight if you want performance or recruitment, as they need the quote-only Enterprise plan
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated, and billing starts after go-live
- Watch out: an implementation cost may apply to enterprise clients
- Watch out: hrone.com is a different company, so check the address
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
| 2.0GPAHROneFair | 2.4GPAZoho PeopleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C₹4,950 a month for up to 50 users, about $59 at today's rates, so $12 a head for a team of five. At 50 users it works out near $1.20 each, with extra users at ₹99. | 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 | DA free trial is offered through a demo request; the pricing page gives no length. | 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 | CCore HR, attendance and payroll on the cheaper plans. Recruitment, performance, engagement, expenses and assets need Enterprise, which has no price. | 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, attendance rules and workforce setup come before staff can use it. | 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 AI agents. 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 | Indian firms wanting HR, attendance 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: HROne and Zoho People. How we grade
Price against what you get
HROne starts at about $52.13 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho People starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Zoho People scores higher and starts $49.13 a month lower. Of the other HR software on the chart, 9 score higher than HROne for less, and none scores higher than Zoho People for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- HROne also covers expense tracking, payroll and applicant tracking.
- Zoho People also covers reports, shift scheduling and time clock.
At a glance
| HROne | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | ₹4950 per month for up to 50 users | $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 | Free trial offered through a demo request; length not stated on the pricing page. | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Uneecops Workplace Solutions Pvt. Ltd. | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | hrone.cloud | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HROne
- Prices are in Indian rupees; the pricing page shows no dollar price.
- Recruitment, performance, engagement, expense, asset and helpdesk modules need the quote-only Enterprise plan.
- The vendor says subscription billing starts after go-live, and an implementation cost may apply to enterprise clients.
- hrone.com is a different company, a China employer-of-record service; this entry is the HRMS at hrone.cloud.
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
HROne
- Core HR and workforce
- The employee record sits in Core HR, and the Workforce module handles confirmations, transfers and separations.
- Attendance and payroll
- Attendance, time office and payroll modules, with payroll outsourcing offered as a separate service.
- Recruitment and performance
- Recruitment, performance and engagement modules cover hiring through reviews and employee surveys on the Enterprise plan.
- Expenses, assets and helpdesk
- Expense claims, company asset tracking and an HR helpdesk and inbox are separate modules.
- Mobile app and AI agents
- A mobile app for iOS and Android is included with every plan, and the site lists employee, HR and recruiter AI agents.
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
HROne
Basic₹4950
per month for up to 50 users
Core HR, time office and payroll. Additional users are ₹99 each per month.
Professional₹6500
per month for up to 50 users
Basic plus the Workforce module and letter and policy acknowledgement. Extra users ₹130 each per month.
EnterpriseCustom
Professional plus recruitment, performance, engagement, expense, asset and helpdesk modules; 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
HROne
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, HROne or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HROne starts at ₹4950 per month for up to 50 users, and Zoho People starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, HROne or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zoho People has a free plan. HROne does not, though it 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.