Keka HR 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 2.2.
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.
Keka HR
HR, payroll and talent software for growing companies
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Which one is for you
Pick Keka HR if
- Fits if you want attendance, leave and reviews in one HR system
- Works for firms that want one monthly price per employee on the US page
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want reviews and feedback, which sit on the $22 Growth plan
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated and the billing basis isn't either
- Watch out: the default pricing page shows rupees, and the dollar prices are on the US page
- Pricey if you add hiring or project tools, which are priced on separate tabs
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
| 2.2GPAKeka HRFair | 2.4GPAZoho PeopleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$9, $16 or $22 per employee a month on the US page, against a category middle of about $7. The page does not say if it is billed monthly or annually. | 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 on every plan, but 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 | BCore HR, time and attendance, employee experience, performance and a mobile app. 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. Leave, attendance and payroll rules need setting up first. | 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. No integrations list on record, and no desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack and Zoho's own apps. No desktop app. |
| Best for | HR, attendance and reviews for mid-sized firms | 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: Keka HR and Zoho People. How we grade
Price against what you get
Keka HR starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho People starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Zoho People starts $6 a month lower. Of the other HR software on the chart, none scores higher than Keka HR 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
- Keka HR also covers surveys, payroll and applicant tracking.
- Zoho People also covers reports and shift scheduling.
At a glance
| Keka HR | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per employee / month; billing basis not stated | $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 on every plan; length not stated | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Keka | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | keka.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Keka HR
- The US page does not say whether the per-employee price is billed monthly or annually; its FAQ says annual contracts and larger headcounts usually lower the rate.
- The default pricing page showed rupee prices; the dollar tiers above are from the United States page.
- Hiring and project services are priced on separate tabs, and their prices were not recorded here.
- The trial length is not stated on the pricing page.
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
Keka HR
- Core HR
- Employee profiles, org structure, document storage and letter generation, onboarding and exit workflows, and access roles.
- Time and attendance
- Leave management, attendance tracking, overtime automation and shift management, with leave data linked to payroll.
- Employee experience
- Pulse surveys, longer surveys, public praise and an employee expression wall on the higher tiers.
- Performance reviews
- Cyclic performance reviews, 1-on-1 meeting records and continuous feedback on the Growth tier.
- Hiring and project services
- Separate pricing tabs cover a hiring suite and a project services suite with timesheets and billing.
- Mobile app
- A mobile app for employees, linked from the pricing page to the Play Store and App Store.
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
Keka HR
Foundation$9
per employee / month, billing basis not stated
Employee profiles, documents and letters, basic onboarding and exit, leave management, attendance, overtime and a mobile app.
Strength$16
per employee / month, billing basis not stated
Foundation plus advanced onboarding, exit surveys, employee pulse surveys, surveys and extra login options.
Growth$22
per employee / month, billing basis not stated
Strength plus 1-on-1 meetings, continuous feedback, public praise, cyclic performance reviews and selfie or GPS attendance.
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
Keka HR
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, Keka HR or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zoho People is cheaper to start with: $3 a month for each person, against $9 a month for each person for Keka HR. Keka HR starts at $9 per employee / month; billing basis not stated, and Zoho People starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Keka HR or Zoho People?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zoho People has a free plan. Keka HR 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.