Mekari Talenta 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 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zoho People grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mekari Talenta
Indonesian HR and payroll software with three quoted tiers
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Which one is for you
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
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
| 2.2GPAMekari TalentaFair | 2.4GPAZoho PeopleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published: each tier links to a WhatsApp chat with sales. | 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 | CThere's a free trial button, but its length isn't stated and no free plan is shown. | 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 | CEmployee data, attendance, payroll, hiring, development and reports. Many talent, attendance and reporting features are add-ons on lower tiers. | 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. Sales contact and set-up come first, and the pricing page is mostly Indonesian. | 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 iPhone and Android, with Klikpajak, Mekari Sign and Coretax links. 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 and payroll for Indonesian companies | 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: Mekari Talenta and Zoho People. How we grade
Where they differ
- Mekari Talenta also covers payroll and applicant tracking.
- Zoho People also covers reports and time clock.
At a glance
| Mekari Talenta | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | 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 | A free trial is offered through a Coba gratis (try free) button; its length is not stated on the pricing page | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PT Mid Solusi Nusantara | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
Mekari Talenta
Pricing could not be confirmed. See talenta.co.
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
Mekari Talenta
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, Mekari Talenta or Zoho People?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mekari Talenta 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, Mekari Talenta or Zoho People?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zoho People has a free plan. Mekari Talenta 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.