Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Our verdict
First of our top three HR software
For: Most small businesses
Zoho People keeps staff records, onboarding, documents, time off, attendance by kiosk or biometric device, shift rosters, timesheets, goals and appraisals, on the web, iPhone and Android. It is free for up to 3 users in the US (5 elsewhere) with records, time off and documents, and Workforce, which adds attendance, is $5 a user a month billed annually ($6 monthly). Know the limits: attendance and performance reviews sit on different plans, so both need Enterprise at $8 a user, payroll and recruiting are separate Zoho products, and there is no App Store rating on record.
See all three and how we rankZoho People report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for low-cost HR for small businesses
Zoho People covers records, time off, attendance and reviews for a few dollars a user, and it plugs into Zoho's own payroll and hiring apps. There's a free plan for 3 users and a 30-day trial. Just know attendance and reviews sit on different plans, so getting both means Enterprise.
Who Zoho People is for
- Great if you already use Zoho apps for hiring, expenses or payroll
- Handy when staff clock in at a kiosk or a biometric device
- Good for small businesses that want HR for a few dollars a head
Who Zoho People is not for
- 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
Why Zoho People gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyWorkforce 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.
- CFree plan and trialFree 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.
- BFeaturesRecords, 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.
- CEase of useNo App Store rating on record, and with features split between Workforce and Talent, you'll need to think before you pick a plan.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack and Zoho's own apps. No desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Zoho's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-people#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/zoho-people.svg" alt="Zoho People: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Zoho People stands among HR software
Zoho People's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 9 other HR software we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on features (B, above 1 of 9) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 0 of the 6 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 10 HR software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Zoho People’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 9, level with 7
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 9, level with 4
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 9, level with 8
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9, level with 8
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9, level with 9
Keep Zoho People, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Zoho People you could make: employee records, time off and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 7 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $36 a year.
What you could make
- Employee records, time off and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and QuickBooks among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Zoho People’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Zoho People?
Zoho People is Zoho's HR system for employee records, onboarding, documents and an HR help desk, with attendance, timesheets and shift rosters on its Workforce plan and goals, appraisals and training on Talent. Its Zia assistant answers questions and acts on HR data. It links to Zoho's own payroll, recruiting and expense apps, which are sold separately or in the People Plus bundle.
Zoho People has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Small businesses that want HR at a low price per user
- Companies already using Zoho apps such as Recruit, Expense or Payroll
- Employers that track attendance with kiosks or biometric devices
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Zoho People pricing
- Starts at
- $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management.
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 3 users, with the employee database, time off and documents. |
| Essential HR | $3per 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 | $5per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | Essential HR plus time off, attendance for full-time staff and timesheets with overtime rules. |
| Talent | $5per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | Essential HR plus OKRs, performance evaluations and a learning management system. |
| Enterprise | $8per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | Essential HR, Workforce and Talent together, plus a sandbox and premium support. |
Read from zoho.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zoho People before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountOver 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.
Stated on zoho.com
Works with
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- QuickBooks
- Slack
- Zoho Recruit
- Zoho Expense
Zoho People alternatives
- Zoho People vs BambooHR
Free trial · from $250/mo
- Zoho People vs Factorial
From $8/mo
- Zoho People vs Sesame HR
Free trial · from $3.75/mo
- Zoho People vs Breathe
Free trial · from £24/mo
Common questions
Is Zoho People free?
Zoho People has a free plan. Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management. Paid plans start at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
How much does Zoho People cost?
Zoho People lists 5 plans. Free: $0. Essential HR: $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly). Workforce: $5 per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly). Talent: $5 per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly). Enterprise: $8 per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly). Prices were read from zoho.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Zoho People work on?
Zoho People is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Zoho People offer any discounts?
Zoho People publicly lists the following: Over 20% off with yearly billing.
Does Zoho People have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Zoho People is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Zoho People have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Zoho People is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Zoho People open source?
Zoho People is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Zoho People integrate with?
Zoho People's listing names Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack, Zoho Recruit and Zoho Expense. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Zoho People have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial.
Who makes Zoho People?
Zoho People is made by Zoho Corporation.
What are the alternatives to Zoho People?
The closest alternatives to Zoho People in our directory are BambooHR, Factorial, Sesame HR, HiBob and Breathe. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Zoho People.
How does Zoho People compare with other HR software?
Zoho People's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 9 other HR software we grade, and level with 3. It stands best on features (B, above 1 of 9) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Is Zoho People good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Zoho People C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 0 of the 6 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Zoho People?
The plain part of Zoho People you could make: employee records, time off and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 7 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. It costs $36 a year. What you could not make: Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when. A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.