The Zoho People Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Zoho People in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Zoho People
The Insider’s Guide
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among HR software, read from Zoho People’s own pages.
Made by Zoho Corporation · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Zoho People’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Zoho People’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 5 of the 9 other HR software we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Zoho People, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Just know attendance and reviews sit on different plans, so getting both means Enterprise.
- 1
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.
- 2
Paid plans start at $3 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Employee records and documents
A central employee database with self-service profiles, multi-entity management, onboarding and offboarding flows, exit interviews and document storage.
- 6
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.
- 7
Shift rosters and timesheets
Create shifts, rotate them automatically, take shift-change requests, and log time against jobs and clients for approval.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 5 of 9
That is against the other HR software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
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.
Zoho People at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Zoho Corporation
- Category
- HR Software
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Workforce 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 | C | Free 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 | B | Records, 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 | C | No 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 | B | Web, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Slack and Zoho's own apps. No desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$3
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Zoho People has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
Fine for a look around, but a ten-person team is well past it.
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.
The free plan
Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management.
Trying it first
30-day free trial
Read from zoho.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on zoho.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, reports, shift scheduling, time clock, employee records, time off.
The whole job, though payroll and hiring are separate Zoho apps.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- QuickBooks
- Slack
- Zoho Recruit
- Zoho Expense
Zoho People is made by Zoho Corporation.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/9
Other HR software it is graded above
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
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 9
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 7 HR software. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho People is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
BambooHR, Factorial, Sesame HR, HiBob and Breathe
The 5 tools Zoho People is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
BambooHR
Free trial · from $250/mo
HR records, hiring, time off and reviews, with US payroll as an add-on.
- Zoho People has a free plan. BambooHR does not, though it has a free trial.
- Zoho People also covers shift scheduling and time clock.
- BambooHR also covers payroll and applicant tracking.
- 2.0GPA
Factorial
From $8/mo
HR, time, shifts, expenses and IT for small firms, quoted by module.
- Zoho People has a free plan. Factorial does not.
- Zoho People also covers reports and time clock.
- Factorial also covers time tracking, expense tracking and applicant tracking.
- 2.4GPA
Sesame HR
Free trial · from $3.75/mo
Modular HR from Spain built around clock-ins, time off and shifts.
- Zoho People has a free plan. Sesame HR does not, though it has a free trial.
- Zoho People also covers reports.
- Sesame HR also covers applicant tracking.
- 2.0GPA
HiBob
Paid
HR platform for mid-sized global firms, with US and UK payroll.
- Zoho People has a free plan. HiBob does not.
- Zoho People also covers shift scheduling and time clock.
- HiBob also covers payroll and applicant tracking.
- 2.6GPA
Breathe
Free trial · from £24/mo
UK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person.
- Zoho People has a free plan. Breathe does not, though it has a free trial.
- Breathe also covers expense tracking and applicant tracking.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
How much does Zoho People cost?
Zoho People lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Could I make my own version of Zoho People?
The plain part of Zoho People you could make: employee records, time off and reports.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Zoho People’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Zoho Corporation. Prices change, so check zoho.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Zoho People, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/zoho-people
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Zoho People: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-people
Know someone choosing between HR software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-people/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded HR software after Zoho People, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- HR Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 10 HR software we grade, compared
- Breathe Insider's GuideUK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person2.6 GPA
- BambooHR Insider's GuideHR records, hiring, time off and reviews, with US payroll as an add-on2.4 GPA
- CharlieHR Insider's GuideHR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Zoho People’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Zoho People is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Zoho Corporation. Prices and plans change: check zoho.com before you buy.