Top 10 Best HRMS Software in India (2027): Pricing, Features | Compared

Best HRMS software is the one that gets your payroll right, fits your headcount and still works after your next 200 hires. Finding it is harder than it should be.

Search for what Zoho People costs in India, and you’ll find INR 48 on one page and INR 210 on another. Keka shows up anywhere between INR 6,999 and INR 15,999 a month. Darwinbox doesn’t publish a price at all.

All the HRMS have common features such as payroll, attendance, leaves, and AI. The true difference will only appear in the pricing of the software, the efforts your HR needs to make for the set-up process, and its ability to handle the Labour Codes amendments.

This guide narrows the market to 10 tools. For each one, you get the price, the buyer it suits and a way to test it, so you walk into two or three demos instead of ten.

What is HRMS software?

HRMS software is one online system where you manage your employees’ records, attendance, leave, payroll, and performance. HRMS stands for Human Resource Management System.

Think of it as one login in place of five spreadsheets. Your HR team runs the monthly work from it. Your employees use the same system to mark attendance, apply for leave and download payslips.

In India, a good HRMS also calculates PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS, and prepares your returns. That is why many buyers look for HRMS and payroll software together. Read our guide to HRMS for more.

10 Top HRMS Platforms: Compared

Here is the list of HRMS software in India that we compared, with key features, AI, pricing and the buyer each one fits best. Prices vary a lot by source, so this table puts every price band side by side.

Prices come from public sources checked in October 2026 and may change. Confirm with each vendor.

Detailed Overview: 10 Best HRMS & Payroll Software in India

These 10 are the best HRMS and payroll software in India for different buyers: TankhaPay, Keka, greytHR, Darwinbox, Zoho People, ADP, ZingHR, PeopleStrong, uKnowva and factoHR. Each entry starts with who it is best for, then gives a short description and its key points.

1. TankhaPay

Best for: Mid-size and large enterprises (500 to 1,000+ employees) that want HRMS, payroll and compliance on one platform, with managed payroll or EOR from the same team.

TankhaPay is an HRMS and payroll platform from Akal Information Systems, a CMMI Level 5 and ISO 27001 certified company serving Indian businesses since 2000. More than 1,000 businesses use it to run attendance, leave, payroll and performance from one system, and it handles the multi-location, multi-entity payroll that larger teams need.

Key points:

• Built for scale: run multiple companies, locations and states from one login, with role-based access for HR, finance and managers.
• Compliance: PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS and LWF are handled in one flow. The system is updated for the Labour Codes and the Income Tax Act 2025, including the 50% wage rule, two-day final settlement and Form 130.
• Attendance: mobile check-in, geo-fencing, face recognition and live location tracking, feeding straight into payroll.
• Audit-ready: a tamper-proof audit trail and a parallel payroll run before go-live. Most teams go live in 2 to 4 weeks.
• Integrations: SAP, Oracle, Tally, QuickBooks, and 50+ other platforms.
• One partner: HRMS, ATS, managed payroll through payroll outsourcing, hiring in India without an entity through Employer of Record (EOR), and NATS apprenticeship management.

Watch out: Plans for larger teams and managed services are quoted by need, so ask for one full quote.

Pricing: Starts at INR 60 per employee per month. EOR starts at USD 199 per employee per month.

2. Keka

Best for: Growing companies that want a clean employee experience with payroll and performance in one tool.

Keka is an India-built HRMS used by growing companies. It brings core HR, attendance, payroll, performance, and hiring into one app that employees find easy to use.

Key points:

• Plans: Foundation at INR 9,999 a month, Strength at INR 12,999, and Growth at INR 15,999, each for the first 100 employees. Extra employees cost more per head.
• Modules: Strength adds performance, engagement, and hiring.
• Payroll: strong PF, ESI, PT, and TDS automation.

Watch out: The real bill grows with add-ons and setup. Ask for one total quote for your headcount.

Pricing: INR 9,999 to INR 15,999 per month for 100 employees.

3. greytHR

Best for: Small and mid-size businesses that want strong India payroll compliance at a low starting price.

greytHR began as payroll software and grew into a full HRMS. It is popular with small and mid-size businesses that want solid PF, ESI and TDS handling without a big budget.

Key points:

• Free start: a Starter plan for up to 25 employees.
• Paid plans: from INR 2,495 a month for 50 employees, plus a per-employee fee above that.
• Core tools: payroll, leave, attendance, employee self-service and HR letters.

Watch out: Check which modules cost extra, such as performance.

Pricing: Free up to 25 employees. Paid from INR 2,495 per month for 50.

4. Darwinbox

Best for: Large and multi-country enterprises, usually 500+ employees, that need deep talent, performance and analytics.

Darwinbox is an enterprise HCM suite from Hyderabad. Large companies use it to run core HR, payroll, talent, performance and learning across many entities and countries.

Key points:

• Coverage: core HR, multi-country payroll, talent, performance, learning and workforce analytics.
• Pricing: quote-based. It does not publish India prices. Third-party estimates run about INR 180 to INR 600 per employee per month, plus a setup fee.
• Fit: multi-entity and multi-state setups.

Watch out: Setup takes time and money. It can be too much for teams under 200.

Pricing: Quote-based.

5. Zoho People

Best for: Small and mid-size teams that already use Zoho apps.

Zoho People is the HR tool from Zoho, the Indian software company. It handles core HR, leave, attendance, performance and learning, and it connects easily with other Zoho apps.

Key points:

• Plans: free for up to 5 employees. Paid plans run about INR 48 to INR 192 per user per month on annual billing.
• Payroll: India payroll comes through Zoho Payroll, which you buy separately.
• Fit: works best when your team already runs Zoho CRM, Books or Desk.

Watch out: Shift and attendance features start in higher plans, so your real entry price may be double.

Pricing: Free for 5. INR 48 to INR 192 per user per month.

6. ADP

Best for: Companies that want payroll and compliance handled for them, and multinationals that already use ADP.

ADP is a global payroll and HR services company. In India, it offers payroll outsourcing, statutory compliance, self-service, leave and time and attendance.

Key points:

• Services: payroll outsourcing, HR services, statutory compliance and self-service.
• Payroll: ADP says its payroll outsourcing is recognised by the Income Tax Department (CBDT).
• Pricing: quoted per customer.

Watch out: ADP is payroll-first. If you want a modern employee app and fast setup, compare other tools.

Pricing: Quote-based.

7. ZingHR

Best for: Mid-size to large employers with frontline, multilingual or multi-location teams.

ZingHR is a Mumbai-based hire-to-retire HCM platform. It covers payroll, attendance, performance and learning, and it is used in India, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Key points:

• Attendance: biometric and mobile check-in with geo-tagging.
• Payroll: India payroll with PF, ESI, PT, TDS and LWF, plus e-separation and learning modules.
• Languages: a multilingual app that suits frontline staff.
• Pricing: quote-based. Third-party listings show about INR 7,250 per month for 50 employees.

Watch out: It is a larger platform, so plan more time for setup than you would for a small-team tool.

Pricing: Quote-based.

8. PeopleStrong

Best for: Large enterprises, often 1,000+ employees, with complex hierarchies and multi-entity payroll.

PeopleStrong is one of India’s older enterprise HCM platforms, founded in 2005 in Gurugram. It serves 500+ large companies and about 2 million users across Asia Pacific.

Key points:

• Coverage: hire-to-retire HCM with talent, payroll, learning and engagement.
• Payroll: multi-entity Indian payroll.
• Pricing: custom and not published.

Watch out: It can feel heavy for small teams.

Pricing: Quote-based.

9. uKnowva

Best for: SMEs and mid-size companies (roughly 50 to 2,000 employees) that want HR, payroll and a social intranet in one tool.

uKnowva is an HRMS that adds a social intranet to the usual HR tools. Employees get a feed, polls and chat in the same app they use for leave, attendance and payslips.

Key points:

• Modules: core HR, payroll and expenses, recruitment with a CV parser, performance and exit management.
• Pricing: INR 70 to INR 100 per user per month, depending on the source and edition.
• Reach: used in India and the Middle East, with 120+ clients and 300K+ users, according to the vendor.

Watch out: The ATS and intranet sit in the Full edition, and the intranet may overlap with Slack or Teams.

Pricing: About INR 70 to INR 100 per user per month.

10. factoHR

Best for: SMEs and field or shift teams that need strong attendance with payroll.

factoHR is an Indian HR and payroll platform known for attendance and mobile tools. It suits small and mid-size firms, and teams that work in shifts or in the field.

Key points:

• Plans: Core at INR 4,999 a month for up to 50 employees, then INR 69 per extra employee. Premium and Ultimate cost INR 5,999 and INR 6,999 for 50 employees. Billing is quarterly.
• Mobile: selfie punch with GPS in Premium, and multi-entity support from Core.

Watch out: Add-on modules raise the bill, so ask for a full quote.

Pricing: From INR 4,999 per month for 50 employees.

Are these HRMS software AI enabled?

Yes, all 10 use some AI, but the depth is very different. Some tools only offer a chatbot. Others run tasks for you.

How do you test AI in an HRMS demo?

Ask the vendor to show one real task live. A slide is not proof.

1. Ask the AI to find a payroll error, such as a duplicate PF entry.
2. Ask a leave question that depends on your own policy.
3. Ask where your data is stored and who can see it.

How to choose the right HRMS ?

Choose an HRMS by testing it on your own payroll, people and growth plan, not by comparing feature lists.

Check these seven things in every demo.

• Accurate payroll: PF, ESI, TDS, arrears and final settlement
• Easy setup: HR can edit salary heads, leave rules and approvals
• Mobile app: simple for employees to use every day
• Live reports: dashboards plus custom reports
• Room to grow: more locations, entities and employees
• Security and AI: role-based access and AI that does real tasks
• Go-live and support: clear timeline and reliable help

Which HRMS software is better for businesses in 2027?

For 2027, pick an HRMS that already handles the new Labour Codes and Income Tax Act 2025 forms, and can show AI doing real work. Here is what the three changes mean for you.

• Labour Codes: the four codes took effect on 21 November 2025. They changed the wage definition and require final settlement within two working days. See how the Labour Codes affect payroll compliance.
• Income Tax Act 2025: it applies from April 2026 and brings new forms, such as Form 130 in place of Form 16.
• AI agents: vendors are moving from chat boxes to tools that complete tasks.

Larger teams feel these changes most, because one wage-code mistake repeats across hundreds of payslips. TankhaPay’s payroll is already updated for the four Labour Codes and the Income Tax Act 2025, including the 50% wage rule, two-day final settlement and Form 130. That matters most for companies with 500 to 1,000+ employees.

Final Thoughts

There is no perfect HRMS system for all users. The solution that works for 40 employees may not be sufficient for 800 employees, while the one that would work for a large organization can become too expensive and complicated for a start-up. And it makes sense to think about your company first.

If you manage a medium-size or a large business, with more than 500 or up to 1,000+ employees, TankhaPay should be considered. All features related to multi-entity payroll processing, compliance, and attendance are gathered in one single solution.

Smaller teams can start with greytHR, Zoho People or factoHR, and Keka suits growing companies. Large enterprises can also test Darwinbox, PeopleStrong and ZingHR.

Whichever you pick, run one real payroll through it first and get the price in writing. That single test tells you more than any feature list.