Best HRMS Software in India (2026): 7 HR and Payroll Tools Compared

Quick answer: For most Indian companies, the right HRMS depends on two things: how much statutory payroll work you want automated (PF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS) and how many employees you have. greytHR, Keka, Zoho Payroll with Zoho People, factoHR and Pocket HRMS are built around Indian payroll compliance. Darwinbox targets large enterprises. MizUp BMS suits growing teams that want HR, attendance, leave, payroll runs and projects connected to their CRM, billing and customer tools on one platform.

Disclosure: this guide is written by the MizUp team, and MizUp BMS is our product. We have listed it first, and we say plainly where it fits and where another tool will serve you better. Competitor details come from each vendor's official website as checked on 17 September 2026. Prices exclude GST and change often, so confirm on the vendor's pricing page before you buy.

HRMS software in India at a glance

What to look for in an HRMS in India

Before comparing vendors, list what your HR team actually does every month:

• Attendance: office biometric, mobile GPS or geo-fenced punches, shifts and overtime
• Leave: policies by grade or location, holidays, comp-off and encashment
• Payroll: salary structures, arrears, reimbursements, loans and payslips
• Statutory compliance: PF, ESI, professional tax, LWF and TDS calculations and returns
• Employee self-service: a mobile app for leave, payslips and declarations
• Documents: offer letters, experience letters and policy acknowledgements
• Integrations: accounting (Tally, Zoho Books), bank salary disbursal and single sign-on

If statutory filing is your biggest monthly headache, give that the most weight. If your pain is scattered data across sales, HR and finance, a connected platform matters more. Our guide on what HRMS software is explains the modules in detail.

1. MizUp BMS

MizUp BMS (also called MizUp HRMS) is the HR and business management product in the MizUp platform, by BrandMiz Private Limited.

What it covers: employee directory and org chart, documents, GPS attendance with shifts and rosters, leave, holidays and WFH limits, onboarding and exit checklists, payroll runs from tracked attendance, payslips and salary structures, tax declarations, loans and salary advances, HR letters, projects, timesheets and performance.

Where it fits: teams that want HR data connected to the rest of the business. The same platform includes MizUp CRM, WhatsApp marketing, GST billing and school ERP, with one login.

Where to look elsewhere: MizUp BMS does not currently automate PF, ESI, PT, LWF or TDS calculations and statutory returns. If you need that handled inside the HRMS, choose one of the compliance-focused tools below, or keep a payroll compliance provider alongside BMS.

Pricing: Starter ₹79/employee/month and Growth (with payroll) ₹129/employee/month, billed yearly, minimum 10 employees, with a 14-day free trial. See MizUp BMS pricing.

2. Keka

Keka describes itself as HR and payroll software and says it is chosen by 12,500+ companies.

What it covers: its plans are called Foundation, Strength and Growth. Foundation already includes core HR, leave, gamified attendance, overtime, payroll automation, statutory compliance, expenses, employee tax management and gratuity. Strength adds selfie clock-in, geo-fencing, people analytics and surveys. Growth adds OKRs, performance reviews, one-on-ones, calibration and compensation plans.

Where it fits: Keka's own pricing messaging targets companies of roughly 100 to 10,000 employees that want payroll and performance management together.

Consider: the India pricing page does not publish prices. You book a demo, so ask about implementation fees and minimum commitments. Hiring and PSA (projects and timesheets) are separate products.

3. greytHR

greytHR positions itself as a full-suite HRMS and payroll software for Indian businesses.

What it covers: payroll processing with PF, ESI, PT, LWF and TDS computed across states, leave with unlimited leave types, onboarding and exit, and a helpdesk. Attendance, shifts, overtime and geo-fencing are in the Growth plan. Performance management and expenses come as add-ons or with Premium. Its NAVOS AI assistant is included in paid plans.

Pricing: Essential ₹2,495/month including 50 employees, then ₹45 per extra employee. Growth ₹4,495/month plus ₹85 per extra employee. Premium is custom. There is a 7-day free trial.

Where it fits: Indian SMBs and mid-sized companies that want predictable compliance-first payroll.

4. Zoho People with Zoho Payroll

Zoho splits HR into Zoho People (HR, time off, attendance, performance) and Zoho Payroll (India payroll).

What it covers: Zoho People handles the employee database, time off, onboarding, attendance and timesheets, with performance and an LMS in higher plans. Zoho Payroll handles pay runs, payslips and an employee portal, and covers income tax, EPF, ESI, state-wise PT and LWF, with TDS worksheets and employee tax forms.

Pricing: Zoho Payroll is free for up to 10 employees. Standard is ₹1,000 per organisation per month billed annually, including 25 employees, then ₹40 per extra employee. Zoho People has a free plan for a small number of users and paid per-user plans.

Where it fits: businesses already using Zoho Books, Zoho CRM or Zoho Workplace. Zoho hosts Indian accounts in its Mumbai and Chennai data centres.

5. Darwinbox

Darwinbox positions itself as an AI-native HCM for global enterprises.

What it covers: the full employee lifecycle for large organisations, including audit-ready India payroll with PF, ESI, PT, LWF and TDS.

Pricing: not published; you request an introduction call.

Where it fits: large enterprises with complex structures, several countries or thousands of employees. It is usually more than a 50-person company needs.

6. factoHR

factoHR describes itself as AI-powered HR and payroll software for growing businesses in India.

What it covers: recruitment and onboarding, core HR, time and attendance, payroll with PF, ESI, PT, TDS and LWF, performance, expenses and an employee mobile app. It highlights manufacturing, retail, pharma and blue-collar workforces.

Pricing: a free plan for up to 20 employees. Core ₹4,499/month for up to 50 employees on yearly billing, then ₹89 per extra employee.

7. Pocket HRMS

Pocket HRMS markets itself as AI-powered HRMS and payroll software.

What it covers: payroll with PF, ESIC, PT and TDS, leave and attendance, geo-fencing, custom payslips, asset management, exit workflows and an HR chatbot. It supports both old and new tax regimes.

Pricing: Standard ₹2,995/month for 50 employees on annual billing, then ₹60 per extra employee. A 14-day free trial is advertised.

How to choose the right HRMS

1. Count employees and locations. Per-employee pricing and state-wise compliance both scale with this.
2. Decide who handles statutory filing. Inside the HRMS, with your CA, or with a payroll provider.
3. Test attendance with your real setup. Field staff, shifts or biometric devices behave very differently in a demo.
4. Run one parallel payroll month. Compare net pay, deductions and payslips against your current process.
5. Check employee self-service on a phone. Adoption lives or dies here.
6. Compare total cost for one year, including setup fees, add-ons and minimums.
7. Check data export. You should be able to take employee and payroll history with you.

Use our in-hand salary calculator, EPF calculator and gratuity calculator to sanity-check numbers during a trial, and read about payroll software in India and attendance and leave management.

Our honest recommendation

• Compliance-heavy payroll, under 500 employees: shortlist greytHR, Zoho Payroll, factoHR and Pocket HRMS.
• Payroll plus strong performance management at scale: look at Keka.
• Large enterprise: Darwinbox.
• Already on Zoho: Zoho People and Zoho Payroll.
• Want HR, attendance and payroll runs connected to sales, WhatsApp and billing on one platform: try MizUp BMS, and pair it with a compliance provider if you need automated statutory returns.

Also comparing specific tools? See our guide to Keka alternatives.

Frequently asked questions