Keka Alternatives (2026): 6 HRMS and Payroll Options for Indian Companies

Quick answer: Keka is a well-known HR and payroll platform in India, so the right alternative depends on why you are looking. For compliance-first payroll with published pricing, look at greytHR, Zoho Payroll with Zoho People, factoHR or Pocket HRMS. For large enterprise HCM, look at Darwinbox. For HR, attendance and payroll runs connected to CRM, WhatsApp marketing and GST billing, look at MizUp BMS.

Disclosure: written by the MizUp team; MizUp BMS is our product. Details about Keka and other vendors come from their official websites as checked on 17 September 2026. Prices exclude GST and change often.

What Keka offers today

Before switching, be clear about what you would be replacing. Keka's India pricing page lists three HR and payroll plans:

• Foundation: core HR, documents and letters, onboarding, leave, gamified attendance, overtime, shifts, payroll automation, statutory compliance, accounting integration, loans, expenses, employee tax management, gratuity and a mobile app
• Strength: adds selfie clock-in, continuous location punching, geo-fencing, people analytics, e-signature, asset tracking, SSO and surveys
• Growth: adds OKRs, performance reviews, one-on-ones, calibration, promotions, compensation plans and skills

Hiring and projects with timesheets (PSA) are separate products. Prices are shared through a demo rather than published on the India pricing page. Keka says it is chosen by 12,500+ companies.

Common reasons companies compare alternatives

• Budget visibility: some teams prefer vendors that publish per-employee prices
• Company size: a 20-person startup may need far less than a platform designed for hundreds of employees
• Specific workforce: factories, retail and field teams may prioritise blue-collar attendance
• Ecosystem: businesses already on Zoho or wanting HR connected to sales and billing
• Enterprise scale: very large or multi-country organisations may need a broader HCM

None of these mean Keka is a poor choice. If its payroll, compliance and performance modules fit your needs and budget, staying is often the least disruptive option.

Keka alternatives compared

1. greytHR

Built for Indian businesses, greytHR computes PF, ESI, PT, LWF and TDS across states. Essential is ₹2,495 per month including 50 employees, then ₹45 per additional employee. Growth adds attendance, shifts, overtime and geo-fencing at ₹4,495 per month plus ₹85 per additional employee. It includes the NAVOS AI assistant on paid plans.

Choose it if: you want predictable, compliance-heavy payroll for an SMB or mid-sized company.

2. Zoho People and Zoho Payroll

Zoho Payroll covers pay runs, payslips, an employee portal, EPF, ESI, state-wise PT, LWF and income tax. It is free for up to 10 employees, and Standard is ₹1,000 per organisation per month on annual billing including 25 employees. Zoho People adds the HR database, time off, attendance and performance.

Choose it if: you already use Zoho Books, Zoho CRM or Zoho Workplace.

3. factoHR

factoHR covers recruitment, core HR, attendance, payroll and compliance, performance, expenses and a mobile app, with a focus on industries such as manufacturing, retail and pharma. It has a free plan for up to 20 employees, and Core starts at ₹4,499 per month for up to 50 employees on yearly billing.

Choose it if: you have shift-based or blue-collar teams and want a free start for a small team.

4. Pocket HRMS

Pocket HRMS offers payroll with PF, ESIC, PT and TDS, attendance with geo-fencing, custom payslips, asset management and an HR chatbot. Standard is ₹2,995 per month for 50 employees on annual billing.

Choose it if: you want payroll-led HRMS with published pricing for around 50 employees and up.

5. Darwinbox

Darwinbox is an enterprise HCM with audit-ready India payroll. Pricing is on request.

Choose it if: you are a large or multi-country organisation with complex structures.

6. MizUp BMS

MizUp BMS (MizUp HRMS) covers the employee directory and org chart, documents, GPS attendance with shifts and rosters, leave and holidays, onboarding and exit, payroll runs from attendance, payslips, salary structures, tax declarations, loans and advances, HR letters, projects, timesheets and performance. It runs on the same platform as MizUp CRM, MizUp CLM for WhatsApp marketing and MizUp Finance for GST billing.

Be aware: MizUp BMS does not currently automate PF, ESI, PT, LWF or TDS calculations and returns. If that is why you use Keka, choose a compliance-focused alternative, or use BMS with your CA or a payroll compliance provider.

Choose it if: you want HR, attendance and payroll runs connected to sales and billing, with per-employee pricing from ₹79 per month. See MizUp BMS pricing.

How to switch HRMS without payroll errors

1. Pick a clean start date, ideally the first day of a quarter or financial year.
2. Export everything: employee master, salary structures, leave balances, loans, YTD earnings and tax declarations.
3. Recreate policies first: leave, attendance, shifts and holidays before importing people.
4. Import employees and opening balances, then spot-check ten records by hand.
5. Run one parallel payroll in both systems and reconcile net pay and deductions line by line.
6. Train managers on approvals and employees on the mobile app before go-live.
7. Keep read access or exports from the old system for audits.

Double-check figures with our in-hand salary calculator, EPF calculator and full and final settlement calculator.

Summary

Stay with Keka if it covers your needs at a price you are comfortable with. Otherwise, shortlist two or three alternatives that match your main reason for switching, run a parallel payroll with each, and choose on accuracy and adoption, not on the demo. For a broader comparison, read best HRMS software in India.

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