Top 10 Keka Alternatives for Indian Startups and SMEs in 2024
July 24th 2024
Keka HR: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this?
A great HRMS platform?
An all-in-one HR tool to manage payroll, leaves, and attendance?
A great platform to enable self-served employee experiences?
True, true, and 100% true. But are current Keka users satisfied with this tool’s performance?
Our research shows that’s not exactly the case. As per Keka reviews, users struggle with its clunky user interface, technical glitches like log-in issues, and an unavailable customer support team. Additionally, Keka’s pricing plans start from ₹9,999/month with limited access to features like employee onboarding, people analytics, geo-fencing, etc. For Indian startups, this pricing is not affordable, and it is more so if they don’t get access to these critical features.
All these lead many Keka users to look for one of the top Keka alternatives. That’s exactly what we will discuss in this article.
Let’s get started.
Overview of Keka
Keka is a comprehensive HR solution that automates payroll and people processes, saving time on mundane tasks.
The core products by Keka are:
HRMS software: Streamlines HR operations with automated workflows
Payroll software: Quick salary disbursements with automated calculations
Leave & attendance management software: Automates tracking work hours, attendance management, and shift scheduling
Why are Keka Users Looking for an Alternative?
We reviewed G2, Capterra, and SoftwareSuggest to find out that Keka users are not exactly ‘happy’ with the tool’s performance. Apart from its sky-high pricing, several technical and support issues force startups to rethink their choice. Here’s what the existing users are saying about the software:
Complicated UX with several drop-down menus and inconsistencies between web and app versions
Auto-logout and login and slow page loading issues
Unresponsive customer support and malfunctioning features
10 Top Keka Alternatives for Indian Startups in 2024
Time to introduce you to the best Keka alternatives for Indian startups. But if you prefer skimming over reading, here are the top Keka alternatives at a glance 👇
Tool
Craze
GreytHR
Kredily
Zoho People
RazorpayX Payroll
HROne
BambooHR
Darwinbox
ZingHR
FactoHR
Starting price
₹40/month/person for Core HR
₹3495/month for 50 employees and ₹30/month/employee for extra employees
₹1499/Month for up to 25 employees and ₹60/extra employee
₹60/user/month
₹2999/ month
₹85 /user/month
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Ideal for
Startups with up to 100 employees looking for centralised HR software with advanced features
Large enterprises with comprehensive HR needs and high budgets
SMEs looking to streamline and structure basic HR operations
SMEs looking for integrated HR software with a learning management system
Medium to large businesses with payroll automation needs
SMEs with basic HR requirements
Businesses with specific recruitment and hiring needs
Businesses with a global workforce looking to streamline HR operations
Businesses looking for workforce management solutions
Businesses looking for a centralised HR platform with payroll and performance management features
Craze – An affordable all-in-one HR, Finance, and IT platform for startups and scaling companies
We will start our list of Keka alternatives with Craze: an emerging Keka alternative for the Indian founders. Craze’s clientele includes promising startups such as Aeroleap, Findr, Quickreel, and many more.
Craze offers employee-friendly dashboards, error-free data management, an ‘always-ready-to-help’ support team, super-fast onboarding (24 hours to be exact), effortless employee management, and affordable pricing with no restrictions over feature accessibility.
Craze HR software
Craze HR replaces employee record spreadsheets with a centralised dashboard to help you manage employee data. Access all employee details on a single dashboard, such as start date, job title, annual pay, salary revisions etc. You can also create offer letters and agreement templates and share them.
Craze payroll software
Craze’s automated payroll software calculates net pay and taxes. Craze provides self-serve dashboards where employees can manage leaves, request reimbursements, share tax declarations and Form 16, and download payslips. You can track payroll costs with salary registers and comply with detailed EPF, ESIC, and TDS summaries.
Craze leave and attendance management
Craze offers a modern leave management system that integrates with payroll, facilitating one-click salary transfers. You can customise leave policies, grant leaves, and auto-calculate loss of pay based on leaves. Craze also lets you implement advanced leave settings such as encashment, carry forward, accruals, and more.
Key features
Payroll and HR compliance with tax laws, Indian labour laws, and IT security regulations
Access controls and permission settings to view, edit, and run payroll
One-click salary disbursements and easy contractor payments based on TDS or GST slabs
Custom salary structures and benefit plans for tax-free allowances
Payroll reports and salary registers to monitor costs and tax liabilities
Automated HR onboarding and exit management
Custom workflows and leave policies with auto-approval
Pricing
Core (Mandatory): ₹40/month/person for all team sizes and access to advanced core HR features
Payroll: ₹60/month/person for all team sizes and access to advanced payroll features
Leave management: ₹40/month/person for all team sizes and access to advanced leave management features
Attendance management: ₹40/month/person for all team sizes and access to advanced attendance management features
Craze’s Enterprise Plan provides tailored pricing plans based on company-specific use cases.
GreytHR: Good for enterprises with comprehensive HR needs and no budget constraints
GreytHR is an HRMS platform that automates leave and attendance management and payroll processes. It saves HR teams hours of manual work and frees them from routine admin jobs.
Key features
Customise salary structures with a configurable payroll engine
Centralised employee dashboard to remove inconsistencies and duplication
Check-in logs for employee progress update
Pricing
Starter: ₹0/month for 25 employees
Essential: ₹3495/month for 50 employees and ₹30/month/employee for extra employees
Growth: ₹5495/month for 50 employees and ₹60/month for each extra employee. Add-on pricing for business expense claims management
Enterprise: ₹7495/month for 50 employees and ₹100/month/employee for extra employees
The essential plan does not include attendance and performance management features. The growth plan includes performance management at an add-on price.
Read detailed GreytHR review here.
Kredily: Good Keka competitor for SMEs with basic HR features
Kredily is a unified platform that streamlines HR operations with structured protocols. It automates time and attendance management and payroll, eliminating manual data entry tasks.
Key features
Multi-company payroll system with automated and compliant income tax deduction calculations
Timesheet management to track and record employee working hours
Auto Clock-In/Out to record employees’ arrival and departure times
Pricing
Free forever: ₹0 /Month with very limited features
Professional: ₹1499/Month for up to 25 employees and ₹60/extra employee
Enterprise: Custom pricing
The professional plan has features as add-ons, such as income tax calculation, payslip bulk download, auto clock-in/out, etc.
Zoho People: Good Keka alternative for performance management and employee upskilling
Zoho People simplifies HR operations and builds a high-performing workforce. It offers an employee database, HR workflows, and analytics to free teams from admin work.
Key features
Time and attendance system to track attendance, manage time logs, configure shifts, etc.
360-degree feedback for insights into workforce performance
Centralised course management for employee skillset development
Pricing
Essential HR: ₹60/user/month
Professional: ₹120/user/month
Premium: ₹180/user/month
Enterprise: ₹240/user/month
People Plus: ₹450/user/month
The essential HR and professional plans do not include 360-degree feedback, performance appraisals, and HR analytics. Zoho Payroll, Zoho Recruit, and other HR services are available only in the People Plus plan.
RazorpayX Payroll: Good payroll software for businesses with basic HR needs
RazorPayX Payroll is an HR management software that offers onboarding and payroll features. It automates payroll processes, including salary transfers and filing and paying taxes.
Key features
Automate salary calculation and direct salary deposit to employee bank accounts
Automated tax filing and payment like TDS, PF, PT, and ESIC, etc., with access to challans
Self-serve dashboard for payslips, Form 16, and investment declarations
Pricing
Prime: ₹2999/ month for 20 employees
Elite: ₹5999/ month for 100 employees
Enterprise: Custom pricing for 100+ employees
Only the enterprise plan supports contractor payments, a dedicated account manager, and on-demand custom reports.
Read detailed RazorpayX Payroll review here.
HROne: Good software for enterprises with HR needs
HROne automates complex HR operations, eliminating manual processes. It simplifies employee lifecycle management–from onboarding to exit.
Key features
Customisable HCM and data fields to match business needs
Pre-defined checklists to track onboarding processes
Automatic, CTC, arrears, and tax calculation considering attendance and leave data
Pricing
Basic: ₹85 /user/month
Professional: ₹115 /user/month
Enterprise: Custom pricing
The basic and professional plans have no recruitment and performance management features.
BambooHR: Good Keka competitor businesses with recruitment and onboarding needs
BambooHR simplifies HR operations with onboarding features, payroll, time, and benefits management. It centralises all HR systems, allowing teams to manage everything from one platform.
Key features
Manage benefits, track hours worked, and run payroll from a single platform
Automated workflows and in-depth analytics and reporting
Mobile hiring app to speed up recruitment and onboarding
Pricing
Core: Undisclosed
Pro: Undisclosed
The core plan does not include performance management. Essential payroll, benefits administration, and time-tracking features are available as add-on solutions.
Darwinbox: Mobile-first HRMS and payroll software
Darwinbox is a unified payroll, HR, and WFM software that integrates with any organization structure. It offers customisable core HR features and simplifies payroll for effective workforce management.
Key features
Real-time attendance and HR data flow
Automate payroll processes like verification and reconciliation
Customer report builder to create and schedule reports on transactions, attributes, summaries, etc.
Pricing
Undisclosed
ZingHR: Good Keka alternative with AI-powered recruitment and onboarding
ZingHR is an enterprise HCM software that streamlines workforce management. It offers onboarding, payroll, and time and attendance features to improve business efficiencies.
Key features
AI-enabled robotic interviews to automate recruitment
Built-in GPS to mark attendance on the go
Real-time dashboards to capture and track employee attendance and leaves
Pricing
Undisclosed
FactoHR: An all-in-one mobile-first HCM platform
FactoHR is an HRTech platform that streamlines and centralizes HR operations. It automates employee onboarding and payroll processes, freeing HR teams from routine tasks.
Key features
Automate sending of pre-onboarding invitation email links to candidates
Self-service portal for employees to mark attendance, view compensation, payslips, and other information
Automate tax, accrual calculation, leave approval workflow, and policy implementation
Pricing
Core: Undisclosed
Premium: Undisclosed
Ultimate: Undisclosed
The core and premium plans do not include custom review cycles, 360-degree feedback, and other essential features.
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Features to Look Out for in a Top Keka Alternative
The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t apply when you’re looking for an alternative to a legacy HRMS platform like Keka. Based on our analysis of Keka user reviews, here’s a list of features to look for in a top Keka alternative:
Employee database management: Check if the software has a scalable and centralised employee database with easy access and custom fields for specific data
Onboarding and offboarding: Pick a solution that offers automated onboarding workflows and document and exit management systems
Time and attendance tracking: Look for auto clock-in/out options, a leave management system, and automated work hours and overtime calculation
Compliant payroll processing: Choose a software that has automated payroll processing with features like quick salary transfers, direct deposits to bank accounts, automated tax calculations, and payroll reports
Robust permissions and approval system: Choose a software that lets you create approval workflows tailored to your needs, from simple to complex, involving users, reporting levels, departments, and any permission profile.
Self-service dashboards: Look for ESS portals/ dashboards to access leaves, request reimbursements, get payslips, share documents, etc.
Conclusion
Keka is a popular choice for managing HR operations for medium and large enterprises. However, its high price, unresponsive support, and malfunctioning features make customers search for the top Keka alternatives.
We’ve listed the top Keka competitors in this blog post, but our vote (which is a bit biased) goes to Craze.
You will also love Craze if you relate to the below expectations:
You want to manage HR, Finance and IT processes in one place
You are in the process of building people operations for your company from scratch
You want to engage with a customer support team that’s always available and takes your queries seriously
You want to work with a company that is aggressively, building world-class HR, Finance and IT products, focused on growing teams
You need a Keka competitor that offers transparent pricing, is affordable, and doesn’t restrict critical features
Others..restrictive pricing with add-ons
Minimum user commitment required
Setup and implementation fees
Additional fees for priority support
Minimum lock-in period
Feature gating and restrictions
Add-ons to cover all use cases
Craze…biassed for growing teams
No Setup and implementation fees
No minimum lock-in period
No feature gating
Full refund if you are unhappy
Check pricing
Deepit Patil
Deepit is the Co-founder and CTO of Craze. His primary focus is to build incredible products for Craze’s incredible customers. He spends a lot of time helping out customers with product-related queries and quickly shipping out new features for them to fulfill their needs.
