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
keka
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

keka review
keka review
keka review

Auto-logout and login and slow page loading issues

keka review
keka review
keka review
keka review 2
keka review 2
keka review 2

Unresponsive customer support and malfunctioning features

keka review 3
keka review 3
keka review 3

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

craze
craze
craze

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.

We onboarded in half a day and processed payroll within 24 hours of our initial conversation.

Aman Rai

Co-Founder,
Aroleap

Switching to Craze for Payroll and HR was the best decision. The customer service is excellent.


Sahaan Kumar

Founder, Bubble Network

Craze has automated our payroll and compliance, saving us a significant amount of time.

Pushkara RS

Co-Founder & COO, DocTrue

Our Customers Love Us

Read testimonials

Our Customers Love Us

Read testimonials

We onboarded in half a day and processed payroll within 24 hours of our initial conversation.


Aman Rai

Co-Founder, Aroleap

Switching to Craze for Payroll & HR was the best decision. Excellent customer service.



Sahaan Kumar

Founder, Bubble Network

Craze has automated our payroll and compliance, saving us a significant amount of time.


Pushkara RS

Co-Founder & COO, DocTrue

Our Customers Love Us

Read testimonials

We onboarded in half a day and processed payroll within 24 hours of our initial conversation.


Aman Rai

Co-Founder,
Aroleap

Switching to Craze for Payroll & HR was the best decision. Excellent customer service.



Sahaan Kumar

Founder, Bubble Network

Craze has automated our payroll and compliance, saving us a significant amount of time.


Pushkara RS

Co-Founder & COO, DocTrue

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
greythr
greythr

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
kredily
kredily

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.

Read the detailed review of Kredily

Zoho People: Good Keka alternative for performance management and employee upskilling

zoho
zoho
zoho

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
razorpayx payroll
razorpayx payroll

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
hrone
hrone

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.

Read the detailed review of HROne here.

BambooHR: Good Keka competitor businesses with recruitment and onboarding needs

bamboo hr
bamboo hr
bamboo hr

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
darwinbox
darwinbox

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
zinghr
zinghr

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
factohr
factohr

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.

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 minimum user commitment

No minimum user
commitment

No Setup and implementation fees

No extra cost for fast support

No extra cost for fast
support

No minimum lock-in period

No feature gating

Full refund if you are unhappy

Check pricing

craze signup
craze signup
craze signup
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.

Summary
Summary

Built for founders by founders in India 🇮🇳

Products
Features
Contractors
Reimbursements
Flexible benefits
Reports
Compliance
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© 2024 Craze Technologies. All rights reserved

Built for founders by founders in India 🇮🇳

Products
Features
Contractors
Reimbursements
Flexible benefits
Reports
Compliance
Documents

© 2024 Craze Technologies. All rights reserved

Built for founders by founders in India 🇮🇳

Products
Features
Contractors
Reimbursements
Flexible benefits
Reports
Compliance
Documents

© 2024 Craze Technologies. All rights reserved