HR software in India covers two different jobs. Local HRMS tools run payroll, PF, ESI and TDS for a company that already has an Indian entity. EOR platforms employ people for you when you have none.
We compared eleven options on the same eight parameters and checked every price on the vendor’s own site in October 2026. Several local tools publish no price at all, and we mark those as quote only.
Best HR Software in India 2026: Quick Summary
Eleven providers are listed below, EOR platforms first and local HR tools after them, each group ordered by HRStacks score. Use the sort buttons to reorder by price or score.
-
- From
- $599/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- No
- India payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: Complex support cases are often passed between agents.
- 2
Remote.comBest for compliance depthSoftware teams hiring engineers in India through an owned Indian entity4.0/5- From
- $599/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- No
- India payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: It costs more than budget rivals, and support slows on complex tax or benefits cases.
-
- From
- $459/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- No
- India payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: Annual order forms cannot be cancelled for convenience.
-
- From
- Quote only
- Needs Indian entity
- No
- India payroll
- Through EOR route
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: It publishes no EOR price, and its India page does not say who owns the Indian entity.
- 5
greytHRBest on budgetSmall Indian teams that need statutory payroll at the lowest published fee4.1/5- From
- ₹2,495/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- 7 days
Watch for: Global payroll is limited, so it only helps if you already have an Indian entity.
-
- From
- Not published
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- Yes
Watch for: Multi-country payroll is limited, and its pricing page shows no plan prices.
-
- From
- ₹4,950/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- Yes
Watch for: The mobile app slows down on weak connections.
-
- From
- Quote only
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: It is less mature outside Asia, and advanced reporting needs heavy configuration.
-
- From
- Quote only
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- Demo only
Watch for: Implementation can run long for complex setups, and global payroll is limited.
-
- From
- ₹48/user/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Separate product
- Free trial
- 30 days
Watch for: Payroll is a separate paid product, so you run two systems.
-
- From
- ₹80/user/mo
- Needs Indian entity
- Yes
- India payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- 14 days
Watch for: Billing starts at 50 users per plan, so small teams pay for seats they do not use.
Providers are grouped by what they do, with EOR platforms first and local HR tools after, and each group is ordered by HRStacks score. Several scores sit within 0.1 of each other, so treat close neighbours as ties, and use Highest score to rank all eleven together. Prices are as published on each provider’s own site in October 2026. Lowest price sorts on the monthly cost of a 50-person team, with rupee prices converted at ₹95 to the dollar and GST excluded. Zoho People adds the entry Zoho Payroll plan because payroll is a separate product. Multiplier’s $459 is billed annually and $499 monthly. Rippling, Keka, Darwinbox and PeopleStrong publish no comparable price and sort last. Sorting changes the order only.
Detailed reviews of the best HR software in India
Read the Watch for line on each review before the strengths, because it names the cost most buyers find out late. All prices come from each vendor’s own pricing page in October 2026, and quote-only tools are marked as such.
Deel
Why we picked Deel
Deel has the highest score on this page at 4.3, and it is one of four options here that employs people in India for you, so you need no Indian entity. The entry EOR price on its pricing page is $599 per employee per month, billed month to month with no annual contract.
Compliance is its strongest score at 4.6. Its India page names EPF at 12% of basic plus 0.5% admin, ESI at 3.25% for pay under ₹21,000 a month, ₹100 a year in Labour Welfare Fund and gratuity from year five. It does not say whether Deel owns its Indian entity, so ask before you sign.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Remote.com
Why we picked Remote.com
Remote.com states that it owns its legal entity in India and runs EOR in-house, not through a partner. Its EOR starts at $599 per employee per month on annual contracts, with no base platform fee.
Its 4.4 compliance score is the highest here after Deel at 4.6. Remote assigns IP to the customer and puts employment indemnities outside its liability caps. Its India page is thin on statutory detail, so ask for EPF, ESI and gratuity handling in writing.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Multiplier
Why we picked Multiplier
Multiplier publishes the lowest EOR rate on this page at $459 per employee per month billed annually, or $499 monthly. EOR Growth is $519 annual and $559 monthly and unlocks integrations.
India is listed among its registered entities, but we could not load the page that confirms ownership. Annual order forms cannot be cancelled for convenience, so a year is the real commitment.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Rippling
Why we picked Rippling
Rippling bundles HR, IT, device management and payroll in one system, and its 4.5 integrations score is the highest on this page. Its pricing page lists plans from $8 per employee a month plus a base fee, but it publishes no EOR or India payroll price.
Its India page describes Rippling as the legal employer and names EPF, ESI, TDS, gratuity and the four labour codes. Support is the weak spot at 3.2, with business-hours chat that sits behind a bot.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
greytHR
Why we picked greytHR
greytHR is the cheapest published way to run Indian payroll properly. Essential costs ₹2,495 a month and includes 50 employees, then ₹45 for each extra one, and it covers payroll, leave and core HR. Growth is ₹4,495 for 50 and adds attendance and advanced HR.
Its payroll page lists PF with ECR files, ESI challans, state professional tax rules, eTDS returns with Form 24Q, Form 16 and Labour Welfare Fund. It needs an Indian entity, and it says nothing about gratuity or the new labour codes.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Keka
Why we picked Keka
Keka scores 4.1, led by onboarding at 4.3 and ease of use at 4.3. Foundation covers payroll, statutory compliance, gratuity management, leave and a mobile app, and the Strength and Growth plans add selfie clock-in, single sign-on and performance management.
The catch is price. Its pricing page lists no amounts at all, so you need a demo to budget. Keka also says it follows SOC 2 and ISO 27001, but its security page credits those certifications to its hosting providers, so ask for its own reports.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
HRone
Why we picked HRone
HRone is one of few local tools that publishes a plan price. Basic is ₹4,950 a month for 50 users, then ₹99 for each extra user, and Professional is ₹6,500 for 50, then ₹130.
Basic already includes payroll, multi-legal-entity support, selfie attendance and offline attendance. Recruitment, performance and expense modules sit in the custom-priced Enterprise tier. Its site claims ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance and runs on Azure, with no India region stated.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Darwinbox
Why we picked Darwinbox
Darwinbox is built for large employers that want core HR, payroll, performance and engagement in one system. Its 4.2 on global coverage is its best score, which reflects strength in India and Southeast Asia.
Pricing is quote only, and its public site publishes no India statutory detail, so the 3.9 compliance score rests on our review. Ask for state-wise professional tax and PF filing references during the demo.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
PeopleStrong
Why we picked PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong has sold HR software since 2005 and positions itself on complex Indian statutory payroll for large employers. Its payroll page lists TDS, EPF, ESI and professional tax updates, and one case study runs 6,500 employees across 125 resorts.
Pricing is quote only, and the USD 3 per user figure on our review page is unverified. Implementation can run long for complex setups.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Zoho People
Why we picked Zoho People
Zoho People is the lowest published HR price here. Essential HR is ₹48 per user a month, Professional ₹96, Premium ₹144 and Enterprise ₹192, billed annually. A free plan covers 5 users and the trial runs 30 days.
Payroll is a separate product. Zoho Payroll India is free for 10 employees and then ₹1,250 to ₹5,000 a month per organisation, excluding GST. Our cost comparison adds the entry payroll plan for that reason.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Zimyo
Why we picked Zimyo
Zimyo charges ₹80 per user a month on Basic, ₹160 on Standard and ₹240 on Enterprise, with a 50-user minimum per plan. Payroll with PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS and Form 16 sits in the base suite.
A limited-time 25% discount on its Zimyo 2.0 plans is advertised, and the page does not say whether the listed rates already include it. Add-ons such as the ATS cost ₹4,000 per recruiter a month.
HR software details for India
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
The ranking above scores every provider on the same eight parameters, as set out in the methodology. It splits into EOR platforms that employ for you and local HR tools that need an Indian entity.
This guide helps you decide which kind of provider you need, which Indian payroll rules each tool actually names, and what the first year costs. It does not repeat the ranking.
Do you need an entity or an EOR?
The first choice is not a product. It is whether you already employ people through an Indian company.
Common path: many teams start with an EOR and move to their own entity later. The full EOR ranking is on our employer of record in India page, and payroll-only tools are on payroll software in India.
Which Indian payroll rules each tool names
We checked each vendor’s own site for the statutory items an Indian payroll run has to cover. A dash means the pages we could load did not name it, not that the feature is missing.
| Provider | PF | ESI | Professional tax | TDS | Form 16 | Gratuity | LWF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| greytHR | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named | Yes |
| Keka | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named | Yes | Not named |
| Zimyo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named | Not named |
| PeopleStrong | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named |
| Zoho People (with Zoho Payroll) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named | Not named | Yes |
| Deel (EOR) | Yes | Yes | Not named | Not named | Not named | Yes | Yes |
| Multiplier (EOR) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not named | Not named | Not named |
| HRone | Not named | Not named | Not named | Calculator | Not named | Calculator | Not named |
| Darwinbox | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named |
| Remote.com (EOR) | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named |
Read this before you shortlist: no vendor page we loaded named the new labour codes as a product feature except Rippling’s India page. Ask each provider how it has updated for them.
What the headline fee leaves out
Local tools and EOR platforms are priced on different things, so the table below puts both on the same footing: the monthly cost of a 50-person team on the entry paid plan.
| Provider | Entry plan | Monthly cost, 50 employees | Not in that number |
|---|---|---|---|
| greytHR | Essential, ₹2,495 incl. 50 | ₹2,495 (about $26) | GST. Attendance needs Growth at ₹4,495 (about $47) |
| Zoho People | Essential HR plus Zoho Payroll Standard | ₹4,400 (about $46) | GST. Payroll is a second product |
| Zimyo | Basic, ₹80 per user | ₹4,000 (about $42) | GST. ATS is ₹4,000 per recruiter a month extra |
| HRone | Basic, ₹4,950 incl. 50 | ₹4,950 (about $52) | GST. Recruitment and performance sit in Enterprise |
| Multiplier | EOR Core, $459 annual | $22,950 | Deposit, FX and compliance add-ons are not priced on its page |
| Deel | EOR, from $599 | $29,950 | FX margin and deposit terms are not on its pricing page |
| Remote.com | EOR, from $599 annual | $29,950 | Onboarding, deposit and FX terms are not on its pricing page |
| Keka, Darwinbox, PeopleStrong | Quote only | Not published | A setup fee applies at Keka and its amount is not stated |
HRIS-only tools that need a payroll partner
HiBob and BambooHR do not employ people in India or run Indian payroll, so they only fit as a records layer on top of another provider.
Five questions to ask every provider
Put these in writing before you sign. The answers separate a clean setup from a surprise in month three.
“Which PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS filings do you submit for us, and which do we file ourselves?”
“In which Indian region is our employee data stored?”
“Which security certifications do you hold yourself?”
“What is the total first-year cost for our headcount, including setup and add-ons?”
“Which legal entity employs our staff in India, and do you own it?”
Narrow it down
Start with whether you have an Indian entity, then match the priority below to a provider.
Match your situation to the provider that fits it.
No Indian entity
An EOR employs people for you from $459 per employee per month, and Deel scores 4.3 on month-to-month terms.
Lowest published fee with payroll
₹2,495 a month covers 50 employees with payroll, PF, ESI and eTDS.
Owned entity and compliance depth
Remote.com states it owns its Indian entity and scores 4.4 on compliance at $599.
Attendance and payroll in one system
Keka scores 4.3 on ease of use and 4.3 on onboarding, with no plan prices published.
Published price with several legal entities
HRone costs ₹4,950 a month for 50 users and includes multi-legal-entity support.
Large employer, complex payroll
PeopleStrong lists TDS, EPF, ESI and professional tax updates and is sold by quote only.
Source: HRStacks editorial scores and vendor pricing
HR software in India FAQs
These are the questions employers ask most when they compare HR software for India.
How we scored HR software for India
Every provider gets the same eight-part score from the same evidence on the same 1 to 5 scale, so you can check it against the cards.
Eight parameters, weighted for HR software in India
Weights add up to 100%
Pricing & Value
Published price against what the plan includes, taken from the vendor’s own pricing page.
Platform & Integrations
Native integrations, API access and how much the entry plan includes.
Customer Support
Support channels, response speed and how complex cases are handled.
Ease of Use
How quickly an HR admin and an employee get through payroll, leave and self-service.
Compliance Strength
The Indian statutory items the vendor names: PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS, Form 16, gratuity and LWF.
Payroll & Benefits
Payroll accuracy and whether payroll is built in or sold as a separate product.
Onboarding
Setup time, guided implementation and the cost of getting started.
Global Coverage
How well the tool serves an employer with people in countries besides India.
What the score colours mean
Applies to every parameter bar on the cards
Weak spot
Below 3.5
Workable
3.5 to 3.9
Strong
4.0 and up
What counts
Each provider’s own pricing, security and India pages, read in October 2026, plus public review ratings where our review pages carry no scores.
What never counts
Vendor testimonials, prices found only on third-party sites, and claims we could not verify. Unpublished rates stay marked "Quote only".
How the ranking works
Providers are grouped as EOR platforms first, then local HR tools. Inside each group they are ordered by overall score, with ties inside 0.1 settled on the unrounded figure. All eleven have a full card.
Some links are affiliate links. A commission never changes a score or a ranking, and no vendor can pay to move up. Prices and key facts are rechecked when vendors change them, and the date at the top shows the last update.
Conclusion
Decide first whether you need to employ people or to pay people you already employ. An EOR such as Deel at $599 per employee per month does the first, and a local tool such as greytHR at ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees does the second.
The common mistake is comparing those two fees directly. A rupee-priced tool looks hundreds of times cheaper, but it assumes you carry an Indian entity, its registrations and its filings. An EOR fee already includes them.
Write down your headcount and whether an entity exists, then put the five questions above to your two shortlisted providers. Our India hiring hub covers the employment side in more detail.
