Keka vs greytHR (2026): INR Pricing, Payroll Compliance and Which Fits
greytHR is the better buy for payroll-led Indian businesses: it costs less at every team size and goes deeper on statutory filings. Keka is the better buy for growing teams that want payroll, performance reviews and hiring in one modern system.
Keka or greytHR: which HRMS should you choose?
Choose greytHR if payroll and statutory filing are the main job: it starts at ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees and goes deeper on Form 24Q, Form 16 and bank payouts. Choose Keka if you also want performance reviews, OKRs and hiring in the same system and can justify ₹9,999 a month for up to 100 employees.
Verdict from HR Stacks editors, based on vendor pricing pages and both full reviews.
Choose Keka if
- You want OKRs, reviews and calibration without a separate tool
- Your team is near 100 people and growing fast
- You also pay staff in the US or need an Arabic interface
Choose greytHR if
- You have under 100 employees and a tight HR budget
- Payroll accuracy and statutory returns matter most
- You want monthly billing with no lock-in
- Performance and OKRsKekaIncluded in Growth; greytHR sells it as a ₹35 to ₹45 per user add-on
- HiringKekaFull ATS with CV to JD match scoring vs ₹2,500 per recruiter add-on
- Ease of useKeka4.3 vs 4.2 in our scoring, and 4.3 vs 4.1 on onboarding
- PricegreytHR₹2,495 vs ₹9,999 entry price per month
- Statutory filing depthgreytHROne-click Form 24Q, signed Form 16 and 12BA, ESI challans
- Contract flexibilitygreytHRMonthly or annual billing, no lock-in, no cancellation fee
Keka vs greytHR at a glance
All prices below are in Indian rupees, taken from keka.com and greythr.com in October 2026, and exclude GST because neither page says whether it is included. Several comparison sites still quote Keka at ₹6,999 and greytHR at ₹3,495; both figures are out of date. Shaded cells mark the product that leads on that row.
| Keka | greytHR | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | The employee journey: HR, payroll, performance and hiring | Indian payroll and statutory compliance |
| Entry price | ₹9,999/month for up to 100 employees (Foundation) | ₹2,495/month for up to 50 employees (Essential) |
| Each extra employee | ₹90 to ₹150 a month, by plan | ₹45 to ₹85 a month, by plan |
| Top published plan | Growth: ₹15,999/month for up to 100 employees | Premium: custom price |
| Setup fee | “Nominal” fee; amount not published | No mandatory setup fee, per greytHR |
| Billing and lock-in | Not published | Monthly or annual; no lock-in or cancellation fee |
| Statutory filings | PF with ECR-ready reports, ESI, PT, LWF, quarterly TDS reports, Form 130 (earlier Form 16) | PF with ECR, ESI challans, PT, LWF, Form 24Q with FVU validation, signed Form 16 and 12BA |
| Performance and OKRs | Included in Growth plan | Add-on, ₹35 to ₹45 per user/month |
| Hiring (ATS) | Keka Hiring Pro and Advanced plans | Recruit add-on, ₹2,500 per recruiter/month |
| Integrations | 100+ tools, per Keka | 50+ HR and payroll tools, per greytHR |
| Outside India | GCC payroll with WPS files, US multi-state payroll, Arabic and English interface | GCC payroll with WPS files; payroll compliance for 20+ countries |
| Security | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
| Customers | 12,500+ companies (some Keka pages say 10,000+) | 33,000+ companies, 3.5 million+ employees |
HRS score is our editorial rating from the full Keka review and greytHR review.
The core difference: an HR platform vs a payroll engine
Keka is organised around the employee. Hiring, onboarding, attendance, payroll, performance and learning all sit in one product, and the higher plans add OKRs, calibration and workflow automation. Payroll is one strong module among several, which is why Keka shows up on our HRIS shortlist.
greytHR is organised around the payroll run. It grew out of Greytip’s payroll business, and the product still shows it: state-specific PT rules, ESI challans, Form 24Q with FVU validation, digitally signed Form 16 and bank transfer files for major banks are all in the base product. Performance, recruiting and timesheets are priced add-ons. If HR is mostly payroll, leave and attendance for you, that design costs less and does the statutory work better. If you want one system for how people are hired and reviewed too, Keka fits more naturally. For the wider market, see our payroll software ranking.
Keka: one system across the employee journey
greytHR: everything feeds the payroll run
How Keka and greytHR score
Both products score 4.1 overall, using the same eight parameters as our full reviews. greytHR edges four rows, all tied to running payroll cheaply and correctly. Keka takes three, on the experience of setting up and using the system. Global coverage is a tie, since both are India-first products with GCC add-ons.
Keka vs greytHR pricing, and what you actually pay
Both vendors now publish their prices in rupees, which is rare in Indian HRMS. Both also use the same structure: a flat monthly base fee that covers a set number of employees, then a fee for each extra employee. Keka’s base covers 100 people and greytHR’s covers 50, so the headline gap of ₹9,999 against ₹2,495 shrinks as you grow.
Ignore the ₹6,999 Keka and ₹3,495 greytHR prices still shown on many comparison pages, including older versions of this one. Those are earlier price lists. For the wider market, see our payroll software ranking.
Keka
- FoundationCore HR, attendance, payroll, expenses; then ₹90 per extra employee₹9,999 /mo for 100
- StrengthAdds e-sign, assets, geo-fencing, SSO, surveys; ₹120 per extra₹12,999 /mo for 100
- GrowthAdds OKRs, reviews, workflow automation; ₹150 per extra₹15,999 /mo for 100
- Hiring (Pro, Advanced)Free trial offeredPrice not published
- Projects and timesheets (PSA)Quote only
greytHR
- EssentialPayroll, leave, core HR basic; then ₹45 per extra employee₹2,495 /mo for 50
- GrowthAdds advanced attendance, shifts, overtime; ₹85 per extra₹4,495 /mo for 50
- PremiumAll modules includedCustom
- Performance add-onOn Growth; included in Premium₹35 to ₹45 /user/mo
- Recruit add-onAll plans₹2,500 /recruiter/mo
Costs that don’t appear on either pricing page
Setup fee
Keka: its FAQ says “a nominal setup fee applies” but gives no amount.
greytHR: says it charges no mandatory setup fee.
Contract length
Keka: billing term not published.
greytHR: monthly or annual, no lock-in and no cancellation fee.
Per-employee overage
Both charge for every employee above the base. Keka’s rate rises with the plan, from ₹90 to ₹150; greytHR’s runs ₹45 to ₹85.
Add-on modules
Keka: multiple legal entities, API and helpdesk are Growth add-ons, unpriced.
greytHR: timesheets ₹35, expenses ₹35, GPS tracking ₹140 per user/month.
GST
Neither pricing page says whether GST is included. Budget for 18% on top until you see a quote.
Annual plan refunds
Keka: not published.
greytHR: unused credit on an annual plan is not refunded if you leave early.
Support tier
Keka: Standard, Premium and Enterprise support plans, each with its own SLA; tier pricing not published.
greytHR: dedicated account manager on higher plans.
Free trials and offers
Keka: free trial on HRMS plans; GCC buyers get 3 months free plus 6 months premium support, subject to terms.
greytHR: 7-day free trial, no billing in that period.
12-month cost at three team sizes
| Employees | Keka Foundation (₹9,999 for 100, then ₹90) | greytHR Growth (₹4,495 for 50, then ₹85) | Gap per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 employees | ₹1,19,988 | ₹53,940 | ₹66,048 |
| 100 employees | ₹1,19,988 | ₹1,04,940 | ₹15,048 |
| 250 employees | ₹2,81,988 | ₹2,57,940 | ₹24,048 |
Software fees only, before GST, at list monthly prices. We compare Keka Foundation with greytHR Growth because both include attendance; greytHR Essential, which leaves out advanced attendance, would cost ₹56,940 a year at 100 employees. Keka’s setup fee and any add-ons are excluded because they aren’t published. Team sizes start at 25 because both base fees are flat below 50 employees.
Run your own numbers
Defaults are each plan’s effective rate at 100 employees, rounded: about ₹100 for Keka Foundation (₹9,999 / 100) and about ₹87 for greytHR Growth (₹8,745 / 100). Divide your quote by your headcount and enter it here.
Keka vs greytHR features: core HR, payroll, talent and platform
On core HR and day-to-day payroll the two are closer than their marketing suggests. The split shows up at the edges: greytHR goes further on statutory returns and bank payouts, while Keka goes much further on performance, hiring and workflow automation. “Leads” marks the stronger product on each row.
Core HR
HRIS, documents, self-service on web and mobile
Core HR, self-service portal and mobile app
Pre-boarding, advanced onboarding and e-signatures
Attendance in Foundation; selfie clock-in and geo-fencing in Strength
Shifts, overtime and geo-fencing in Growth; GPS tracking add-on
Custom leave policies
Unlimited leave types in every plan
Helpdesk included from Essential
Payroll and compliance
All four, with state rules across 28 states and 8 union territories
All four, auto-computed across 28 states
One-click Form 24Q with FVU validation; signed Form 16 and 12BA
Bank transfer files for major banks and PayNow direct debit
Payroll across subsidiaries with central oversight (Growth add-on)
Loans, reimbursements and flexi-benefits listed
Talent
Reviews, 360 feedback and calibration in Growth
OKRs and cascading goals
Full ATS: requisitions, CV to JD match scoring, referrals, career portal
Keka Learn
Surveys, rewards and recognition, eNPS
Platform
100+ tools, plus Slack and Teams
SSO in Strength; API and webhooks as a Growth add-on
SSO and API as add-ons
150+ pre-built payroll, attendance and statutory reports
Workflow automation in Growth
Full PSA suite: projects, billing, resource planning
Where each one works: company size, Indian compliance and markets
Both are built for Indian payroll first, and on the four main statutory deductions there is nothing to separate them. Size is the bigger filter: greytHR’s base plan is sized for 50 employees and Keka’s for 100, so teams under 50 pay a much higher per-head price on Keka. Outside India, Keka publishes more detail for Saudi Arabia, the US and Arabic-speaking teams.
Keka says it generates WPS files for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain and supports “other GCC markets”; in the US it runs multi-state payroll or connects to your existing provider. greytHR lists all six GCC states for payroll compliance and says it also serves Africa and Southeast Asia, without a public country list. Neither publishes a full country list, so confirm each market before you sign.
Implementation and support
greytHR’s setup is narrower and usually quicker, because most of the work is mapping salary structures and statutory settings. Keka asks more of you up front, since more modules need configuring, but it assigns a named team and sells support in three tiers. Neither publishes response times on its main pages.
Keka
- Setup
- A named implementation team configures policies, imports data and validates past salary records. A nominal setup fee applies.
- Go-live
- Keka says its best-prepared customers go live within two weeks; it publishes no standard timeline.
- Support model
- Help Center around the clock, chat and email, phone for enterprise customers. Standard, Premium and Enterprise SLAs plus a named Customer Success Manager.
- Employee access
- iOS and Android apps, with an AI helpdesk that answers payroll and leave questions.
greytHR
- Setup
- In-house guided onboarding with no mandatory setup fee, plus a monthly-updated compliance wiki.
- Go-live
- greytHR’s India site says 2 to 4 weeks; its Middle East pages say 4 to 6.
- Support model
- Helpdesk, AI chatbot and a customer success team, with a dedicated account manager on higher plans.
- Employee access
- greytHR app with payslips, leave and attendance; greytHR says it has 2M+ app users.
Which one to pick for your situation
Headcount and how much of HR is really payroll decide most Keka vs greytHR choices. These four situations cover the buyers we hear from most, including one where neither product is the right size.
Software company in Bengaluru, growing past 150 people
The team wants OKRs, calibrated reviews and an ATS, not just payroll. Keka Growth includes performance and costs about ₹3 lakh a year at this size before GST; greytHR would need the performance and recruit add-ons on top of Growth, and its talent tools are thinner.
Manufacturer with plants in three states
Payroll accuracy and on-time returns are the whole job here. greytHR Growth covers shifts and overtime for about ₹74,000 a year at list price, generates Form 24Q and ESI challans, and has no lock-in. Keka Foundation costs about ₹1.2 lakh for the same team.
Indian company with a Riyadh office and US staff
Keka publishes GOSI, Mudad-ready WPS files and end-of-service rules for Saudi Arabia, an Arabic and English interface, and US multi-state payroll. greytHR lists Saudi Arabia but publishes less detail and has no US payroll.
Group with 3,000 employees across six legal entities
Both products can run payroll at this size, but neither is designed around deep enterprise workflows across many entities and business units. An enterprise HCM built for that structure will need less workaround.
Where each one falls short
These are the limits that matter when you put the two side by side. Each review page carries the full list of pros and cons.
Keka
- Expensive for small teamsThe ₹9,999 base covers 100 employees, so a 25-person company pays about ₹400 per head a month.
- Setup fee with no numberKeka confirms a setup fee but doesn’t publish it, so get it in the quote.
- Key features sit in add-onsMultiple legal entities, API and helpdesk are Growth add-ons with no published price.
greytHR
- Talent tools cost extraPerformance, recruiting, timesheets and expenses are all priced add-ons.
- Smaller integration listgreytHR cites 50+ tools against Keka’s 100+, and our review scores it 3.9 on integrations.
- Interface shows its ageOur review and public reviews both flag dated screens in parts of the admin side.
What users say about Keka and greytHR
Both products have large public review samples, mostly from Indian SMB and mid-market buyers. The themes are consistent: Keka wins praise for its interface, greytHR for its payroll, and both get complaints about support during payroll week.
Keka
Based on public reviews and our full Keka review
Praised for
- Clean, modern interface. Admins and employees find it easy to learn.
- Attendance automation. Policies, shifts and clock-ins feed payroll without manual work.
- Quick, guided setup. Implementation teams walk customers through each step.
Criticised for
- Price for small companies. The 100-employee base feels steep under 50 staff.
- Uneven support on complex issues. First responses are fast; escalations take longer.
- Limited deep customisation. Some policies and workflows can’t be bent far.
greytHR
Based on 800+ public reviews
Praised for
- Accurate payroll. Monthly runs and statutory deductions rarely need fixing.
- Compliance handled. PF, ESI and TDS outputs are ready to file.
- Affordable. Small businesses get full payroll for a low monthly fee.
Criticised for
- Dated screens. Parts of the admin interface feel old.
- Few integrations. Connecting other tools can mean exports.
- Busy-week support. Response times stretch near payroll cut-off.
Switching between Keka and greytHR
Moving HRMS in India is mostly a tax-year problem. Form 16 and the quarterly TDS returns need a full year’s data, so the cleanest switch happens on 1 April or at the start of a quarter, with one parallel payroll run before cutover.
Keka to greytHR
Moderate effort- Pick a cutover date at a quarter boundary, ideally 1 April.
- Export employee master data, salary structures and year-to-date payroll from Keka.
- Rebuild PT and LWF settings by state and run one payroll in parallel.
- Decide where OKRs, reviews and hiring live, since greytHR sells them as add-ons.
greytHR to Keka
Moderate effort- Check your greytHR notice and annual-plan terms; unused credit isn’t refunded.
- Prepare data in Keka’s import format; Keka validates past salary records.
- Reconnect biometric attendance devices with your IT admin.
- Run one payroll on both systems and reconcile PF, ESI and TDS before go-live.
If neither fits: three alternatives
Very small teams and large enterprises are where both products feel the wrong size. These three cover each end, and our HRIS software ranking covers the wider market.
HROne
Core HR, attendance and payroll at a price between the two, with ₹99 per extra user on Basic.
Read the HROne review →Zoho People
A low-cost start for very small teams, with Zoho Payroll alongside for India and the UAE.
Read the Zoho People review →Darwinbox
An enterprise HCM for large, multi-entity groups that have outgrown SMB payroll tools.
Read the Darwinbox review →Final verdict
greytHR is the better payroll buy. Keka is the better HR platform.
If what you need is accurate Indian payroll, clean statutory returns and leave and attendance at a low monthly price, greytHR does it for less at every size we modelled and lets you leave at any time. If you are past 100 people, or soon will be, and want performance, hiring and payroll in one modern system, Keka’s higher price buys a broader product that you are less likely to outgrow.
Go with Keka when
- You want OKRs, reviews and an ATS in the same system
- Headcount is near or above 100 and growing
- You also run payroll in Saudi Arabia or the US
Go with greytHR when
- Payroll and compliance are most of your HR work
- You have under 100 employees
- You want monthly billing and no lock-in
Get these in writing before you sign
- Total monthly price with GST at your current headcount, including every add-on you need.
- Per-employee overage rate and whether it changes with the plan or after renewal.
- Setup and data migration fees, and what the fee covers.
- Billing term, notice period and refunds on annual plans.
- Statutory outputs included: ECR, ESI challans, Form 24Q, Form 16 and state PT returns.
- Go-live date and parallel run, with who owns errors in the first payroll.
- Support tier and response times during payroll week.
- Data export format if you leave, including payroll history.
Keka vs greytHR: FAQs
Is Keka or greytHR cheaper?
greytHR, at list prices. greytHR Essential starts at ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees and Growth at ₹4,495, against ₹9,999 a month for up to 100 employees on Keka Foundation. At 100 employees greytHR Growth costs about ₹15,000 less a year, and the gap is wider for smaller teams.
How much does Keka cost in 2026?
Keka’s published plans are Foundation at ₹9,999 a month, Strength at ₹12,999 and Growth at ₹15,999, each covering up to 100 employees. Extra employees cost ₹90, ₹120 or ₹150 a month by plan. Keka also charges a setup fee it does not publish.
Does greytHR have a free plan?
Not on its current India pricing page, which lists Essential, Growth and a custom Premium plan. greytHR offers a 7-day free trial with no billing during that period. Some older greytHR pages mention a free plan for up to 25 employees, so ask sales if that matters to you.
Which is better for Indian payroll compliance?
Both handle PF, ESI, professional tax, LWF and TDS across Indian states. greytHR goes further on filing: it generates Form 24Q with FVU validation, digitally signed Form 16 and 12BA, ESI challans and bank transfer files. Keka produces ECR-ready PF reports, quarterly TDS reports and Form 130, the renamed Form 16.
Which is better for performance management?
Keka. Its Growth plan includes OKRs, performance reviews and calibration. greytHR sells performance management as an add-on at ₹35 to ₹45 per user per month on Growth, or includes it in Premium.
Can Keka or greytHR run payroll outside India?
Both support GCC payroll with WPS files. Keka publishes GOSI and Mudad support for Saudi Arabia, an Arabic and English interface, and US multi-state payroll. greytHR lists payroll compliance for 20+ countries, including all six GCC states, but has no US payroll.
Is there a lock-in with greytHR or Keka?
greytHR says there is no lock-in and no cancellation fee, and it bills monthly or annually; unused credit on an annual plan is not refunded. Keka does not publish its billing term or exit terms, so ask for them in the quote.
When is the best time to switch from greytHR to Keka, or the other way?
At the start of the financial year on 1 April, or at least at a quarter boundary. Form 16 and TDS returns need the full year’s payroll data, so a clean cutover with one parallel payroll run avoids reconciling two systems at year end.
How we compare products
Every HR Stacks comparison uses the same method, so scores line up across all our reviews and comparisons. Affiliate links never change a verdict.
Vendor-sourced pricing
Prices come only from each vendor’s own pages. Unpublished prices are marked quote only.
Same eight parameters
Both products are scored on the parameters we use for every review in the category.
Public review analysis
We read verified buyer reviews for recurring themes, weighted by sample size.
Dated and rechecked
Every comparison shows when its prices were checked and is updated when vendors change pricing.