Comparison
flowwork.ai vs Keka vs greytHR vs Zoho People: features and pricing (2026)
Short answer
All four cover core HR, leave, attendance and Indian payroll. The differences are in pricing and packaging: greytHR is payroll-first with prices per organisation; Keka bundles HR and payroll in three plans with prices on request; Zoho splits HR (Zoho People) and payroll (Zoho Payroll) into two products; flowwork.ai sells modules on one employee record with free plans and published prices at least 30% below Zoho's. For 100 employees with HR, attendance and payroll, published list prices are about ₹8,745/month (greytHR Growth), ₹9,499 (flowwork.ai, including timesheets) and ₹13,600 (Zoho), excluding GST; Keka quotes on request.
At a glance
| flowwork.ai | Keka | greytHR | Zoho People (+ Zoho Payroll) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices published | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes (HR, payroll, attendance, timesheets) | Free trial | 7-day trial | Free editions |
| Core HR & leave | Essential (₹33/employee) | Foundation | Essential | Essential HR (₹48/employee) |
| Multi-level leave approval | Yes | Not stated on pricing page | Not stated on pricing page | Not stated on pricing page |
| Candidate pre-boarding portal | Essential | Growth (pre-boarding) | Self-onboarding (Essential) | Candidate onboarding (Essential HR) |
| Offboarding with clearances | Essential | Exit management (Foundation) | Exit (Essential) | Offboarding workflows (Essential HR) |
| Attendance & geofencing | Professional (₹67/employee) | Strength | Growth | Professional (₹96/employee) |
| Timesheets | Included in FlowPeople Professional | Separate PSA plans | Premium | Professional |
| Indian payroll | FlowPay (separate module) | All plans | All plans | Zoho Payroll (separate product) |
| TDS on salary | Old & new regime, employee declarations, HR override | Statutory compliance (all plans) | Payroll (all plans) | Zoho Payroll (all plans) |
| Form 16 / TDS return files | Not yet | Not stated on pricing page | Not stated on pricing page | Zoho Payroll Standard (Form 130) |
| Performance: OKRs, 9-box, calibration | FlowPerform Growth | Growth | Add-on / Premium | Premium (₹144/employee) |
| Compensation / hike planning | FlowPerform Growth | Promotions (Growth) | Not stated on pricing page | Premium |
| Recruitment (ATS) | FlowHire | Separate Hiring plans | Add-on | Zoho Recruit (separate) |
| Helpdesk & projects in the same suite | Yes (FlowDesk, FlowOps) | Projects via separate PSA plans | Not stated on pricing page | HR helpdesk (Enterprise) |
From each vendor's public pricing page, checked 11 October 2026. "Plan" names the lowest plan that includes the feature.
"Not stated on pricing page" means we didn't find it on the vendor's pricing page; it may still exist. Check the vendor's documentation.
What 100 employees cost per month
| Product | Plans | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| flowwork.ai | FlowPeople Professional (includes timesheets) ₹67 × 100 + FlowPay Standard (₹699 incl. 25, ₹28 per employee above 25) | ₹9,499 |
| greytHR | Growth ₹4,495 incl. 50 employees + ₹85 × 50 | ₹8,745 |
| Zoho | People Professional ₹96 × 100 + Payroll Standard (₹1,000 incl. 25, ₹40 × 75), annual billing | ₹13,600 |
| Keka | Strength or Growth | On request |
Core HR + leave + attendance + payroll, published list prices, excluding GST. flowwork.ai and Zoho prices are for annual billing; greytHR as listed on its pricing page.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose greytHR if payroll and statutory filing are your main need and you want a long-established payroll engine; attendance comes with the Growth plan.
- Choose Keka if you want HR, payroll and performance in one bundled plan and are happy to get a quote.
- Choose Zoho People + Zoho Payroll if you already run Zoho Books, CRM or other Zoho apps and want them connected.
- Choose flowwork.ai if you want to start small (free plans, one module at a time) with published prices, and later add payroll, performance, hiring, projects or a helpdesk on the same employee record. Note that FlowPay doesn't generate Form 16, TDS return or PF ECR files yet.
More detail: HR and payroll software buyer's guide · flowwork.ai pricing · FlowPay · FlowPeople.
Frequently asked questions
Is flowwork.ai cheaper than Zoho People?
Yes. Every flowwork.ai plan is priced at least 30% below the comparable Zoho plan. For example, FlowPeople Essential is ₹33 per employee per month against Zoho People Essential HR at ₹48 (annual billing, excluding GST).
Does Keka publish its prices?
No. As of 11 October 2026, Keka's pricing page lists plans and features but asks you to contact sales for prices, and mentions a nominal setup fee.
Which is cheaper, greytHR or Zoho for payroll?
For payroll only at 50 employees, greytHR Essential is ₹2,495/month and Zoho Payroll Standard is ₹1,000 + 25 × ₹40 = ₹2,000/month on annual billing (excluding GST). greytHR Essential also includes leave and core HR.
Sources
- greytHR pricing (checked 11 October 2026)
- Keka pricing (plans and features; prices not published) (checked 11 October 2026)
- Zoho People editions and features (checked 11 October 2026)
- Zoho Payroll (India) pricing (checked 11 October 2026)
- flowwork.ai pricing (checked 11 October 2026)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.