Keka HR alternatives in India: HRMS software compared
Keka is a cloud HRMS that sells Payroll, HR, Talent, Perform and Hiring suites, and says it is chosen by more than 12,500 companies. Its published customer stories range from IT services firms such as Taazaa and Srijan Technologies to BYD India, Anarock and Star Cement.
Keka is not the only option for an Indian business buying HR software. Buyers usually compare alternatives because their priority is different: a price they can see before the first call, a free plan, enterprise-scale HCM, or a particular payroll or attendance setup.
This page groups Keka alternatives by the problem you are trying to solve, and compares modules using only what each vendor publishes on its own website.
The closest alternatives to Keka HR are Qandle (₹2,450/mo), sumHR (₹49 per user/month · Startup plan, billed annually), 247HRM (₹8,999/mo), Saral PayPack (₹6,000/mo) and Timelabs (Paid plans). Kredily is the top-ranked option with a free plan. Published prices in this list start at ₹49/month.
Why businesses compare Keka HR with other HRMS platforms
Pricing you can budget from
Keka publishes per-employee add-on rates (₹90 to ₹150 per additional employee by plan) and says a nominal setup fee applies. Buyers who want a flat monthly figure up front often compare vendors that print one.
Company size and complexity
A 50-person startup mainly needs records, leave and payroll. A multi-entity group may need localised payroll, deep approval chains and enterprise HCM.
Free or very low entry cost
Very small teams may want to start on a free plan before committing to a paid HRMS.
Specific workflows
Field attendance, on-premise hosting or payroll outside India can decide the shortlist more than the core HR feature list.
Keka HR alternatives by requirement
Need a published price before the first sales call?
Teams that want to budget before talking to sales can start with vendors that print their price on their own pricing page.
There isn't one HRMS that fits every company that looks at Keka. Start from employee count, payroll complexity and the modules you actually need, then compare two or three vendors that publish those facts, and ask each for a demo on your own payroll data.
Start with payroll. If the statutory side is wrong, nothing else matters — ask the vendor to run a live payroll for a sample employee in your state and show you the PF, ESI and PT calculations.
Next, check how attendance actually reaches the system. Biometric device integration, geo-tagged mobile check-in and shift rostering are three very different problems, and most vendors are strong at one and weak at the others.
Finally, look at what happens at scale. Many Indian HRMS products are priced per employee per month with a floor of fifty or a hundred employees, which makes them expensive for a twenty-person team and cheap for a five-hundred-person one.
Keka HR alternatives — FAQs
What is the best alternative to Keka HR in 2027?+
The closest matches to Keka HR on App Advisor are Qandle (₹2,450/mo), sumHR (₹49 per user/month · Startup plan, billed annually), 247HRM (₹8,999/mo). They are ranked by how closely their category, pricing model, platforms and target business size match Keka HR, then by rating. The best choice depends on your team size and budget.
Is there a free alternative to Keka HR?+
Yes. 1 of the 20 alternatives listed have a free plan or are free: Kredily (Free plan). Free plans usually cap users, records or transactions, so check the limits against your monthly volume.
What is the cheapest alternative to Keka HR?+
Among alternatives that publish a price, sumHR starts lowest at ₹49 per user/month · Startup plan, billed annually, compared with ₹6,999/mo for Keka HR. Kredily also has a free plan. Prices are read from each vendor's website and exclude GST.
Is there an Indian alternative to Keka HR?+
Yes. 14 alternatives are built in India, including Qandle (₹2,450/mo), sumHR (₹49 per user/month · Startup plan, billed annually), 247HRM (₹8,999/mo). Indian products usually handle GST, TDS and UPI natively and bill in rupees.
Keka HR vs Qandle: which is better?+
Qandle is the closest match to Keka HR in our catalogue. Key differences: Starts ₹4,549/mo cheaper (₹2,450/mo vs ₹6,999/mo). Compare them side by side before you book a demo.
How were these Keka HR alternatives chosen?+
Every product listed sits in hrms software or a category Keka HR also covers, and Keka Technologies's own products are excluded. Prices, free plans and platforms come from each vendor's official website. App Advisor does not sell any of this software.
Free shortlist
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greytHR — Essential is ₹2,495/month for 50 employees, ₹45 per extra employee · greytHR alternatives
Pocket HRMS — ₹2,995/month for 50 employees, billed annually · Pocket HRMS alternatives
Timelabs — Pulse plan is ₹3,250/month for 50 employees · Timelabs alternatives
HROne — Basic is ₹4,950/month for 50 users, then ₹99 per user · HROne alternatives
sumHR — ₹49 per user/month, billed annually · sumHR alternatives
