Zoho People

by Zoho Corporation · Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Since 1996

HR management covering attendance, leave, onboarding and performance.

HRMS software Product management & roadmapping Employee onboarding software Leave management software Employee self-service (ESS) softwareMade in IndiaFree plan

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Starting price: Free · paid from ₹48/employee/mo; Essential HR, billed yearly; minimum 5 users
Free trial / plan: Free edition; Forever free for up to 5 users
Deployment: Cloud; Web
App Advisor rating: 4.8; transparency & India fit

What is Zoho People?

Zoho People is Zoho's HR management system (HRMS). It covers the employee database, document management, onboarding and offboarding, time-off and leave, attendance and shift/roster management, timesheets, performance management, a learning management system, employee engagement surveys and an HR help desk, with Zia as an AI assistant across modules. Employees get self-service on web plus Android and iOS apps.

Pricing is per employee per month with a Free edition for up to 5 users. Paid editions are Essential HR, Professional, Premium and Enterprise, from ₹48 per employee per month billed yearly. Paid plans have a minimum of 5 users, and organisations with more than 500 users are asked to request a price quote.

What works well

+Free edition forever for up to 5 users, covering the employee database, leave and document management
+Low per-employee entry price: Essential HR is ₹48 per employee per month billed yearly
+Broad HRMS scope in one product — leave, attendance, timesheets, performance, LMS and HR help desk
+Zia AI bot and HR analytics included across the paid editions
+24/5 email support on all plans at no additional cost
+Native links with Zoho Payroll, Zoho Recruit, Zoho Expense, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365

What to watch out for

−Attendance, timesheets and roster management need Professional or above; performance and compensation need Premium
−HR help desk, the learning management system and Sandbox are Enterprise-only
−Paid plans bill a minimum of 5 users even for smaller teams
−Advanced analytics requires an active Zoho Analytics subscription
−Premium support and Jumpstart onboarding are paid extras

Best suited for: Indian SMEs and mid-market firms wanting a full HRMS at a low per-employee price · Teams of up to 5 people that want a genuinely free HR database and leave tracker · Companies already running Zoho Payroll, Zoho Recruit or Zoho Expense · Organisations that need attendance, shifts and timesheets alongside core HR

AI analysis of Zoho People

Analysing Zoho People — pricing, features, reviews and alternatives…

Generated by App Advisor's native engine from this listing's verified data — not a paid placement.

Zoho People features

Researched from Zoho People's official product pages · updated September 2026.

Core HR

Employee database and self-service
Multi-entity management
Document management with e-signature integration
HR Process for transfers and role changes
Onboarding, offboarding and exit interviews

Time and attendance

Leave policies and attendance-based accrual
Compensatory off and leave grants
Attendance via web, mobile and facial recognition (People Kiosk)
Biometric integrations, IP and geo restrictions
Shift creation, scheduling, rotation and patterns
Timesheets, time logs and overtime management

Talent management

Goals, KRAs, skill sets and competencies
360-degree feedback and appraisals
Continuous reviews and nine-box matrix
OKRs with progress tracking and check-ins
Learning management system with blended learning and assessments
Compensation management

Engagement and service

eNPS, pulse and engagement surveys
HR help desk with case categories, agents and SLA tracking
Zia smart HR bot assistant

Reporting and customisation

Standard and custom reports
Advanced analytics via Zoho Analytics
Sandbox environment for safe testing
Role- and field-level access control

Zoho People pricing (INR)

Source

Every edition as published by the vendor · free trial: 30-day free trial on the plan you select; the account moves to the Free plan when the trial expires. Prices exclude GST unless stated. Full Zoho People pricing breakdown

Free

₹0

Forever free for up to 5 users

Employee database management
Time-off management (Leave)
Document management
1 administrator

Essential HR

₹48 per employee per month

Billed yearly (₹60 billed monthly); minimum 5 users

Onboarding and offboarding
Employee database management
Document management
Time-off management (Leave)
HR reports
Zia AI bot

Professional

₹96 per employee per month

Billed yearly (₹120 billed monthly); minimum 5 users

Everything in Essential HR
Attendance management
Timesheets
Roster management

Premium

₹144 per employee per month

Billed yearly (₹180 billed monthly); minimum 5 users

Everything in Professional
Performance management
Compensation management
Employee engagement
Advanced HR analytics

Enterprise

₹192 per employee per month

Billed yearly (₹240 billed monthly); minimum 5 users

Everything in Premium
HR help desk
Learning management system
Sandbox

• Prices are per employee per month; yearly billing saves more than 20% versus monthly
• Paid plans have a minimum of 5 users
• Organisations with more than 500 users are asked to request a price quote
• The pricing page offers a currency selector with USD, INR, EUR and GBP; the INR figures above are the ones shown when INR is selected
• Zoho People Plus, the wider HCM bundle, is priced separately at ₹192 per user per month (Premium) and ₹350 per user per month (Enterprise), billed yearly

Buying for a team? App Advisor can get you a volume quote and any partner discount available.

Integrations, security & India

Integrations

Zoho Payroll
Zoho Recruit
Zoho Expense
Zoho Sign
Zoho Analytics
Zoho Vault
Zoho Projects
Zoho Cliq
Zoho Connect
Google Workspace
Microsoft 365
Zapier
xoxoday

Security & compliance

AES-256 encryption for sensitive data stored on servers
GDPR compliant, SOC2+ and HIPAA certified, ISO 9001 certified and DCAA compliant
Role-based access to modules, forms and specific fields
Geo and IP restrictions for location-based access control
Multi-factor authentication including Touch ID, Face ID, OTP and YubiKey
Activity logs, audit history for form fields and import/export logs
Real-time data backups across multiple servers
Data centres with 24/7 physical security

For Indian businesses

The pricing page shows INR when INR is selected in its currency switcher
Payroll for India is a separate product, Zoho Payroll, which integrates with Zoho People
Attendance supports biometric device integration, plus IP and geo restrictions used widely by Indian teams

Support, resources & partner network

Support & learning

24/5 email support on all plans at no additional cost
Premium support available as a paid upgrade for faster answers
Jumpstart programme for setup with Zoho product experts
Virtual classroom training sessions

Zoho People Pricing and editions Pricing comparison Security and privacy

Trust, compliance & who uses Zoho People

Certifications & compliance

ISO/IEC 27001 — Certificate IS 642819, valid to 21 Aug 2028; covers all Zoho cloud services Source
SOC 2 Type 2 — Design and operating effectiveness of controls Source
SOC 1 (SSAE 18 / ISAE 3402 Type 2) Source
ISO 9001 — Certificate FS 724104, valid to 02 Feb 2029 Source
ISO 22301 (BCMS) — Certificate 689185; NOC and global data-centre operations Source
CSA STAR (self-assessment) Source
GDPR Source

Each claim links to the vendor's own published statement. Always confirm current certificate validity directly with the vendor.

Customers named by the vendor

Kshema

Is Zoho People the best choice for you?

Best choice if you are…

Indian SMEs and mid-market firms wanting a full HRMS at a low per-employee price
Teams of up to 5 people that want a genuinely free HR database and leave tracker
Companies already running Zoho Payroll, Zoho Recruit or Zoho Expense
Organisations that need attendance, shifts and timesheets alongside core HR

Look elsewhere if you are…

Companies wanting payroll processing inside the same product — that is Zoho Payroll, a separate subscription
Organisations above 500 users looking for list pricing, since Zoho asks them to request a quote

Still comparing? Get an unbiased shortlist and demos arranged for free.

Sources (8) · updated September 2026

Zoho People screenshots

Specifications

Category: HRMS software, Product management & roadmapping, Employee onboarding software, Leave management software, Employee self-service (ESS) software
Vendor: Zoho Corporation
Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Founded: 1996
Pricing model: Freemium
Starting price: ₹48/mo
Deployment: Cloud
Platforms: Web
Best for: Startup, Small business, SMB
Made in India: Yes

Paid plans

View

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Zoho People — frequently asked questions

What is Zoho People?+

Zoho People is Zoho's HR management system. It handles the employee database, documents, onboarding and offboarding, leave, attendance and shifts, timesheets, performance management, a learning management system, engagement surveys and an HR help desk, with a Zia AI assistant and mobile apps for employee self-service.

What is the Zoho People price?+

Zoho People costs ₹48 per employee per month for Essential HR, ₹96 for Professional, ₹144 for Premium and ₹192 for Enterprise, each billed yearly. Billed monthly the same plans are ₹60, ₹120, ₹180 and ₹240 per employee per month. A Free edition covers up to 5 users.

Is Zoho People free?+

Yes, there is a Free edition that is forever free for up to 5 users and includes employee database management, time-off management and document management. There is also a 30-day free trial of any paid plan, after which the account moves to the Free plan.

Does Zoho People do payroll?+

Zoho People is not a payroll product itself. Payroll is handled by Zoho Payroll, a separate subscription that integrates with Zoho People. Zoho People also has compensation management from the Premium edition and timesheet/overtime reports that feed payroll processing.

What is Zoho People Plus?+

Zoho People Plus is Zoho's wider HCM suite that bundles Recruit, People, Expense, Connect, Cliq, Sign and Vault into one platform covering hiring, core HR, talent management, travel and expense, intranet, chat and digital signing. It is priced separately at ₹192 per user per month for Premium and ₹350 per user per month for Enterprise, billed yearly.

Zoho People vs Darwinbox — how do they compare?+

The clearest difference is pricing transparency. Zoho publishes Zoho People rates openly: a free edition for up to 5 users, then ₹48 to ₹192 per employee per month billed yearly, a 5-user minimum on paid plans, a 30-day trial, and a quote above 500 users. Darwinbox publishes no price list at all — it is a modular enterprise HCM, so you only get a figure after a demo, and what you pay depends on the modules you take. In practice Zoho People suits small and mid-sized teams that want a price they can budget against today, while Darwinbox targets large enterprises that expect a negotiated contract. App Advisor only publishes figures taken from each vendor's own website, so we quote no Darwinbox number here.

Is there a minimum number of users for Zoho People?+

Yes. Zoho's pricing comparison lists a minimum of 5 users for the Essential HR, Professional, Premium and Enterprise plans. The Free edition allows 1 administrator and up to 5 users.

What support does Zoho People include?+

All plans include 24/5 email support at no additional cost. Premium support is available as a paid upgrade, and the Jumpstart programme offers setup help from Zoho product experts.

What is Zoho People?+

Zoho People is hrms software by Zoho Corporation, an Indian company from Chennai. HR management covering attendance, leave, onboarding and performance.

How much does Zoho People cost?+

Zoho People has a free plan; paid plans start at ₹48/mo. Check the vendor's pricing page for current plans.

Does Zoho People offer a free trial or free plan?+

Yes — Zoho People offers a free plan you can start with.

Is Zoho People made in India?+

Yes. Zoho People is built by Zoho Corporation, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Who is Zoho People best suited for?+

Zoho People suits startup, small business, smb buyers looking for hrms software with product management & roadmapping and employee onboarding software and leave management software and employee self-service (ess) software.

What are the best alternatives to Zoho People?+

Popular alternatives in hrms software include greytHR, Kredily, Zoho Payroll. Use App Advisor's compare tool to see them side by side.

How is Zoho People deployed?+

Zoho People is available as a cloud (SaaS) product, with web access.