Zoho People Performance

by Zoho Corporation · Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Since 1996

Appraisals and KRAs in Zoho People.

Performance & OKR softwareMade in IndiaFree plan

Starting price: From ₹144/user/mo; Premium plan (yearly billing) is the first tier with performance management
Free trial / plan: Free plan (no appraisals); Free for up to 5 users; performance needs Premium
Deployment: Cloud; Web
App Advisor rating: 4.7; transparency & India fit

What is Zoho People Performance?

Zoho People Performance is not a separate product you buy on its own. It is the performance module inside Zoho People, Zoho's HR software, and it covers KRAs, SMART goals, self-appraisals, 360-degree and multi-rater feedback, skill sets and competencies, a nine-box matrix, OKRs and salary-hike cycles. For an Indian company of 30 to 500 people that already runs leave and attendance in Zoho People, switching on appraisals here is usually cheaper and quicker than adding a dedicated tool like Darwinbox or Keka's PMS.

The catch is the plan. Zoho's own pricing data puts Essential HR at ₹48 per user per month on yearly billing, but that tier has no performance management. Performance and compensation start at Premium, which is ₹144 per user per month billed yearly or ₹180 month to month, with a five-user minimum on paid plans. Enterprise at ₹192 yearly adds an HR help desk, an LMS and a sandbox. Zoho bills only active employees, so licences of people who leave can be reassigned.

Where it does well: appraisal templates are flexible, with weightages per KRA or skill, normalisation, and hike rules that can depend on rating, date of joining or experience. Reviews can run monthly, quarterly or half-yearly. Recognition links to Xoxoday and Vantage Circle, both widely used in India. Where it falls short: the setup has many settings, so HR teams without a Zoho partner often spend weeks getting forms and cycles right, and the reports are functional rather than polished.

Practical advice: start the 30-day trial on Premium, run one dummy appraisal cycle with two departments, and check whether your rating scale and hike letters fit before you commit to annual billing. If you only need goal tracking for a sales team, a lighter tool may be enough; if you want HR, attendance and appraisals in one bill, this is one of the cheapest options in rupees.

What works well

+Premium plan with full appraisals costs ₹144 per user per month billed yearly
+KRAs, goals, skill sets and competencies can each carry custom weightages
+Salary-hike rules can use rating, date of joining and work experience
+Nine-box matrix and 360-degree feedback are included rather than sold as add-ons
+Recognition integrates with Indian platforms Xoxoday and Vantage Circle
+Licences count only active users and can be reassigned when people leave
+Free 30-day trial unlocks every feature of the chosen plan

What to watch out for

−Performance management is missing from Essential HR and Professional plans
−Paid plans require at least five users, so tiny teams pay for empty seats
−Indian payroll is a separate Zoho Payroll subscription, not part of Premium
−Configuring appraisal cycles, forms and normalisation takes real HR effort
−Organisations above 500 users must request a quote instead of seeing prices

Best suited for: Indian SMEs with 20-500 staff that already use Zoho People for leave and attendance · Companies running KRA-based annual or half-yearly appraisals with hike letters · Businesses on other Zoho apps such as Zoho Payroll, Recruit or Books · HR teams wanting 360 feedback and nine-box reviews on a tight per-user budget

Zoho People Performance at a glance

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

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

Zoho People Performance features

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

Goals and KRAs

SMART goals aligned to department objectives
Key Result Areas with custom weightage
OKRs
Goal completion reports

Appraisals

Custom appraisal templates
Self-appraisal and multi-rater feedback
Rating normalisation
Monthly, quarterly or half-yearly continuous reviews

Skills and talent

Skill sets mapped to domains with weightage
Competency-based evaluation
Skill set matrix for project staffing
Nine-box performance-potential grid

Compensation and recognition

Salary hikes as separate or appraisal-linked cycles
Hike rules by rating, date of joining and experience
Salary revisions with approvals
Rewards via Xoxoday and Vantage Circle

Feedback and reporting

Real-time 360-degree feedback
Appraisal rating reports
Acquired skill set reports
Advanced HR analytics on Premium

Zoho People Performance pricing (INR)

Source

Every edition as published by the vendor · free trial: 30-day free trial with all features of the chosen plan; account moves to the Free plan afterwards. Prices exclude GST unless stated. Full Zoho People Performance pricing breakdown

Free

₹0

Forever free, up to 5 users

Employee database
Time-off management
Document management
No performance module

Essential HR

₹48 /user/month

Billed yearly; ₹60 month to month

Onboarding and offboarding
Employee database and documents
Time-off and HR reports
Zia bot; no performance module

Professional

₹96 /user/month

Billed yearly; ₹120 month to month

Everything in Essential HR
Attendance management
Timesheets
Roster management; no performance module

Premium

₹144 /user/month

Billed yearly; ₹180 month to month

Performance management: KRAs, goals, 360 feedback, appraisals
OKRs and skill sets
Compensation and salary revisions
Employee engagement and advanced HR analytics

Enterprise

₹192 /user/month

Billed yearly; ₹240 month to month

Everything in Premium
HR help desk
Learning management system
Sandbox

• Paid plans have a five-user minimum.
• Licences apply only to active users and can be reassigned.
• Organisations above 500 users are asked to request a quote.
• Yearly subscriptions can be paid by bank transfer or cheque; cards and PayPal also accepted.
• INR figures taken from the price data that loads on Zoho's official pricing page; GST not stated as included.

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 Analytics
Paybooks
greytHR
Xoxoday
Vantage Circle
WhatsApp
Microsoft Teams
Slack
Zoho Sign, Adobe Sign and Docusign
Zapier and Zoho Flow

For Indian businesses

Zoho publishes INR pricing for Zoho People: Premium is ₹144 per user per month yearly or ₹180 monthly.
Payroll integrations include Indian providers Paybooks and greytHR, besides Zoho Payroll.
Rewards integrations are with Xoxoday and Vantage Circle, both Indian-founded recognition platforms.
Zoho Corporation, which builds Zoho People, was founded in India.

Is Zoho People Performance the best choice for you?

Best choice if you are…

Indian SMEs with 20-500 staff that already use Zoho People for leave and attendance
Companies running KRA-based annual or half-yearly appraisals with hike letters
Businesses on other Zoho apps such as Zoho Payroll, Recruit or Books
HR teams wanting 360 feedback and nine-box reviews on a tight per-user budget

Look elsewhere if you are…

Teams that only want OKR tracking without an HR system around it
Large enterprises needing deep talent analytics and succession planning out of the box
Firms with fewer than five employees, given the paid-plan minimum

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

Sources (6) · updated October 2026

Specifications

Category: Performance & OKR 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

Free plan

View

Zoho People Performance vs Synergita Zoho People Performance vs Peoplebox Zoho People Performance vs greytHR Performance Zoho People Performance vs Keka Performance Zoho People Performance vs 15Five

Compare all Zoho People Performance alternatives with pricing →

Zoho People Performance — frequently asked questions

How much does Zoho People performance management cost in India?+

Performance management in Zoho People starts on the Premium plan, which Zoho lists at ₹144 per user per month on yearly billing or ₹180 per user per month on monthly billing. Paid plans need at least five users. Enterprise costs ₹192 yearly and adds a help desk, LMS and sandbox. Organisations with more than 500 employees are asked to request a quote.

Is GST included in Zoho People prices?+

Zoho People's pricing page does not state that GST is included. Zoho's other Indian price lists say local taxes such as GST are charged on top, so budget for 18% over the Premium figure of ₹144 per user per month. Check the final invoice amount at checkout before you pay, especially on annual plans for larger teams.

Does the Zoho People free plan include appraisals?+

No. The Zoho People free plan covers up to five users with an employee database, time-off and document management, but appraisals, KRAs, 360 feedback and goals are reserved for Premium and Enterprise. You can try the performance module through the 30-day free trial, after which the account drops back to the free plan unless you subscribe.

Is there a free trial for Zoho People Performance?+

Yes. Zoho People offers a 30-day free trial with access to every feature of the plan you choose. Pick Premium if you want to test appraisals, goals, KRAs, nine-box and salary hikes. When the trial ends without payment, Zoho moves the account to the free plan, so set up a test cycle early in the 30 days.

Can Zoho People handle KRA-based appraisals and salary hikes?+

Yes. Zoho People lets managers set KRAs and SMART goals with weightages, collect self-appraisals and multi-rater feedback, and normalise ratings. Salary hikes can run as part of the appraisal or as a separate cycle, with rules based on rating, date of joining and work experience. This suits the annual or half-yearly review style common in Indian firms.

Zoho People vs Keka: which is better for performance reviews?+

Zoho People Performance is cheaper per user and fits companies already on Zoho apps, with KRAs, 360 feedback and nine-box included on Premium at ₹144 per user per month yearly. Keka bundles payroll and is often preferred by firms wanting one Indian HR-payroll product. If you need payroll, compare Zoho People plus Zoho Payroll against Keka's combined price.

Does Zoho People have a mobile app for appraisals?+

Yes. Zoho People has apps for Android and iOS, listed on Zoho's product site. Employees use the app for everyday HR tasks such as leave and attendance, and it gives access to the same account where performance data lives. Large appraisal forms and admin settings are easier to handle in the web version, so plan for HR to configure cycles on desktop.

Is employee performance data safe in Zoho People?+

Zoho People runs on Zoho's own cloud infrastructure rather than a third-party host, and Zoho publishes its security certifications on its compliance page. Inside Zoho People, admins control who can see appraisal forms and ratings through roles. Ask Zoho for its data residency options if you need employee records kept in India for internal policy reasons.

How long does it take to set up Zoho People performance management?+

A small company with one appraisal template can be running in Zoho People within one to two weeks: import employees, define KRAs and skills, set rating scales and launch a cycle. Companies with several departments, normalisation and hike rules usually need three to six weeks, and many use a Zoho partner. Use the 30-day trial for a pilot cycle.

What is Zoho People Performance?+

Zoho People Performance is performance & okr software by Zoho Corporation, an Indian company from Chennai. Appraisals and KRAs in Zoho People.

How much does Zoho People Performance cost?+

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

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

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

Is Zoho People Performance made in India?+

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

Who is Zoho People Performance best suited for?+

Zoho People Performance suits startup, small business, smb buyers looking for performance & okr software.

What are the best alternatives to Zoho People Performance?+

Popular alternatives in performance & okr software include Synergita, Peoplebox, greytHR Performance. Use App Advisor's compare tool to see them side by side.

How is Zoho People Performance deployed?+

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