Best HRMS for software houses

PeopleMuster ranks first for software houses of 20 to 60 people. Attendance, project time with approvals, utilisation by project and department, a skills map and a capacity plan share one database, for $3 per person a month. Keka ranks second, adding payroll and hiring on a regional quote with a headcount floor.

How this was judged

Ranked on how much of the path from check-in to utilisation one system covers, at a price a 20 to 60 person team can read.

Seven products were compared in September 2026 against five jobs a software house runs: the employee record, attendance, project time, utilisation reporting and capacity planning. Coverage was scored, and every price was re-read from the vendor's own pricing page on 24 September 2026, in the currency it was published in.

The ranking

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month in USD, every module included, no tiers. No seat minimum, 14 days free.

Who it suits: A dev shop of 20 to 60 people that wants its whole working week in one system.
Where it wins: Covers all five: attendance with on-time rate and late minutes, project time with approvals, utilisation posted to Slack, a capacity grid with leave built in, and skills mapped to people.

Keka

Priced by region, with plan tabs and a minimum headcount. Checked September 2026.

Who it suits: Software houses of fifty or more that want one contract covering everything.
Where it wins: Covers HR, payroll, hiring and project time, and markets resources, attendance, skills and bandwidth as one product.
Where it falls short: No single published price, a headcount floor, and regional tabs that make comparison work.

greytHR

India: Essential ₹2,495 a month including 50 employees, then ₹45 each; Growth ₹4,495, then ₹85 each. Middle East: Essential $50 a month including 10, then $2 each; Growth $60, then $3 each. 7-day trial, no lock-in. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: Software houses in India or the Gulf that want an HR system with published regional bands.
Where it wins: Published price bands per region, a 7-day trial and no lock-in.
Where it falls short: Prices are set per region, and every employee past the included count adds to the base.

Zoho People

In USD: Essential HR $1.50 to People Plus $10 per user a month billed monthly ($1.25 to $9 annual). Paid plans need 5 users; prices vary by region. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: Cost-driven dev shops already using Zoho tools.
Where it wins: Covers HR, attendance and project time, with hiring and billing in sibling apps.
Where it falls short: Coverage is spread across products, and prices vary by region.

BambooHR

Core $10, Pro $17, Elite $25 per employee a month. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Software houses that want a dedicated HR record and will pair it with a PSA.
Where it wins: Hiring and the employee record are strong, and the tiers are public.
Where it falls short: No client project time or utilisation.

Productive.io

Essential $10 per user a month billed yearly, $12 monthly; Professional $25 yearly, $29 monthly; 3-seat minimum. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: Dev shops that bill clients and want the money view first.
Where it wins: Project time and utilisation with financial depth.
Where it falls short: Not an HR system. It integrates out for employee records by design.

Deel

HR Core from $5 per employee a month. Find Talent $14 per worker a month. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Dev shops hiring across borders.
Where it wins: Hiring and paying people in several countries, with each product priced on the page.
Where it falls short: No client project time, and costs climb as products are added.

Questions people ask

What's the best HR software for a 30-person software development agency?

For a 30-person dev shop, PeopleMuster: $3 per person a month, so ninety dollars covers attendance, project time, utilisation, the capacity plan and a skills map. There's no seat minimum and no setup fee, and we set it up with you.

What does a software house need that generic HR software misses?

Three things, usually. Project time logged against clients, a utilisation number that survives an argument, and a capacity plan that knows who is on leave. HR products tend to stop at the record, and PSAs tend to hold no employee record.

Can PeopleMuster show who knows what?

Yes. A skills taxonomy maps skills to people and shows them on each profile, so staffing a project starts from a list rather than memory.

How is utilisation calculated?

From logged hours: hours recorded against projects, reported by project, department and sheet status, with a week-over-week trend.