Keka vs Zoho People
Keka and Zoho People both run core HR, attendance and leave for small and mid-sized firms. They part ways on price and on project work. Zoho People publishes USD plans from $1.50 to $10 per user a month, with a five-user minimum on paid plans. Keka sells HR, payroll, hiring and a projects module as one product. It prices by region and headcount, with no public per-seat figure.
What each one costs
| Product | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho People Essential HR | $1.50 | per user / month billed monthly ($1.25 billed yearly) |
| Zoho People Professional | $2.50 | per user / month billed monthly ($2 billed yearly) |
| Zoho People Premium | $3.50 | per user / month billed monthly ($3 billed yearly) |
| Zoho People Enterprise | $5 | per user / month billed monthly ($4.50 billed yearly) |
| Zoho People Plus | $10 | per user / month billed monthly ($9 billed yearly) |
| Keka Foundation, Strength, Growth | Priced by region | no public per-seat figure; a minimum-headcount base applies |
| PeopleMuster | $3 | per person / month, every module included, from the first person |
Zoho People figures are the USD prices read from zoho.com/people on 24 September 2026. Paid Zoho plans need at least five users, the free edition covers five users (three in the United States) and the trial runs 30 days. Keka's plan names and region tabs were read on keka.com in September 2026. Its base price loads per region, so it isn't quoted here.
Why teams choose PeopleMuster
- You can size the bill before a call. It's $3 per person a month from the first person, with no seat minimum and no base fee.
- Leave, attendance and client projects share one database. When a manager approves someone's leave, those days drop out of the capacity plan straight away.
- Timesheets are logged per day against a project, approved by a manager, and they're the numbers your utilisation report reads, by project and by department.
- Fourteen days free with no card. After that it's $3 a month per person, or $30 per person per year on annual billing.
Questions people ask
Is Keka or Zoho People cheaper for a small team?
Zoho People is the one you can price from its own page. Its USD plans run from $1.50 to $10 per user a month. Paid plans need five users, and a free edition covers up to five. Keka loads its base price by region and applies a minimum headcount, so you'll need a quote to compare like for like.
Does Keka or Zoho People track time against client projects?
Both do, in different shapes. Keka sells a Projects and TimeSheets (PSA) module as a tab of the same product. Zoho People's timesheets model jobs, projects and clients with billable flags, and invoicing is handled in sibling Zoho apps.
Is there one tool that runs HR and client delivery at a published price?
PeopleMuster does. It's $3 per person a month with every module included: attendance, leave, timesheets, utilisation, the capacity plan and client projects in one database. New customers get 14 days free with no card.