Payroll is one of the most important and complex aspects of running a business. It involves calculating salaries, deductions, taxes, benefits, and compliance for your employees. It also requires accuracy, timeliness, and security to avoid errors, penalties, and fraud.
However, managing payroll manually can be tedious, time-consuming, and prone to mistakes. That’s why many businesses opt for payroll software tools that automate and simplify the payroll process. Payroll software tools can help you save time, money, and resources by streamlining your payroll operations and ensuring compliance with tax laws and regulations.
But how do you choose the best payroll software tool for your business? There are many factors to consider, such as features, pricing, reviews, support, and integration. To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a list of the top 10 payroll software tools in India based on these criteria. These are:
- Zoho Payroll
- Keka
- ADP Vista HCM
- CheckMark
- ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll
- Zenefits
- Namely
- ZingHR
- SoftwareSuggest
- sumHR
In this blog post, we will review each of these payroll software tools in detail and highlight their features, pricing, and pros and cons. We will also discuss the benefits of payroll software for employees and employers and how to choose the right one for your business.
Let’s get started!
What is Payroll Software and Why Do You Need It?
Payroll software is a tool that automates and simplifies the payroll process for businesses. It helps you calculate salaries, deductions, taxes, benefits, and compliance for your employees based on their attendance, leaves, overtime, bonuses, reimbursements, and other variables. It also generates payslips, reports, and bank advice online and enables direct deposit of salaries to your employees’ bank accounts.
Payroll software can help you:
- Save time and money by reducing manual work and errors
- Ensure accuracy and compliance with tax laws and regulations
- Improve employee satisfaction and retention by paying them on time and accurately
- Enhance security and confidentiality by protecting your payroll data from unauthorized access or tampering
- Integrate with other HR and accounting systems for seamless data flow and collaboration
Payroll software is essential for any business that has employees. Whether you have a small team or a large workforce, payroll software can help you manage your payroll efficiently and effectively.
Top 10 Payroll Software Tools in India: Features, Pricing, and Reviews
Here are the top 10 payroll software tools in India that you can consider for your business:
Zoho Payroll
Zoho Payroll is a cloud-based payroll software that is part of the Zoho suite of products. It allows you to run payroll in a few clicks and automatically generate payslips online with a breakdown of taxes, allowances, and deductions. It also handles statutory compliance including PF, PT, ESI, LWF and IT and makes filing easy with tax reports.
Zoho Payroll integrates with Zoho People (HRMS), Zoho Books (accounting), Zoho Recruit (recruitment), Zoho Expense (expense management), Zoho Attendance (attendance management), Zoho Leave (leave management), Zoho Shifts (shift management), Zoho Projects (project management), Zoho CRM (customer relationship management), Zoho Analytics (business intelligence), ICICI Bank (banking), HSBC Bank (banking), YES Bank (banking), Razorpay (payment gateway), UPI (payment gateway), Amazon Web Services (cloud computing), Google Workspace (productivity suite), Microsoft Office 365 (productivity suite), Slack (communication platform), Zapier (integration platform), etc.
Zoho Payroll offers a free trial for 15 days and a simple pricing plan based on the number of employees. It costs ₹ 50 per employee per month billed annually with a minimum of 20 employees. It also offers discounts for NGOs and educational institutions.
Zoho Payroll has received positive reviews from users who praise its ease of use, features, support, integration, and affordability.
Pros:
- Easy to use, understand, and implement
- Very intuitive and uncluttered interface
- Regular and timely product updates
- Very precise product and training manuals
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Cannot be much customized in comparison to other Zoho products
- Calculation of yearly bonus as per payment of Bonus Act is not available
- Multi-level approvals not available
Keka
Keka is a cloud-based HR and payroll software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It helps you manage your employee data, attendance, leaves, shifts, projects, timesheets, expenses, performance, and payroll in one platform. It also takes care of your statutory compliance such as PF, ESI, PT, TDS, LWF, etc. and generates Form 16 and other tax reports.
Keka integrates with biometric devices (ESSL, ZKTeco, Realtime, etc.), attendance apps (Keka Attendance App), accounting software (QuickBooks), payment gateways (Razorpay), project management tools (Jira, Asana, Trello, etc.), communication platforms (Slack), email providers (Gmail, Outlook), productivity suites (Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365), etc.
Keka offers a free trial for 7 days and three pricing plans based on the features and number of employees. The Foundation plan costs ₹ 4999 per month for up to 100 employees and includes HRMS and payroll features. The Strength plan costs ₹ 6999 per month for up to 100 employees and includes HRMS, payroll, and performance features. The Growth plan costs ₹ 9999 per month for up to 100 employees and includes HRMS, payroll, performance, and hiring features. For more than 100 employees, the price per employee per month varies from ₹ 49 to ₹ 99 depending on the plan.
Keka has received positive reviews from users who appreciate its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, customer support, and value for money.
Pros:
- Easy to use and configure
- Comprehensive and customizable features
- Excellent customer support
- Affordable pricing
- Regular updates and improvements
Cons:
- Some bugs and glitches reported
- Limited integration options
- No mobile app available
ADP Vista HCM
ADP Vista HCM is a cloud-based payroll software that is designed for small, medium, and large businesses. It allows you to process payroll accurately and securely in 3 simple steps with a highly configurable and scalable system. It also takes care of your statutory compliance such as PF, ESI, PT, TDS, etc. and generates Form 16 and other tax reports.
ADP Vista HCM integrates with ADP iHCM (HRMS), ADP Time & Attendance (attendance management), ADP Leave Management (leave management), ADP Employee Self Service (employee portal), ADP Reporting (reporting tool), ADP Mobile Solutions (mobile app), etc.
ADP Vista HCM offers a free trial and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
ADP Vista HCM has received positive reviews from users who appreciate its features, support, security, and reliability.
Pros:
- Easy to use and configure
- Comprehensive and customizable features
- Excellent customer support
- Secure and reliable system
- Trusted and reputed brand
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Limited integration options
- Complex to learn
CheckMark
CheckMark is a desktop-based payroll software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It helps you run payroll, print checks, pay employer taxes, and generate tax forms in a few minutes. It also handles federal and state tax calculations, deductions, benefits, and compliance for your employees.
CheckMark integrates with CheckMark MultiLedger (accounting software), CheckMark 1099 (1099 software), CheckMark 1095 (1095 software), CheckMark Cloud Backup (cloud backup service), etc.
CheckMark offers a free trial for 60 days and a one-time pricing plan based on the number of employees. It costs $429 for up to 100 employees, $499 for up to 200 employees, $599 for up to 300 employees, and $699 for unlimited employees. It also offers annual updates for $149 per year.
CheckMark has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, security, and affordability.
Pros:
- Easy to use and install
- Comprehensive and customizable features
- Excellent customer support
- Secure and reliable system
- Affordable pricing
Cons:
- No cloud or mobile access
- Limited integration options
- Outdated interface
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll is a cloud-based payroll software that is part of the ELMO suite of HR solutions. It enables you to manage your payroll and HR processes in one integrated system with features such as employee self-service, leave management, rostering, time and attendance, expenses, performance management, learning management, recruitment, onboarding, and more. It also ensures compliance with tax laws and regulations such as Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 (STP2) and SuperStream in AU and Payday Filing and KiwiSaver in NZ.
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), MYOB (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Sage (accounting), JobAdder (recruitment), Seek (recruitment), Indeed (recruitment), LinkedIn (recruitment), Microsoft Teams (communication platform), Slack (communication platform), Zoom (video conferencing), etc.
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll offers a free demo and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and configure
- Comprehensive and integrated features
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other ELMO modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
Zenefits
Zenefits is a cloud-based payroll software that is part of the Zenefits suite of HR solutions. It allows you to process payroll, print checks, pay taxes, and generate tax forms with a few clicks. It also syncs with your HR, benefits, time and attendance, and scheduling data to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Zenefits integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Gusto (payroll), Rippling (payroll), BambooHR (HR), Namely (HR), Slack (communication platform), Microsoft Teams (communication platform), Zoom (video conferencing), etc.
Zenefits offers a free trial and four pricing plans based on the features and number of employees. The Essentials plan costs $8 per employee per month and includes HR, time and scheduling, and integrations. The Growth plan costs $14 per employee per month and includes everything in Essentials plus performance management and compensation management. The Zen plan costs $21 per employee per month and includes everything in Growth plus well-being and surveys. The Payroll plan costs $6 per employee per month and includes payroll processing and tax filing. You can also add on other features such as benefits administration, advisory services, hiring and onboarding, etc. for an additional cost.
Zenefits has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and set up
- Comprehensive and integrated features
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other Zenefits modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
Namely
Namely is a cloud-based payroll software that is part of the Namely suite of HR solutions. It allows you to process payroll, print checks, pay taxes, and generate tax forms with a few clicks. It also syncs with your HR, benefits, time and attendance, and performance data to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Namely integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Gusto (payroll), Rippling (payroll), BambooHR (HR), Zenefits (HR), Slack (communication platform), Microsoft Teams (communication platform), Zoom (video conferencing), etc.
Namely offers a free demo and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
Namely has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and set up
- Comprehensive and integrated features
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other Namely modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
ZingHR
ZingHR is a cloud-based payroll software that is part of the ZingHR suite of HR solutions. It helps you manage your payroll and HR processes in one integrated system with features such as employee self-service, leave management, rostering, time and attendance, expenses, performance management, learning management, recruitment, onboarding, and more. It also ensures compliance with tax laws and regulations such as PF, ESI, PT, TDS, LWF, etc. and generates Form 16 and other tax reports.
ZingHR integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Sage (accounting), Tally (accounting), Zoho (CRM), Salesforce (CRM), Microsoft Dynamics (CRM), Google Workspace (productivity suite), Microsoft Office 365 (productivity suite), Slack (communication platform), Zoom (video conferencing), etc.
ZingHR offers a free demo and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
ZingHR has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and configure
- Comprehensive and integrated features
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other ZingHR modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
SoftwareSuggest
SoftwareSuggest is a cloud-based payroll software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It helps you compare and choose the best payroll software for your business based on your requirements, budget, and preferences. It also provides reviews, ratings, features, pricing, and demos of various payroll software options.
SoftwareSuggest integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Zoho Books (accounting), Tally (accounting), Zoho Payroll (payroll), Keka (payroll), ADP Vista HCM (payroll), CheckMark (payroll), ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll (payroll), Zenefits (payroll), Namely (payroll), ZingHR (payroll), etc.
SoftwareSuggest offers a free trial and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
SoftwareSuggest has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and navigate
- Comprehensive and unbiased comparison of various payroll software options
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other SoftwareSuggest modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- No payroll processing or tax filing features
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
SumHR
sumHR is a cloud-based payroll software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It helps you automate and simplify your payroll process with features such as employee self-service, leave management, attendance management, expense management, performance management, and more. It also ensures compliance with tax laws and regulations such as PF, ESI, PT, TDS, LWF, etc. and generates Form 16 and other tax reports.
sumHR integrates with various third-party applications such as Xero (accounting), QuickBooks (accounting), Zoho Books (accounting), Tally (accounting), Zoho Payroll (payroll), Keka (payroll), ADP Vista HCM (payroll), CheckMark (payroll), ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll (payroll), Zenefits (payroll), Namely (payroll), ZingHR (payroll), etc.
sumHR offers a free trial and a custom pricing plan based on the features and number of employees. You can request a quote from their website or contact their sales team for more details.
sumHR has received positive reviews from users who like its features, support, integration, and user experience.
Pros:
- Easy to use and configure
- Comprehensive and integrated features
- Excellent customer support
- Seamless integration with other sumHR modules and third-party applications
- User-friendly and modern interface
Cons:
- Expensive pricing
- Some bugs and issues reported
- Limited customization options
The Benefits of Payroll Software for Employees and Employers
Payroll software is not only a tool for managing payroll, but also a source of benefits for both employees and employers. Below are some benefits of Payroll Software:
- Users can access payslips, tax forms, leave balances, and other essential HR information from anywhere at any time. Plus, they’ll be able to make changes to personal details or apply for loans quickly without having to go through lengthy processes.
- With payroll software, employers can streamline their processes and minimize errors leading to substantial cost savings. In addition, the software ensures that tax laws and regulations are complied with, ultimately preventing any legal consequences. By integrating the system with other HR and accounting tools, data can be efficiently analyzed for better business outcomes.
Choosing the right payroll management system is crucial for any organization. With payroll software, employers can automate processes like calculating gross pay or withholding taxes while avoiding errors that could result in costly penalties. Meanwhile, employees benefit from transparency in all transactions and have access to features like direct deposit options, which make it easy for them to receive their salaries on time each month. Moreover, this intuitive application typically enables organizations to eliminate paper-intensive tasks and reduce administrative overheads.
How to Choose the Right Payroll Software for Your Business
Managing payroll in this day and age has never been so easy thanks to advancements made in technology. For businesses large or small, Payroll software is integral as it helps automate essential tasks such as tax reporting and filing. But with so many choices available worldwide; deciding on what specific option suits best can be tedious work without guidance from experts in their field like us- offering tailored solutions fit specifically according to business’ requirements! Here are some factors to consider:
- Features: Why waste valuable time on admin tasks when you can easily automate your payroll process? Choose a software program that suits your needs by offering key features like calculating salaries, managing tax filings and payments, generating pay slips and creating reports on demand. You should also check if the software can handle your specific payroll requirements, such as multiple pay cycles, multiple salary structures, variable pay, etc.
- Pricing: You should compare the pricing plans of different payroll software options and see which one fits your budget and offers the best value for money. You should also check if there are any hidden costs or additional charges for updates or support.
- Reviews: You should read the reviews and ratings of different payroll software options from other users and experts. You should look for feedback on the features, performance, support, integration, user experience, etc. of the software. You should also check if there are any complaints or issues reported by the users.
- Support: You should look for a payroll software that offers reliable and responsive customer support. You should check if the software provides online chat, phone call, email, or ticket support. You should also check if the software offers training, documentation, or tutorials to help you learn how to use it.
- Integration: You should look for a payroll software that integrates with other HR and accounting systems that you use for your business. This can help you avoid data duplication and inconsistency, and improve data flow and collaboration across your systems.
Choosing the right payroll software for your business can be a challenging task, but it can also be a rewarding one. By considering these factors, you can find a payroll software that suits your needs and expectations.
Conclusion
Payroll software is a powerful tool that can help you manage your payroll process efficiently and effectively. It can offer various benefits for both employees and employers, such as convenience, transparency, accuracy, compliance, security, integration, etc.
However, not all payroll software options are created equal. You need to do your research and compare different options based on their features, pricing, reviews, support, integration, etc.
We hope this blog post has helped you understand what payroll software is and how to choose the best one for your business. If you have any questions or comments about payroll software or anything related to HR and payroll management in India please feel free to contact us.
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