Zoho Payroll comes from a renowned brand like Zoho, and for many startups and SMEs, it was an obvious choice. Because their business already runs on multiple Zoho products, getting Zoho Payroll as their payout solution only made sense.
However, after reading a few Reddit threads, we can safely say that some startups struggle with this tool. Features like an inflexible payroll schedule and the absence of on-off payroll are not scalable for startups as they grow their teams.
If you are considering signing up for Zoho Payroll, we would suggest reading this Zoho Payroll review before making a final call.
Let’s get to it.
Zoho Payroll is a compliant payroll software
It offers four pricing tiers:
Free (up to 10 employees),
Standard (₹1250/month for up to 25 employees),
Professional (₹3750/month for up to 50 employees),
Premium (₹5000/month for up to 50 employees).The software has limitations for growing businesses, including minimum user commitment and feature restrictions in lower-tier plans
Users praise its simple interface and integration with Zoho People, but criticise its rigidity, lack of customisation, and poor customer support
Zoho payroll in itself is not enough to manage the entire admin, HR operations from one place. You will need to buy multiple disjointed products to solve for all use cases
The review suggests that Zoho Payroll may not be ideal for rapidly growing startups and recommends exploring alternatives like Craze for more flexibility
Zoho Payroll is simple, compliant payroll software by Zoho that connects with other Zoho products.
In this section, we will break down the different features of Zoho Payroll.
Automates payroll calculation, payslip generation, and breakdown of tax policies, allowances and deductions
Compatible with multiple salary structures for different designations
Transfers salaries to employees’ bank accounts directly
Ensures statutory payroll compliance and generates PF, PT, ESI, IT and similar tax reports
Self-service portals to speed up employee operations and collaborations
Automate privileges, benefits and perks
Multiple role-based admin access to protect the privacy of payroll operations
Features & Availability
Features | Availability |
Error-free, timely payroll processing | Yes |
Tax compliance and filing | Yes |
Multiple payment options and direct deposits | Yes |
Multi-currency support | Yes |
Mobile Accessibility | Yes |
Benefits and deduction management | Yes |
Customised payroll reports | Yes |
Confidentiality of secured employee data | Yes |
Employee expense management | Yes |
Audit and reconciliation tool | Yes |
Employee self-service portal | Yes |
Flexible payroll schedule | No |
One-off payroll | No |
Let us assess Zoho Payroll’s pricing in detail:
Free Forever: Costs ₹0 and accommodates up to 10 employees. It provides limited access to features like automated payroll calculation, payslip generation, compliance, etc. However, you won’t have access to salary templates, custom salary components, loans and advances, etc.
Standard: Costs ₹1250/month and accommodates a minimum of 25 employees, with ₹50 per additional employee. The Standard plan provides access to features like salary templates and components, loans, letter templates, statutory bonuses, etc. However, you won’t have access to reporting tags, bonuses, custom fields and similar personalised features.
Professional: This plan costs ₹3750/month and accommodates a minimum of 50 employees, with ₹70 charged per additional employee. It provides access to all the features in the Standard plan, along with more custom features like bonus and off-cycle pay runs, salary revision, reporting tags, custom reminders, etc.
We believe Zoho Payroll may not be the most suitable option for startups and SMEs. Here's why:
Multiple products are needed for full functionality
Zoho Payroll is not a complete solution on its own. To manage your HR and finance workflows, you’ll also need Zoho People, Zoho Expense, and other Zoho products. These tools are not fully integrated, leading to more manual work, duplicate data entry, and operational inefficiencies.
Standalone pricing looks affordable, but adds up fast
While each product seems reasonably priced on its own, using multiple disconnected tools increases overall costs. What starts as a low-cost payroll tool quickly turns into a complex, expensive system that is hard to manage and harder to budget for.
Minimum user commitments inflate costs
The Standard plan costs ₹1,250 per month for 25 users, and the Professional plan costs ₹3,750 per month for 50 users. If your team is smaller, you still pay for the full user block. A 12-person startup ends up paying for 25 users, which makes pricing inefficient for small teams.
Essential features locked in higher plans
The Free Forever plan is limited to very basic features. Even the Standard plan lacks custom fields, advanced reporting, bonuses, and other important tools. To unlock full functionality, you need to move to the Professional plan, which comes at a higher monthly cost.
Lack of flexibility and predictability
With feature gating, product fragmentation, and user minimums, Zoho Payroll’s pricing becomes less predictable and harder to scale with. For growing teams, this means more time spent managing systems and less time focusing on actual growth.
A simpler way to think about fair pricing is a per-employee, per-month model: every advanced feature stays unlocked, and you pay only for the people on your team, whether that’s 5, 50, or 500.
Wondering where to find such software? We recommend Craze for startups and growing businesses. Craze provides you access to all advanced features without any lock-ins, no setup fees, and no minimum commitments or charges on a per-employee basis.
If Zoho Payroll’s fixed plans feel rigid, you can explore more flexible pricing with Craze:
Core HR platform – ₹60 per employee per month
Core includes the essentials: employee directory, org chart, role-based permissions, secure documents, and smooth onboarding and off-boarding workflows.Add only the modules you need
Payroll, Leave & Attendance, Document Management, IT Asset Management, Employee Engagement, Performance Management. Each module layers onto Core and is priced to your headcount and combination of products, so bigger teams see lower per-employee rates.
No hidden catches
• Pay strictly per employee with no minimum-user clauses
• All features unlocked from day one, no “advanced” paywalls
• Bundle discounts when you stack multiple modules
• Zero setup fees and the same white-glove support that Craze is known for
Bottom line: lock in the predictable ₹60 Core fee, then mix and match the extras your team will use. As you scale, the per-head price goes down rather than up, giving you pricing that rewards growth instead of penalising it.
We have assessed users’ reviews across platforms like Software Suggest and Capterra to understand what the existing users of Zoho Payroll feel about the product:
Zoho Payroll positive reviews
Zoho Payroll negative reviews
- source
Overall verdict of Zoho Payroll
Pros:
Simple user interface and dashboard
Narrow learning curve
Integrates with Zoho People and other Zoho products
Cons:
Software is rigid, not flexible. You cannot change the payroll calendar and schedule after setting it once.
One-off payroll is not available. You have to make all payouts at the same time
Poor and unresponsive customer support.
Limited customisation options.
Multi-level approval workflows are not available.
The platform doesn’t support half-day leave or holiday work, even in the highest pricing plan.
Frequent bugs in pay days, like calculating 31 days in a 30 day month.
Based on our analysis of Zoho Payroll and after reading the reviews of existing users, it is clear that Zoho Payroll is not an apt solution for growing startups and SMEs. It is an efficient product for small businesses with limited team members or solopreneurs running simple payroll operations.
However, when you onboard more team members, Zoho Payroll collapses. First, there are minimum commitments. Second, it locks critical features and doesn’t allow flexible payroll operations. Third, you only get limited support.
Therefore, growing businesses should explore more Zoho Payroll alternatives.
Craze
Craze is an HRMS platform offering payroll, core HR operations, leave management, attendance management and equipment within the same dashboard. It helps startups and growing businesses to accommodate unlimited employees with simple, easy-to-set-up payroll operations.
Craze onboards startups within hours, calculates payroll end-to-end and processes payouts within scheduled dates through one-click payments.
Unlike Zoho Payroll, Craze offers access to all advanced payroll features to users, including compliance, approval workflows, access control and permissions, account integrations, salary revisions, and so on.
Here's how Craze stands out compared to others:
Unmatched granularity and control: Advanced workflows for reimbursements, leaves, attendance, and more, with flexible approvals and rejections.
Smart policy management: Assign policies at a cluster level — no manual work when employees move between roles or locations.
Fast, founder-led support: We respond within minutes. No ticket queues. You’ll always have senior team involvement.
Modern, intuitive UI: Built for today’s teams — simple, clean, and easy to use.
Transparent, affordable pricing: No hidden support, onboarding, or feature access charges.
Read more about Craze vs. Zoho Payroll
Here’s what Craze customers say about the product 👇
RazorpayX Payroll
RazorpayX Payroll offers access to automated payroll solutions for both startups and enterprises.
GreytHR
GreyHR’s free plan is suitable for small businesses that want to manage basic HR and payroll operations.
Keka
Keka is an all-in-one HRMS platform offering access to payroll and other HR activities.
Kredily
Kredily simplifies payroll calculation and payslip generation for mid-size businesses.
We hope this piece helps you get a clear picture of Zoho Payroll and whether it will be a suitable platform for your business.
If you are considering exploring Zoho Payroll alternatives, our vote goes to Craze Payroll. Here’s why:
Craze helps startups build their people operations from scratch
Craze is affordable and doesn’t lock up access to advanced payroll features
Craze comes with responsive support that’s always ready to help
Want to explore Craze first-hand?
What types & sizes of businesses benefit most from using Zoho Payroll?
Zoho Payroll is best suited for small businesses with limited team members or solopreneurs running simple payroll operations. It can accommodate up to 50 employees, making it less ideal for rapidly growing startups or larger companies.
Is immediate support available with Zoho Payroll?
Zoho Payroll's customer support is poor and unresponsive. The article doesn't mention any immediate support options.
Does Zoho Payroll include features for payroll and compliance management?
Yes, Zoho Payroll offers features for payroll calculation, payslip generation, and statutory compliance, including PF, PT, ESI, and IT reporting. However, some users note limitations in customisation and flexibility.
Is there a mobile app available for Zoho Payroll?
Zoho Payroll doesn’t have a dedicated app, but it offers mobile accessibility.
