An honest comparison
Kuzhu vs Zoho People
Pick Zoho People if your company already runs on Zoho, with CRM, Books, Desk and Mail under one admin, and you want HR in the same suite with the same logins, adding Zoho Payroll for the pay run. Pick Kuzhu if you want payroll and statutory compliance inside the HR system rather than beside it, one vendor for HR and the operational modules, a database of your own hosted in India, and support on the phone in Hindi or English.
About Zoho People: Zoho People is the HR product of the Zoho suite, built by Chennai-based Zoho and used by companies of every size that already run Zoho CRM, Books or Desk. It covers the employee database, attendance, leave, shifts, performance and onboarding, with payroll handled by the separate Zoho Payroll product. It is priced per user per month across editions, with a free edition for very small teams. Their site.
Kuzhu is best for
Companies that want HR, payroll and operations from one Indian vendor on one record
Zoho People is best for
Companies already standardised on the Zoho suite who want HR to match
Side by side
What each one does
The Zoho People column describes their product as generally offered; plans change, so confirm the current detail on their site before deciding. We do not quote competitor prices for the same reason.
| Area |  Kuzhu |  |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per employee per month with no monthly minimum; Basic is free for life up to 15 employees | Per user per month across editions; a free edition for very small teams |
| Indian payroll compliance | PF, ESI, PT, TDS, Form 24Q, arrears and F&F computed inside the run, with challans and registers | Through the separate Zoho Payroll product, integrated with Zoho People |
| Attendance sources | Biometric devices, web clock and GPS-tagged mobile punch, all into one muster | Biometric integrations, web check-in with IP restriction, and GPS mobile |
| Leave and shifts | Policy-driven leave with accrual, carry-forward and encashment; rotating rosters with week-offs and night allowances | Leave policies and shift scheduling with rotation |
| Beyond HR | Expenses on Growth; assets, procurement, CRM, support desk and invoicing on Enterprise, all on the same employee record | Through separate Zoho products such as Expense, CRM, Desk and Books, each licensed on its own |
| Data ownership | Dedicated database per company, hosted in India; full export at any time and for 90 days after cancellation | Shared multi-tenant cloud with an Indian data-centre option; exports through reports |
| Implementation | Two to four weeks, including one parallel payroll reconciled to the rupee | Self-serve or partner-led; timeline depends on how much of the suite you adopt |
| Support | Phone and WhatsApp in Hindi and English; priority queue on Growth, a named contact on Enterprise | Email and chat; phone on paid editions — check current plans |
| Mobile app | Android and iOS: GPS punch, leave, payslips, expense claims and manager approvals | Android and iOS app; Zoho Payroll has its own |
| White-label | On Enterprise: your logo, colours and hr.yourcompany.com with managed SSL | Logo and theme; custom domain in higher editions — check current plans |
Choose Zoho People if
- You already run Zoho CRM, Books or Desk and want one suite, one login and one bill
- You want a free edition for a very small team and a per-user price above it
- You need Zoho’s depth of custom forms and automation across the whole suite
- You operate outside India as well and want an HR product with global editions
Choose Kuzhu if
- You want PF, ESI, PT and TDS computed inside the payroll run, not in a second product
- You want one vendor and one record for HR, payroll, expenses, assets and procurement
- You want a dedicated database of your own, hosted in India, with a full export at any time
- You want implementation with a parallel payroll, and support on the phone or WhatsApp
Moving from Zoho People
What changes, and how long it takes
- Employee records and leave history imported
- PF, ESI, PT and TDS computed inside the payroll run rather than after it
- Registers, challans and returns produced from the same numbers as the payslips
Typical time: 4 weeks. You keep: The rest of your Zoho stack. Kuzhu has an API.
Questions people ask about Kuzhu and Zoho People
Is Kuzhu cheaper than Zoho People?
On the HR module alone, Zoho People’s per-user price is low and its free edition covers a very small team. Add Zoho Payroll for the pay run and the comparison changes, because Kuzhu’s per-employee price includes payroll on Growth. Compare the total for HR plus payroll on your real headcount; ask us for that number.
Can I migrate from Zoho People to Kuzhu?
Yes. Employee records and leave history come across from your Zoho export; salary structures are rebuilt and proven in a parallel payroll reconciled to the rupee. Four weeks is typical. The rest of your Zoho stack stays where it is.
Does Kuzhu integrate with the rest of the Zoho suite like Zoho People does?
Not natively, because it is not a Zoho product. Kuzhu has a documented REST API and webhooks, so Zoho CRM and Books can keep talking to HR. If you would rather consolidate, Kuzhu has its own CRM and invoicing modules on Enterprise. If deep, zero-effort Zoho integration is the point, stay in Zoho.
Does Kuzhu have Zoho People’s custom forms and automation?
Kuzhu has custom fields on the employee record, a workflow engine for approvals across every module, letter templates with merge fields and an API for anything beyond that. Zoho’s form builder and scripting go further for building arbitrary custom apps. If you need that, Zoho People is the better fit.
Decide on your numbers
See both on your own payroll
Bring last month’s salary sheet. We run it through Kuzhu in front of you, show the difference, and tell you plainly if Zoho People is the better fit for you.
WhatsApp us