GreytHR and Keka are two of the most widely used HRMS platforms in India, and they are not trying to solve the same problem. GreytHR is a payroll-first system built by a team that spent years doing statutory compliance before adding HR features on top. Keka is an employee-experience-first system built around a modern interface, integrated workflows, and a genuine performance management module. Both handle Indian payroll correctly. That is roughly where the similarities end.
This comparison covers pricing, features, ideal company size, and the specific scenarios where one genuinely outperforms the other so you can make the call without booking four demos.
The One-Line Summary
Choose greytHR if payroll accuracy and Indian statutory compliance are your primary concerns, your HR team is small, and you don’t need performance management or recruitment built in.
Choose Keka if you want an integrated system that covers payroll, attendance, performance reviews, and eventually recruitment and you’re willing to pay more for the experience and the unified workflow.
| Neither tool is a clear winner the right choice depends almost entirely on where your HR team spends the most time. A company drowning in payroll errors and statutory notices needs a different tool than one trying to improve appraisal cycles and reduce attrition. |
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature / Area | greytHR | Keka |
| Payroll engine | Deep Indian compliance PF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS, Form 16. Built from the ground up for Indian payroll. | Full Indian compliance with an automated payroll engine. Strong statutory accuracy. |
| Performance management | Add-on module (₹35/user/month). Basic goal-setting and appraisals not a strength. | Included in Growth tier. OKRs, 360-degree feedback, 9-box grid, calibration, compensation linkage. |
| Attendance & leave | Biometric integration, shift management, geo-fencing. Custom leave policies with location rules. | GPS clock-in, geo-fencing, selfie clock-in, biometric support. Robust leave calendar and tracking. |
| Recruitment | Limited add-on module at ₹2,500/recruiter/month. Not a primary use case. | Separate Hiring module (Pro/Advanced plans). Strong ATS with AI job descriptions, resume parsing. |
| Mobile app | Functional; reported performance issues from some users. | More polished interface; some features lag behind desktop version. |
| Interface | Functional but dated-looking. Familiar for experienced HR teams. | Modern, clean, employee-experience-focused design. |
| Integrations | Standard biometric devices, tally, accounting tools. | API, webhooks, SSO, calendar integrations on Growth+ tier. |
| Pricing model | ₹3,495–₹7,495/month base (50 employees) + ₹35–₹105/extra employee. Add-on modules priced separately. | Foundation / Strength / Growth tiers. OKRs and performance only in Growth. Setup fee applies. Annual billing. |
| Best for | SMEs prioritising payroll accuracy and compliance on a tighter budget. | Growth-stage companies (100–1,000 employees) wanting integrated HR, performance, and payroll. |
| Customer support | Generally responsive; some inconsistency during mid-month payroll issues. | 24–48 hour response times typical can be slow during urgent payroll runs. |
Pricing Comparison
| greytHR | Keka | |
| Entry plan | Essential ₹3,495/month (up to 50 employees) | Foundation price on request (free trial available) |
| Mid plan | Growth ₹5,495/month (up to 50 employees + ₹65/extra) | Strength adds onboarding, geo-fencing, analytics, SSO |
| Top plan | Enterprise ₹7,495/month (up to 50 employees + ₹105/extra) | Growth adds OKRs, performance reviews, compensation planning, automation |
| Performance module | Add-on: ₹35/user/month (not in any base plan) | Included in Growth tier only |
| Recruitment module | Add-on: ₹2,500/recruiter/month | Separate Hiring product Pro or Advanced plan |
| Setup fee | None stated | Nominal setup fee applies (amount not published) |
| Billing terms | Monthly, no lock-in stated | Annual billing required |
| Keka does not publish prices publicly the figures here are based on third-party sources and may have changed. Contact Keka directly for a current quote. GreytHR publishes its base plan prices, though per-employee add-on costs and module pricing apply on top. |
Where greytHR Is the Better Choice
You’re under 150 employees and payroll is the entire problem. GreytHR has been doing Indian payroll compliance longer than most competitors. PF, ESI, TDS, PT, LWF it handles all of them, with statutory reports generated in the prescribed formats. If your primary pain point is salary processing errors or late filings, greytHR solves that reliably at a lower price point than Keka.
Your budget is tight and you don’t need performance management now. GreytHR’s Essential plan at ₹3,495/month covers payroll, attendance, and leave for 50 employees. Keka’s equivalent plan doesn’t include performance features either, but it costs significantly more. If you’re not running structured appraisals and won’t be for 12–18 months, greytHR is the more cost-efficient starting point.
Your HR team already knows the system. GreytHR has been in the market long enough that many Indian HR professionals have used it before. There’s less training overhead when the new hire already knows how to process an ECR file on greytHR than when everyone needs to learn a new platform from scratch.
Where Keka Is the Better Choice
You’re scaling past 100 employees and want performance management in the same system. Keka’s Growth tier includes OKRs, 360-degree feedback, calibration, and compensation planning all integrated with payroll. When appraisal outcomes feed directly into salary revisions without an export, you eliminate the most error-prone step in the annual increment cycle. GreytHR can do performance management but only as a paid add-on that doesn’t integrate as tightly.
Your employees interact with HR tools directly. Keka is designed around the employee experience not just the HR admin experience. The interface is clean enough that employees actually log in to check their payslip, apply for leave, and submit self-appraisals without calling HR. GreytHR is functional but looks like a product that was built for HR teams, not employees.
You plan to add recruitment in the next 12 months. Keka’s Hiring module is a full ATS requisitions, custom stages, AI job descriptions, resume parsing, offer letters. Adding recruitment to greytHR means a ₹2,500/recruiter/month add-on that sits outside the core system. If you’re going to hire at volume, the Keka route keeps everything in one place.
The Gaps Both Tools Have
Both greytHR and Keka have been through enough user reviews that their limitations are well-documented.
Customer support response times are the most common complaint for both. Keka’s 24–48 hour standard response is genuinely too slow when you have a payroll run closing the same day. GreytHR is faster on average but inconsistent some users report excellent support, others report no clear owner for complex payroll queries.
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop for both. Keka’s mobile app is more polished than greytHR’s but still missing some desktop features. For companies with field staff or factory workers who need mobile-first access, neither is fully there yet.
Pricing transparency is an issue with Keka specifically. Not publishing prices forces every prospective buyer through a demo call, which costs time. GreytHR publishes its base prices, which makes budgeting faster.
A Third Option Worth Considering
If you’re reading a greytHR vs Keka comparison, you’re likely a company under 500 employees looking for a system that does payroll correctly without costing as much as an enterprise suite. Waggex is built for that exact size Indian payroll compliance (PF, ESI, PT, TDS, LWF), attendance, leave, and performance management in one system, at pricing that starts where greytHR’s does and scales per employee rather than by plan tier.
The payroll engine is built for Indian statutory accuracy from the ground up, including Labour Code 2025 updates 50% basic wage rule, 2-working-day F&F settlement, updated gratuity eligibility. Performance management connects to salary structures, so appraisal outcomes reach payroll without a manual step. Free for up to 10 employees. Paid plans from ₹699/month.
Feature and pricing details sourced from vendor websites and third-party reviews. Keka does not publish prices publicly figures cited are from secondary sources and may not reflect current offers. Verify pricing with both vendors before committing.