Let me ask you something. How much are you spending on HRMS software right now?
If the answer is “nothing that means you are still managing payroll in Excel” and you’re losing money without realizing it. Every hour your HR manager spends on manual attendance, manual salary calculations, and WhatsApp leave approvals is money walking out the door.
And if the answer is “we’re paying ₹8,000–₹15,000 per month” — I want to show you something that might make you a little uncomfortable.
Because here’s the truth: in 2026, you can get complete HR and payroll automation — attendance, payroll, PF/ESI/TDS compliance, employee self-service, WhatsApp notifications, even GPS tracking for field staff — for under ₹60 per employee per month.
You don’t need to pay enterprise prices to get enterprise features. Not anymore.
Why ₹60 Per Employee Is the New Benchmark
The Indian HRMS market has matured significantly. Three years ago, affordable meant compromised. Limited features, poor compliance, no mobile app.
That’s changed.
Today, platforms built specifically for Indian SMBs offer everything a 20–200-person company actually needs — full Indian payroll compliance, mobile attendance, employee self-service, statutory reports — at a price that doesn’t require CFO approval.
The ₹60 per employee benchmark has become the sweet spot. Below it, you get complete HR automation. Above it, you start paying for features — recruitment modules, AI assistants, advanced analytics — that most small businesses never actually use.
Let me walk you through what best options are available under ₹60 per employee/per month.
Best HRMS Software Options Under ₹60 Per Employee
Runtime HRMS — ₹59/employee/month
Runtime HRMS starts at ₹59 per employee per month. That’s the Basic plan — and it includes everything most Indian small businesses actually need.
Complete payroll with PF, ESI, TDS, Professional Tax, and LWF automation. Mobile attendance with geo-tagging, geo-fencing, and AWS Rekognition-powered selfie attendance. Leave management with employee app approvals. HR letter automation — offer letters, increment letters, relieving letters in one click. 50+ MIS reports. And something no other platform at this price point offers: WhatsApp notifications for payslips, leave approvals, and attendance alerts.
For companies with field sales or service staff — Runtime HRMS includes GPS-based travel tracking. Your field employees mark visits, track routes, and submit trip requests from their phones. Again — no other sub-₹100 platform does this.
Pocket HRMS — ₹60/employee/month
Pocket HRMS has been around since 2013 and is a well-regarded option for small businesses. Starting price is approximately ₹60 per employee per month.
Core features include payroll, attendance, leave management, and employee self-service. Compliance coverage for PF, ESI, and TDS is solid. The interface is straightforward — not the most modern design but functional.
Where it falls short compared to Runtime HRMS: No WhatsApp notifications, No GPS travel tracking and Support response times can be inconsistent on lower plans.
Zoho People (Essential) — ₹105/employee/month
Technically above ₹100, but worth mentioning because many businesses consider it.
Zoho People handles core HR well — attendance, leave, performance, onboarding. The Zoho ecosystem integration is its strongest selling point if your business already uses Zoho CRM or Zoho Books.
Critical limitation: payroll is NOT included. You need Zoho Payroll separately — which adds ₹99–₹149 per employee per month. The combined cost for a 30-person company runs ₹6,000–₹9,000 per month. For that price, you could have Runtime HRMS and still have ₹4,000 left over every month.
Good for: companies already deep in the Zoho ecosystem who can absorb the combined cost.
Disclaimer: Pricing and feature information mentioned in this article is based on publicly available data from their official websites, G2, Capterra, and third-party review platforms as of July 2026. Pricing and features may change over time. Always verify current pricing directly with the respective vendor before making a purchase decision.
What ₹59 Per Employee Actually Gets You at Runtime HRMS
I want to be specific here — because “complete HR software” means different things to different platforms.
At ₹59 per employee per month on Runtime HRMS Basic, here’s exactly what you get:
Payroll: Automated salary calculation every month. PF deduction (employee + employer), ESI (with the correct contribution period logic), TDS under new or old regime based on declaration, Professional Tax by state, LWF where applicable. ECR file for EPFO, ESI challan, TDS workings — all generated in one click. Form 130 (formerly Form 16) at year end.
Attendance: Mobile app geo-tagged attendance. Geo-fencing — employees can only mark attendance from within defined locations. Selfie attendance using AWS Rekognition — the same facial recognition used by global enterprises. Biometric integration for office setups. All attendance data flows directly into payroll — no manual compilation.
Leave Management: Employees apply from the app. Managers approve from the app. Leave balances update automatically. Leave encashment calculates correctly at exit.
Employee Self-Service: The Runtime Workman app lets employees download payslips, check leave balance, view attendance, submit investment declarations, and raise HR requests — without calling HR. This one feature alone saves the average HR manager 2–3 hours per week.
WhatsApp Notifications: Salary credited — WhatsApp. Leave approved — WhatsApp. Payslip ready — WhatsApp. In India, where employees check WhatsApp 40+ times a day and might log into a portal once a month, this is not a nice-to-have. It’s the feature that drives actual app adoption.
HR Letters: Offer letters, increment letters, experience certificates, relieving letters — all generated from templates in one click. No Word file editing.
50+ Reports: Salary register, PF register, ESI report, attendance summary, headcount report — all downloadable instantly.
Support: Live chat Mon–Fri, AI chatbot 24/7, Google Meet sessions, and a free onboarding session after signup.
All of this. ₹59 per employee per month.
Who Should Look Beyond ₹60 for HRMS Software?
In the interest of being genuinely helpful — there are situations where spending above ₹100 per employee makes sense.
- If you have 200+ employees and need a built-in recruitment module with job board integrations — platforms like HROne or Greythr Enterprise offer this.
- If your business already runs entirely on Zoho products and you need deep CRM-HR integration — Zoho People + Zoho Payroll makes sense despite the higher combined cost.
- If you’re a large factory with complex rotating shift rosters and touchless face recognition as a primary requirement — factoHR’s specialized manufacturing features justify the premium.
- For everyone else — 10 to 200 employees, in IT, services, trading, retail, education, construction, or professional services — there is no feature gap between ₹59/employee Runtime HRMS and what you’d get at 3× the price.
- The Decision
- If you’ve been putting off switching from Excel, or you’ve been overpaying for software with features you don’t use, or you’re a new business setting up HR for the first time — start here.
- ₹59 per employee per month.
Set up your salary structures. Import your employees. Run payroll. See if it works. That’s the only evaluation that matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest HR software in India with payroll included?
Runtime HRMS Basic at ₹59 per employee per month, it is the most affordable HRMS software with enterprise level features included like (PF, ESI, TDS, PT), attendance, leave management, employee self-service, WhatsApp notifications, and 50+ reports.
What’s the difference between Runtime HRMS and Zoho People for a small business?
Runtime HRMS includes payroll in every plan. Zoho People requires a separate Zoho Payroll product — making the combined cost significantly higher. For a 30-person company, Runtime HRMS Basic costs ₹1,770/month with everything included. Zoho People Professional plus Zoho Payroll costs ₹6,000–₹9,000/month for the same team. Runtime also includes WhatsApp notifications and GPS travel tracking that Zoho People doesn’t offer.
Also Read:
7 Things to Check Before Buying Payroll & HRMS Software in India