The Zoho ecosystem
If you already run Zoho CRM, Books or Projects, Zoho People slots in with single sign-on and shared data.
Comparison
Employee Desk vs Zoho People
Zoho People is a capable cloud HR suite, and the natural choice for a company already running on Zoho. The real difference is whether you need a desktop time tracker alongside HR.
- 7-day trial
- No keystroke logging
- INR pricing published
What each product is
Employee Desk
Employee management with time tracking attached
Attendance, leave, holidays, employee records, projects, tasks and daily work reports, with an optional desktop time tracker on top. Available as a cloud subscription. Built in India, priced in rupees.
- Attendance and leave are core, not an add-on
- Per-user pricing: pay only for active employees; admins are free
- No keystroke content is ever recorded
- Employees see everything recorded about them
Zoho People
A cloud HR suite in the Zoho ecosystem
Zoho People covers core HR, attendance with shifts and biometric integration, leave, timesheets and performance, and connects naturally to other Zoho products such as Zoho Payroll and Zoho Projects.
- Cloud service with web and mobile apps
- Attendance with shift scheduling and IP or location restrictions
- Biometric device integration
- Deep integration with the wider Zoho suite
Feature comparison
Compared on facts that can be checked from public documentation. Where something is genuinely unclear it is marked rather than guessed at.
| Employee Desk | Zoho People | |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Attendance with shifts and roster | Yes | Yes |
| Biometric device integration | No | Yes |
| Leave with accrual | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop time tracker with screenshots | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu | Not the product’s focus |
| Productivity score from attendance, activity and delivery | Yes | Differs |
| Capacity, forecast and what-if planning | Yes | Differs |
| Performance reviews and appraisals | No | Yes |
| Payroll | Monthly payroll with PF/ESI/PT | Via Zoho Payroll, a separate product |
| Ecosystem integrations | CSV and XLSX exports | Zoho suite and marketplace |
Check Zoho People’s own site before you decide. Last checked against Zoho People’s public pages on 8 October 2026. Software changes. Everything on this page is written from Zoho People’s public documentation and pricing pages at the time of writing, we do not restate their prices here because they move, and we correct this page when we are told it is wrong. If you find something inaccurate, email contact@digitalgeniussolution.com and we will fix it.
Where Employee Desk is stronger
01
Payroll in the same product
Monthly payroll with payslips and PF/ESI/PT runs inside Employee Desk on the plans that include it, rather than in a separate product.
Plans → 02Time tracking built in
A transparent desktop tracker, timesheets that compare attendance with tracked and reported hours, and a productivity score.
Time tracking → 03Planning on the same data
Capacity, forecast, project scheduling, cost of delivery and scenarios from the attendance and leave you already record.
Workforce planning →Where Zoho People may be stronger
Written plainly, because a comparison page that finds no fault with itself is not worth reading.
Performance management
Appraisals, goals and skill sets are part of Zoho People. Employee Desk has productivity signals but no review cycles.
Biometrics out of the box
Native biometric device integration. Employee Desk has no device connector today.
Which should you choose?
Choose Employee Desk if
- You want time tracking, timesheets and productivity alongside HR.
- You want capacity and forecasting from the same records.
Choose Zoho People if
- Your company already runs on Zoho.
- You need appraisals and goal-setting.
- You rely on biometric attendance devices.
Pricing
We do not restate Zoho People’s prices because they change; check their pricing page directly. Our cloud plans are published in rupees, priced per active user per month plus 18% GST.
Cloud
Starter
Core HR, shifts and chat
₹59 / user / month
+ 18% GST
- Employee records
- Attendance
- Leave management
- Holiday calendar
- Custom roles & permissions
- Organization settings
- Session control
- Shifts & roster
- Team chat
Cloud · most chosen
Growth
Projects, tasks, work reports, timesheets and activity tracking
₹99 / user / month
+ 18% GST
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Projects
- Tasks
- Daily work reports
- Timesheets
- Desktop time tracker (hours, active/idle)
Cloud
Pro
Screenshots, live productivity, planning, payroll and audit
₹149 / user / month
+ 18% GST
- Everything in Growth, plus:
- Screenshots, live board & retention
- Live screen capture, day timeline, browser tab history, top apps & pages, screenshots
- Productivity insights
- Workforce planning
- Payroll
- Audit log
Prices exclude 18% GST. Billed monthly per active user.
Need an on-premise deployment? Contact sales. Full detail on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can Zoho People be self-hosted?
Not as far as Zoho’s public documentation shows; it is offered as a cloud service. Need an on-premise deployment? Contact sales.
Does Employee Desk integrate with Zoho?
Not natively, and there is no public API yet. Attendance and leave export as CSV or XLSX for import elsewhere.
Which is better for attendance?
Both handle shifts and late policy well. Zoho People has native biometrics; Employee Desk adds desktop tracking and timesheets.
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Run both for a week
A 7-day trial with your real team is a better comparison than any table. Install the tracker on two machines and look at what the reports actually say.
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