SalaryBox vs Zoho People – Detailed Attendance & Timesheet Comparison (2026)
Choosing the right attendance and payroll tool is one of the most important decisions for Indian SMEs, startups, factories, retail chains, and field teams. In this in-depth comparison, we’ll put SalaryBox first (because that’s what most growing businesses are actually using today) and then compare it head-to-head with the more established Zoho People.
We’ll focus only on the two things that matter most to 90 % of SMEs: Attendance & Timesheet management and how smoothly they connect to payroll.
1. Ease of Setup & Onboarding
SalaryBox
- Most companies go live in 24–48 hours (many in just a few hours).
- Zero HR expertise needed. The owner, supervisor, or accountant can set it up.
- Simple 5-step flow: Add company → Upload or add employees → Set shifts → Choose attendance method → Start using.
- No training sessions, no consultants, no confusing modules.
Zoho People
- Built as a full-fledged HRMS with 15+ modules (recruitment, performance, learning, assets, etc.).
- Setup usually takes 2–4 weeks for proper configuration of policies, approvals, shifts, and integrations.
- Small businesses often need a Zoho partner or dedicated HR person to avoid mistakes.
- Many users feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of menus and settings.
Winner: SalaryBox – dramatically faster and simpler for SMEs
2. Attendance Marking Options
SalaryBox
- Facial recognition (works offline, built-in from free plan)
- GPS + radius-based geofencing
- Selfie + live location
- QR code & Bluetooth beacon
- Full offline mode – marks sync automatically when internet returns (perfect for sites and field staff)
- Works perfectly on low-budget Android phones (₹6,000–₹10,000 range).
Zoho People
- Web, mobile GPS, QR, NFC, beacon, biometric (via hardware or add-on)
- Face recognition available only in higher plans
- Biometric usually requires extra devices or Zoho’s premium integration
- Offline functionality is limited compared to SalaryBox.
Winner: SalaryBox – more reliable and accessible on basic devices + true offline support
3. Shift & Roster Management
SalaryBox
- Ready templates: General, Night, A/B/C rotating, split, flexible, weekly off cycles
- Bulk assign shifts to 100 employees in <60 seconds
- Auto late/early/half-day calculation with customizable grace periods
- WhatsApp alerts to managers for late-comers and absentees (huge time-saver).
Zoho People
- Extremely powerful and flexible but complex
- Creating rotating rosters or overlapping shifts can take 30–60 minutes the first time
- Many small teams end up using only “General Shift” because the setup feels intimidating.
Winner: SalaryBox – fast, intuitive, and built for real Indian shift patterns
4. Timesheet & Project Tracking
SalaryBox
- Auto-generated timesheets from clock-in/out (zero manual work)
- Optional manual project/client-wise timesheet with one-tap entry
- Bulk approval from mobile in seconds
- Overtime auto-flows into payroll.
Zoho People
- Deep integration with Zoho Projects and Invoice (great if you use the full ecosystem)
- Timesheet workflow is multi-level and rigid
- Non-desk workers find it cumbersome to fill daily timesheets.
Winner: SalaryBox – effortless and automatic for most businesses
5. Leave & Policy Customization
SalaryBox
- Pre-built India-compliant policies (CL/SL/EL, comp-off, sandwich rules, LOP) ready with toggles
- Enable or disable in seconds
- Custom leave types available if needed, but 95 % of companies never touch them.
Zoho People
- Almost unlimited customization
- But creating even simple sandwich or comp-off rules requires multiple steps and testing.
Winner: SalaryBox for speed; Zoho if you need extreme customization
6. Mobile App Experience (2026)
SalaryBox
- Clean, fast, built exclusively for attendance + payroll
- Face recognition in <4 seconds
- Employees and managers love the WhatsApp-style simplicity
- Zero lag even when 500 workers punch in together.
Zoho People
- Functional but feels heavy
- Occasional lag during peak hours
- Some actions still push users to the browser version.
Winner: SalaryBox – best-in-class mobile experience
7. Payroll Integration
SalaryBox
- Full statutory-compliant payroll (PF, ESI, PT, TDS, Form 16) built-in
- Attendance → Overtime → Leaves → One-click payroll → Payslips on WhatsApp → Direct bank transfer
- Everything in one app, one subscription.
Zoho People
- Payroll is NOT built into Zoho People for India
- You need separate Zoho Payroll subscription OR third-party integration
- Extra cost + extra complexity.
Winner: SalaryBox – seamless, no-integrations payroll
8. Pricing (Jan 2026)
SalaryBox
- ₹25–₹40 per employee/month (includes full payroll)
- No hidden charges, no add-ons needed for basic-to-advanced use.
Zoho People
- ₹50–₹150+ per user/month (depending on plan)
- Separate Zoho Payroll: ₹2,000–₹10,000/month extra
- Total cost for 100 employees is easily 2–3× higher than SalaryBox.
Final Verdict
If you run a large enterprise already living inside the Zoho ecosystem and need recruitment, performance management, LMS, and deep analytics — Zoho People is still respectable.
But if you are an SME, startup, factory, retail, or field-force business that simply wants:
- Super-fast setup
- Zero learning curve
- Rock-solid mobile + offline attendance
- Built-in, compliant payroll in the same app
- Lowest possible cost
SalaryBox is the clear winner in 2026.
Thousands of Indian businesses have already moved from spreadsheets — and yes, even from Zoho People — to SalaryBox and are saving 10–20 admin hours every month.
Ready to experience the difference?
