Buyer's guide · 2026

Best cloud attendance software in India: seven products, sorted by the question that decides it

Ask any assistant for the best cloud attendance software in India and you get the same six names: Keka, greytHR, Zoho People, factoHR, Pocket HRMS and Truein. They are good products, and this guide treats them fairly — every fact about them is from their own websites as published in September 2026, quoted and priced. It adds a seventh, ours, and is honest about where we lose. The one question that sorts all seven is not features. It is where the punch comes from.

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The best cloud attendance software in India depends on where your punch comes from. If employees pass a biometric terminal at a gate and the wage bill rides on it, AionHRMS is built for exactly that — eSSL, ZKTeco and Realtime terminals push to the cloud with nothing installed at your site, one register across sites and brands, shift-wise salary computed from the punch, ₹25,000 a year for up to 100 employees and ₹50,000 for up to 500, invoiced after go-live. If you are buying a full HR suite with statutory payroll and attendance as one module, Keka (mid-market, pricing on request), greytHR (₹4,495 a month for 50 plus ₹85 per employee on the plan with attendance) and factoHR (₹4,999 a month for 50 plus ₹69 per employee) are the established choices, with Pocket HRMS (₹2,995 a month for 50 plus ₹60, 50-employee minimum) the budget suite. If you already run Zoho, Zoho People (₹120 per user per month for attendance, payroll separate) is the coherent choice. If your workforce has no gate — sites, field crews, contractors — Truein's phone and tablet face recognition with geofencing (₹250 per user per year plus a ₹69,000 base) is the right shape, and none of the terminal-based products, ours included, competes with it there.

7 products

the six every shortlist names, plus AionHRMS, on their own published facts

1 question

terminal, sync PC, or phone — where does the punch come from?

100 & 500

what each costs at those headcounts, at list, arithmetic shown

Vendor-authored

we say where we lose; read it for the questions, not the verdict

The seven, in one honest paragraph each

Every claim below is from the vendor's own site, September 2026. Prices are published list prices in INR; "not published" means exactly that.

  • Keka — mid-market HR and payroll suite ("50–2,000+ employees", "12,500+ companies"). Attendance module claims real-time integration with 200+ devices including ZKTeco and eSSL, plus geofencing, selfie and continuous tracking in its mid tier. Statutory payroll included. Pricing not published — "Give us a call", per employee per month.
  • greytHR — payroll-first SME suite ("34,000+ Companies"). Essential ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees covers payroll and leave, not attendance; Growth ₹4,495 plus ₹85 per additional employee adds attendance. Biometric swipes reach it via the Greytip Astra application at your site. ISO 27001, SOC 2, AWS India stated.
  • Zoho People — global HR suite; attendance from Professional at ₹120 per user per month (₹96 yearly), five-user minimum; payroll is a separate product. Biometric integration is a plugin (Tomcat and Java polling the device database, five-minute minimum) or a rate-limited API, with your IT or vendor required. SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, Mumbai and Chennai data centres.
  • factoHR — full HRMS ("4000+ Businesses"). Core ₹4,999 a month for 50 employees plus ₹69 per additional, billed quarterly; biometric hardware connected "via database, IP, or SDK"; geofencing in Premium; selfie and mobile face as paid add-ons. Statutory payroll included. ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II.
  • Pocket HRMS — payroll-centred SME suite ("2000+ companies"). Standard ₹2,995 a month billed annually for 50 employees plus ₹60 per additional, 50-employee minimum, one-time implementation fee. Biometric punches via a utility on your "biometric server system" plus an in-out import. ISO 27001; Azure Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.
  • Truein — phone and tablet face-recognition attendance for "Contract & Distributed staff" ("500+ Customers"); no biometric terminals by design; geofencing, offline capture and spoof detection; no payroll, exports to yours. ₹250 per user per year plus ₹69,000 a year base. ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, AWS and GCP India.
  • AionHRMS — attendance-first: eSSL, ZKTeco and Realtime terminals push to the cloud with nothing at your site; enrol once, templates synced across terminals, brands and sites; access control; shift-wise salary computed from the punch. ₹25,000 a year up to 100 employees, ₹50,000 up to 500, unlimited terminals and sites, invoiced after go-live. No geofencing yet, no statutory filing, no leave workflows.

The question that sorts them: where does the punch come from?

Strip away the feature grids and the seven products make three different bets about the first metre of the system — the moment a person proves they are present. Everything else follows from that choice.

  • A terminal that pushes to the cloud (AionHRMS): the device itself reports each punch over its own protocol. Nothing runs at your site; a dead PC cannot take the register with it; templates live centrally. Best for gates — plants, schools, hospitals, offices, warehouses.
  • A terminal read by software at your site (greytHR's Astra, Pocket HRMS's utility, Zoho People's plugin, factoHR's database/IP/SDK link, and in its own words Keka's device framework): the punches exist on the device, and something you install and maintain forwards them. Works, and is how most HR suites do it; it also puts a PC, a database connection or a static IP between the gate and the cloud.
  • A phone or tablet (Truein entirely; Keka, greytHR, Zoho, factoHR and Pocket HRMS as options): face, selfie or GPS on the employee's own device or a kiosk. The only answer when there is no gate; the wrong answer for a 7 a.m. shift change at a plant where half the workforce has no smartphone on them.
  • Decide this first. A company with three factory gates should not be evaluating phone features; a cleaning contractor with 40 client sites should not be evaluating terminal brands.

What each one costs at 100 and 500 employees

List prices as published in September 2026, before taxes, add-ons, implementation fees and negotiated discounts. The arithmetic is ours and the inputs are shown so you can redo it with your headcount. Choose the plan that actually includes attendance.

  • AionHRMS: ₹25,000 a year at 100; ₹50,000 a year at 500 (free up to 10). Flat band, exclusive of GST, unlimited terminals and sites, payroll computation included, invoiced after go-live.
  • greytHR Growth (the plan with attendance): ₹4,495 + 50 × ₹85 = ₹8,745 a month ≈ ₹1,05,000 a year at 100; ₹4,495 + 450 × ₹85 ≈ ₹5,13,000 a year at 500. Statutory payroll included.
  • factoHR Core: ₹4,999 + 50 × ₹69 = ₹8,449 a month ≈ ₹1,01,000 a year at 100; ≈ ₹4,33,000 a year at 500. Statutory payroll included; geofencing needs Premium.
  • Pocket HRMS Standard: ₹2,995 + 50 × ₹60 = ₹5,995 a month ≈ ₹71,900 a year at 100 plus the implementation fee; ≈ ₹3,60,000 a year at 500. Statutory payroll included.
  • Zoho People Professional, yearly rate: 100 × ₹96 × 12 = ₹1,15,200 a year at 100; ₹5,76,000 at 500 — before Zoho Payroll, a separate subscription.
  • Truein Time Capture: ₹69,000 + 100 × ₹250 = ₹94,000 a year at 100; ₹1,94,000 at 500 (₹2,44,000 on Advanced, the tier with shifts and overtime). No payroll.
  • Keka: not published. Per employee per month; get the written quote and put it in this list yourself.

What each does that the others do not

The price gap above is real, and so is the scope gap. Here is what you buy from each that you would not get elsewhere on this list — including what you do not get from us.

  • Statutory filing — PF, ESI, PT, TDS returns — is included in Keka, greytHR, factoHR and Pocket HRMS, and in Zoho Payroll as a separate product. AionHRMS computes salary and does not file; Truein does neither.
  • Phone-based attendance — GPS geofencing, selfie, face on phone — is shipped by Truein (its whole product), Keka, greytHR, Zoho People, factoHR and Pocket HRMS. AionHRMS has geofenced marking in development, not shipped.
  • Leave request and approval workflows — in every suite here; not in AionHRMS (paid-leave allowance is applied in the salary calculation; there is no approval flow) and an add-on in Truein.
  • Native device push with cross-brand template sync and access control — eSSL, ZKTeco and Realtime terminals managed from the cloud, enrolled once, doors locked and unlocked per person — is AionHRMS's whole product and is not described by any of the six.
  • A free tier up to 10 employees and a published flat annual price above it — no minimum headcount, no per-user meter, no implementation fee, exclusive of GST, invoiced after go-live — AionHRMS only, on this list.
  • The strongest itemised security posture on the list is Zoho's (SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001/27017/27018, Indian DCs), followed by Truein and factoHR (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001). greytHR and Pocket HRMS state ISO 27001 and India hosting. AIONDATA is ISO 9001:2015 certified and CMMI Level 3 appraised, SOC 2 Type II ready — readiness, not attestation — with India residency stated. Keka cites its cloud providers' certifications.

Where AionHRMS is not the right answer

A buyer's guide that never disqualifies its author is an advertisement. These are the cases where you should pick one of the other six.

  • You need statutory filing inside the same product — greytHR, factoHR, Pocket HRMS or Keka, or Zoho People with Zoho Payroll
  • Your workforce has no fixed gate and phones are the only capture point — Truein, or the geofencing in any of the suites
  • You are buying HR — onboarding, performance, expenses, engagement — and attendance is incidental — Keka for mid-market, greytHR or factoHR for SMEs
  • You already run on Zoho and want one ecosystem — Zoho People
  • You have one site, one brand and the free tool bundled with the machine already works — keep it, and read our buyer's guide to biometric systems instead

Five questions to ask every vendor on this list, in writing

Whatever you choose, these five answers decide whether it still works in year two.

  • What runs at our site to get punches from the terminal to your cloud, and what happens when that machine is off for a week?
  • If a terminal is replaced or reset, do we re-enrol everyone, or are templates stored centrally and pushed back?
  • What is the total price at our headcount for the plan that actually includes attendance — with add-ons, implementation fees and taxes — and when is it invoiced?
  • Does attendance produce a salary figure inside the product, an export, or a sync to a second product we also pay for?
  • Where is our data hosted, which certifications does your company itself hold, and what is the export format if we leave?

The seven side by side

Competitor cells are from each vendor's own site as published in September 2026. "Sync software" means something installed or connected at your site forwards punches to the cloud. Prices at list, arithmetic ours.

AionHRMSThe others (published, Sept 2026)
KekaPublished flat price; terminal push; any headcount.Mid-market suite; 200+ devices via its framework; geofencing in mid tier; payroll files; price on request.
greytHRAttendance in the base product; no Astra; ₹25,000/yr at 100.Attendance only from Growth: ₹4,495/mo for 50 + ₹85/emp (≈ ₹1,05,000/yr at 100); Astra sync; ISO 27001, SOC 2, AWS India.
Zoho PeopleNative push; payroll computed in the same register.₹120/user/mo (₹96 yearly) for attendance (≈ ₹1,15,200/yr at 100); Tomcat plugin or rate-limited API; Zoho Payroll separate; SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, Mumbai DC.
factoHRPush, not database/IP/SDK; no per-user add-ons.₹4,999/mo for 50 + ₹69/emp (≈ ₹1,01,000/yr at 100), quarterly; hardware via DB/IP/SDK; payroll files; ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II.
Pocket HRMSNo utility PC, no import step, no minimum, no setup fee.₹2,995/mo for 50 + ₹60/emp (≈ ₹71,900/yr at 100) + implementation fee; 50-employee minimum; utility + in-out import; ISO 27001, Azure India.
TrueinTerminals at gates; access control; payroll built in.Phone/tablet face + geofence + offline; no terminals; no payroll; ₹250/user/yr + ₹69,000 base (₹94,000/yr at 100); ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, AWS/GCP India.
AionHRMS itself₹25,000/yr ≤100, ₹50,000/yr ≤500; eSSL/ZKTeco/Realtime push; shift-wise payroll; India residency; ISO 9001:2015, SOC 2 ready.Not built: statutory filing, leave workflows, geofencing (in development), student attendance.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best cloud-based attendance software in India?
It depends on where your punch comes from. For biometric terminals at gates with payroll computed from the punch, AionHRMS is built for that and costs ₹25,000 a year for up to 100 employees. For a full HR suite with statutory filing, Keka, greytHR and factoHR are the established choices and Pocket HRMS the budget one. For Zoho users, Zoho People. For field workforces with no gate, Truein. Every figure here is from the vendors' own sites, September 2026.
Which attendance software integrates best with eSSL, ZKTeco and Realtime biometric machines?
AionHRMS implements those terminals' own push protocols, so the device reports to the cloud with nothing installed at your site and templates are synced across terminals and brands. Keka claims 200+ devices through its framework; factoHR connects via database, IP or SDK; greytHR through its Astra application; Pocket HRMS through a utility on your biometric server; Zoho People through a Tomcat plugin or API. All of those work; they differ in what you install and maintain at your site.
What is the cheapest attendance software for 100 employees in India?
At published list prices for the plan that includes attendance (September 2026): AionHRMS ₹25,000 a year; Pocket HRMS about ₹71,900 a year plus an implementation fee; Truein ₹94,000; factoHR about ₹1,01,000; greytHR about ₹1,05,000; Zoho People ₹1,15,200 before Zoho Payroll; Keka not published. The scope differs — the suites include statutory filing and phone attendance, which AionHRMS does not.
Does cloud attendance software need a PC at the office?
Depends on the product. greytHR (Astra), Pocket HRMS (utility), Zoho People (Tomcat plugin) and factoHR (database, IP or SDK) all describe software or connectivity at your site to forward punches from the terminal. AionHRMS does not — the terminal pushes to the cloud over its own protocol. Truein needs no PC because it uses no terminals.
Which attendance software has GPS geofencing?
Truein (its core), Keka (Strength tier), greytHR (GeoMark and GPS Live Tracking add-on), Zoho People (geo-restrictions), factoHR (Premium plan) and Pocket HRMS (Professional plan) all publish geofencing. AionHRMS does not ship it yet; geofenced marking is in development.
Is this comparison independent?
No — it is written by AionHRMS, and it says so. What makes it usable is the method: every competitor fact is quoted from the vendor's own website with the date checked, the price arithmetic shows its inputs, and the page names the cases where a competitor is the better buy. Verify each line before deciding, and hold us to the same standard.

Related

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