Best Payroll Software for Small Business in India (2026) – Free Trials Compared

What Should Indian Small Businesses Look for in Payroll Software?

If you run a shop, factory, restaurant, school or services business in India with 5–200 staff, your ideal payroll software must handle four things well: daily attendance (hajri), salary calculation with overtime and advance, salary slip generation, and salary payments — ideally on UPI.

Here is how the most popular Indian payroll apps of 2026 compare on those dimensions.

Top 5 Payroll Software for Small Business in India (2026)

1. Staff Hisab

Best for: shops, factories, schools, restaurants, construction, tailoring units — any business that pays monthly or daily-wage staff.

• Pricing: ₹3.5 per employee per month (monthly) or ₹3 per employee per month (yearly).
• Free trial: 14 days, full-feature.
• Platform: Web + free Windows desktop app. Installable as a PWA on mobile.
• Attendance: Daily hajri with Present / Half-day / Overtime, multi-branch, multi-department.
• Payroll: Auto salary calculation from attendance, OT, advance. Multiple salary types (month, day, hour).
• Reports: Salary, Payroll Summary, Employee Ledger, Company Ledger — all PDF + Excel.
• Payments: Record Cash, UPI, Cheque, Bank Transfer against each employee.
• Records: Aadhaar upload, bank account + IFSC, photo, emergency contact.
• Languages: Hindi + English.

2. Pagarbook

Best for: mobile-first owners who want basic daily attendance.

• Pricing: Paid plans ~₹10+/employee/month on upper tiers.
• Attendance: Basic hajri, half day, overtime.
• Payroll: Monthly salary calculation, advance tracking.
• Reports: Basic salary summary.
• Platform: Mobile/web only, no desktop app.

Staff Hisab is generally better on pricing, reports suite and Windows support. See our detailed Pagarbook vs Staff Hisab comparison.

3. Salarybook (by Refyne)

Best for: semi-urban shops wanting a clean mobile interface.

• Pricing: Limited free tier; paid plans per employee.
• Attendance: Present / Absent / OT / Half-day.
• Payroll: Advance, bonus and salary payment tracking.
• Reports: Basic monthly reports.
• Platform: Mobile only.

4. Khatabook Staff

Best for: kirana owners already using Khatabook for receivables.

• Pricing: Free tier, paid upgrades.
• Primary use: Cash-book & receivables, with staff management as a secondary module.
• Payroll: Light — salary + advance tracking.
• Best not used as a primary payroll tool; attendance and reports are limited.

5. Zoho Payroll

Best for: registered companies with 20+ employees and regular compliance needs.

• Pricing: Free for up to 10 employees, then ₹60+/employee/month on paid plans.
• Payroll: Full compliance — PF, ESI, TDS, PT.
• Reports: Payslip PDF, Form 16, Form 24Q, challan-ready reports.
• Platform: Web, mobile.
• Limitation: Overkill for unregistered micro-businesses; much pricier at scale.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature	Staff Hisab	Pagarbook	Salarybook	Zoho Payroll
Price / employee / month	₹3.5	₹10+	Tier-based	₹60+
Free trial	14 days	Limited	Free tier	Free ≤10 emp
Multi-branch	✅ unlimited	Partial	Limited	✅
OT auto 2× rate	✅	Basic	Basic	✅
Salary slip PDF	✅	✅	✅	✅
Full reports suite	✅	Basic	Basic	✅
Windows desktop app	✅ free	❌	❌	❌
Bulk Excel import	✅	Partial	Partial	✅
Hindi + English	✅	✅	✅	Limited

Which Payroll Software Should You Pick?

• 5–200 staff, shop / factory / school / service business, India-first: Staff Hisab. Best price-to-feature ratio.
• Under 10 staff, just want mobile attendance: Pagarbook or Salarybook free tier.
• 20+ staff with PF/ESI/TDS compliance needs: Zoho Payroll or Keka.
• Cash-book primary, payroll secondary: Khatabook.

How to Switch to Staff Hisab from Any Other App

1. Export your employee list from the current app to Excel (CSV / XLSX).
2. Create a free Staff Hisab account (no card).
3. Go to Employees → Bulk Import, upload the Excel, map columns.
4. Set up departments & units if you have multi-branch.
5. Start marking daily hajri from the 1st of the next month.
6. Download your first salary slip PDF at month-end and share on WhatsApp.

Best Payroll Software – FAQ

Is there any genuinely free payroll software in India?

Most "free" tiers have 5–10 employee limits or only basic attendance. For a true full-feature trial, use Staff Hisab's 14-day free trial covering the entire product.

What is the cheapest payroll software in India?

Staff Hisab at ₹3.5/employee/month (₹3 when billed yearly) is currently the lowest published per-employee price among feature-complete Indian payroll apps.

Which payroll software handles PF, ESI and TDS?

Zoho Payroll and Keka handle full compliance. Staff Hisab handles the calculation and reports; if you are a registered company with ≥20 staff doing EPFO/ESIC filings, you can export the challan-ready sheet from Staff Hisab and file it on the official portals.

Do these apps work on Windows desktops?

Staff Hisab offers a free Windows desktop app. Most other payroll apps are web/mobile only.