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HR · head to head

Humaans vs Zoho People

Humaans logo

Humaans

HR

API-first HRIS for fast-growing companies that treat employee data as a system of record other tools read from

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoho People logo

Zoho People

HR

Cloud HR software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoho People has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Humaans there is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.; Zoho People slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
  • They diverge on capability: Humaans covers Employee records, Zoho People covers Employee Database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Humaans and Zoho People actually diverge.

Attributes where Humaans and Zoho People differ
AttributeHumaansZoho People
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown1996

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Humaans

  • Employee records
  • Workflows
  • Time off
  • Open API and webhooks
  • Reporting
  • App directory
  • Self service

Only in Zoho People

  • Employee Database
  • Time Off
  • Time Tracking
  • Attendance
  • Performance
  • Self-Service
  • Zoho CRM
  • Zoho Books

Both cover

  • Onboarding

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Humaans

  • A 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automaticallynot Zoho People
  • An operations team that will build against an API rather than wait for a vendor integrationnot Zoho People
  • A company replacing spreadsheets and Google Drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month HRIS projectnot Zoho People
  • A multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee recordnot Zoho People

Zoho People

  • Automating recruitment workflows from application through onboardingnot Humaans
  • Managing performance evaluations and compensation decisions centrallynot Humaans
  • Tracking employee time, attendance, and leave in real-timenot Humaans
  • Generating HR analytics to measure employee satisfaction and retentionnot Humaans

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Humaans

  • There is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.
  • Applicant tracking, learning and benefits administration are absent, meaning a company wanting a single supplier will buy three or four contracts to match what a suite sells as one.
  • Acquisition by Employment Hero in 2024 puts an independent, integration-first product inside a vendor that sells a bundled employment platform, and buyers should ask directly how long the standalone product will be sold on its own terms.
  • Per employee per month pricing with tiered features means the cost rises with headcount growth at exactly the point a scale-up is least willing to renegotiate, and useful features such as workflows sit above the entry tier.
  • Country-specific compliance depth is limited, so statutory leave rules, local document requirements and reporting obligations often need configuring by hand rather than arriving as a maintained country pack.

Zoho People

  • Slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
  • Limited customization options for leave and performance management workflows
  • Mobile app is missing key features available in desktop version, like timesheets and reporting
  • Customer support is ticket-based only with no live chat unless on premium plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Humaans

On request
  • Humaans$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with tiered feature sets
    • Employee records, time off and documents
    • Workflows and reporting on higher tiers

Zoho People

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zoho People review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Humaans if

  • You need employee records.
  • You also want workflows.
Humaans review

Choose Zoho People if

  • You need employee database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want time off.
Zoho People review

Questions people ask

Is Humaans or Zoho People better?
Neither clearly leads. Humaans starts at On request and Zoho People at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Humaans or Zoho People?
Zoho People has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Humaans and Free for Zoho People.
Does Humaans or Zoho People run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Zoho People for free?
Yes. Zoho People has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Humaans starts at On request.
What is Humaans best used for?
Humaans is most often used for a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically, an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration, a company replacing spreadsheets and google drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month hris project, a multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee record. Of those, a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically and an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration are not what Zoho People is typically brought in for.
What can Humaans do that Zoho People cannot?
Humaans covers Employee records, Workflows, Time off, Open API and webhooks. Zoho People covers Employee Database, Time Off, Time Tracking, Attendance. Both handle Onboarding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Humaans: Does Humaans run payroll?

No. It holds the employee record and pushes data to payroll providers. You buy payroll separately in each country.

Zoho People: Does Zoho People have a free tier?

Yes, the Free plan supports up to 5-10 users with essential HR tools, email support, and 30-day free trial available on all paid plans with no credit card required.

Source
Humaans: Who owns it now?

Employment Hero acquired Humaans in 2024. It continues to be sold, but the parent company also sells a bundled employment platform.

Zoho People: What is the pricing for Zoho People?

Pricing starts at $1.25 per user per month when billed annually. The Essential HR plan costs $1.50 monthly per user, dropping to $1.25 annually with five tiers available: Free, Essential HR, Professional, Premium, and Enterprise.

Source
Humaans: Is the API genuinely complete?

Yes. It is the design centre of the product rather than an afterthought, with documented REST endpoints and webhooks across the core objects.

Zoho People: Does Zoho People work with other Zoho applications?

Yes, Zoho People integrates with the Zoho ecosystem including Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and other Zoho applications for unified business management.

Source
Humaans: How long does implementation take?

Typically weeks. There is no configuration consultancy requirement, which is a large part of why teams choose it over a mid-market suite.

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