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HR · head to head

Sesame HR vs Zoho People

Sesame HR logo

Sesame HR

HR

Spanish HR and time recording platform built around the legal obligation to record daily working hours

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: Sesame HR there is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.; Zoho People slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
  • They diverge on capability: Sesame HR covers Time and attendance, Zoho People covers Employee Database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sesame HR and Zoho People actually diverge.

Attributes where Sesame HR and Zoho People differ
AttributeSesame HRZoho People
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown1996

Identical on both: 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 Sesame HR

  • Time and attendance
  • Legal time reports
  • Shift planning
  • Absence management
  • Document management
  • Expenses
  • Payroll export

Only in Zoho People

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

Both cover

  • Performance

What people use each for

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

Sesame HR

  • A Spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspectionnot Zoho People
  • A company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one placenot Zoho People
  • A business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheetsnot Zoho People
  • A Latin American subsidiary of a Spanish group standardising on the same attendance systemnot Zoho People

Zoho People

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

Where each one falls short

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

Sesame HR

  • There is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.
  • The product is built around Spanish and Latin American regulation, so a buyer employing in northern Europe gets attendance tracking without the local statutory logic that made the product valuable in the first place.
  • Modules beyond time and attendance are noticeably shallower, and companies expecting the performance or recruitment features to replace dedicated tools are usually disappointed.
  • Support, documentation and legal templates are Spanish-first, and English-language material lags behind, which slows adoption in mixed-language organisations.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across module tiers, so a company that only wants compliant time recording still pays a headcount-scaled fee for a suite it uses a fraction of.

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

Sesame HR

On request
  • Sesame HR$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with module-based tiers
    • Time and attendance in the base tier
    • Shift planning, performance and expenses as higher tiers or add-ons

Zoho People

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zoho People review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Sesame HR if

  • You need time and attendance.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want legal time reports.
Sesame HR 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 Sesame HR or Zoho People better?
Neither clearly leads. Sesame HR 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, Sesame HR or Zoho People?
Zoho People has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Sesame HR and Free for Zoho People.
Does Sesame HR or Zoho People run on more platforms?
Sesame HR runs on Web, iOS, Android. Zoho People runs on Web.
Can I use Zoho People for free?
Yes. Zoho People has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sesame HR starts at On request.
What is Sesame HR best used for?
Sesame HR is most often used for a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection, a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place, a business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheets, a latin american subsidiary of a spanish group standardising on the same attendance system. Of those, a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection and a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place are not what Zoho People is typically brought in for.
What can Sesame HR do that Zoho People cannot?
Sesame HR covers Time and attendance, Legal time reports, Shift planning, Absence management. Zoho People covers Employee Database, Time Off, Time Tracking, Attendance. Both handle Performance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sesame HR: Why is time recording mandatory in Spain?

Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 requires every employer to record daily start and finish times for all employees and to retain those records for four years for labour inspection.

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
Sesame HR: Does Sesame HR run payroll?

No. It exports hours, absences and variable pay to a gestoria or payroll system such as A3 or Sage.

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
Sesame HR: Does it work outside Spain?

It is used across Latin America and Portugal. Outside those markets you get the tooling without the country-specific legal logic.

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
Sesame HR: Can it handle shift workers across multiple sites?

Yes. Kiosk and QR clock-in with geolocation is designed for exactly that, and rota planning sits on top of the same data.

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