HR · head to head
Employment Hero vs Zoho People
Employment Hero
HR
Australian HR, payroll and recruitment platform for employment management
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Employment Hero hR plans require minimum of 10 users; Zoho People slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Employment Hero and Zoho People actually diverge.
| Attribute | Employment Hero | Zoho People |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Founded | Unknown | 1996 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Employment Hero
Nothing recorded that Zoho People does not also cover.
Only in Zoho People
- Employee Database
- Time Off
- Time Tracking
- Attendance
- Performance
- Onboarding
- Self-Service
- Zoho CRM
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Employment Hero
- HR and payroll management for small to medium businessesnot Zoho People
- Recruitment and candidate screening using AI video interviewsnot Zoho People
- Leave management and compliancenot Zoho People
Zoho People
- Automating recruitment workflows from application through onboardingnot Employment Hero
- Managing performance evaluations and compensation decisions centrallynot Employment Hero
- Tracking employee time, attendance, and leave in real-timenot Employment Hero
- Generating HR analytics to measure employee satisfaction and retentionnot Employment Hero
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Employment Hero
- HR plans require minimum of 10 users
- Custom pricing required for HR Elite and Employment Unlimited tiers
- Currency is AUD only, may require currency conversion for non-AU customers
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
Employment Hero
Free- Free Tier (Recruitment)Free
- Candidate scoring and ranking
- 50 complimentary AI video interviews (one-time)
- HR Essentials$10/month
- Leave management
- Employee records
- Document management
- HR Engage$14/month
- All HR Essentials features
- Recruitment
- Performance management
- Pro 50 (Recruitment)$199/month
- 50 AI video interviews (24/7)
- Full ATS pipeline
- Candidate scoring
Zoho People
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Zoho People review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Zoho People if
- You need employee database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want time off.
Questions people ask
- Is Employment Hero or Zoho People better?
- Neither clearly leads. Employment Hero starts at Free and Zoho People at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Employment Hero or Zoho People?
- Employment Hero starts at Free and Zoho People at Free.
- Does Employment Hero or Zoho People run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Employment Hero for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Employment Hero best used for?
- Employment Hero is most often used for hr and payroll management for small to medium businesses, recruitment and candidate screening using ai video interviews, leave management and compliance. Of those, hr and payroll management for small to medium businesses and recruitment and candidate screening using ai video interviews are not what Zoho People is typically brought in for.
- What can Employment Hero do that Zoho People cannot?
- Zoho People covers Employee Database, Time Off, Time Tracking, Attendance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Employment Hero: How much does Employment Hero cost per employee?
HR plans cost from $10 per employee per month for HR Essentials, $14 per month for HR Engage. Add-ons like managed payroll cost $20 per employee per month. All prices are in AUD with a minimum of 10 users per company.
SourceZoho 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.
SourceEmployment Hero: Is there a free trial or free version of Employment Hero?
Yes, the Recruitment module offers a free tier with candidate scoring and 50 complimentary AI video interviews (one-time). HR plans do not include a free tier but start at $10 per employee monthly.
SourceZoho 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.
SourceEmployment Hero: What is the minimum commitment for Employment Hero?
HR plans require a minimum of 10 users. The initial HR contract is billed based on the greater of the minimum commitment or actual billable employees. Add-ons have minimum monthly costs, such as $20 for Chat and $40 for Rostering.
SourceZoho 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.
SourceEmployment Hero: Does Employment Hero include add-on fees beyond the base plan?
Yes, add-ons include Chat ($2 per employee/month, minimum $20), Rostering ($4 per employee/month, minimum $40), Managed Payroll ($20 per employee/month, minimum $400), and other services with separate pricing.
SourceRelated pages
More on Employment Hero
More on Zoho People
Other head to heads
- Employment Hero vs Workday
- Employment Hero vs BambooHR
- Employment Hero vs Culture Amp
- Employment Hero vs Freshteam
- Employment Hero vs Humaans
- Employment Hero vs Insperity
- Employment Hero vs Multiplier
- Employment Hero vs Oyster HR
- Employment Hero vs Unmind
- Employment Hero vs People HR
- Employment Hero vs Personio
- Employment Hero vs TINYpulse
- Employment Hero vs 15Five
- Employment Hero vs Breathe HR
- Employment Hero vs Kudos
- Employment Hero vs Lattice
- Employment Hero vs CharlieHR
- Employment Hero vs HiBob
- Employment Hero vs Sesame HR
- Employment Hero vs Officevibe
- Employment Hero vs Recruiterbox
- Employment Hero vs SmartHR
- Zoho People vs Workday
- Zoho People vs BambooHR
- Zoho People vs Culture Amp
- Zoho People vs Freshteam
- Zoho People vs Humaans
- Zoho People vs Insperity
- Zoho People vs Multiplier
- Zoho People vs Oyster HR
- Zoho People vs Unmind
- Zoho People vs People HR
- Zoho People vs Personio
- Zoho People vs TINYpulse
- Zoho People vs 15Five
- Zoho People vs Breathe HR
- Zoho People vs Kudos
- Zoho People vs Lattice
- Zoho People vs CharlieHR
- Zoho People vs HiBob
- Zoho People vs Sesame HR
- Zoho People vs Officevibe
- Zoho People vs Recruiterbox
- Zoho People vs SmartHR