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Best Time and Attendance Software for Small Businesses in India
If you run a small business in India—whether it’s a startup, retail store, consultancy, or field service team—you know this truth: time is money, and inaccurate attendance tracking is silently eating your profits.
Manual registers, Excel sheets, or outdated biometric machines lead to:
- Payroll errors (overtime miscalculations, leave mismatches)
- Buddy punching and proxy attendance
- Wasted HR hours on corrections
- Compliance risks during audits
The right time and attendance software for small businesses solve all this—automatically, affordably, and without complex setups.
But not all systems are built for small teams. Many force you into:
- 50-user minimums (when you only have 15 employees)
- Biometric hardware (₹10,000+ upfront)
- Enterprise pricing (₹5,000+/month for basic features)
After testing 20+ platforms with real small business owners (5–100 employees), we’ve ranked the top 8 time and attendance solutions that actually work for Indian SMBs—prioritizing cost, simplicity, mobile access, and scalability.
1. iPresent – Best Overall for Small Businesses
Ideal for: Startups, shops, field teams, Tally users, and cost-conscious founders
Pricing: ₹270/user/year (billed annually)
iPresent Time And Attendance software is the most affordable and flexible time and attendance software for small businesses in India. It runs entirely on smartphones—no biometric devices, no kiosks, no wiring.
Why It’s Perfect for Small Teams:
- True per-user pricing — pay only for active employees (no 25/50-user traps)
- TallyPrime integration — auto-sync attendance → payroll → PF/ESI reports
- 4 smart attendance methods: WiFi (office), Geo-fencing (workshop), GPS (remote), Face Recognition (high-security zones)
- Set up in under 60 minutes — no IT team needed
Best if: You want zero hardware, predictable pricing, and seamless Tally payroll.
2. Zoho People – Best for Remote & Tech-Savvy Teams
Ideal for: Fully remote startups, IT teams, Zoho ecosystem users
Pricing: ₹99/user/month (~₹1,188/user/year) | Free for ≤5 users
Zoho People offers a clean, cloud-based attendance tracker with strong leave and shift management.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface, great mobile app
- Free plan for micro-businesses
- Integrates with Zoho Payroll & Books
Cons:
- No Tally integration
- Fixed monthly billing (no annual discount)
- Limited for field or workshop teams
Best if: Your team is fully remote and already uses Zoho apps.
3. Keka HR– Best All-in-One HR Suite
Ideal for: Small offices wanting HR + payroll + attendance in one place
Pricing: ₹3,499/month for up to 25 users (~₹140/user/year)
Keka HR bundles attendance with performance reviews, payroll, and engagement tools.
Pros:
- Unified HR dashboard
- Good shift & overtime tracking
- Responsive customer support
Cons:
- Pay for 25 users even if you have 10
- No Tally or offline support
- Overkill for pure attendance needs
Best if: You want an all-in-one HR platform and don’t use Tally.
4. sumHR – Best for WhatsApp & Biometric Hybrid
Ideal for: Small factories, retail chains, teams with basic phones
Pricing: ₹2,499/month for 50 users
sumHR allows attendance via WhatsApp—ideal for staff without smartphones.
Pros:
- Unique WhatsApp punch-in
- Biometric + mobile support
- Simple, fast onboarding
Cons:
- Fixed user plans
- No Tally integration
- Web app can lag
Best if: You need low-tech attendance options for non-smartphone users.
5. Pocket HRMS – Best for Workshops & Retail
Ideal for: Small manufacturing units, service centers, multi-location stores
Pricing: ₹2,999/month for 50 users
Supports kiosk, facial recognition, and GPS—ideal for mixed environments.
Pros:
- Multiple attendance modes
- Built-in PF/ESI compliance
- Good for industrial settings
Cons:
- Hardware adds cost
- No per-user pricing
- Steeper learning curve
Best if: You run a small workshop and can invest in a kiosk.
6. greytHR – Best for Compliance-First SMBs
Ideal for: Businesses in regulated sectors (20–100 employees)
Pricing: Custom (starts ~₹4,000/month)
Hardware Required: Optional
Known for bulletproof statutory compliance (PF, ESI, PT, LWF).
Pros:
- Audit-ready payroll reports
- Microsoft-certified security
- Reliable multi-location tracking
Cons:
- Not cost-effective under 20 employees
- Setup takes 3–5 days
- No per-user model
Best if: Compliance is your #1 priority and you have 30+ staff.
7. HROne – Best for Multi-Location Teams (50+)
Ideal for: Growing SMBs with offices in 2+ cities
Pricing: Starts at 50 employees (~₹5,000+/month)
Strong geo-tracking and shift management for distributed teams.
Cons:
- Not ideal for small teams (<30 employees)
- Expensive entry point
- Complex for non-HR users
Best if: You’re scaling fast and need enterprise-grade features.
8. Zimyo – Best for Employee Engagement
Ideal for: Culture-focused small businesses
Pricing: ₹3,999/month for 50 users
Blends attendance with rewards, surveys, and recognition.
Pros:
- Engaging UI
- Good leave management
- Biometric compatible
Cons:
- Fixed pricing
- No Tally/Zoho Books integration
- Mobile app lacks depth
Best if: Team morale and engagement matter as much as attendance.
Final Verdict
The best time and attendance software for small businesses isn’t the one with the most features; it’s the one that saves you money, scales with you, and disappears into your workflow.
For 90% of Indian small businesses, that’s iPresent:
- No hardware → Save ~₹10,000+ upfront
- Per-user pricing → Pay only for who you use
- Tally integration → Automate payroll in minutes
- Mobile-first → Works for office, remote, and field staff
Most small businesses lose ₹12,000–₹45,000/year due to attendance errors, manual payroll, and hardware costs.
Use our free ROI Calculator to see how much you’ll save in Year 1 with iPresent, based on your team size, salary, and current method (register, Excel, or biometric).
See iPresent Time and Attendance software in Action
FAQs - Time And Attendance Software
iPresent Time and Attendance software is the top choice for most small businesses because it requires no hardware, charges per user (not per slot), and integrates with TallyPrime for automated payroll and compliance.
Yes. Systems like iPresent, Zoho People, and Keka HR use smartphone-based tracking (GPS, Geo Fencing, WiFi and face recognition) — no extra hardware needed.
Most small businesses in India should spend between ₹200–₹600 per employee per year on attendance software. Avoid systems that charge monthly for fixed user blocks (e.g., “₹900/month for 25 users”)—they cost 3–5x more long-term.
By using smartphone-based verification methods like GPS, geo-fencing, WiFi, or face recognition — assigned based on your workplace needs. This reduces proxy marking and location fraud.
Modern mobile-based attendance can be more accurate and fraud-resistant than basic biometric machines. While fingerprint devices can be tricked with fake prints or fail in dusty/wet environments, smartphone-based systems offer multiple methods:
- GPS Based attendance
- geo-fencing
- Face recognition
- WiFi-based
These methods ensure that there’s no “buddy punching”. Mobile attendance offers better accuracy at 1/10th the cost.
Yes—and it’s one of the highest-ROI moves a small business can make. Start by:
- Running a 2-week pilot with one team
- Using historical data to estimate manday loss (typically 0.5–1% of total working days)
- Calculating savings from reduced payroll errors and HR time
Most SMEs see full ROI in 1–3 months. Tools like iPresent even offer free onboarding help to migrate your employee list from Excel—no technical skills required.
