Wrong tax computations, 4-month support waits, payroll sold separately, lock-in contracts. See how Cohort26 stacks up against the three platforms Indian businesses complain about most.
Sourced from public review platforms. These are the patterns that keep showing up.
"Tax computations wrong for entire FY 2023–24."— Source: G2 Review
"Support teams have very less idea about the product."— Source: Capterra Review
"Fair Usage Policy locks customers into commitments they cannot modify."— Source: Keka Terms of Service
"99 mentions of poor customer support across the platform."— Source: G2 Review Data
Sources: G2, Capterra, Keka Terms of Service. All complaints are publicly available as of 2026.
| Feature | Keka HR | Cohort26 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-user + add-ons, 30–50% above sticker | ₹499/employee flat, all included |
| Lock-in policy | Fair Usage Policy — can't reduce headcount | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| Tax computation | Reported errors for entire fiscal years | Auto PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS |
| Support quality | 99 G2 mentions of poor support | Founder-led support, same-day |
| Mobile app | Functional but UX complaints | Mobile-first, works on field floors |
| Compliance updates | Lag behind regulatory changes | Self-updating when laws change |
| Modules included | Core + paid add-ons | All 9 modules included |
| Onboarding time | Weeks to months | Live in 7 days, payroll in 14 |
Yes. Cohort26 offers all 9 HR modules at ₹499/employee with no fair usage policy, no lock-in contracts, and founder-led support — addressing the most common complaints Keka users report on G2 and Capterra.
Cohort26 charges a flat ₹499 per employee per month with all modules included. Keka's real cost often runs 30-50% above sticker price due to add-on fees for performance management, recruitment, and API access.
Yes. We support bulk employee data import via CSV. Most migrations take less than a week. Your consultant handles the data mapping so nothing is lost.
No. Cohort26 is month-to-month billing. Cancel anytime. No fair usage policy, no minimum headcount commitments. Your data is exportable at any time.
Sourced from public review platforms. These patterns keep showing up.
"Support waits up to 4 months. Completely unacceptable."— Source: Software Advice Review
"Tickets older than 6 months still unresolved."— Source: Trustpilot Review
"Mobile app takes 8–10 minutes to open and fails GPS detection 40% of the time."— Source: Google Play Review
"Annual price hikes on existing customers without notice."— Source: G2 Review
Sources: Software Advice, Trustpilot, Google Play, G2. All complaints publicly available as of 2026.
| Feature | greytHR | Cohort26 |
|---|---|---|
| Support response | Up to 4 months wait | Founder-led, same-day |
| Mobile app | 8–10 min to open, GPS fails 40% | Fast, geo-fenced, field-ready |
| Pricing | Annual price hikes | ₹499/employee, price-locked |
| Ticket resolution | 6+ month old tickets unresolved | Direct access to builders |
| Compliance | Standard statutory | PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS auto |
| Lock-in | Annual contracts | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| Modules | Core + upsells | All 9 included |
| Onboarding | Varies | Live in 7 days, payroll in 14 |
Yes. Cohort26 addresses the top greytHR complaints: support response times (founder-led vs 4-month waits), mobile app performance (fast and geo-fenced vs 8-10 min load times), and pricing (₹499 flat vs annual hikes).
Cohort26 offers founder-led support with same-day response. greytHR users report support waits up to 4 months, with tickets older than 6 months going unresolved.
Yes. Bulk CSV import supported. Most migrations complete within a week. We handle data mapping so nothing is lost.
No. Cohort26 pricing is ₹499/employee/month, flat. No annual price increases on existing customers.
Sourced from public review platforms and official documentation. These are the patterns that keep showing up.
"Payroll is a separate product. You pay for Zoho People, then pay again for Zoho Payroll."— Source: Zoho Pricing Page
"Leave and Attendance modules must be disabled in Zoho People to connect Zoho Payroll."— Source: Zoho Documentation
"Expert reviewers call it 'bloated and half-baked' — too many modules, none fully finished."— Source: Workflow Academy Review
"Employees juggle multiple logins for leave, payslips, and tax declarations."— Source: Capterra User Reviews
Sources: Zoho official docs, Capterra, Workflow Academy, BBB. All complaints are publicly available as of 2026.
| Feature | Zoho People | Cohort26 |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll included | No — Zoho Payroll is a separate paid product | Yes — payroll built into every plan |
| Pricing model | People + Payroll + Recruit = 3 subscriptions | ₹499/employee flat, all 9 modules |
| Leave + Payroll integration | Must disable Leave module to connect Payroll | Leave data flows directly into payroll |
| Employee experience | Multiple logins across Zoho apps | One login, one dashboard, everything |
| Module quality | "Bloated and half-baked" per expert reviews | 9 focused modules, all production-ready |
| Indian compliance | Manual configuration across products | Auto PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS per state |
| Support | Tiered support, BBB rating: F | Founder-led support, same-day response |
| Onboarding time | Weeks configuring multiple products | Live in 7 days, payroll in 14 |
Yes. Cohort26 solves the biggest Zoho People pain points: payroll is built-in (not a separate product), all modules work from one login, and Indian statutory compliance is auto-calculated — no manual configuration across disconnected apps.
Payroll is included in every Cohort26 plan at ₹499/employee/month. Unlike Zoho where Zoho People and Zoho Payroll are separate products requiring separate setup, Cohort26 is one unified platform.
Yes. Bulk CSV import supported. Most migrations complete within a week. We handle data mapping from Zoho's format so nothing is lost.
Cohort26 auto-calculates PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS, and gratuity per your state. Zoho People requires you to disable leave and attendance modules to connect payroll — and even then, compliance is manual configuration across multiple Zoho products.
Payroll, attendance, leave, recruitment, performance, expenses, tax, lifecycle, mobile app — all included from day one.
PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS, gratuity — auto-calculated per your state. Challans and ECRs generated.
First payroll in 14 days. Employee data imported, salary structures configured, policies loaded per state.
Flat pricing. No hidden add-on fees. No "performance module" upsell. No API access charges.
Month-to-month billing. Cancel anytime. Export your data in standard formats. No exit fees.
Your questions reach a human who owns the answer. Not a chatbot, not a 4-month ticket queue.
Book a 20-minute demo. We'll show you Cohort26 configured for your team.