Zoho People promises an all-in-one HR suite. What you actually get: payroll as a separate product, leave and attendance that must be disabled to connect it, and employees juggling multiple logins for basic tasks.
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 |
HRMS + Payroll + Compliance in one product. No Zoho People + Zoho Payroll + Zoho Recruit juggling. One login for everything.
PF, ESI, EDLI, PT, TDS, gratuity — auto-calculated per your state. Challans and ECRs generated. No manual setup across apps.
First payroll in 14 days. Employee data imported, salary structures configured, policies loaded. No weeks of multi-product configuration.
Flat pricing. All 9 modules. Not 3 separate subscriptions that add up to 2-3x the sticker price.
Month-to-month billing. Cancel anytime. Export your data in standard formats. No annual contracts.
Your questions reach a human who owns the answer. Not tiered support with an F rating from the Better Business Bureau.
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.
Book a 20-minute demo. We'll show you Cohort26 configured for your team.