Compare/Head to head

Engage HRMS vs Keka

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Engage HRMS

₹60/employee/mo Free trial

Cloud HR and payroll suite for Indian businesses, with PF, ESI, PT and TDS compliance built into payroll alongside attendance, leave, expenses and core HR. Essential is ₹60 per employee a month and Growth at ₹100 adds recruitment, performance, engagement and an HR helpdesk, with no setup fee and a free trial on request.

Where Engage HRMS fits

  • Indian SMBs and midsize firms running payroll with PF, ESI and TDS
  • Manufacturing, automotive and healthcare employers with shift and blue collar staff
  • Companies with field teams needing GPS tracking and geolocation attendance
  • Firms wanting HR and payroll at a low per employee price

Keka

Sales-quoted Free trial

Cloud HRMS bundling core HR, payroll, attendance, performance, and recruiting. US commercial terms are quoted. A free trial is the public entry.

Where Keka fits

  • Growing SMBs that want HR, payroll, attendance, and recruiting in one login
  • India-origin companies expanding to US payroll on the same PeopleOS
  • Teams that want a free trial before a Foundation vs Strength vs Growth quote
  • Buyers comparing a mid-market HRMS against BambooHR or Zoho People

At a glance

DetailEngage HRMSKeka
Starting price₹60/employee/moSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
Free trialYesYes
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underHRIS, ATS, Leave management, Payroll, Time & attendanceATS, HRIS, Payroll, Performance
CapterraNot enough reviews4.4 from 91 reviews

Where they pull apart

Engage HRMS

Stands out: Payroll is built around Indian statutory compliance, including PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS, Labour Welfare Fund, returns and challans, and the published price is low for a full HRMS: ₹60 per employee a month with payroll included on the entry plan. Attendance covers face recognition, geolocation, kiosk and biometric punch ins for factory and field teams.

Watch out: It is built for Indian payroll law, so it does not suit companies paying staff in the US or other countries. Recruitment, performance, learning and engagement sit on the ₹100 Growth plan, field tracking is priced separately at ₹40 or ₹80 per employee, and the free trial is arranged through the sales team rather than self serve.

Not the right fit for

  • Employers paying staff outside India
  • Recruiting teams that need a dedicated, standalone ATS
  • Teams that want a self serve trial without a sales contact

Keka

Stands out: Keka sells Foundation, Strength, and Growth HR/payroll bands plus Hire Pro recruiting, with a US site at keka.com/us and native multi-state payroll.

Watch out: Keka publishes no US dollar amounts. Do not budget from India rupee cards if you are buying US payroll.

Not the right fit for

  • US buyers who need a printed per-employee USD rate before a sales call
  • Enterprises standardizing on Workday or UKG as the system of record

Pros and cons

Engage HRMS

  • Indian statutory payroll compliance built in
  • Payroll included from ₹60 per employee a month
  • Face, geolocation, kiosk and biometric attendance
  • India payroll only
  • Recruitment and performance need the Growth plan
  • Free trial arranged through sales

Keka

  • HR, payroll, attendance, performance, and recruiting in one suite
  • US site with multi-state payroll and a free trial path
  • Foundation / Strength / Growth bands so you are not forced into a mega-suite on day one
  • No published US list prices
  • Recruiting (Hire Pro) is a separate add-on conversation
  • API access is not on the entry band

What each one costs

Engage HRMS

₹60/employee/mo

Priced per employee in Indian rupees with no setup fee. Essential is ₹60 per employee a month and covers core HR, attendance, leave, payroll, expenses, reports and support. Growth is ₹100 per employee a month and adds recruitment, performance, engagement, learning, asset and task management, an HR helpdesk and customisation. Billed yearly they are ₹576 and ₹960 per employee a year, a 20% saving. Field tracking is separate at ₹40 or ₹80 per employee a month. A free trial is available on request. The vendor publishes no USD price. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 17 Oct 2026

Keka

Sales-quoted

US plans (Foundation, Strength, Growth, and Hire Pro) are quoted. A free trial is available. The US pricing page is the commercial path for US payroll buyers. India rupee cards on other regional pages are a different rate card and are not the US list. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Engage HRMS or Keka for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Engage HRMS offers a free trial. Keka offers a free trial.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 17 Oct 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?