Last Updated on September 11, 2026 by [email protected]
Moreover, Kredily’s free tier is one of the best deals in Indian HR software. Unlimited employees, core HR, payroll, leave, attendance - at zero cost. For a bootstrapped startup or a 5-person team, it’s a genuinely smart choice. For teams hitting that moment, paid Kredily alternatives usually pay for themselves within a month.
But every growing SME hits a moment. The moment your compliance calendar has more items than the free-tier tracker shows. Notice, the moment your HR admin spends four hours a month on manual PF calculations because the advanced module is locked. The moment an employee asks why the mobile app looks the way it does.
This guide is for teams at that moment. It covers the five specific signs you’ve outgrown Kredily, the five HRMS platforms Indian teams most commonly switch to, and how to migrate cleanly. Pricing verified from each provider on 4 September 2026.
5 Signs You’ve Outgrown Kredily’s Free Tier
However, 1. Compliance queries are eating your week. The free tier covers PF/ESI basics, but the moment you hit a state-specific query (Maharashtra PT rate change, Karnataka LWF filing), you’re on your own. If you’re spending 3+ hours a month googling compliance answers, that time is now more expensive than paid software.
2. You’ve crossed 30 employees. Kredily technically supports unlimited employees on free, but the interface, reporting depth, and support responsiveness were built for small teams. Around 30-50 employees, the friction becomes visible.
3. You want real support, not community forums. Free tier support is community-first. When payroll doesn’t reconcile at month-end and you need a human within the hour, this model breaks down.
For example, 4. Employees are complaining about the app. The free tier’s mobile experience is functional but basic. If your Gen Z hires are pinging you about payslips or leave applications weekly, the app is costing you HR bandwidth.
5. You need modules Kredily doesn’t offer free. Serious PMS, OKRs, ATS with resume parsing, LMS, employee engagement surveys - all locked behind paid tiers or absent entirely. The moment you need one of these for real, it’s decision time.
Quick Comparison: 5 Kredily Upgrades Compared
| Rank | Platform | Best For | Starting Price | Kredily Gap It Fills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HRTailor | Teams wanting HR handled, not just software | ₹10,000/month | Real HR expert, not community support |
| 2 | greytHR | Compliance-heavy SMEs | ₹2,495/month (50 emp) | Statutory depth at scale |
| 3 | sumHR | Design-conscious teams | ₹119/emp/month | Modern mobile app + fast onboarding |
| 4 | Keka | Mid-market wanting all-in-one | ~₹6,999/month | Broad PMS + OKR + ATS coverage |
| 5 | Zoho People | Zoho-ecosystem users | Region-dependent | Cross-app integrations across Zoho suite |
The 5 Paid Kredily Alternatives Worth Considering
The table above lists all five. Below, we go deeper on the three that Indian SMEs most commonly land on when they leave Kredily, mapped to the switching triggers from the previous section. The remaining two (Keka and Zoho People) are strong for specific fits and appear in the callout that follows.
HRTailor. For Teams Whose Switch Trigger Is “I’m Tired of Googling”
In fact, In one line: Kredily gives you free software; HRTailor gives you a real HR person who runs it, so you stop being the one googling compliance answers.
Where it fits: Founders, HR-of-one teams, and 10-100 employee SMEs that grew past the point where DIY HR made sense. The bundled model means one predictable monthly fee covers HRMS, payroll, statutory filings, POSH, and Labour Codes advisory - no separate subscriptions, no separate hires.
Founded: 2019 | HQ: Mumbai | Starting price: ₹10,000/month (all-inclusive, up to 20 employees) | Ideal team size: 10-100
greytHR - For Teams Where the Compliance Signal Fired
Therefore, In one line: India’s deepest statutory compliance library - the direct fix if what pushed you off Kredily was a state-specific compliance gap.
Best for the compliance signal: If Sign #1 (compliance queries eating your week) or Sign #5 (Kredily doesn’t cover the module you need) drove the switch, greytHR fills those gaps at scale. 100+ Acts documented, 20 state Shops & Establishments Acts, deep per-state coverage for PT, LWF, and minimum wages. UI is older than sumHR or HRTailor, but no one on this list matches its statutory depth.
Founded: 1994 | HQ: Bangalore | Starting price: ₹2,495/month (Essential, up to 50 employees) | Ideal team size: 25-500
sumHR - For Teams Where the Employee Signal Fired
Additionally, In one line: Cleanest employee-facing UI in the Indian market - the direct fix if what pushed you off Kredily was employees complaining about the app.
Best for the UX signal: If Sign #4 (employees complaining about the app) is why you’re switching, sumHR is a direct upgrade. Onboarding measured in days, mobile app that Gen Z hires actually enjoy, single flat price so budgeting is simple. Trade-off: payroll is a paid add-on and compliance depth is less than greytHR.
Founded: 2013 | HQ: Mumbai | Starting price: ₹1,428/employee/year (~₹119/month) | Ideal team size: 25-200
Also Worth a Look
- Keka - If Sign #5 (missing modules) is what pushed you out and you need serious PMS, OKRs, or ATS all in one modern platform, Keka is the broadest all-in-one on this list. Starts around ₹6,999/month.
- Zoho People - If your business already runs on Zoho suite (CRM, Books, Mail), cross-app integration reduces training time. Payroll sold separately as Zoho Payroll.
Meanwhile, both are covered in the comparison table above - they narrow into the shortlist when a specific criterion (module breadth or Zoho ecosystem) matters more than the criteria HRTailor, greytHR, or sumHR lead on.
The Real Cost of Staying on Free When You’ve Outgrown It
Free tier feels like a saving until you count the hidden costs. At a 30-employee SME, we typically see:
- 10-15 hours/month of admin googling - compliance answers, workarounds, community forum searches. At ₹500/hour (junior HR bandwidth), that’s ₹5,000-7,500/month in real cost.
- 1-2 penalty risks per year - a missed state deadline or incorrect PF calculation. Even small penalties + interest can cost ₹15,000-50,000 in a single incident.
- Employee frustration - hard to price, but shows up in NPS scores and, eventually, attrition.
Add these up and free stops being free. A ₹2,500-10,000/month paid alternative that handles all three often pays for itself in month one.
How to Migrate from Kredily
Furthermore, 1. Export everything on your last free month. Employees, attendance, leave balances, salary structures, historic payroll. CSV format works for most alternatives.
2. Time the switch to before a payroll cycle, not during. Ideally the first week of a month - you get a full clean cycle on the new platform.
3. Notify statutory portals if PF/ESI signatory changes. This step catches many teams off-guard. Ask your new provider whether their filing authority is different from your Kredily setup.
As a result, 4. Keep Kredily active for one parallel month. Run your first payroll on both platforms and reconcile line by line before fully cancelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kredily’s free tier really free forever?
Yes - unlimited employees, no credit card. But “free” covers core HR + payroll + leave + attendance only. Advanced modules (analytics, integrations, custom workflows) require paid tiers, and support quality is community-first.
On the other hand, What’s the cheapest paid alternative?
greytHR Essential at ₹2,495/month for 50 employees is often the lowest total cost per employee at small scale. sumHR’s single-price model (₹119/emp/month) is simpler to budget.
Can I run parallel payroll on Kredily and a new platform?
In addition, yes - this is the recommended approach for one month. Kredily stays on the free tier so it costs nothing, and you can compare payroll outputs line by line before fully switching.
When should I make the switch decision?
When two or more of the five signs above apply. If only one applies, workarounds may still be cheaper than a paid platform.
Above all, What’s the biggest risk in switching from Kredily?
Data migration gaps. Kredily’s CSV exports are decent but not always complete - check that employee onboarding documents and historical leave data come across cleanly before you cancel.
Ready to Graduate from Free HR Software?
Free HR software works until it doesn’t. When you’ve outgrown Kredily, HRTailor gives you modern HRMS, payroll, statutory compliance, and a real HR expert bundled into one monthly fee - no more googling compliance answers on your lunch break. 500+ Indian SMEs already run their HR this way.
Every registration, monthly filing and annual return for Indian employers - in one place.
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