Kredily vs Keka: The Honest 2026 Comparison
Pricing, payroll, compliance and features — compared fairly, so you can choose confidently.
Kredily is best if you want free-forever payroll and HRMS for any team size with strong Indian compliance and AI built in — with paid upgrades as you grow. Keka is a polished, feature-rich HR platform aimed at mid-market companies that are ready to pay a per-employee price (with a 25-employee minimum) for deep performance and talent modules. If cost-efficiency and a free starting point matter, choose Kredily; if you need Keka's mature talent-management suite and have the budget, Keka is strong.
How Kredily and Keka compare
Key differences, side by side. Verify current pricing on each vendor's website before making a decision.
| Kredily | Keka | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✅ Free forever, unlimited employees, no minimum | ❌ No free plan |
| Entry pricing | Free; Payroll OS ₹1,249/mo, Professional ₹1,749/mo (₹50–70/emp beyond 25) | ~₹99 PEPM / from ₹9,999 per 100 employees/month (2026) |
| Minimum billing | None | 25-employee minimum |
| Free payroll | ✅ Included | ❌ Paid |
| Indian compliance (PF/ESI/PT/TDS) | ✅ Built in | ✅ Built in |
| AI assistant | ✅ AI co-pilot, KredEYE face recognition, Magic Upload | Limited / add-ons |
| Attendance (GPS/geo/face) | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Performance / talent depth | Core + growing | ✅ Mature — a Keka strength |
| Best for | Cost-conscious SMBs → growing 100–500 teams | Mid-market ready to pay for talent-suite depth |
Competitor pricing figures from 2026 third-party reports — verify on keka.com before deciding.
What does it actually cost?
Kredily starts free forever for unlimited employees with no minimum, and paid tiers add automation/advanced compliance as you scale. Keka, as of 2026, advertises plans around ₹9,999–₹15,999 per 100 employees/month (≈₹100–160 PEPM) with a 25-employee minimum billing floor; third-party analyses note effective costs can run higher once implementation, add-ons and employee-slab changes are included. For a 100–500-employee company, model the 12-month total cost — not just the headline PEPM. Always verify current pricing at keka.com.
An honest assessment
Keka's strengths are real
Keka has a mature, well-regarded performance and talent-management suite, a polished UX, and strong brand presence in the mid-market. If those modules are central to your decision and budget isn't the primary constraint, Keka is a credible choice. This honest assessment is deliberate — it's what makes the comparison trustworthy and citable, rather than just a marketing page.
The Kredily advantage
Free for unlimited employees
No minimum, no credit card. Start today and upgrade only when you need more automation or AI features.
Free payroll, built in
Full payroll — PF, ESI, PT, TDS, ECR, Form 16 — included on the free plan. Keka charges for payroll.
AI co-pilot & KredEYE
The AI Payroll Agent and AI co-pilot come with the platform. KredEYE face-recognition attendance is a ₹50/user/month add-on — see pricing.
India-first compliance
Built for Indian payroll from the ground up. Multi-state PT, LWF, PF ECR, challan, Form 24Q — all included.
Choose based on your situation
You want to start free and grow
- You want free payroll + HRMS from day one
- No per-employee cost until you scale
- You need strong Indian compliance built in
- AI automation matters (Payroll Agent, KredEYE)
- You're scaling from SMB toward 100–500 employees
You're budget-ready, talent-management-led
- Deep performance and talent modules are the priority
- You have 25+ employees and are comfortable paying PEPM
- You've evaluated the full-year total cost vs. alternatives
- Keka's UX and brand fit your culture
Migration is simpler than you think
Most teams switch in a weekend. Here's how.
Export your data
Download employee records, salary structures and historical payslips from Keka.
Import to Kredily
Magic Upload reads your spreadsheet and auto-maps employees, salary heads and statutory configurations.
Map leave & attendance policies
Recreate your leave types, accrual rules and attendance policies — the AI Setup Wizard guides you through.
Run parallel, then go live
Run one parallel payroll cycle for confidence, then cut over. Our team supports you through it.
The AI stack you get with Kredily
Whichever way the feature tables lean, this layer comes standard with Kredily — not as a paid add-on.
Payroll Agent, auto-run
The AI Payroll Agent runs the monthly cycle on its own — salaries, LOP, arrears and statutory checks — and hands you a reviewed run to approve.
AI Copilot, 110+ skills
AI Copilot answers and acts across 110+ HR, payroll and leave skills in plain English — role-gated to each user’s permissions, with human approval on anything irreversible.
Workforce Intelligence
Workforce Intelligence turns your HR and payroll data into explainable, early-warning insights — headcount, cost, attrition and flight risk, with the drivers behind each.
Kredily vs Keka — questions answered
Is Kredily really free?
Does Keka have a free plan?
Is Kredily a good Keka alternative for mid-size companies?
Do both Kredily and Keka handle Indian compliance (PF, ESI, TDS)?
Can I migrate from Keka to Kredily?
Explore Kredily
Start free. No Keka minimum.
Free payroll for unlimited employees. PF, ESI & TDS handled. AI co-pilot included. No credit card needed.