Truly free payroll software in India is limited. Zoho Payroll has a free plan for up to 10 employees. Most other tools, including FundRaksha HR, offer a free trial instead: FundRaksha HR gives 30 days with every feature of the chosen plan, then charges from ₹49 per employee per month + GST. For one-off calculations, free salary, PF and ESI calculators and a salary slip format cost nothing.
Three kinds of "free"
| Type | Example | Good for | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Zoho Payroll, up to 10 employees | Very small teams that need payroll only | Headcount cap; its leave and attendance module is listed in Premium |
| Free trial | FundRaksha HR 30 days; greytHR 7 days; Zoho paid plans 14 days | Testing a full product on your real data | Ends; then a paid plan |
| Free tools | Salary, PF, ESI, HRA and gratuity calculators; salary slip format | One-off checks, a handful of staff | No attendance, no files, all manual |
When free is enough
- You have fewer than 10 employees, fixed salaries and no attendance-based deductions.
- You already track attendance elsewhere and only need payslips.
- You run payroll once in a while, for example for a few contract staff.
In these cases a free plan or the free calculators and a salary slip format may be all you need.
When free costs more than paid
Free tools stop being free once you count the owner's or accountant's time. The common hidden costs:
- Attendance to salary by hand. Counting late marks, half days and unpaid leave from a register every month.
- Statutory errors. PF on the wrong base, ESI deducted for someone above the limit, missed PT. Mistakes carry interest and damages.
- Proxy attendance. Without phone lock or GPS, you pay for days nobody worked.
- No files. Typing PF ECR and bank details by hand.
Worked example: 15 staff, free versus paid
A printing press in Sivakasi has 15 staff, all on PF and ESI. A free plan capped at 10 employees does not cover them. Using Excel and free calculators, the accountant spends most of a day each month on attendance, salary and the PF and ESI files.
FundRaksha HR Pro for 15 staff costs 15 × ₹79 = ₹1,185 a month + GST. Attendance comes from staff phones, salary is calculated automatically, and the PF ECR, ESI, bank and Tally files are downloaded after review. Whether that is worth it depends on what a day of the accountant's time costs you; the 30-day trial lets you measure it on your real payroll before paying anything.
Getting the most from a free trial
- Start the trial at the beginning of a month so you can run a full payroll cycle.
- Import all employees from Excel, not a sample.
- Run your existing Excel payroll in parallel and compare every payslip.
- Test edge cases: someone on unpaid leave, a new joiner, an advance, an employee near the ESI limit.
- Upload the PF ECR and ESI files on the portals to confirm they are accepted.
Every plan has a 30-day free trial with your real team, and there is no bill for the trial period. After that, you pay only for active employees in the month. See pricing.
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-10-21. Information for Indian businesses; not legal advice.