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Keka Review 2026: Pricing, HR & Payroll Features, Pros, and Cons

Last Updated: 15 Sep 2026
Aleksandra Jotic
HR Strategy & Operations Advisor | HRIS, Training & Organisational Development
Built with HR and software expert input using a structured evaluation process
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Keka is a strong fit for mid-market companies in the US, India, and the UAE that need to consolidate core HR, time tracking, and complex statutory payroll compliance into one unified platform. Its clearest advantage is transparent per-employee pricing combined with native multi-state and multi-country payroll capabilities. However, its expansive feature set and minimum billing requirements make it less suited for micro-businesses with under 10 employees.

Strengths

  • Unified HR & payroll suite, transparent public pricing

Limitations

  • Occasional mobile app sync issues, overly complex for micro-teams

Best for

Mid-market unified HR and Payroll

Keka is highly recommended for mid-market companies in the US and India seeking a unified solution for multi-state or statutory payroll compliance alongside modern HR features.

  • SMB
  • Mid-market
  • Core HR
  • Payroll software
  1. Keka for Mid-market unified HR and Payroll

    Strong fit
    Keka
    Keka

    Best for: SMB and mid-market companies in the US and India needing compliance and self-service

    Verdict:

    Strong fit for mid-market companies seeking a unified solution that automatically handles complex multi-state or statutory payroll compliance. [28]

    Why it fits

    • Native multi-state payroll in the US and deep statutory compliance in India [14]
    • Unified platform covering core HR, payroll, performance, and ATS [25]

    Fit considerations

    • Advanced modules like Hiring and PSA require custom quotes. [45]
    EXPERT REVIEW

    Pricing benchmark:

    Foundation
    from $9
    /employee/month [41]
    See if Keka is the right fit

Keka Fit by Company Size

Keka is strongest for SMB (51–200 employees) and mid-market (201–1,000 employees) organizations that need a comprehensive system to handle scaling workforce complexity. [10] [11] The platform also supports the lower enterprise segment up to 2,000+ employees. [12] However, very small teams and micro-businesses (under 10 employees) may find the platform overly complex and the minimum pricing structures difficult to justify. [29]

Editorial verdict

Keka is strongest for mid-market businesses that need to unify core HR, time tracking, and multi-state or statutory payroll into a single system. [28] Its clearest advantage is the combination of transparent entry pricing and deep native payroll compliance for the US, India, and UAE, which makes it particularly useful when companies want to eliminate fragmented HR and payroll stacks. [14] [26]

The main trade-off is occasional technical lagging, particularly regarding attendance sync issues on the mobile app. [27] This matters most for distributed or hourly workforces that rely heavily on mobile-first time tracking. Additionally, its feature depth makes it unnecessarily heavy for micro-businesses. [29]

Choose Keka if ease of consolidating HR, performance, and multi-region local payroll matters more than having a flawless mobile time-tracking experience. Consider alternatives if you are a micro-business under 10 employees. Before signing, verify whether native payroll is supported in your specific operating countries outside the US, India, and UAE, as global coverage is not uniform. [06]

Quick facts

FieldValue
VendorKeka [01]
Primary categoryHRIS [02]
Additional categoriesPayroll software, Performance management, Time and attendance, Expense management
Best-fit company sizeSMB (51–200), Midmarket (201–1,000) [10] [11]
Main use casesCore HR, Payroll automation, Time and attendance tracking, Performance management [02]
Pricing modelBase fee plus per-employee fee [35]
Starting pricefrom $9 /employee/month (official) [41]
Free plan/trialYes [35]
Primary marketsUS, India, UAE [14]
Delivery modelNative [14]
Security/complianceSOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR [17] [18] [19]
Last verifiedSep 2026
Founded2014 [01]
Customer count12,500 [01]
Funding stageSeries A [01]

What is Keka?

Keka is a cloud-based HR and payroll platform designed to consolidate core HR, time tracking, applicant tracking, and performance management into a single system. [02] [25] Founded in 2014 and headquartered in India, it serves over 12,500 customers globally, primarily targeting mid-market and scaling organizations. [01] The platform is notable for automatically handling complex multi-state and statutory payroll compliance for specific regions like the US, India, and the UAE. [14]

Who is Keka best for?

Best for

  • Mid-market and scaling companies that want to unify core HR, payroll, and performance management into one system. [28]
  • Organizations requiring native, complex multi-state payroll compliance in the US or deep statutory compliance in India and the UAE. [14]

Not ideal for

  • Micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees who may find the platform overly complex. [29]

Buyers should verify first

  • Native payroll support for countries outside of the US, India, and UAE. [06]
  • Custom pricing and quotes for advanced modules like PSA and Hiring. [45]

Products and modules

  • Keka HRMS & Payroll: The core HR and payroll engine. [31]
  • Keka Hiring: An applicant tracking system (ATS) and recruitment module. [32]
  • Keka Projects & TimeSheets (PSA): A workforce management module for timesheets, project dashboards, and resource allocation. [33]
  • Keka Learn: A learning management system (LMS) add-on. [34]

Features and capabilities

Feature summary: Keka is strongest in its native multi-state and multi-country payroll compliance for its primary markets, as well as its unified core HR features. Buyers should verify the exact depth of the PSA and ATS modules, as they operate as separate add-ons.

CapabilityStatusEvidence strengthNotesSource
Core HRSupportedStrongIncludes employee records, documents, org charts, and onboarding.[13]
Local PayrollSupportedStrongNative tax compliance for US (50 states), India, and UAE.[14]
Employee Self-ServiceSupportedStrongPortal for updating profiles, tracking attendance, and managing leave.[15]
Performance ReviewsSupportedStrongGoal setting, OKRs, and continuous feedback workflows.[16]

Pricing

Keka offers transparent, per-employee pricing for its core HR and payroll software, though some advanced modules require custom quotes. [26] [45]

HR & Payroll Pricing (US)

Foundation
$9per employee per month
Strength
$16per employee per month
Growth
$22per employee per month

HR & Payroll Pricing (India)

Foundation
₹ 9,999/month base fee (up to 100 employees) plus ₹90 per additional employee
Strength
₹ 12,999/month base fee (up to 100 employees) plus ₹120 per additional employee
Growth
₹ 15,999/month base fee (up to 100 employees) plus ₹150 per additional employee

Add-On Pricing

Keka Learn
₹ 60per employee per month (minimum 50 employees)
Hiring Pro
Quote-based

Third-party sites list prices like $50/month per recruiter, but the vendor pricing page requires a sales contact. [44] [47]

PSA Modules
Quote-based

Region and country coverage

Keka has strong native local payroll support in the US, India, and UAE. Buyers should verify exact payroll capabilities for other countries, as the evidence does not confirm native support in regions like the UK, Canada, Australia, or Germany. [06]

Region/countryCapabilityCoverage typeEvidence statusNotesSource
United StatesLocal PayrollNativeVerifiedNative multi-state payroll across all 50 states.[03]
IndiaLocal PayrollNativeVerifiedDeep statutory compliance (TDS, PF, ESIC).[04]
United Arab EmiratesLocal PayrollNativeVerifiedSocial security compliance for GCC.[05]
United KingdomLocal PayrollUnknownInferredNative coverage is unknown.[06]
CanadaLocal PayrollUnknownInferredNative coverage is unknown.[07]
AustraliaLocal PayrollUnknownInferredNative coverage is unknown.[08]
GermanyLocal PayrollUnknownInferredNative coverage is unknown.[09]

Payroll coverage

Keka supports local payroll processing and tax compliance. [14] It handles multi-state payroll taxes natively in the United States and offers deep statutory reporting for India (including TDS, PF, ESIC, and PT). [14] It also supports social security compliance for the UAE and GCC nations. [14]

HRIS and people operations features

Keka provides a unified suite of HR tools, including:

  • Employee records and org charts [13]
  • Onboarding workflows [13]
  • Document management [13]
  • Employee self-service portals [15]
  • Performance reviews and goal tracking [16]

Integrations

Keka provides native integrations with major communication and accounting platforms. Buyers should verify the depth of data sync for their specific workflows.

IntegrationCategorySupport levelEvidence strengthNotesSource
SlackCommunicationNativeVerifiedStreamlines HR workflows.[20]
Microsoft TeamsCommunicationNativeVerifiedFacilitates meetings and check-ins.[21]
QuickBooksAccountingNativeVerifiedInvoicing and categorizing.[22]

Security and compliance

According to the vendor's Trust Vault, Keka maintains several key security and compliance certifications:

  • SOC 2: Keka is assessed in compliance with SOC 2 Type II controls. [17]
  • ISO 27001: The platform holds an ISO 27001:2022 certification. [18]
  • GDPR: The vendor maintains compliance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. [19]

Implementation and support

Keka guarantees a 99.9% uptime SLA for its cloud platform. [24]

User reviews and sentiment

Users frequently praise Keka for its highly integrated HR and payroll suite, noting that it successfully combines multiple HR functions into one subscription. [25] However, some users report occasional technical lagging and attendance sync issues, particularly with the mobile app. [27]

Implementation and Support Strengths

ProWhy it mattersEvidenceCaveat
Unified PlatformConsolidates HR, payroll, performance, and ATS into one subscription.[25]None
Transparent PricingPublic per-employee pricing without needing custom quotes for core modules.[26]None
Native Local PayrollDeep statutory compliance for US, India, and UAE.[14]None

Implementation and Support Limitations

ConWhy it mattersEvidenceCaveat
Technical IssuesOccasional lagging and attendance sync issues on the mobile app.[27]Based on aggregate user reviews.
Micro-Business FitOverly complex for very small teams.[29]None

Is Keka Right for Your Team?

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Where Keka fits best

Keka is the strongest choice for mid-market and scaling organizations in the US, India, and the UAE that want to replace fragmented HR and payroll systems with a single unified platform. [28] It is particularly well-suited for businesses needing native multi-state or multi-country statutory compliance. [14] Micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees should look elsewhere, as the platform's depth and minimum pricing may outweigh their needs. [29]

Buyer checklist

  • Confirm exact pricing for the buyer’s employee count, including base fees and per-employee costs.
  • Verify country-specific local payroll coverage outside of the US, India, and UAE.
  • Ask which modules are included in the base plan versus requiring add-on fees (e.g., Keka Learn, Hiring, PSA).
  • Validate integration depth with existing accounting software like QuickBooks.
  • Review SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance documents if required by internal IT.
  • Ask about support SLAs and uptime guarantees.

FAQ

Research confidence

FieldValue
Confidence score95/100
Number and mix of sources23 sources (19 vendor-owned, 4 third-party)
Strongest evidence areasPricing, core capabilities, compliance, region coverage for primary markets.
Claims buyers should verifyNative payroll coverage in non-primary countries, exact quotes for PSA and Hiring modules.
Last verifiedSep 2026
Methodology and sourcesMethodology · Sources

How we reviewed this article:

We review vendor pages regularly and update them as pricing, coverage, and capabilities evolve.

Current VersionSep 15, 2026
Updated ByAleksandra Jotic
Jun 26, 2026
Updated ByAleksandra Jotic
Jun 25, 2026
Updated ByAleksandra Jotic