Indian HRM is the natural PagarBook alternative once your team crosses statutory thresholds. PagarBook is a genuinely good attendance and salary register for a small shop or a field crew, and its free tier is hard to argue with. But EPF registration becomes mandatory at 20 employees and ESI applies from 10 in most states. At that point you need ECR files, ESI contributions, TDS and Form 16 handled properly, which is what Indian HRM does from ₹25 per employee per month at 1,000+ employees, ₹29 from 500, and ₹39 under 500, billed annually.

Best PagarBook Alternative for Growing Indian Teams

Indian HRM is the natural PagarBook alternative once your team crosses statutory thresholds. PagarBook is a genuinely good attendance and salary register for a small shop or a field crew, and its free tier is hard to argue with. But EPF registration becomes mandatory at 20 employees and ESI applies from 10 in most states. At that point you need ECR files, ESI contributions, TDS and Form 16 handled properly, which is what Indian HRM does from ₹25 per employee per month at 1,000+ employees, ₹29 from 500, and ₹39 under 500, billed annually.

Why teams look for a PagarBook alternative

Statutory payroll is the ceiling

PagarBook tracks attendance, advances and salary payouts well. What a growing business needs next is 12% PF computed on PF wages with monthly ECR uploads, ESI at 0.75% employee and 3.25% employer under the ₹21,000 threshold, TDS on salaries and year-end Form 16. That is a payroll engine, not a register.

Thresholds arrive faster than you expect

EPF registration is mandatory once an establishment reaches 20 employees, and ESI coverage starts at 10 employees in most states. Plenty of businesses cross both within a single busy season, then spend months regularising. Starting on a compliance-ready system removes that scramble.

Attendance is simple but policy-light

Rotating shifts, week-off patterns, sandwich leave rules, and overtime at twice the ordinary wage under the Factories Act need policy logic, not just a punch record. Indian HRM applies these rules automatically so month-end is a review, not a reconciliation.

No hiring, onboarding or appraisals

PagarBook manages existing staff. When you start hiring in batches, you want an applicant pipeline, offer letters and structured onboarding in the same system that runs payroll. Indian HRM includes all of it at ₹79 per employee per month billed annually (₹99 billed monthly).

PagarBook vs Indian HRM

  • Per-employee starting price: PagarBook — Free tier; premium plans for advanced features; Indian HRM — ₹39 per employee per month billed annually (₹49 billed monthly) on Foundation
  • Attendance and salary register: PagarBook — Yes, simple and quick; Indian HRM — Yes, with shift and policy logic
  • Statutory payroll (PF ECR, ESI, TDS, PT): PagarBook — Basic; not a full statutory engine; Indian HRM — Full engine with ECR, ESI, Form 24Q inputs, state PT
  • Form 16 generation: PagarBook — No; Indian HRM — Yes, at FY end for every employee
  • GPS attendance for field staff: PagarBook — On premium plans; Indian HRM — Included
  • Staff advances and loan tracking: PagarBook — Yes, a core strength; Indian HRM — Yes, with payroll recovery
  • Hiring / ATS and onboarding: PagarBook — No; Indian HRM — Included
  • WhatsApp notifications: PagarBook — Limited; Indian HRM — Payslips, approvals and nudges on WhatsApp
  • Ease of first-day setup: PagarBook — Minutes, built for micro teams; Indian HRM — 2 to 5 days with guided onboarding
  • Free trial: PagarBook — Free tier; Indian HRM — Free 3-month trial, no credit card

Pricing. Below 10 employees, PagarBook free likely wins on price. From 10 to 20 employees, ESI and then PF obligations kick in, and a 25-person team on Indian HRM pays ₹1,225 per month for payroll that files clean. One PF penalty notice costs more than a year of that.

Best for. PagarBook: Micro businesses and small shops, roughly under 10 staff, that need a fast attendance and salary register with advances tracking and no statutory obligations yet. Indian HRM: Indian SMEs and growing startups (10 to 500 employees) who want a modern, mobile-first HRMS with payroll, attendance, hiring, and compliance, without enterprise-tier pricing or lock-in.

FAQs

Is PagarBook enough for PF and ESI compliance?

For a team under the thresholds, you may not need PF or ESI at all. Once your establishment reaches 20 employees, EPF registration is mandatory, and ESI applies from 10 employees in most states for staff earning up to ₹21,000 gross. At that stage you need monthly ECR uploads and contribution records, which calls for a full payroll engine like Indian HRM.

Can I move my PagarBook attendance and advance records?

Yes. Staff details, salary figures, outstanding advances and leave balances import via CSV templates, and open advances continue recovering through payroll automatically. Most teams complete the move in 2 to 3 working days.

My staff are field workers without email. Will Indian HRM work?

Yes. Employees punch in with GPS from the mobile app and receive payslips and approvals on WhatsApp, so nobody needs an email address or a desktop. Supervisors see live field attendance on a map.

What does Indian HRM cost for a 25-person team?

₹1,225 per month on Foundation (₹49 per employee on monthly billing) with full payroll, attendance and leave. If you want hiring and performance too, Growth is ₹2,475 per month at ₹99 per employee. Both figures are flat and published, with no setup fee.