Zoho People vs PeopleHub – Which HRMS is Right for Your NGO?

Piyali Paul
Apr 23
2 min read

Updated: May 18

Introduction

If you’re running an NGO or managing operations, HR is rarely your main focus—but it quietly consumes a lot of time. Attendance tracking, reimbursements, hiring, payroll, and performance reviews often sit across different tools or spreadsheets. Over time, this creates confusion, delays, and dependency on someone “technical” to fix things.

This blog is for NGO founders, HR teams, and L&D managers who want a clear answer: Should you go with the Zoho People ecosystem or an all-in-one platform like PeopleHub HRMS?

By the end, you’ll understand:

What each option actually looks like in day-to-day use
The real cost (not just pricing page numbers)
Which one fits your team structure and constraints

The Real Problem NGOs Face

Most NGOs don’t fail at HR because of bad intent—they struggle because of fragmentation and manual work.

When organizations try to fix this, they often end up picking multiple tools:

Zoho People for HR
Zoho Expense for reimbursements
Zoho Recruit for hiring
Zoho Payroll for salaries

This is where most NGOs get stuck.

Core Comparison: Zoho Stack vs PeopleHub HRMS

Area	Zoho Stack	PeopleHub
Structure	Multiple tools (HR, Expense, Recruit, Payroll, Performance add-ons)	Single all-in-one platform
Tools Involved	Zoho People, Zoho Expense, Zoho Recruit, Zoho Payroll	PeopleHub (everything included)
Setup Effort	Higher – each tool needs setup and connection	Low – single setup
Integration	Required between tools	Not required
Daily Usage	Multiple logins, switching between apps	Single login, one system

If your team doesn’t have time to manage multiple tools, a single-platform setup will save you more effort than it costs.

Total Cost of Ownership

Zoho (What you see vs what you pay):

Each tool has separate pricing
Add-ons increase cost over time
You may need help for setup/integration

Example:

HR + Expense + Recruit + Payroll = stacked monthly cost
Add implementation time + internal effort

PeopleHub:

Flat pricing
No need to “add” tools later
Lower setup dependency

Platform	Monthly Cost (25 employees)	Pricing Structure
Zoho Stack	₹10,000 – ₹20,000+	Multiple tools, add-ons
PeopleHub	~₹2,500	Flat, all-in-one

With Zoho, cost increases as you add features. With PeopleHub, you pay once and get everything.

Ease of Use

Zoho:

App has many modules, some unnecessary for daily use
Navigation is cluttered with repetitive menu options
Takes time to learn workflows and often needs management

PeopleHub HRMS:

Clean, focused app with essential daily features (attendance, leave, etc.).
Designed for quick actions and minimal confusion.
Advanced features are available on the web app, while the mobile experience remains clutter-free.