All comparisons
HRMS & PAYROLL

Custom HRMS vs greytHR, Keka and Darwinbox

Payroll works, mostly. But attendance still gets reconciled by hand, your shift or piece-rate structure doesn't fit the product's model, and every month someone spends days producing numbers instead of checking them.

STAY WITH GREYTHR, KEKA AND DARWINBOX IF

  • You run standard monthly salaried payroll with no unusual structures
  • Your headcount is small enough that per-employee pricing stays comfortable
  • Statutory updates arriving automatically is worth more to you than exact fit
  • You have no attendance or shift complexity the product can't already handle

CONSIDER BUILDING IF

  • You run shifts, piece rates, contract labour or site-wise attendance the product won't model
  • Attendance data still gets keyed in by hand before payroll can run
  • Your HRMS doesn't talk to your ERP, so employee data lives in two places
  • You're paying per employee across hundreds of staff, and headcount is growing
  • Compliance reporting is assembled manually even though the data is already in the system

Side by side

 greytHR, Keka and DarwinboxCustom build with Ekalon
Cost shapePer employee per month, scales with headcountOne-time build plus flat support
Statutory complianceMaintained by the vendor, updated automaticallyBuilt and maintained for the regulations that apply to you
Attendance and shiftsStandard models; unusual structures need workaroundsModelled exactly as you run it, including piece rate and contract labour
Integration with your ERPVia available APIs, where they existSame system, or a direct integration built for it
Time to liveWeeksSix to twelve weeks including parallel payroll runs
Switching riskLow to start, higher once you depend on itDe-risked by running both systems in parallel until numbers match

Comparison reflects typical engagements as of 2026 and is our own assessment, not the vendor's. Product capabilities change — check current details with greytHR, Keka and Darwinbox before deciding.

Businesses that made this call

Substation Manufacturing

Payroll that used to take a week now takes an afternoon

A full HRMS for a substation manufacturer — attendance, leave, payroll and statutory compliance in one place, with a self-service portal so HR stops answering the same questions.

Not sure which side you're on?

Tell us what you run today and roughly what it costs you. We'll say honestly whether to stay, integrate, or build — before you spend a rupee with us.

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