Start with the requests employees submit and the decisions managers make. Frappe HR and Zoho People both cover core HR, but their software model, included products and operating responsibilities differ. Choose using your own policies and sample records.
Which approach suits your team?
Frappe HR is worth evaluating when you want an open-source system you can host and configure, especially alongside ERPNext. You need someone responsible for its operation and updates. Zoho People is worth evaluating when you prefer a managed subscription and want to use Zoho products together. Existing software, administrator capacity and required approvals matter more than a feature count. If sales software is part of the same review, assess the CRM decision separately.
Compare the HR workflows you actually need
These are evaluation areas, not a promise that every feature or workflow matches. Check the selected Zoho edition and the Frappe HR version you will use.
| Workflow | Frappe HR | Zoho People |
|---|---|---|
| Employee records | Employee details, departments, reporting relationships and employee access. | Employee database, document management and self-service; confirm edition limits. |
| Leave | Leave policies, allocations, balances and manager approvals. | Time-off policies and approvals; check your policy against the selected plan. |
| Attendance | Daily attendance, check-in records and shift-based workflows. Device connections need separate review. | Attendance features depend on the plan. Check web, mobile, shifts and device requirements. |
| Expense approvals | Expense claims and advances with configured approvers. Agree the accounting handoff. | Zoho Expense is a separate product that can connect to People. Confirm its plan and approval setup. |
| Payroll | Payroll capabilities need country, configuration and app-version checks. | Zoho Payroll is a separate product. Confirm regional availability and the supported People connection. |
Separate the software fee from the work
The official Frappe HR repository lists GPL-3.0. The software has no per-user licence charge. Budget separately for hosting, implementation, backups, upgrades and any ongoing support. Zoho People uses paid plans based on users or employees and billing term. Employee profiles without system access, extra storage and other add-ons can affect the quote. Confirm how your workforce is counted and which separate products or bundles are included. Compare the full agreed scope over the same period; neither model proves lower total cost.
Run these tasks before choosing
- Import a small employee sample, including a manager and a departed employee. Check IDs, reporting lines and employee access.
- Request leave across a holiday, then approve, reject and cancel it. Reconcile the balance with your written policy.
- Check a half-day and a missed attendance entry using your actual shift rules. Demonstrate any proposed device connection.
- Submit a sample expense with a receipt and test the agreed approver. Check what the employee and manager can see.
- Export the records and reports your HR team needs. Confirm who will maintain policies and handle support after launch.
Agree the migration boundary
Employee lists are only one part of an HR migration. Inventory attachments, historic requests and approvals, attendance records, opening leave balances and inactive staff. Decide what must move, what stays in an accessible archive and who checks the totals. Agree export formats, field mapping and a trial import before committing to a switch. An automatic Zoho-to-Frappe migration connector is not assumed in this comparison.
What Fullsend implements
HR Core covers your prepared employee import, user roles, agreed leave and attendance configuration, expense approvals and training. Payroll is excluded. The alternative HR & Payroll package requires country and compatible-version checks before contracting; tax filing and payment services are excluded. Full historical imports, attendance-device connections, provider integrations and custom development need a separate agreed scope. Bring sample requests and an export so Fullsend can quote work your team can verify.
Related decisions
Official references: Frappe HR official GPL-3.0 licence file · Frappe HR official software, hosting and implementation pricing explanation · Frappe HR employee records documentation · Frappe HR leave documentation · Frappe HR attendance documentation · Frappe HR expense claim documentation · Zoho People official plans and features · Zoho People official plan comparison and add-ons · Zoho Expense connection to Zoho People · Zoho Payroll integration with Zoho People · Frappe HR payroll setup documentation