Who wrote this guide and how we checked
This guide is published by ZeniaHR, and ZeniaHR makes one of the eight products compared here. Please read it with that in mind.
To keep it fair, we read each vendor's own product and pricing pages on 17 October 2026 and wrote down only what those pages say. Where a page does not mention a feature, the table says "not listed". That means we could not find it on the vendor's public pages. It does not mean the product cannot do it, so ask the vendor.
Prices are the list prices shown on those pages. Zoho Payroll says its prices exclude GST and SalaryBox says taxes apply. The other vendors' pages, including ZeniaHR's own pricing page, do not say, so confirm with each vendor whether GST is extra. Vendors change plans often, so get the final price in writing.
We compared eight products that sell payroll software to Indian businesses: ZeniaHR, SalaryBox, greytHR, Keka, Zoho Payroll, Pocket HRMS, INDPayroll and Fuzen.
What a security agency needs from payroll software
A guard agency is not an office. Your guards work day and night shifts at many client sites, cover for each other, and are paid by duty. Check every product against these seven needs.
- Guard attendance at every post. A biometric device, face recognition, or a mobile app with GPS and geo-fencing, so you can prove the guard was at the site.
- Shift and post rosters with relievers. Day and night shifts, weekly offs, double duty and reliever cover, each booked against the right post and client.
- State minimum wages. The four Labour Codes took effect on 21 November 2025. Under the Code on Wages, 2019, every employee has a statutory right to minimum wages. Rates are fixed by the appropriate government and revised over time. In the central sphere, variable dearness allowance (VDA) is revised from 1 April and 1 October each year. The latest order, dated 30 September 2026 and effective from 1 October 2026, was issued by the Labour Bureau, Chandigarh, and is listed on the Chief Labour Commissioner's website. State rates differ, for example see minimum wages for security guards in Delhi.
- PF, ESI, PT and LWF per guard. PF and ESI are national schemes. Professional tax and labour welfare fund follow state rules, which differ from state to state, so the software must know the rules of every state where you deploy guards.
- Client-wise invoicing from attendance. Each client has its own bill rate. The invoice should come from the same duties you paid, with the client's TDS and the right GST treatment: if your agency is not a body corporate, such as a proprietorship or partnership firm, a GST-registered client usually pays the GST under reverse charge, and the invoice must say so.
- PSARA and labour law registers. See the next section.
- Price per guard. Guarding margins are thin, so a per-user fee matters more than it does for an office team.
The PSARA register your software should help you keep
To run a security agency you need a licence under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005, issued by your state's Controlling Authority. If you are not sure, read does a security agency need a PSARA licence.
Section 15 of the Act says every agency must keep a register of the people managing it, the names, addresses, photographs and salaries of its guards and supervisors, and the customers it supplies. The Private Security Agencies Central Model Rules, 2020 say this register is kept electronically in Form X, in four parts:
- Register A: management details.
- Register B: guards and supervisors, including photograph, fingerprints, salary with date, ESI and EPF numbers and the bank through which salary is paid.
- Register C: customers, the address where security is provided, the number and ranks of guards, and the dates service started and stopped.
- Register D: duty roster, with each guard's place of duty, whether armed, and the date and time duty starts and ends.
Most of this data already sits in your payroll and roster. The Central Model Rules are a model, and each state makes its own PSARA rules, so check your state's version under State/UT Rules on psara.gov.in. The Act itself was amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, with the PSARA changes in force from 15 May 2026, so work from a current copy. Principal employers and labour inspectors will also ask for the wage register and muster roll.
The eight products at a glance
What each vendor's own pages said on 17 October 2026. "Not listed" means we did not find it on the pages we read.
| Product | Attendance options published | Shifts and rosters | PF, ESI, PT, LWF | Client billing from attendance | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZeniaHR (publisher of this guide) | Guard muster at each post on mobile or biometric punch; geotagged attendance on the paid plan | Shift, weekly off, double duty, reliever, overtime and night allowance applied by rule | All four per guard, with ECR and challan-ready outputs | Yes: man-day invoice on each client's rate card, with service charge, GST and TDS, reconciled to payroll | Free up to 50 users; paid ₹15 to ₹25 per user per month; 20% off yearly |
| SalaryBox | Selfie, GPS, QR and geofencing on all plans; AI face recognition and kiosk on Business; biometric device as a paid add-on | Day and night shifts on Starter; multi-shift and rosters on Business | All four on Business and Enterprise, not on Starter | Not listed | Starter ₹1,500 a month plus ₹30 per user; Business ₹3,000 a month plus ₹75 per user; lower quarterly figures shown; taxes apply |
| greytHR | Third-party attendance hardware, web sign-in, selfie and geo-fencing; GPS live tracking as a paid add-on; GeoMark+ and Visage as add-ons on Growth, included on Premium | Multiple shifts with rotation and auto shift detection; attendance and shift management on Growth | All four listed on the payroll page | Not listed | Essential ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees plus ₹45 each extra; Growth ₹4,495 for 50 plus ₹85 each extra; Premium custom |
| Keka | Integration with 200+ attendance devices, including biometric and facial recognition devices; selfie, GPS and geo-fencing | Shift boards and automatic shift rotation | All four listed on the payroll page | Not listed | Pricing on request; FAQ says a setup fee applies |
| Zoho Payroll | Leave and attendance management on Premium; capture methods not listed | Not listed | EPF, ESI, state-wise PT and LWF, even on Free | Not listed; contractor payroll from Standard | Free up to 10 employees; Standard ₹1,250 a month for 25; Professional ₹3,750 for 50; Premium ₹5,000 for 50; lower annual rates; extra employees ₹40 to ₹100 each; GST extra |
| Pocket HRMS | Biometric integration, selfie with AI face recognition, geo-tagging; geo-fencing on Professional | Roster management and multi-shift | PF, ESI, PT, LWF and TDS listed on the payroll page | Not listed | Standard ₹2,995 a month for 50 plus ₹60 each extra; Professional ₹4,495 plus ₹90; billed annually; Premium on custom quote; one-time implementation fee |
| INDPayroll | Web and mobile check-in, geo-tagged, face and fingerprint, biometric sync; GPS and QR patrol check-ins in its security agency section | Shift roster | All four listed | Not listed (its per-client billing is for CA firms) | Free up to 10 employees; Essentials ₹52 per employee per month up to 200; Ultimate ₹75, which adds biometric and geo-tagged attendance; billed annually |
| Fuzen | Present, absent, late and leave statuses; biometric, face and geo not listed | Not a listed module | PF, ESI, PT and TDS; LWF not listed | Not listed (Fuzen's separate ERP and Invoicing app lists invoicing) | One-time price: payroll page shows a launch price of ₹25,000 for the first 100 businesses, plus annual hosting (amount not stated) |
Price per guard: a worked example for 200 guards
Here is what the published list prices add up to for an agency with 200 guards on the system. For each vendor we used the cheapest plan whose page lists attendance and statutory payroll. Where geo or biometric attendance sits on a higher plan, we used that plan. Figures are per month, with GST extra where it applies.
| Product and plan | How we worked it out | Per month | Per guard |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZeniaHR paid, 51 to 500 band | 200 × ₹20 quarterly, or 200 × ₹16 yearly | ₹4,000 or ₹3,200 | ₹20 or ₹16 |
| Pocket HRMS Standard, billed annually | ₹2,995 + 150 × ₹60 | ₹11,995 | about ₹60 |
| INDPayroll Ultimate, billed annually | 200 × ₹75 | ₹15,000 | ₹75 |
| greytHR Growth | ₹4,495 + 150 × ₹85 | ₹17,245 | about ₹86 |
| Pocket HRMS Professional (adds geo-fencing) | ₹4,495 + 150 × ₹90 | ₹17,995 | about ₹90 |
| SalaryBox Business | ₹3,000 + 200 × ₹75 monthly, or ₹2,700 + 200 × ₹67.5 quarterly | ₹18,000 or ₹16,200 | ₹90 or ₹81 |
| Zoho Payroll Premium | ₹5,000 + 150 × ₹100 monthly, or ₹4,000 + 150 × ₹80 annual | ₹20,000 or ₹16,000 | ₹100 or ₹80 |
| Keka | Pricing on request | Ask | Ask |
| Fuzen | One-time price plus hosting | Not comparable | Not comparable |
Read this as a starting point, not a quote. Plans include different things. SalaryBox does not say how many users its base fee covers, so we charged the per-user fee on all 200. Add setup fees, devices, add-ons and GST before you compare.
Who each one suits
- ZeniaHR: agencies that want guard payroll, PF, ESI, PT and LWF, and client invoices to run from one duty roster. The free plan covers up to 50 users, including 2 admins; confirm in the demo which plan includes client billing. More on our security agencies page.
- SalaryBox: small and mid-size agencies that want an app with selfie, GPS, QR and face attendance. Statutory payroll needs the Business plan.
- greytHR: agencies with an office HR team that want an established payroll and compliance suite with biometric and geo attendance. Attendance and shift management are listed on the Growth plan.
- Keka: larger agencies with HR staff that want a broad HR suite and support for many attendance devices. Price comes through sales.
- Zoho Payroll: agencies already using Zoho apps, or very small teams that fit the free plan. Attendance is on Premium.
- Pocket HRMS: agencies that want biometric, face selfie, geo and roster features in one Indian HRMS and are fine with annual billing. Its FAQ mentions a minimum of 50 employees.
- INDPayroll: small agencies that want a low per-employee rate. Apart from ZeniaHR, it was the only vendor whose pages we read with a section for security agencies, and that section mentions PSARA records.
- Fuzen: agencies that prefer a one-time purchase and want an app customised to their own process. Ask for the annual hosting cost, which the page does not state.
How to choose: questions to ask in a demo
Do not judge on slides. Bring one real client's month: the roster, the attendance and the last invoice. Then ask the vendor to run it live and answer these.
- A reliever covered a guard's night duty. Show me who gets paid and which client and post gets billed.
- Show me the payslip for a guard with 12 hour shifts, a double duty and night allowance.
- When my state revises minimum wages or VDA, who updates the rates in the system, and by when?
- Show me PF ECR, ESI, PT and LWF for guards deployed in two different states.
- Can you produce my PSARA register in Form X or my state's format, including the duty roster?
- Can I raise a client invoice from approved attendance with my service charge, GST or a reverse charge note, and the client's TDS, and match it to payroll?
- Which attendance options work at a site with weak mobile network, and which biometric devices do you support?
- What is my total yearly cost for my headcount, including setup, add-ons, devices and GST?
- Can I export all my data if I leave?
If a product is built for office staff, these questions show it fast. Our note on generic HRMS versus manpower software explains the usual gaps.
How ZeniaHR helps
ZeniaHR is built for guard payroll. Guard muster at each post, from mobile or biometric punch, flows into the salary run with shift, weekly off, double duty, overtime, night allowance and reliever pay applied by rule. Every run computes PF, ESI, PT by state and LWF for each guard, with ECR and challan-ready outputs, and gives you the wage register and muster roll. See security guard payroll software.
Each client can carry its own bill rate and pay rate. Approved attendance becomes a man-day invoice with your service charge, GST and the client's TDS, and every invoice is reconciled against payroll for the same period. See client billing for manpower agencies.
The free plan runs up to 50 users, including 2 admins, and it is not a trial. Geotagged attendance and the full report set need the paid plan, which costs ₹15 to ₹25 per user per month depending on team size, with 20% off on yearly billing. Full rates are on the pricing page. Bring one client's guard roster to a 30 minute demo and we will run it from muster to payslip on your own numbers.
Key points
- ZeniaHR publishes this guide and makes one of the eight products compared.
- All other product details come only from each vendor's own website, checked on 17 October 2026.
- Must-haves for guards: post attendance, rosters with relievers, state minimum wages, PF, ESI, PT, LWF and client invoicing.
- The PSARA Central Model Rules, 2020 provide for an electronic register in Form X, including a duty roster; your state's own PSARA rules are the ones that bind you, so check them.
- Published per-guard cost for 200 guards ranges from about ₹16 to ₹100 a month, plus GST where it applies.
- Free plans: ZeniaHR up to 50 users, Zoho Payroll and INDPayroll up to 10 employees.
- Test every shortlisted tool with one real client's month of roster, attendance and invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best payroll software for a security agency in India?
There is no single best product for every agency. Shortlist tools that handle guard attendance at each post, rosters with relievers, state minimum wages, PF, ESI, PT and LWF, PSARA registers and client invoicing, then test two or three with one real client's month of data.
Is there free payroll software for security guards?
Yes, a few vendors publish free plans. ZeniaHR is free up to 50 users (geotagged attendance needs the paid plan), while Zoho Payroll and INDPayroll are free up to 10 employees. greytHR and SalaryBox list 7-day trials instead.
How much does guard payroll software cost per guard?
On list prices checked on 17 October 2026, a 200-guard agency would pay roughly ₹16 to ₹100 per guard per month, plus GST where it applies, depending on vendor and plan. Keka quotes on request, and Fuzen charges a one-time price plus annual hosting whose amount its page does not state, so ask both for a written quote.
Does my payroll software need to keep PSARA registers?
The law puts the duty on your agency, not the software, but software makes it easier. The PSARA Central Model Rules, 2020 say the register is kept electronically in Form X, covering management, guards with salary and ESI and EPF numbers, customers and the duty roster. Your state's rules may differ, so check them on psara.gov.in.
Can normal HR software handle relievers and double duty?
Many products list shifts and rosters, but few of the vendor pages we read mention relievers or billing by post. Ask the vendor to show a reliever's duty being paid to the right guard and billed to the right client before you buy.
How often do minimum wages for security guards change?
Minimum wages are fixed by the appropriate government and revised over time. In the central sphere, VDA is revised from 1 April and 1 October each year, and the October 2026 order came from the Labour Bureau, Chandigarh, while states issue their own notifications, so your software must let you update rates quickly.
Why is ZeniaHR in this list if ZeniaHR wrote it?
ZeniaHR makes guard payroll software, so we have included it and said so clearly. For every other product we used only what the vendor's own website said on 17 October 2026.
See ZeniaHR on your own sites
Bring your sites, shifts and a sample salary sheet; we will run them live in a 30-minute demo. Free for up to 50 users.
Book a demo