HR Suite vs Point Solutions: Which is Right for Your Business? (2026)
HR suite vs specialized tools: Compare costs, pros, cons. Includes decision framework + TCO calculator. India-focused. Updated Jan 2026.
Quick Answer
HR Suite (All-in-One): One platform for HRMS, payroll, attendance, leave, performance, recruitment.
Examples: PeopleVio, Keka, GreytHR, Darwinbox
Point Solutions: Separate best-of-breed tools for each function.
Example Stack: BambooHR (HRMS) + Gusto (Payroll) + Workable (ATS) + Lattice (Performance)
Cost Comparison (50 Employees, Annual)
HR Suite (All-in-One)
| Suite | Annual Cost | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| PeopleVio | ₹35,988 | HRMS, payroll, attendance, leave, self-service, mobile |
| GreytHR | ₹78,000 | Same + biometric integration (₹24K/year) |
| Keka | ₹1,16,988 | Same + performance, add-ons (₹60K extra) |
Point Solutions Stack
| Tool | Function | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho People Core | HRMS only | ₹28,800 |
| + Zoho Payroll | Payroll | ₹14,400 |
| + BambooHR | Attendance/Leave | $3,000 (₹2,50,000) |
| + Workable | Recruitment | $4,800 (₹4,00,000) |
| + Lattice | Performance | $6,000 (₹5,00,000) |
| Total | ₹11,93,200 |
vs PeopleVio Suite: ₹35,988
Savings with Suite: ₹11,57,212 (97% cheaper)
Reality check: Point solutions make sense at 500+ employees. Below that, suite wins.
Pros & Cons
HR Suite (All-in-One)
Pros:
✅ Single login — Employees don't juggle 5 platforms
✅ Single bill — One vendor, one invoice
✅ Integrated data — Attendance auto-feeds payroll, leave auto-deducts
✅ Cheaper — ₹36K/year vs ₹12L/year (point solutions)
✅ Easier support — One vendor to call
✅ India compliance — PF, ESI, PT, TDS built-in
Cons:
❌ Jack of all trades — Not best-in-class at everything
❌ Vendor lock-in — Switching = migrating entire HR stack
❌ Forced bundles — Pay for modules you don't use
Point Solutions (Best-of-Breed)
Pros:
✅ Best-in-class — Each tool is specialist (Workable > Keka for recruitment)
✅ Flexibility — Swap one tool without touching others
✅ Innovation — Specialists innovate faster than suites
Cons:
❌ Integration hell — 5 tools = 10 API integrations to maintain
❌ Data silos — Employee in BambooHR ≠ Employee in Gusto (sync breaks)
❌ License management — 5 vendors × 5 renewals × 5 support channels
❌ Expensive — ₹12L/year (vs ₹36K suite)
❌ India compliance — Most point solutions don't have PF/ESI (need extra tool)
When HR Suite Wins
1. Company Size: <500 Employees
Reality: At 50-200 employees, point solutions cost 10-30× more than suites.
Example (100 employees):
- PeopleVio Suite: ₹59,988/year
- Point solutions stack: ₹18-22L/year
Savings: ₹18L/year (97%)
When point solutions justify cost: 1,000+ employees. At that scale, best-of-breed features > cost.
2. India-Only Operations
HR suites built for India: PeopleVio, GreytHR, FactoHR.
Point solutions: Mostly US/global (BambooHR, Workable, Lattice).
India compliance gap:
- Point solutions: No PF/ESI/PT automation → need extra India payroll tool → back to suite-like cost
- HR suites: Built-in PF/ESI/PT
Verdict: India-only companies → HR suite wins.
3. Budget <₹1L/Year
HR suite: ₹36K-80K/year (50 emp)
Point solutions: ₹8-12L/year (50 emp)
No contest.
4. Simplicity Priority
HR suite: 1 platform, 1 login, 1 support contact.
Point solutions: 5 platforms, 5 logins, 5 support contacts, 10 API integrations.
When simplicity critical: Startups, small HR teams (1-2 people).
When Point Solutions Win
1. Company Size: 500+ Employees
At scale, specialization > integration.
Example: 1,000-employee company.
HR suite limitations:
- GreytHR recruitment: Basic job postings (no ATS pipeline, interview scheduling)
- Keka performance: OKRs good, but not Lattice-level analytics
Point solutions shine:
- Workable ATS: Interview scheduling, candidate scoring, pipeline analytics
- Lattice: 360 feedback, competency frameworks, calibration tools
Cost: Still ₹30-50L/year, but features justify it.
2. Global Operations
Point solutions: Built for multi-country (BambooHR, Workday, SAP).
HR suites (India): PeopleVio, GreytHR = India-only.
Exception: Darwinbox (India + SEA/UAE), but ₹2.88L/year for 200 emp.
Verdict: Multi-country → point solutions (or Darwinbox).
3. Best-in-Class Required
Scenario: Tech company, heavy recruitment.
HR suite ATS: Basic (post jobs, collect resumes).
Workable ATS: Advanced (candidate scoring, pipeline automation, interview kits, hiring analytics).
When worth it: Hiring >50 people/year. Workable ROI = faster hiring, better candidates.
4. Avoiding Vendor Lock-In
HR suite risk: If vendor goes bust or raises prices 5×, you're stuck (migrating = 6 months, all HR data).
Point solutions: Swap one tool without touching others.
Example: Unhappy with Lattice (performance). Switch to 15Five. Rest of stack (BambooHR, Gusto) unaffected.
When critical: Enterprises with IT governance policies ("no single vendor dependency").
Hybrid Approach (Best of Both)
Pattern: HR suite for core + point solution for specialty.
Example 1: Startup (50 Employees)
Core: PeopleVio (₹36K/year) — HRMS, payroll, attendance, leave
Add: Workable (₹2.4L/year) — Recruitment (hiring 20/year, worth it)
Total: ₹2.76L/year
vs Full point solutions: ₹12L/year
Savings: ₹9.24L/year
Example 2: Mid-Size (200 Employees)
Core: GreytHR (₹2.16L/year) — HRMS, payroll, compliance
Add:
- Lattice (₹6L/year) — Performance (OKRs, 360 feedback)
- Workable (₹4.8L/year) — Recruitment
Total: ₹12.96L/year
vs Full point solutions: ₹30L/year
Savings: ₹17L/year
Decision Framework
By Company Size
<100 employees:
→ HR Suite (PeopleVio, GreytHR, Keka)
100-500 employees:
→ HR Suite (core) + Point solution (specialty, if needed)
500-1,000 employees:
→ Hybrid (suite for payroll/compliance, point solutions for ATS/performance)
1,000+ employees:
→ Point Solutions (best-of-breed everything) or Enterprise Suite (Workday, SAP)
By Budget (50 Employees, Annual)
<₹50K:
→ HR Suite (PeopleVio ₹36K, SumHR ₹30K)
₹50K-1L:
→ HR Suite (GreytHR ₹78K, Keka ₹1.17L)
>₹1L:
→ Hybrid or Point Solutions (if you need specialty features)
By Geography
India-only:
→ HR Suite (PeopleVio, GreytHR, FactoHR) — India compliance built-in
Multi-country (India + SEA/UAE/US):
→ Point Solutions or Darwinbox (global suite)
By Priority
#1 Priority: Cost
→ HR Suite (10-30× cheaper)
#1 Priority: Best-in-class ATS
→ Hybrid (suite + Workable)
#1 Priority: Best-in-class Performance
→ Hybrid (suite + Lattice)
#1 Priority: Simplicity
→ HR Suite (1 platform vs 5)
#1 Priority: Avoid vendor lock-in
→ Point Solutions
Total Cost of Ownership (5 Years, 50 Emp)
HR Suite
| Suite | Year 1 | Years 2-5 | Total (5 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PeopleVio | ₹35,988 | ₹1,43,952 | ₹1,79,940 |
| GreytHR | ₹78,000 | ₹3,42,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| Keka | ₹1,16,988 | ₹5,25,490 | ₹6,42,478 |
Point Solutions Stack
| Tool | Year 1 | Years 2-5 | Total (5 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | ₹2,50,000 | ₹11,00,000 | ₹13,50,000 |
| Gusto (Payroll) | ₹2,00,000 | ₹8,80,000 | ₹10,80,000 |
| Workable | ₹4,00,000 | ₹17,60,000 | ₹21,60,000 |
| Lattice | ₹5,00,000 | ₹22,00,000 | ₹27,00,000 |
| Total | ₹13,50,000 | ₹59,40,000 | ₹72,90,000 |
vs PeopleVio Suite: ₹1,79,940
Savings: ₹71,10,060 (97% cheaper)
FAQs
1. Can I start with suite, later move to point solutions?
Yes. Common path:
Stage 1 (0-100 emp): HR suite (PeopleVio, GreytHR)
Stage 2 (100-500 emp): Add point solution for specialty (e.g., + Workable for recruitment)
Stage 3 (500+ emp): Full point solutions (if budget allows)
2. What about "best-of-suite"?
Best-of-suite: Pick HR suite that's best at your priority.
Examples:
- Best compliance: GreytHR (22-year track record)
- Best cost: PeopleVio (₹36K/year)
- Best UI: Keka (modern interface)
- Best shifts: FactoHR (manufacturing)
Verdict: Yes, pick suite that matches your priority.
3. Integration: How hard is it?
HR suite: Zero integration (everything native).
Point solutions: Integration matrix:
| Tools | Integration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| BambooHR ↔ Gusto | Native | Easy |
| BambooHR ↔ Workable | API | Medium (2 hours) |
| BambooHR ↔ Lattice | Zapier | Medium (1 hour) |
| Gusto ↔ QuickBooks | Native | Easy |
Total integration effort: 10-20 hours (one-time).
Ongoing: Sync breaks 2-3×/year (API changes). Fix = 2 hours each.
4. Can I use Zoho People (suite) + Lattice (point solution)?
Yes. Hybrid approach.
Integration: Zapier (₹2,000/mo) or custom API (one-time ₹50K).
When worth it: If Zoho's performance management insufficient, Lattice better.
5. What if I outgrow HR suite?
Happens at: 500-1,000 employees (suite features plateau).
Migration:
- Export data from suite
- Import to point solutions
- Timeline: 3-6 months
- Cost: ₹2-5L (migration project)
Painful, but doable.
6. Do enterprises use HR suites?
Some do:
- Darwinbox: 500-5,000 emp enterprises (Swiggy, Domino's)
- SAP SuccessFactors: 5,000+ emp (Accenture, TCS)
- Workday: 5,000+ emp (Oracle, Cisco)
But: These are enterprise suites (₹50L-5Cr/year), not SME suites (₹36K-1L/year).
7. Can I build in-house HR tool?
Build cost: ₹50L-2Cr (1-2 years, 5-person team).
vs PeopleVio: ₹36K/year × 5 years = ₹1.8L.
When build makes sense:
- 5,000+ employees
- Unique workflows (no vendor fits)
- Engineering team has bandwidth
For <500 emp: Buy, don't build.
8. Open-source HR suites?
Options:
- OrangeHRM: Free (self-host)
- Odoo HRMS: Free (basic), paid (payroll add-on)
Hidden costs:
- Server: ₹5,000/mo
- Maintenance: ₹30,000/year
- India compliance: You code PF/ESI updates (risky)
Total: ₹90K/year (vs ₹36K PeopleVio, which auto-updates).
Verdict: Not worth it for India (compliance burden).
9. What if vendor raises prices 10×?
HR suite risk: Locked-in. Migration = 6 months.
Mitigation:
- Multi-year contract (lock pricing)
- Data export rights (in contract)
Point solutions: Swap one tool (2 months).
Reality: Vendor 10× hike rare. But Keka +30% yearly is real.
10. Best-of-breed always better?
No.
Example: Workable (ATS) > Keka (ATS). But:
- Workable: ₹4L/year
- Keka ATS: Included in ₹60K/year
ROI: If hiring <10/year, Keka ATS good enough. Workable overkill.
Best-of-breed justified: High-volume specialty (hiring 50+/year, Workable ROI positive).
Our Recommendation
For 90% of Indian Companies (<500 Employees):
HR Suite: PeopleVio
- ₹35,988/year (50 emp)
- All-in-one (HRMS, payroll, attendance, leave, compliance, mobile)
- India-focused (PF, ESI, PT, TDS)
- Same-day compliance updates
Try Free: 14-Day Trial
When to Add Point Solution:
Add Workable if: Hiring >20/year (₹2.4L/year justified).
Add Lattice if: 200+ employees, OKRs critical (₹6L/year justified).
When to Go Full Point Solutions:
- 1,000+ employees
- Multi-country operations
- Budget >₹30L/year for HR tech
- Best-of-breed > cost
Summary
HR Suite Wins:
- <500 employees
- India-only
- Budget <₹1L/year
- Simplicity priority
Point Solutions Win:
- 1,000+ employees
- Multi-country
- Budget >₹30L/year
- Best-of-breed critical
Hybrid (Best of Both):
- 100-500 employees
- Suite for core + point solution for specialty
Questions? Email suite@peoplevio.in or call +91-XXXXXXXXXX
Last Updated: January 2026
Author: PeopleVio Team
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Disclaimer: We're PeopleVio (HR suite). Biased toward suites for <500 emp, but this comparison is honest. Point solutions justified at scale.
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