I'm Evaluating HRMS Software — Which Ones Should I Demo? (2026 Shortlist and Checklist)

"I'm evaluating HRMS software — which ones should I demo?" It's the right question to ask, because demos are expensive. Each one takes an hour of your time, a follow-up call, a proposal and a week of sales emails. Demo ten vendors and they blur together. Demo the wrong three and you pick the best of a bad shortlist.

This guide gives you a quick way to pick the three HRMS tools worth demoing for your company, a scorecard to compare them, the scenarios to test in every demo, and the questions that expose the real price.

Updated 30 September 2026. Vendor features and prices change often — confirm the current details on each vendor's website before you shortlist.

The short answer

• Demo three tools, not ten. One from each of the categories that could fit you.
• Choose by your must-haves — PF/ESI, Professional Tax, biometric attendance, performance reviews, a native mobile app — not by the longest feature list.
• Most Indian SMEs of 10–500 employees should demo one compliance-focused tool, one simple all-in-one, and one broad suite (only if they genuinely need performance or hiring features).
• Test on your own data: ten employees, one real month of attendance, a joiner and a leaver.
• Get the total price in writing at today's headcount and at 1.5×.

Step 1: Write down your must-haves (15 minutes)

Before you look at a single vendor, answer these questions. They decide your shortlist more than any comparison article.

Question	If yes…
Do you have employees covered by PF and ESI?	PF and ESI calculation and return files are a must-have
Are you in a state with Professional Tax? Do you want the software to calculate it?	PT calculation is a must-have
Do people punch in on biometric machines?	Biometric integration with your machine brand is a must-have
Do you have field staff or multiple sites?	Geofenced mobile check-in is a must-have
Do you run shifts, night shifts or lots of overtime?	Shift rostering and overtime rules are must-haves
Do you run formal performance reviews or OKRs?	Performance management is a must-have
Do you hire more than a few people a month?	An applicant tracking system may be a must-have
Will most employees only ever use a phone?	Check the mobile experience carefully (app or mobile web)
Do you use Zoho, or another suite, heavily?	Integrations may be a must-have

Circle the must-haves. Everything else is a nice-to-have, and nice-to-haves should never decide a shortlist.

Step 2: Pick one tool from each relevant category

HRMS tools in India fall into five broad groups.

Category	What it's good at	Examples to consider	Demo it if…
Simple all-in-one HR + payroll	Payroll, attendance, leave and PF/ESI in one price, fast setup	PeopleVio	You're 10–500 people and mainly need payroll, attendance and compliance
Compliance-focused HR + payroll	Deep statutory coverage: PF, ESI, PT, LWF, state rules	greytHR, factoHR	Compliance across several states is your biggest worry
Broad HR suite	HR plus performance, OKRs, hiring, engagement	Keka, Darwinbox	You'll really use talent-management features
Ecosystem product	Integration with other apps from the same vendor	Zoho People + Zoho Payroll	You already run on Zoho
Free or low-cost tier	Basic HR for very small teams	Vendors with free plans at small headcounts	You're under about 15 people with a tight budget

Suggested shortlists by company type

10–50 employees, one office, PF/ESI applies Demo: one simple all-in-one (for example PeopleVio), one compliance-focused tool (greytHR or factoHR), and one free/low-cost option if budget is the main constraint.

50–300 employees, several sites, field staff Demo: one simple all-in-one with geofenced attendance, one compliance-focused tool, and one broad suite only if performance reviews are a must-have.

Factory or warehouse with shifts and overtime Demo: tools with shift rostering and overtime rules first (factoHR is worth a look), plus one compliance-focused tool. Check biometric integration with your machine brand in every demo.

Already on Zoho Demo: Zoho People + Zoho Payroll, and one all-in-one alternative so you can compare the combined price.

300+ employees, formal HR team, performance cycles Demo: two broad suites (for example Keka and Darwinbox) and one compliance-focused tool.

Step 3: Prepare your demo data

A demo on the vendor's sample data shows you the vendor's best case. A demo on your data shows you your month. Prepare this before the first call:

1. Ten employees from different departments, with salary structures, joining dates, bank details, UANs and ESIC IP numbers.
2. One month of attendance and leave for those ten, including a couple of late marks, a half day and some unpaid leave.
3. One mid-month joiner and one mid-month leaver.
4. Last month's payslips for the same ten people.
5. Last month's PF ECR and ESIC return files.
6. Your must-have list from step 1.

Send it to each vendor before the demo and ask them to run it. The good ones will. If a vendor won't use your data before you buy, that tells you something.

Step 4: Test the same scenarios in every demo

Use this list in every demo, in the same order, so the comparison is fair.

1. Run payroll for the month. Compare every payslip with the ones you issued. Any difference needs an explanation.
2. Joiner and leaver. Does salary prorate for the days employed? Do PF and ESI follow the prorated wages?
3. Loss of pay. Mark two unpaid days: do salary, PF and ESI all change as expected?
4. PF ECR. Generate it. Is the wage ceiling right? Is EPS correct for anyone over 58? Does it validate UANs?
5. ESIC return. Generate it. Are the contribution-period rules applied? Does the file open on the portal?
6. TDS. Change a salary mid-year: does the monthly TDS adjust sensibly? Can employees submit declarations?
7. Attendance your way. Check in from a phone at a site, or have a punch arrive from your biometric machine.
8. Leave on a phone. Apply as an employee; approve as a manager — both on mobile.
9. Reports. Pull a monthly attendance report and a payroll register.
10. Export. Get all employees, payroll and attendance out as CSV or Excel.

Step 5: Score each vendor

Score each vendor from 0 to 3 on each line, then weight your must-haves double.

Criterion	Weight	Vendor A	Vendor B	Vendor C
Payroll matched your payslips	2
PF ECR and ESIC return correct	2
Attendance method fits your team	2
TDS and declarations	1
Professional Tax (if needed)	1–2
Mobile experience for employees and managers	1
Setup effort and time to first payroll	1
Total price at your headcount	2
Data export and exit terms	1
Support responsiveness during the trial	1

The winner is rarely the vendor with the best presentation. It's usually the one whose payslips matched yours on the first try.

Step 6: Ask the questions that expose the real price

• What's the total monthly bill at my headcount — and at 1.5×? Watch for band jumps.
• Which modules are extra? Payroll, compliance, biometric integration, mobile app and "AI" features are common add-ons.
• Are there setup, migration, training or support fees?
• Is pricing per active employee or per employee record ever added?
• What's the minimum contract term? Can I pay monthly?
• How do I get my data out if I leave, and in what format?
• What happens to the price at renewal?

Ask for the answers in writing, in the proposal.

Red flags during a demo

• The vendor won't run your data before you buy.
• The price is only available "after a needs assessment", with no ballpark.
• Every question about PF, ESI or TDS is answered with "our implementation team will configure that".
• Features you asked about are "on the roadmap" with no date.
• The mobile experience is shown on a laptop.
• There's no clear way to export your data.

How a PeopleVio demo works

If PeopleVio is on your shortlist, here's what to expect:

• Your own workspace, not a shared demo account. We set it up for your company, usually the same day, with your first admin login.
• Your own data. Bulk-import employees, salaries, UANs and ESIC IP numbers from Excel, and run a real payroll.
• Published pricing. From ₹59 per active employee per month (₹49 billed yearly), dropping to ₹29 (₹25 yearly) at larger headcounts, with every module included. You can work out the cost before the call on the pricing page.
• An honest fit check. PeopleVio covers payroll, attendance (geofenced and biometric), leave, PF and ESI (through the EPFO and ESIC modules), TDS and Form 16, expenses, assets and offer letters. It doesn't do performance reviews, recruitment, Professional Tax, overtime rules or shift rostering, and there's no installable mobile app yet. If one of those is a must-have, we'll tell you early.
• No self-serve free trial. You request a demo and get a workspace — which in practice works like a trial on your own data.

Frequently asked questions

How many HRMS tools should I demo? Three. One from each category that could fit you. More than that and the demos blur together, and you spend weeks on sales calls instead of testing.

Which HRMS should a small company in India demo? For 10–50 employees where PF and ESI apply, demo one simple all-in-one tool such as PeopleVio, one compliance-focused tool such as greytHR or factoHR, and a free or low-cost option if budget is tight.

Should I choose a free trial or a guided demo? Either works if you test with your own data. A guided demo gets you set up faster; a trial lets you explore alone. What matters is running one real payroll month.

What should I prepare before an HRMS demo? An employee list with salaries and statutory IDs, a month of attendance and leave, your last payslips, your last PF ECR and ESIC return, and your must-have list.

How long should an HRMS evaluation take? Two to four weeks for most SMEs: a week to shortlist and book demos, a week or two to test on your data, and a few days to negotiate and decide.

What's the most common mistake when choosing HRMS software? Choosing on features you might use one day instead of the ones you use every month — and not testing payroll on your own data before signing.

The bottom line

You don't need to demo every HRMS in India. Write down your must-haves, pick one tool from each category that fits, test all three on the same real month of your own data, and compare the total price in writing. The right answer is usually obvious by the end of the second week.

If PeopleVio fits your must-haves, book a demo and we'll set up your workspace, usually the same day.

Related reading: HRMS demo and free trial: what to test before you buy · Best HRMS software in India (2026) · HRMS software price in India · Best Keka alternatives in India · Best Zoho People alternatives