Essential HR
1.25 dollars per employee billed annually.
R25/mo
per employee, per month
- Employee database
- Leave management
- Self service portal
- Mobile app
Zoho People vs CharlieHR
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Zoho People against CharlieHR, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
2 – 0
Zoho People vs CharlieHR, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Zoho People leads on functionality
Verified reviews
331
174 for Zoho People, 157 for CharlieHR
Zoho People
4,0
174 verified reviews
CharlieHR
4,0
157 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Zoho People
- CharlieHR
Overall
4,0
4,0
Ease of use
4,0
3,9
Value for money
3,9
3,9
Customer service
3,9
3,9
Functionality
4,1
3,9
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Zoho People (174)
- CharlieHR (157)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Zoho People
R25/mo
CharlieHR
R95/mo
Zoho People is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Zoho People | CharlieHR | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Reviews | 174 | 157 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 3,9 |
| Value for money | 3,9 | 3,9 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 3,9 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 3,9 |
| Starting price | R25/employee/month | R95/employee/month |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Zoho People | CharlieHR |
|---|---|---|
| Employee database and self service | ||
| Leave management with custom rules | ||
| Attendance and geo tracking | ||
| Shift scheduling | ||
| Timesheets | ||
| Onboarding workflows | ||
| Performance appraisals | ||
| HR case management | ||
| HR analytics | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Employee onboarding checklists | ||
| Time off requests and approvals | ||
| Policy publishing and acknowledgement | ||
| Performance review cycles | ||
| Team directory and profiles | ||
| Document storage | ||
| Engagement polls | ||
| Perks platform | ||
| Slack integration |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Zoho People plans
Try it free
Professional
About 2 dollars per employee.
R38/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Essential
- Attendance with geo tracking
- Shift scheduling
- Timesheets
Premium
About 3 dollars per employee.
R57/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Professional
- Performance appraisals
- Onboarding flows
- HR analytics
Enterprise
About 4.5 dollars per employee.
R85/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Premium
- HR case desk
- Custom modules
- Advanced workflows
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Zoho Corporation for the figure you'll actually pay.
CharlieHR plans
Charlie
About 4 pounds per team member per month, scaling with headcount.
R95/mo
per employee, per month
- Self serve onboarding
- Time off management
- Policies with acknowledgement
- Review cycles
- Team directory
Charlie + Advice
Adds unlimited HR advice from UK qualified advisors.
Custom
no card needed
- Everything in Charlie
- HR advice line
- Policy templates
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with CharlieHR for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Zoho People edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,0 vs 4,0), but the right choice depends on your workflows: CharlieHR remains a strong pick where its strengths — Self serve onboarding checklists and Time off routed to the right approver — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.