Sterling (India) vs Zoho Payroll (2026): The Brutal Indian HR Comparison
India-first comparison using listing signals: pricing visibility, compliance coverage, integrations, and verification freshness.
Brutal Truth (data-backed)
- 🏆 Where Sterling (India) wins: Sterling (India) offers stronger integration visibility for connected HR workflows.
- 🏆 Where Zoho Payroll wins: Zoho Payroll shows stronger statutory compliance depth for Indian payroll ops.
- ⚠️ The Brutal Truth: If statutory confidence and execution reliability are your top priority, bias toward Zoho Payroll. If you optimize for UI modernity and broader ecosystem flexibility, validate Sterling (India) deeply before finalizing.
| Metric | Sterling (India) | Zoho Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| HRSuggest Readiness Score™ | 49/100 | 79/100 |
| Vendor | Sterling (India) | Zoho |
| Pricing snapshot (India) | Estimated: quote-based (request vendor pricing by headcount, modules, and compliance scope). | Estimated: quote-based (request vendor pricing by headcount, modules, and compliance scope). |
| India compliance depth | 2 tags: KYC, Identity | 7 tags: PF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS, Form16, 24Q |
| Integrations listed | 3 | 2 |
⚠️ Sterling (India) dealbreakers
- • Pricing clarity is low (ask for base fee, per-user fee, and implementation fee in writing).
🛑 Zoho Payroll dealbreakers
- • Pricing clarity is low (ask for base fee, per-user fee, and implementation fee in writing).
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