The Keka alternative for teams that bill by the project
All the compliance. None of the base-fee floor.
Keka is a serious HR platform. But it was built for large HR departments, not for the 22-person IT firm that needs to bill clients accurately. Workclave fills exactly that gap.
Workclave is a Keka alternative for Indian IT teams under 50 people that need billable, project-linked attendance rather than a full HR suite.
Who should not switch: Do not switch if you need payroll processing, recruitment and performance reviews in one system. Keka does those; Workclave does not.
| Feature | Workclave | Keka |
|---|---|---|
Session-based tracking Links time to projects, not just presence | Full session intelligence | Clock-in/out only |
Approval workflows Manager reviews before sessions close | Built-in, one-click approval | Manual process, not session-linked |
AI session analytics Automated insights on utilisation and billing | Powered by LLM, auto-generated | No AI features |
Pricing & minimums What you pay before adding your first user | ₹0 to start. ₹199/user. No floor. | reported at ₹9,999/mo base covering 100 |
Free tier What you get without paying | Free up to 3 users, full features | No free plan |
What a team actually pays: Workclave vs Keka
Keka's entry plan carries a base fee — reported at reported at ₹9,999/month, though Keka does not publish it on its pricing page — covering a block of employees regardless of how many you actually have. For a small team, that base fee dominates the maths. Workclave has no base fee at all.
| Team size | Workclave | KekaFoundation plan |
|---|---|---|
| 10-person team | ₹1,990/mo10 × ₹199 | reported at ₹9,999/moFoundation plan, 100 included |
| 20-person team | ₹3,980/mo20 × ₹199 | reported at ₹9,999/moFoundation plan, 100 included |
| 50-person team | ₹9,950/mo50 × ₹199 | reported at ₹9,999/moFoundation plan, 100 included |
| Free tier | Free up to 3 users | No free plan |
- — baseFee — Keka does not publish its India base fee anywhere on keka.com/pricing; the figure is widely reported, not vendor-stated. It renders as "reported at" until someone captures a dated quote.
Check keka.com/pricing before deciding — last read August 2026. Several vendors show different pricing by visitor country, so what you see may differ from what we read.
Prices checked against keka.com/pricing in August 2026. Vendors change pricing without notice, some quote annual-prepay rates rather than monthly, and several apply seat minimums that raise the real entry cost — always confirm on the vendor's own page.
- — Payroll, performance and recruitment are separate add-ons on top of the base plan.
Run it for your own headcount: Friday spreadsheet cost calculator. No logos to show you yet, so try the interactive demo instead — no signup.
Full breakdown: Keka pricing explained
An honest read on Keka
- Deep payroll engine — statutory compliance (PF, ESI, PT, TDS) handled end to end
- Mature HRMS breadth: recruitment, performance, expense claims, org management
- Well-established in India with a large customer base and partner ecosystem
- Strong fit for HR-led organisations of 100+ employees
- reported at ₹9,999/month floor makes it expensive per head for teams under ~50
- Attendance is presence-first: clock-in/out with no project or client context
- Timesheets and attendance live in separate modules — billing needs manual reconciliation
- No manager approval step between logged time and billable records
Migrating from Keka to Workclave
The overlap to plan for is payroll: run Keka through the current cycle while Workclave builds session history, then compare the two registers before you switch.
- 1Export your people list
A CSV of names and emails is all Workclave needs. Departments map to teams on import.
- 2Create the projects you bill
Every check-in is linked to one from then on, so this is the step that changes what your data means.
- 3Run both for one cycle
Compare the two registers at month end, then point payroll and invoicing at Workclave's approved-session export.
Workclave vs Keka: common questions
Is Workclave a good Keka alternative for small teams?
For teams under about 50 people whose main need is attendance, time tracking, and client billing — yes. Workclave has no base fee (₹199/user/month, free up to 3 users), while Keka carries a base fee reported at reported at ₹9,999/month before the first user. If you need a full payroll and HRMS suite, Keka remains the stronger fit.
How much cheaper is Workclave than Keka for a 20-person team?
Roughly 60% at list prices: ₹3,980/month on Workclave (20 × ₹199) versus Keka's base fee, reported at reported at ₹9,999/month — before Keka add-ons. Keka does not publish its India base fee, so confirm it directly.
Does Keka link attendance to projects?
Keka records clock-in/clock-out attendance and has a separate timesheet module. There is no session-level link where attendance itself carries project and client context. In Workclave, every check-in is tied to a project at the moment it starts.
Can I migrate from Keka to Workclave without losing data?
Yes. Export your employee list as CSV, invite the team, and run both tools in parallel for one payroll cycle before switching the source of truth. Historical Keka records stay exportable from Keka for your archives.
Does Workclave handle payroll like Keka?
Workclave produces approved, project-linked session records and attendance registers that feed payroll — it does not replace a payroll engine. Many teams pair Workclave with a lightweight payroll service and still spend less than the Keka base fee.
Compared with the other tools on your shortlist
Most teams evaluate three or four at once. Every page carries the same feature matrix, cost table and honest read on where the other tool is genuinely stronger.
Not on this list? See every comparison.
Still weighing Workclave against Keka?
We have no customer logos to show you — the product is new and we would rather say so than invent them. What we can do is let you see it working before you give us anything.