Alternatives
Top PeoplesHR Alternatives for Sri Lankan Teams (2026)
Honest, side-by-side breakdown of the best Sri Lanka-relevant options if you’re leaving PeoplesHR or looking to skip it altogether.
TL;DR
PeoplesHR is the heritage enterprise HRIS — expensive (USD 14,650 + USD 3,000 customization), opaque on pricing, and frequently described by customers as having an "outdated UI". If you’re an SL SME or mid-market company, six alternatives are worth a closer look.
Why teams look for alternatives to PeoplesHR
Most teams shop for PeoplesHR alternatives for one of three reasons: the implementation cost is prohibitive (USD 14,650 one-time + USD 3,000 customization on Enterprise), pricing is opaque so budgeting is hard, or the UI feels dated compared to newer SaaS. SL companies from 5 to 5,000 employees in particular benefit from a product purpose-built for the full range with transparent pricing.
The 7 best PeoplesHR alternatives in Sri Lanka
Humanised
Recommended for SL SMEsSri Lankan HR & payroll for companies from 5 to 5,000 employees.
Best for: Sri Lankan companies from 5 to 5,000 employees wanting transparent LKR pricing, deep SL payroll (BOI, stamp duty, USD-pegged, EGAR), and days-not-months deployment.
Strengths
- No setup fees
- Flat-tier pricing in LKR (LKR 10,000 / 25,000 / Custom)
- Stamp duty, BOI, USD-pegged salaries explicit
- APIT Table 5 cumulative trigger and EGAR-method bonus taxation
- Named bank-file support (HNB, Sampath, BOC, Commercial, NTB, DFCC)
Watch-outs
- No multi-country payroll (focused on Sri Lanka)
Pricing: LKR 10,000 / 25,000 / Custom · no setup fee
See Humanised →MiHCM
Microsoft-shop enterprise HCMMicroimage’s AI-first HCM, Teams-native via MiA on Microsoft AppSource.
Best for: Microsoft 365 enterprises with multi-country APAC operations and a willingness to fund a $5K–$20K implementation.
Strengths
- MS Teams integration via MiA
- Three named AI products (MiA, SmartAssist, Syntra)
- ZKTeco biometric (authorised distributor)
- 11-country APAC payroll
Watch-outs
- $5,000–$20,000 implementation fee (ITQlick)
- Capterra support 3.5/5; "2 weeks to 1 month" resolution complaints
- iOS app 2.8/5 with check-in/out bugs
Pricing: From $2/user/mo (Lite); Enterprise quote-based
See Humanised vs MiHCM →BetterHR
Myanmar-built regional SaaSBetter Technologies Pte Ltd (Singapore-incorporated, Yangon-built), Colombo office since 2022.
Best for: Small SL teams (under 30 employees) wanting the lowest per-employee rate and willing to compromise on local SL-specific compliance.
Strengths
- LKR 399/employee/month (annual billing)
- Multi-country payroll across 9 APAC countries
- No setup fees, 14-day free trial
- Modern AI Agent marketing angle
Watch-outs
- No BOI compliance on public docs
- No stamp duty on public docs
- No named SL customer case studies despite "200+ clients" claim
- Mobile app 4.0/5 with recurring crash and GPS bug complaints
Pricing: LKR 399/employee/month (annual); LKR 499 monthly
See Humanised vs BetterHR →Gallery HR
New-generation SL SaaSSoft Gallery (Ja-Ela), founded 2020 alongside Humanised; bundled HR suite.
Best for: SL SMEs already running Hikvision biometric hardware who want a single bundled HR suite.
Strengths
- Broad module bundle (incl. recruitment, performance, claims)
- Hikvision biometric documented
- Recognisable SL logos (Access Engineering, Amana, JKH Logistics)
Watch-outs
- Rs.30,000–35,000 setup fee
- Pricing page returns 404; tiers only on aggregators
- Zero independent reviews on Capterra, G2, Trustpilot
- No LMS module
- Only Hikvision biometric named
Pricing: Rs.400–Rs.500/employee/month + Rs.30,000–35,000 setup fee
See Humanised vs Gallery HR →Zoho People
Global SaaS (India)Zoho’s HR module — broad and well-priced, with deep Zoho-suite integration.
Best for: Companies already on the Zoho One stack who want HR bundled with CRM, Books, Projects and Desk.
Strengths
- Deep integration with the Zoho One ecosystem
- Aggressive pricing if you already pay for Zoho One
- Global presence, mature product
Watch-outs
- No native Sri Lankan statutory compliance (EPF, ETF, APIT) — configuration required
- No SL bank file generation
- No named SL customer case studies
Pricing: From USD 1/user/month (Essential HR) up to USD 9 (People Plus)
Visit Zoho People →greytHR
India-built SaaSIndian payroll & HR SaaS used widely across South Asia.
Best for: Companies with operations in India and Sri Lanka needing one platform that handles both.
Strengths
- Mature Indian payroll engine
- Bank-file generation for Indian banks
- Marketplace of integrations
Watch-outs
- Sri Lanka statutory work is configuration, not native
- India-first design assumptions throughout the product
Pricing: INR 3,495/month base + INR 30/user (Starter)
Visit greytHR →Keka
India-built modern HRISIndian HRIS with a clean modern UI, popular with tech SMEs.
Best for: Tech SMEs with India-Sri Lanka operations wanting modern UX and ATS-friendly hiring workflows.
Strengths
- Modern UI praised in Indian SaaS reviews
- Strong ATS / recruitment module
- Active product roadmap
Watch-outs
- Sri Lanka compliance is configuration-driven
- Pricing in INR, no LKR plan
Pricing: INR 9,999/month base for ~100 employees (Foundation)
Visit Keka →See Humanised on a 20-minute call
Live walkthrough of LKR pricing, the SL compliance matrix, and a real CSV import — no slide deck.
Request a DemoFrequently asked questions
What is the best PeoplesHR alternative for Sri Lankan SMEs?
For SL companies from 5 to 5,000 employees, Humanised is the closest fit — built in Sri Lanka, transparent LKR pricing (LKR 10,000 / 25,000 / Custom), no setup fee, and explicit support for stamp duty, BOI, USD-pegged salaries, the APIT Table 5 cumulative trigger, and EGAR-method bonus taxation. For multinationals above 1,000 employees with multi-country payroll needs, MiHCM (Microsoft-shop) or staying on PeoplesHR remain the right choices.
Why do teams shop for PeoplesHR alternatives?
Three recurring reasons: the implementation cost is prohibitive (USD 14,650 one-time + USD 3,000 customization on Enterprise per Humanised’s own published quote), pricing is opaque (ITQlick flags "potential hidden costs"), or the UI feels dated — multiple G2 and Capterra reviews describe it as "outdated", "too cumbersome", or "could be more modern compared to newer HR platforms".
How much cheaper are PeoplesHR alternatives?
Humanised Small Business is LKR 25,000/month (~USD 83) with no setup fee. PeoplesHR Enterprise starts at USD 178.50/month after a USD 14,650 + USD 3,000 customization implementation fee. For a 100-person SL company, year-one TCO on PeoplesHR is roughly USD 20,000 vs LKR 300,000 (~USD 1,000) on Humanised Small Business.
Can I migrate from PeoplesHR to Humanised?
Yes. Export your employee master, leave balances, and recent payroll cycles from PeoplesHR; Humanised imports via CSV. For 100-person companies expect one to three weeks including a parallel payroll run to reconcile EPF, ETF, APIT line-by-line.
Which PeoplesHR alternative has the best Sri Lankan compliance?
Humanised. It publishes explicit support for the SL-specific edge cases (stamp duty, BOI, USD-pegged salaries, APIT Table 5 cumulative trigger at Rs. 1.8M, EGAR-method bonus taxation, budgetary relief allowance, Poya-day calendars) that competitors typically handle via configuration if at all.
Are there free alternatives to PeoplesHR?
No serious payroll product is meaningfully free in Sri Lanka — running statutory compliance (EPF, ETF, APIT) at scale requires ongoing maintenance that no freemium SaaS sustains. Humanised offers demos but not a free tier; the Startup plan is LKR 10,000/month for up to 15 employees and includes onboarding.
Which alternative has the best customer support?
PeoplesHR itself scores 4.9/5 for customer support on Capterra — genuinely a strength. Among alternatives, MiHCM scores 3.5/5 with "2 weeks to 1 month" resolution complaints. Humanised provides SLA-backed support and is reachable on +94 76 443 7726.