SalaryBox Adds Payroll.
You Just Need Attendance.
SalaryBox charges ₹30/user/month (Starter) or ₹75/user/month (Business) plus a ₹1,500-3,000/month base fee. For 25 employees, that's ₹27,000-58,500/year. AttendFirst does attendance + leave at ₹4,485/year for 25 employees. If your CA handles payroll, you're paying for features you don't need.
Free forever for up to 10 employees. All features included: GPS, selfie, QR, leave management, reports. No add-ons.
The short answer
SalaryBox is a workforce management platform with attendance + payroll + rosters + compliance. AttendFirst is an attendance and leave tool with no payroll. They're different products for different problems.
- Choose SalaryBox if: You process payroll in-house, want attendance + salary disbursement in one app, and need AI anti-spoofing on selfies.
- Choose AttendFirst if: You only need attendance tracking and leave management. Your CA handles payroll. You want GPS + selfie + QR on the free plan.
The Honest Cost Comparison
SalaryBox has a monthly base fee plus per-user charges. For 25 employees, here's what it actually costs.
| Cost item (25 employees) | SalaryBox (attendance only) | SalaryBox (+ payroll) | AttendFirst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | ₹27,000 (Starter) | ₹58,500 (Business) | ₹4,485/year |
| Free plan | — | — | 10 employees free |
| GPS check-in | Included | Included | Included (free) |
| Selfie verification | AI anti-spoofing | AI anti-spoofing | Included (free) |
| QR code check-in | — | — | Included (free) |
| Leave management | Basic | Basic | Full (all plans) |
| Payroll | — | Included | — |
SalaryBox pricing: ₹1,500/month base + ₹30/user/month (Starter) or ₹3,000/month base + ₹75/user/month (Business). All prices exclusive of GST.
You save ₹22,500-54,000 every year.
Free for the first 10 employees. No payment required to start.
What Each Product Actually Does
Attendance Tracking
SalaryBox
AI-powered selfie with anti-spoofing (liveness detection) on Business plan. GPS and geofencing on Starter. Works on mobile app. No QR code check-in.
- ✓ GPS check-in (Starter+)
- ✓ AI selfie with anti-spoofing (Business)
- ✗ No QR code
- ✓ Native mobile app
AttendFirst
GPS, selfie, and QR code on the free plan. Works in any phone browser, no app download needed.
- ✓ GPS check-in (free)
- ✓ Selfie verification (free)
- ✓ QR code check-in (free)
- ✓ Works on any phone browser
Leave Management
SalaryBox
Basic leave tracking. Limited half-day leave support. No pro-rated quota calculation for mid-year joiners. No manager approval workflow depth.
- △ Basic leave tracking
- △ Limited half-day support
- ✗ No pro-rated quotas
- △ Basic manager approval
AttendFirst
Unlimited leave types, half-day leaves, pro-rated quotas, manager approval workflow — all on the free plan.
- ✓ Unlimited leave types (free)
- ✓ Half-day leaves (free)
- ✓ Pro-rated mid-year joiners (free)
- ✓ Full manager approval workflow (free)
Payroll
SalaryBox
Salary calculation and bank transfer built in. Attendance feeds into payroll automatically. PF/ESI compliance handling. One app for both.
- ✓ Salary calculation
- ✓ Bank transfer to employees
- ✓ PF/ESI compliance
AttendFirst
No payroll. Ever. We give you clean attendance data in Excel. Your CA or payroll tool uses that. If payroll is your primary need, SalaryBox has it.
- ✗ No payroll (by design)
- ✓ Excel export with attendance data
- ✓ Clean data for your CA
Which One Is Right for You
Choose SalaryBox if:
- → You process payroll in-house and want it automated
- → You need salary disbursement to employee bank accounts
- → AI anti-spoofing on selfies is important (prevents photo fraud)
- → You want one app for attendance + payroll
- → You process salaries yourself and want convenience
SalaryBox Starter starts at ₹1,500/month + ₹30/employee/month. Business plan with payroll: ₹3,000/month + ₹75/employee/month.
Choose AttendFirst if:
- → You only need attendance tracking and leave management
- → Your CA handles payroll separately
- → You want all features on the free plan (GPS + selfie + QR + leave)
- → You have field workers, multiple locations, or retail stores
- → You want to pay 2-3x less for exactly what you need
AttendFirst is ₹4,485/year for 25 employees. Free for 10. GPS + selfie + QR on every plan.
Common Scenarios
"I have 20 employees, my CA does payroll monthly"
Use AttendFirst. ₹2,990/year for attendance + leave. Your CA continues with payroll. SalaryBox Starter at ₹27,000/year for 25 employees costs 9x more for features your CA already handles.
"I need payroll + attendance in one app"
Use SalaryBox. Payroll with bank transfer and PF/ESI built in. AttendFirst doesn't do payroll by design. If you process salaries in-house, SalaryBox is the better fit.
"I have 12 employees at retail stores across 3 locations"
Use AttendFirst. Free for 12 employees. GPS tells you which store each employee checked in from. Multi-location visibility on the free plan.
"I have a factory with 50 workers and need anti-spoofing"
Use SalaryBox if AI anti-spoofing on selfie is critical. SalaryBox's Business plan has liveness detection. AttendFirst has selfie verification but not AI-grade anti-spoofing.
Switching from SalaryBox
The switch is straightforward. No technical migration needed.
- 1
Export attendance data from SalaryBox
Download attendance records as CSV. Most businesses start fresh in AttendFirst from the switch date — no import needed.
- 2
Sign up for AttendFirst
30 seconds at app.attendfirst.com/register. Free for the first 10 employees.
- 3
Add your employees
Add them manually or share the self-join link on WhatsApp. Employees sign up themselves, you approve in one tap.
- 4
Start tracking
Print your QR codes, share the link with your team. They're checking in by afternoon. Continue payroll through your CA as before.
Average switchover time: half a day. No consultants, no data migration project, no downtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SalaryBox better than AttendFirst? +
SalaryBox bundles payroll at ₹30-75/employee/month (Starter at ₹30/user, Business at ₹75/user) with a monthly base fee. AttendFirst focuses on attendance + leave without payroll. If you need payroll and process salaries yourself, SalaryBox makes sense. If your CA handles payroll and you just need attendance, AttendFirst is 5-6x cheaper.
Does AttendFirst do payroll like SalaryBox? +
No. AttendFirst will never do payroll — this is a deliberate product decision. We give you clean attendance data (present days, late count, leave taken) in Excel. Your CA or payroll software uses that. If payroll is a core need, SalaryBox has it.
What's the real cost difference for 25 employees? +
AttendFirst: ₹4,485/year (first 10 free, then ₹299/employee/year). SalaryBox: ₹27,000/year (Starter plan for 25 employees). Business plan with payroll: ₹58,500/year. AttendFirst is consistently 6x cheaper for attendance-only use.
Does SalaryBox have a free plan? +
No. SalaryBox has no free plan at all — not even a limited trial. AttendFirst is free forever for up to 10 employees with all features included (GPS, selfie, QR, leave management).
Can I use AttendFirst if my CA handles payroll? +
Yes. That's the ideal use case. Export monthly attendance as CSV from AttendFirst, hand it to your CA. ₹4,485/year vs SalaryBox Starter at ₹27,000/year for the same attendance tracking, without paying for payroll features your CA already handles.
Also comparing AttendFirst to:
Most teams look at a few tools before deciding. Here are the closest.
Ready to Simplify?
If you only need attendance and leave, pay 1/6th of what SalaryBox costs. Free for 10 employees, forever.