Best Free Attendance Software India (2026): 5 Compared
Arjun researches attendance, leave, and workforce trends for Indian small businesses. He writes data-driven comparisons and guides.
The best genuinely free attendance software in India for 2026: AttendFirst (every feature free, up to 3 employees), greytHR (web only, no GPS or mobile app), Kredily (web only, one leave rule), Clockify (time logs, not attendance), and Zoho Creator (one user, build it yourself). The free seat count is the easy part to compare and the least useful: most “free” plans hide GPS, leave management, or exports behind a paywall, so a bigger free headcount usually buys you less. Here’s what you actually get for ₹0.
What “Free” Should Mean
Free attendance software should do four things at minimum:
- Track check-in and check-out: daily, with timestamps
- Work on mobile: your employees carry phones, not laptops
- Show reports: at least monthly attendance summary
- Not expire: free forever, not a 14-day trial
Anything less isn’t free attendance software. It’s a demo.
5 Free Attendance Software Options in India
1. AttendFirst: Free Forever, Every Feature Included
What you get free: GPS check-in, selfie verification, QR code attendance, leave management (PL/SL/CL with half-day support), manager approval workflows, automated daily reports, Excel export, holiday management with Indian defaults, email notifications.
The catch: Free only for teams of 3 employees or fewer. Teams of 4 to 10 pay a flat ₹3,000/year. Above 10, it’s ₹499/employee/year on top of the ₹3,000 base.
What’s NOT free: Nothing is hidden. Every feature available to paying customers is available on the free plan. The only limit is team size. For a detailed comparison with greytHR, see our AttendFirst vs greytHR feature comparison.
Best for: Small businesses (shops, offices, small factories) with up to 3 employees who want GPS-verified attendance and full leave management without paying anything.
Our bias: We built AttendFirst, so take this with appropriate skepticism. We included ourselves because leaving ourselves out would be dishonest in a different way.
2. greytHR: Web-Only Free Plan, No GPS or Mobile App
What you get free: Web-based check-in/out, basic leave management (1 leave type), employee directory, basic reports.
The catch: The free plan is web-only. No mobile app. No GPS tracking. No selfie verification. If your employees work in the field or at multiple locations, they’ll need to come to a computer to check in. That defeats the purpose for most small businesses.
What’s NOT free: GPS attendance, mobile app, multiple leave types, advanced reports, payroll, shift management. These require paid plans starting at ₹3,495/month (₹41,940/year) for 25 employees.
Best for: Office-based teams where everyone sits at a desk with computer access. If you need mobile attendance, look elsewhere.
3. Kredily: Free with Limitations
What you get free: Web check-in, 1 attendance rule, basic employee management, 1 leave rule.
The catch: One attendance rule means one set of working hours for everyone. If you have different shifts or departments with different timings, you need to upgrade. One leave rule means one leave type, no separate PL/SL/CL tracking.
What’s NOT free: GPS tracking, multiple attendance rules, multiple leave types, advanced reports, payroll. Paid plans start at ₹999/month.
Best for: Very small teams (under 10) with uniform working hours who just need basic check-in tracking.
4. Clockify: Free Time Tracker (Not Attendance-Specific)
What you get free: Unlimited users, time tracking, basic reports, project tracking.
The catch: Clockify is a time-tracking tool, not an attendance system. There’s no GPS verification, no selfie check-in, no leave management, no Indian holiday calendar. You’ll need to manually interpret time logs as attendance data.
What’s NOT free: GPS tracking, screenshots, project billing, advanced reporting. Attendance-specific features don’t exist at any price. It is a different tool entirely.
Best for: Freelancers or remote teams tracking billable hours. Not ideal for Indian SMBs who need daily attendance with location verification.
5. Zoho Creator: Free Attendance Template
What you get free: A customizable attendance form, basic reporting, 1 user (admin only).
The catch: It’s a template on Zoho’s app-building platform, not a ready-to-use attendance system. You’ll need to customize it yourself. The free plan allows only 1 user, meaning the admin can track attendance, but employees can’t self-check-in.
What’s NOT free: Multi-user access, mobile app, GPS verification, leave management. Getting employees to self-check-in requires a paid Zoho Creator plan.
Best for: Technical users who want to build their own attendance system on Zoho’s platform.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | AttendFirst | greytHR Free | Kredily Free | Clockify Free | Zoho Creator Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPS check-in | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Selfie verification | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| QR code check-in | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Leave management | Yes (full) | 1 type only | 1 rule only | No | No |
| Mobile attendance | Yes | No | No | Yes (manual) | No |
| Reports + Excel export | Yes | Basic | Basic | Yes | Basic |
| Indian holiday defaults | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Email notifications | Yes | No (free) | No (free) | No | No |
| Ready to use (no setup) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No (needs config) |
What About Paper Registers and Excel?
If you’re reading this, you might currently be using an attendance register or Excel file. Those are technically “free” too, but they cost you in other ways:
- Time: 2-3 hours per month compiling reports manually
- Accuracy: No way to verify if someone was actually present
- Disputes: “I came 26 days” vs “the register shows 23”, unresolvable arguments
- No location data: If you have field staff or multiple locations, you’re blind
Free attendance software eliminates these problems without adding cost.
How to Choose
If you have 3 or fewer employees and want GPS + selfie + leave management: AttendFirst gives you everything free with no feature limitations.
If everyone works at a desk and nobody ever checks in from a phone: greytHR’s free plan covers up to 25 people. The day you need mobile or GPS check-in, that plan stops working and greytHR’s paid tier starts at ₹41,940/year. AttendFirst charges ₹3,000/year flat for teams of 4 to 10, with GPS and selfie included.
If you need unlimited users and just want basic time logging: Clockify works but isn’t attendance-specific.
If you’re technical and want to build your own system: Zoho Creator gives you the tools, but requires significant setup.
What’s the cost of not switching?
If you’re still using a paper register or Excel, you’re spending hours every month on manual work. Your employees can buddy-punch without getting caught. You have no GPS proof of who was where. You argue about attendance numbers at salary time.
Free attendance software exists. The only cost is the 10 minutes it takes to sign up and add your employees.
AttendFirst puts attendance and leave in one record: GPS, selfie, and QR check-in, leave requests and balances, Indian holidays, reports, and Excel export. Every feature is on every plan, including the free one; the only limit is team size. Up to 3 employees costs nothing, and no payment is required to start.
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