Overview

PHPPayroll combines payroll processing with attendance and a wide range of HR functions for businesses with varied employee types and pay arrangements. It suits organizations that want those workflows in one system; the central choice is between vendor-managed cloud hosting and a customizable self-hosted edition.

Key features

Payroll supports monthly, hourly, and project-based pay, and payslips show earnings and deductions. The system also supports daily, weekly, and task-based employees, as well as full-time and part-time staff, alongside tax filing, contractor payments, and multi-currency payments. That range is useful for mixed workforces, though it does not remove the need to check whether the supported pay structures fit local payroll practices.

Attendance can use biometric devices, RFID cards, or mobile tracking, with real-time reports. This gives organizations several ways to bring time records into payroll, particularly if they already use those methods. Device integration and attendance workflows still need to fit the way each organization records work.

The HR suite includes employee records, holidays and leave, payslips, users, biometric attendance, performance, assets, documents, expenses, work, grievances, recruitment, and loans. Employees can update personal details, request leave, access payslips, and raise grievances through the self-service portal. That breadth makes PHPPayroll more compelling as a combined HR system than as a payroll-only tool.

It describes links between payroll, leave, and expenses, as well as optional third-party integrations, but does not name specific external products. Buyers who depend on a particular connection should confirm it before choosing the system.

Pricing

The cloud plans all include unlimited employees and payslips, so storage—not headcount—is the stated step between tiers. The Starter plan costs 9.99 USD per month and includes 5 GB SSD web space, unlimited records, and all features. It is the lowest-cost managed option, but the smallest storage allowance may be a constraint for organizations keeping substantial records.

The Standard Plan (Most Popular) costs 19.99 USD per month, with 15 GB SSD web space, unlimited reports, and all features. It triples Starter storage for a $10 monthly increase, making it the more balanced choice when 5 GB is too tight. Enterprise Payroll costs 26.99 USD per month and provides 20 GB SSD web space, unlimited financial records, and all features; the extra 5 GB over Standard is a narrower case for the higher price. The plans are described for small businesses up to 50 employees, medium-sized businesses up to 300, and large organizations with 500+ employees, respectively, even though each states unlimited employees.

The Open-Source Edition is free, with no license fees or monthly charges. It includes full source-code access and requires PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, and Apache or Nginx. This is the option for buyers able to install, customize, and maintain their own deployment; basic PHP hosting, FTP, and database setup knowledge is recommended. Cloud hosting instead is managed by the vendor, requires no local installation or server maintenance, and includes technical support and onboarding. Cloud plans state 256-bit SSL encryption; self-hosting leaves security, permissions, and backups to the customer.

Platforms

PHPPayroll supports Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and self-hosted deployments. The cloud edition avoids local server administration, while the open-source edition is aimed at organizations prepared to manage their own PHP and database environment.

Who it's for

PHPPayroll is a reasonable fit for small businesses through large organizations that need payroll alongside attendance and employee-facing HR workflows, especially where employee types and pay schedules vary. It is less suitable for teams seeking a narrowly focused payroll service, or those that cannot take responsibility for the hosting and security work required by self-hosting.

Pros and cons

Pros: Unlimited employees and payslips across all cloud tiers keep the stated plan limits focused on storage rather than workforce size.
Pros: Biometric, RFID, and mobile attendance options pair with real-time reports and payroll-linked HR functions.
Pros: The free source-code edition offers customization without license fees or monthly charges.
Cons: Cloud storage ranges from 5 GB to 20 GB, so organizations with growing records may need a higher tier.
Cons: Self-hosting transfers server security, permissions, and backups to the customer.
Cons: Optional third-party integrations are not named, which leaves buyers with specific integration needs needing to verify compatibility.

Alternatives

For a global-payroll comparison, start with Global Payroll Software.

Choose Paybooks if Indian statutory compliance is central to your payroll, with payroll processing, leave management, employee self-service, and reports in its Xplore plan.

Dapplon Global Payroll is an option for teams that want a cloud plan with stated employee caps and PF, ESI, and TDS filing; its Basic plan costs 29.00 USD per month for up to 25 employees.

Consider Better HR if you want a paid HR suite with mobile and API platforms.

BIPO HRMS Payroll is another paid HRMS payroll option, with pricing offered by demo request.

Choose Omni HR Payroll if digital payslips, statutory filing, accounting integration, and multi-country support match your needs.

ADP Workforce Now offers paid payroll and HR suite plans, including a tier with benefits administration.

Ramco Enterprise Asset Management is a paid alternative when enterprise asset management is the priority.

Payroll Engine is a free alternative with Linux, macOS, web, API, and self-hosted platform support.

Verdict

Choose PHPPayroll if you want payroll, attendance, and broad employee-facing HR functions together, and can either accept cloud storage limits or operate a self-hosted system. Look elsewhere if you need named, confirmed third-party integrations or do not want to manage hosting responsibilities on the open-source edition.

	Paylocity	PHPPayroll
Free plan		Yes
Free trial		Yes
Paid from		$9.99/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Free plan	No
Mobile apps	Yes
Employee records	Yes
Time-off management	Yes
Employee onboarding	Yes
Performance management	Yes
Time tracking	Yes
Tax filing		Yes
Contractor payments		Yes
Multi-currency payments		Yes
Payroll delivery		hybrid
Worker types		both

Paylocity vs PHPPayroll

Paylocity

PHPPayroll