A side-by-side look at the four ways Nepali businesses run HR & payroll today — spreadsheets, generic local HRMS tools, imported international SaaS, and custom-built systems — against what NepalHRM gives you out of the box.
1. Spreadsheets are free but break at 30+ employees and offer zero audit trail.
2. Generic local HRMS usually charge per-module quotes — the bill grows fast and Nepal payroll is often an add-on.
3. International SaaS (Zoho, BambooHR, Keka, greytHR) are polished but don't speak PF / CIT / SSF / eTDS natively.
4. NepalHRM has public per-employee pricing in NPR, is free up to 10, charges no per-module fees, and is built for Nepal compliance (PF / CIT / SSF / eTDS) from the schema up.
Compared against the four approaches we most often replace. Cells reflect the typical configuration in each category, not any one named vendor.
| Capability | NepalHRM | Spreadsheets / Manual | Generic Nepali HRMS | International SaaS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal payroll (PF, CIT, SSF, eTDS) | Built-inReturns generated alongside payslip; FY-aware tax slabs. | ManualRe-keyed into each portal every month. | Sometimes add-onOften an extra "Nepal payroll module" SKU. | Not nativeNo PF / CIT / SSF / eTDS schema at all. |
| Biometric device sync (ZKTeco / Anviz / eSSL) | Live, plug-and-go | Manual CSV export | Usually yes | 3rd-party connector |
| Free tier for small teams | Free up to 10 | FreeBut unbounded HR effort. | Quote-based | Limited free / trial |
| Transparent per-employee pricing | NPR 60 / 99 per empEssential 60, Business 99; volume rates drop as you grow. | N/A — zero cost | Per-module quoteTotal often only after sales call. | Usually per-userPriced in USD; FX risk. |
| No per-module fees | Whole plan unlockedBusiness unlocks all 40+ modules; Essential is attendance-focused — no à-la-carte charges either way. | Whatever you build | Per-module pricing | Tier-gatedPerformance, recruitment etc. often higher tier. |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | Included | — | Sometimes | Usually yes |
| HR AI assistant (in-app) | Add-on, by agreementClaude API, tenant-isolated retrieval. | — | Rare | Emerging |
| Desktop activity tracker | Add-on, NPR 250/emp | — | Rare | Separate productHubstaff / Time Doctor etc. — extra subscription. |
| Free onboarding & setup | IncludedSetup call, import, training, dry run. | N/A | Paid implementation | Self-serve |
| 9–6 NPT support, Sun–Fri | Included | — | Usually yes | Off-hours / chat-only |
| Audit log (who-did-what) | Every change | Last-saved-by only | Varies | Usually yes |
| Local payment methods (eSewa / Khalti / NPR bank) | Khalti + NPR bankeSewa & ConnectIPS rolling out; cheque accepted. | N/A | NPR invoicing | Card / USD only |
| White-label / on-prem option | Add-on, by agreement | — | Sometimes | Cloud-only |
| Multi-company under one workspace | On Enterprise | Separate files | Often extra licence | Higher tier |
| Free trial / money-back | 1-month, no card | N/A | Demo only | 14-day usually |
The four pricing shapes you'll see when shopping for HRMS in Nepal — and where the surprise costs hide.
Pick a plan, then it's one line item: active employees × your plan rate (Essential from NPR 60, Business from NPR 99), with volume rates that drop as you grow. Free up to 10. Add-ons (Activity Tracker, AI Assistant) priced separately so usage is yours to control.
Sales call → list of modules → custom quote. Each module (payroll, recruitment, performance, mobile app, biometric) is often a separate SKU. Implementation usually a one-time fee on top.
Tiered subscription — Essentials / Premium / Enterprise — priced in USD per user per month. Some features only unlock on higher tiers. Mostly self-serve with chat support.
Bespoke system built by an internal team or contractor. One-time build cost, recurring maintenance retainer, hosted on your own servers.
A like-for-like 12-month total cost of ownership at three company sizes. Per-module and custom-build totals are typical ranges in the Nepal market — verify with each vendor before quoting.
| Company size | NepalHRM | Per-module local HRMS (typical) |
Flat-tier international (per-user, NPR equiv.) |
Custom in-house (year-1 amortised) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 employees Small startup |
Free | ~ 60,000 3 modules + setup |
~ 84,000 USD 7/user × 10 × 12 mo |
600,000+ Build + 6 mo support |
| 50 employees Mid-size SME |
59,400 Business · 50 × 99 × 12 |
200,000 – 400,000 4–5 modules + impl. fee |
~ 420,000 USD 7/user × 50 × 12 mo |
1,000,000+ |
| 200 employees Large SME |
189,600 Business · 200 × 79 × 12 |
600,000 – 1,200,000 All modules + premium support |
~ 1,680,000 USD 7/user × 200 × 12 mo |
2,500,000+ Build + ongoing retainer |
| 500 employees Large enterprise |
~474,000 Enterprise · custom, indicative 500 × 79 × 12 |
1,500,000 – 2,800,000+ | ~ 4,200,000+ USD scales linearly |
5,000,000+ |
If you're already running one of these, here's what moving to NepalHRM looks like. The free onboarding session covers the import — you don't drive the data transfer yourself.
The capabilities that consistently come up after the first month of use.
PF / CIT / SSF / eTDS are first-class objects in the data model. Your monthly payroll run produces every government return in the same pass.
No sales call to find out the bill. Per-employee, displayed publicly, with volume rates that step down automatically as you grow — no negotiation required.
Activity Tracker and AI Assistant are licensed separately so the per-employee bill stays simple, and so consent / token usage can be tailored to your policy.
A short checklist you can take to every sales conversation. If a vendor can't answer in writing, that's the answer.