PagarBook

PagarBook is an HRMS for staff attendance, payroll and field teams, aimed at SMEs in industries such as retail, construction and logistics. It combines attendance and payroll plans with optional field-tracking and order-management subscriptions.

Overview

The product’s range is its main strength: attendance can use face, selfie or location checks, while payroll brings attendance, overtime, fines and statutory deductions into one process. Businesses that also manage mobile teams can add location tracking and task workflows. The trade-off is a tiered subscription structure: the free plan covers attendance marking only, and Geo costs extra on top of an App or Web subscription.

Key features

Attendance and payroll

Attendance supports offline recording and processing, as well as face, selfie and location-based methods. PagarBook Lens is designed to recognize faces in under a second and reject photographs shown to the camera, which may suit employers seeking a stronger check than selfie attendance alone. Payroll applies attendance, overtime, fines and statutory deductions in one pass, with support for PF, ESI, professional tax, labour welfare fund, TDS, gratuity and minimum wages.

Field teams and orders

Geo adds live location tracking, route timelines, task assignment, custom forms and order collection. Geo Plus adds SKU and category management, order processing, customizable receipts and custom order-status workflows. These tools make PagarBook relevant beyond payroll, but Geo requires an active App or Web subscription and carries a separate price.

Employee access, support and privacy

The employee app provides access to documents and information, attendance marking, leave requests and payslip downloads. Support is available every day from 8am to 8pm by WhatsApp and telephone. The privacy policy says app information is not shared with third parties for advertising or marketing; it also says the platform may collect device identifiers, IP address, location, camera information and information users submit. Employers should weigh that collection against their own privacy requirements, particularly when enabling location or camera-based attendance.

Pricing

Prices are per staff member per year where stated, and prices are exclusive of GST. Geo plans require an active App or Web subscription, so their prices are additional rather than standalone totals.

The annual per-staff pricing makes the workforce size central to the bill. The free tier is a narrow starting point rather than a free payroll option, while the web dashboard, Lens and Geo each require moving to a higher-cost combination.

Platforms

PagarBook supports Android, iOS and a desktop web app. It also offers a mobile app, geofencing, break tracking and overtime tracking.

Who it's for

PagarBook is best suited to SMEs that want attendance and payroll together, especially where attendance methods, statutory payroll support or field-team visibility matter. Retail, construction, manufacturing, logistics and hospitality are among its target industries. It is less compelling for a business that needs only free attendance marking or wants field tracking without also subscribing to App or Web.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Payroll combines attendance, overtime, fines and statutory deductions, and supports a broad set of listed Indian payroll obligations.
• Pros: Attendance options include offline recording, face, selfie and location checks, giving employers more than one way to capture attendance.
• Pros: Geo Plus connects field tracking with order processing and custom order workflows.
• Cons: The free plan excludes salary processing, PF/ESI and tracking, limiting its usefulness to attendance marking.
• Cons: Geo requires an active App or Web subscription and has separate pricing, increasing the cost of adopting field tools.
• Cons: Lens is only included in the Classic Suite, so face attendance adds a substantial per-staff annual cost over App + Web.

Alternatives

For a broader scheduling comparison, see Employee Scheduling Software or Attendance Tracking Software.

Choose ClockOn instead if its free Starter Package—basic payroll and STP for eligible new businesses for up to 12 months or 27 STP submissions—matches your needs. Consider Connecteam if you want to compare a freemium option with a free trial. Findmyshift is another freemium option with a free plan. 7shifts offers a free Comp plan limited to 15 employees and one location. Shiftbase has a free plan for up to 15 employees, while Shiftura offers a free plan for up to five employees. Sling is worth comparing if a free plan for up to 30 users with shift scheduling and time-off requests is a closer fit. Zoho Shifts offers a free plan for up to 25 users with basic scheduling and multiple locations.

Verdict

PagarBook is a strong fit for SMEs that want attendance and payroll in one system and may later add field tracking or order workflows. Its attendance choices and payroll coverage are substantial, but the free plan stops at marking attendance and Geo adds a separate subscription cost. Look elsewhere if you need free payroll or field tools without the App or Web prerequisite.