Part of the Zoho suite. Affordable HR module but works best within the broader Zoho ecosystem.
Zoho People is the HR module within Zoho's massive software ecosystem. While its headline price is low, it works best when paired with other Zoho products — and its global, one-size-fits-all approach means UK-specific features often require manual workarounds. LeaveManager is a standalone tool built specifically for UK leave management: no ecosystem lock-in, no configuration headaches, and every feature included from day one.
LeaveManager
£8/user/mo
All features included. No tiers.
Zoho People
From £1.50/user/mo
Pricing at time of writing
14-day comparison plan
Use your own policies, real managers, and a small pilot team to check whether LeaveManager removes enough admin before you commit.
Based on publicly available information from Zoho People's website as of March 2026. Zoho and Zoho People are registered trademarks of Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Features and pricing may have changed since publication. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
| Feature | LeaveManager | Zoho People |
|---|---|---|
| Visual leave calendar | ||
| One-click approvals | ||
| Automatic balance tracking | ||
| UK bank holidays (auto) | Manual setup | |
| Custom leave types | ||
| Bradford Factor monitoring | ||
| TOIL tracking | ||
| Return-to-work forms | ||
| Employee directory | ||
| Full audit trail | Higher tier | |
| Works standalone (no ecosystem) | ||
| No credit card for trial | ||
| Set up in under 5 minutes | ||
| All features in one plan | ||
| No contract lock-in | Annual |
Buyer checklist
Feature parity matters, but conversion usually comes down to speed, clarity, and whether the tool removes work for managers on day one.
| Decision point | LeaveManager | Zoho People |
|---|---|---|
| Start evaluating | Self-serve trial with every core feature switched on | Often needs plan comparison, demos, or sales follow-up |
| Prove fit quickly | Set up policies, invite staff, and approve real requests in days | Implementation depends on package, modules, and admin setup |
| Control total cost | One transparent monthly price for the people-ops toolkit | Pricing can depend on tiers, add-ons, seat minimums, or contracts |
| Keep managers moving | Leave, sickness, TOIL, rotas, clock-ins, expenses, and reviews in one workflow | Core leave tracking may sit beside wider HR workflows or paid modules |
Why LeaveManager
LeaveManager is built for UK teams that want the everyday people-ops work handled cleanly without turning leave management into a long software project.
Standalone simplicity — LeaveManager works perfectly on its own. Zoho People is designed as part of the Zoho ecosystem, and many features work best (or only) with other Zoho apps like Zoho CRM, Zoho Payroll, and Zoho Projects.
UK-first, not global — LeaveManager is built specifically for UK employment law, statutory leave, and bank holidays. Zoho People takes a global approach that requires manual setup for UK-specific requirements.
Faster setup — get your team tracking leave in under 5 minutes. Zoho People's extensive configuration options and ecosystem integrations mean a longer time-to-value.
Purpose-built for leave management — LeaveManager focuses on doing one thing brilliantly. Zoho People tries to be a full HR platform, spreading its features thin across attendance, timesheets, performance, and more.
Bradford Factor built in — automatically monitor absence patterns using the UK-standard scoring method. Zoho People doesn't offer this feature.
No ecosystem dependency — switch or cancel without losing access to your other business tools. With Zoho, leaving People can mean reconsidering your entire Zoho stack.
Trust signals
A comparison page should make the next step feel low-risk. LeaveManager keeps the buying checks visible before you start the trial.
14-day free trial with no payment card required
No fixed-term contract, minimum-seat lock-in, or module hunt
Privacy information, role-based access, and data export links are available before rollout
Stripe-hosted checkout when you decide to subscribe
Trial plan
Use the free trial to test the workflows that decide whether a comparison turns into a rollout.
Day 1
Add company details, policies, employees, managers, and public holidays before inviting the wider team.
Day 3
Ask one manager to approve holiday, sickness, TOIL, and restricted-date examples in the shared calendar.
Day 7
Review audit history, access levels, exports, billing terms, and whether the process is clear enough to roll out.
Yes. LeaveManager is a strong alternative to Zoho People for UK teams that want straightforward leave management, transparent pricing, employee self-service, approvals, absence tracking, TOIL, Bradford Factor monitoring, and audit history in one product.
LeaveManager costs £8/user/mo with all core features included. Zoho People pricing is listed here as From £1.50/user/mo, based on the comparison information available at the time of writing.
Yes. Most small teams can set up LeaveManager quickly by adding employees, choosing leave policies, and inviting managers and staff. The goal is to replace manual follow-up with live balances, one-click approvals, and a shared team calendar.
Yes. LeaveManager includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can test the leave calendar, approvals, absence tracking, and reporting before choosing a paid plan.
Explore how LeaveManager compares to other leave management software for UK teams.