Pitch N Hire vs Keka
Keka is a popular India-based human-resources and payroll platform that bundles a hiring module alongside its core strengths in payroll, attendance, leave, and performance management. It is widely used by Indian SMBs and mid-market companies that want one system to run day-to-day HR operations with local payroll and statutory compliance built in, priced on a per-employee subscription. Pitch N Hire is also India-based, but it is a recruiting-first, AI-native platform rather than an HR suite: it pairs an applicant tracking system with async AI video interviews (Intuvos) and candidate sourcing (OnJob.io), and offers a free single-user tier. Since both serve Indian employers, this comparison is less about geography and more about focus — a broad HRMS with a hiring add-on versus a specialist AI recruiting platform. Which fits depends on whether your priority is running HR and payroll or winning at hiring.
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Choose Keka if you want a well-established India-based HR and payroll suite to run operations — payroll, attendance, compliance, performance — with hiring included as one module. Choose Pitch N Hire if recruiting is the priority and you want a specialist AI-native platform with async AI video interviews, structured scoring, and built-in sourcing, plus a free tier. Because both are Indian and address different needs, plenty of teams use Keka for HR and Pitch N Hire for hiring rather than treating it as an either-or decision.
Where Pitch N Hire and Keka differ, line by line.
| Capability | Pitch N Hire | Keka |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Indian and global teams that want a recruiting-first platform with AI interviews | Indian SMBs and mid-market firms wanting HR, payroll, and hiring in one suite |
| Pricing model | Per-seat / per-job tiers with a free single-user plan | Per-employee subscription across HR and payroll modules |
| Free plan | Yes — one user free forever | No permanent free plan; paid per-employee tiers |
| AI interviewing | Native async AI video interviews with structured scoring through Intuvos | Hiring module handles tracking and workflow; AI video interviewing is not its focus |
| Candidate sourcing | Built-in sourcing via OnJob.io | Applicant tracking within the HR suite; limited dedicated sourcing |
| Ease of setup | Recruiting-only onboarding, sales-assisted, quick to go live | Straightforward for HR teams; full value spans several HR modules |
| Integrations | Core HRIS, job boards, and productivity integrations | Integrates with payroll, attendance, and Indian compliance tooling |
| Support | Dedicated onboarding from an India-based team serving customers worldwide | Well-regarded India-based support and local compliance expertise |
| Structured hiring & scorecards | Consistent AI-assisted scoring on every async video interview | Basic hiring workflows; evaluation is not the suite's centre of gravity |
| Analytics & reporting | Recruiting funnel and interview-scoring analytics | HR analytics spanning payroll, attendance, and workforce data |
| Target company size | Startups to mid-market, India and global | SMB to mid-market, India-focused |
Pricing is described by model, not by figure. Published per-seat and per-job prices change often, and a stale number on a comparison page is worse than no number — check each vendor's own pricing page before you decide.
Where each platform is stronger
Where Pitch N Hire stands out
Where Keka stands out
Keka or Pitch N Hire — which should an Indian company choose?
For Indian employers the decision usually comes down to what you most need to fix. Keka is a strong, locally built HR and payroll platform: it handles statutory compliance, payroll runs, attendance, and leave with an interface Indian HR teams find easy to adopt, and it includes a hiring module so recruitment sits alongside operations. If your pain is running HR smoothly and staying compliant, Keka is a proven, comfortable choice.
Pitch N Hire, also India-based, is built for the hiring problem specifically. Its applicant tracking, Intuvos async AI video interviews, and OnJob.io sourcing are designed to help you attract, screen, and evaluate candidates faster and more consistently — capabilities a payroll-led suite does not prioritise. If recruiting quality and speed are what you want to improve, the specialist depth matters, and the free single-user tier lets a small team start without cost. Many Indian companies conclude they want both, using each for what it does best.
How do Keka and Pitch N Hire differ beyond hiring?
The biggest difference is everything that surrounds hiring. Keka is fundamentally an HRMS: payroll, statutory deductions like PF and ESI, attendance, leave, and performance are its core, and recruitment is one part of a wider operational system. That breadth is exactly why so many Indian SMBs rely on it — one platform covers most of HR administration.
Pitch N Hire deliberately does not try to be an HRMS. It focuses on the front of the funnel — sourcing, tracking, and interviewing candidates — and adds AI to make screening consistent and scalable. It will not run your payroll or file your compliance, and it is not meant to. For a company whose recruiting is the constraint, that focus, combined with AI video interviews and a free tier, is the advantage; for one that needs to centralise HR and payroll, Keka's breadth is the better answer, which is why the two are often complementary rather than competing.
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Pitch N Hire vs Keka — FAQs
Is Pitch N Hire a good alternative to Keka?
For the hiring part of the job, yes. If you want dedicated recruiting with async AI video interviews, structured scoring, and sourcing, Pitch N Hire goes deeper than Keka's hiring module and adds a free tier. But Keka does much more than hiring — payroll, attendance, and compliance — so many companies use Keka for HR operations and Pitch N Hire specifically for recruiting.
Do Keka and Pitch N Hire solve the same problem?
Not exactly. Keka is an HR and payroll suite with hiring included, aimed at running day-to-day HR for Indian SMBs. Pitch N Hire is a recruiting-first, AI-native platform focused on finding, interviewing, and evaluating candidates. They overlap on applicant tracking but diverge sharply beyond it, so the better choice depends on whether HR operations or hiring is your priority.
Can I use both Keka and Pitch N Hire together?
Yes, and many Indian teams do. Keka can run payroll, attendance, leave, and compliance while Pitch N Hire handles sourcing, AI video interviews, and candidate evaluation. New hires are then passed into the HR system for onboarding and payroll. This pairing is common when a company likes its HRMS but wants stronger, AI-driven recruiting.
How does pricing compare?
Keka uses a per-employee subscription that scales with headcount across its HR and payroll modules. Pitch N Hire prices recruiting on per-seat and per-job tiers and offers a free single-user plan, so you pay for hiring capacity rather than total employees. For a small team focused on recruiting, the free tier makes Pitch N Hire easy to start with.
Which is better for Indian companies?
Both are India-based, so both understand the local market. If your main need is running HR and payroll with compliance and adding light hiring, Keka is the natural pick. If your main need is recruiting well — with AI interviews and sourcing — Pitch N Hire is the specialist, and it serves global customers too. Some Indian companies run both for exactly those complementary reasons.
Try Pitch N Hire on your own roles before you decide
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