Kazee vs Zoho
Kazee vs Zoho: an honest comparison for Kenyan teams
Zoho sells business software as single apps such as Zoho CRM, Desk, People and Books, or as Zoho One with more than 50 apps. Kazee is a smaller suite for businesses in Kenya and East Africa, covering projects, team chat, sales, support and HR, with accounting in Preview.
This page compares the two using each company’s own published information. Zoho shows prices in Kenyan shillings to visitors in Kenya, and those are the prices we quote. Where Zoho does more, we say so.
Kazee and Zoho side by side
| What we compared | Kazee | Zoho |
|---|---|---|
| Apps included | Spaces, Chat, CRM, Desk and People are Live; Books is a Preview; Tickets, Recruit, Performance and Budgets are in early access. | 50+ apps on Zoho One Standard; 15+ on Essentials.[3] |
| Starting price per person, as published | Free for up to 3 people. Paid plan: $20 a person a month for CRM, Desk and Books, or $5 for people who only need Chat, Spaces and People. US dollars, before VAT. | KES 3,330 an employee a month, billed annually; you must license all employees.[1] KES 8,100 a user a month, billed annually, for any number of users.[2] From KES 1,260 a user a month (Standard), billed annually.[5] |
| Free tier | Free for up to 3 people. | Free forever for 3 users.[6] From KES 630 a user a month (Express), billed annually; a free plan with three user licences.[7] From KES 112.50 a user a month (Essential HR), billed annually; free for up to 5 users.[8] |
| One sign-in across apps | The core apps share Kazee sign-in and organisation access through Kazee Central. | Zoho One comes with single sign-on and a central admin panel for provisioning users.[4] |
| AI agents | Agent Space, an isolated AI agent workspace, in invite-only private beta. | Build agents in Agents Studio, with 100+ pre-built agents in the Agent Store.[11] |
| Local fit for Kenya | People payroll uses the statutory rates for PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing Levy, which HR can update when rules change. Books (Preview) records payments by M-Pesa, PayBill, bank transfer, cash, cheque or card. Books (Preview) asks for your KRA PIN during set-up so it appears on invoices. | Priced per organisation, from KSh 849 a month billed annually for 3 users (Standard); a free plan while yearly revenue stays under KSh 5 million.[9] eTIMS compliant invoicing (Standard and up), VAT tracking and a VAT3 returns report.[10] |
Zoho prices as published on 1 November 2026, check their site for today's prices. Numbers in brackets link to the sources.
Who each one suits
Both products put many business apps under one sign-in. The differences are in how many apps you need, how you pay for them and how far each one goes.
- Zoho suits businesses that want a very wide range of apps from one supplier, from CRM and helpdesk to accounting and HR, and want to add more over time.[3][12]
- Zoho also suits finance teams that need eTIMS invoicing and VAT returns from their accounting system today.[10]
- Kazee suits growing teams that mainly need projects, chat, sales, support and HR, and would rather start with a handful of apps than a large catalogue.
- Kazee also suits companies where many people only need chat, projects and HR self-service. On Kazee they pay $5 a month while full seats are $20, instead of licensing every employee at one price.[1]
Where Zoho is stronger
Zoho has a long track record and a very broad catalogue. If these points matter most to you, Zoho may suit you better today.
- Breadth. Zoho One Standard includes 50+ apps, and Zoho lists 2900+ extensions in its marketplace. Kazee has five Live apps, with Books in Preview and four more in early access.[3][12]
- Maturity. Zoho has been in business for more than 30 years and reports 150 million users. Kazee is far newer and smaller.[13]
- Kenyan tax in accounting. The Kenya edition of Zoho Books lists eTIMS compliant invoicing and a VAT3 returns report. Kazee Books is in Preview and does not send invoices to eTIMS today.[10]
- Prices in shillings. Zoho shows Kenyan visitors prices in Kenyan shillings. Kazee prices are in US dollars, before VAT.[5]
- AI agents. Zoho lists 100+ pre-built agents in its Agent Store. Kazee’s Agent Space is an invite-only private beta.[11]
- Generous free plans per app. Zoho CRM is free for 3 users and Zoho People for up to 5. Kazee’s free plan covers up to 3 people across the apps.[6][8]
Where Kazee is different
Kazee is a smaller suite on purpose: fewer apps, two seat prices and the parts of the job Kenyan teams deal with every day.
- Pay by role, not by headcount. Kazee is free for up to 3 people. On the paid plan, people who work in CRM, Desk and Books are $20 a month each, and people who only need Chat, Spaces and People are $5. Prices are in US dollars, before VAT. A company with 10 people in sales and finance and 40 in the field pays $400 a month.
- Kenyan payroll basics in People. Kazee People runs payroll with the statutory rates for PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing Levy, and HR can update the rates when the rules change.
- Subscriptions in CRM. Kazee CRM tracks subscriptions and renewals next to leads and deals, so recurring customers do not live in a separate spreadsheet.
- Support channels in one queue. Kazee Desk brings email, SMS and live chat into one queue, with SLAs, macros, a knowledge base and CSAT.
- M-Pesa in the books. Kazee Books, in Preview, records payments by M-Pesa and PayBill as well as bank, cash, cheque and card, and puts your KRA PIN on invoices.
How to move from Zoho to Kazee
Kazee has real import paths for Zoho CRM and Zoho Books. For the other Zoho apps, plan a fresh start.
- CRM first. Kazee CRM imports your existing Zoho CRM records and can refresh them on a schedule, so both can run side by side while your sales team switches over.
- Books when you are ready. Kazee Books, in Preview, connects to your Zoho Books account, shows what will come across and tracks the import with error logs and checks.
- Or keep Zoho Books. Kazee Budgets, in early access, takes its actuals from your Zoho Books account balances, so finance can stay on Zoho Books and still plan in Kazee.
- Support email. Kazee Desk connects to your existing support mailbox, including Zoho Mail, and a Zoho Desk channel brings new Zoho Desk conversations in as Kazee Desk tickets. Past Zoho Desk tickets are not imported.
- HR and chat. There is no import from Zoho People or Zoho Cliq. People records and leave balances are set up fresh in Kazee People; talk to us about the size of that job first.
Common questions
How do Kazee and Zoho One prices compare?
Read from Kenya, Zoho One costs KES 3,330 an employee a month billed annually when you license all employees, or KES 8,100 a user a month on flexible pricing. Kazee is free for up to 3 people. On the paid plan, people who work in CRM, Desk and Books are $20 a month each, and people who only need Chat, Spaces and People are $5. Prices are in US dollars, before VAT.[1][2]
Can I import my Zoho CRM data into Kazee?
Yes. Kazee CRM imports existing Zoho CRM records and can refresh them on a schedule, so you can run both while you switch.
Can I move from Zoho Books?
Kazee Books is in Preview. It can connect to your Zoho Books account and import your records. If you want to keep Zoho Books, Kazee Budgets can read your Zoho Books balances instead.
Does Kazee support eTIMS like Zoho Books?
Not today. The Kenya edition of Zoho Books lists eTIMS compliant invoicing. Kazee Books puts your KRA PIN on invoices but does not send them to eTIMS.[10]
Does Kazee have one sign-in like Zoho One?
Yes. Kazee’s core apps share one sign-in and organisation access through Kazee Central. Zoho One also comes with single sign-on across its apps.[4]
Sources
Prices as published on 1 November 2026, check their site. Every Zoho fact on this page comes from Zoho's own website. Prices change and can differ by country, so please confirm them on Zoho's site before you decide.
- [1] Zoho One, All Employee pricing: KES 3,330 an employee a month, billed annually; you must license all employees. Zoho sets the currency from where you are. Read from Kenya, the page showed Kenyan shillings; local taxes such as VAT are added. Other countries see other prices. https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [2] Zoho One, Flexible user pricing: KES 8,100 a user a month, billed annually, for any number of users. Zoho sets the currency from where you are. Read from Kenya, the page showed Kenyan shillings; local taxes such as VAT are added. Other countries see other prices. https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [3] Zoho One apps: 50+ apps on Zoho One Standard; 15+ on Essentials. https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [4] Single sign-on: Zoho One comes with single sign-on and a central admin panel for provisioning users. https://www.zoho.com/one/whats-new.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [5] Zoho CRM on its own: From KES 1,260 a user a month (Standard), billed annually. Zoho sets the currency from where you are. Read from Kenya, the page showed Kenyan shillings; local taxes such as VAT are added. Other countries see other prices. https://www.zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [6] Zoho CRM free plan: Free forever for 3 users. https://www.zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [7] Zoho Desk on its own: From KES 630 a user a month (Express), billed annually; a free plan with three user licences. Zoho sets the currency from where you are. Read from Kenya, the page showed Kenyan shillings; local taxes such as VAT are added. Other countries see other prices. https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [8] Zoho People on its own: From KES 112.50 a user a month (Essential HR), billed annually; free for up to 5 users. Zoho sets the currency from where you are. Read from Kenya, the page showed Kenyan shillings; local taxes such as VAT are added. Other countries see other prices. https://www.zoho.com/people/zohopeople-pricing.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [9] Zoho Books, Kenya edition: Priced per organisation, from KSh 849 a month billed annually for 3 users (Standard); a free plan while yearly revenue stays under KSh 5 million. https://www.zoho.com/ke/books/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [10] Zoho Books Kenya tax features: eTIMS compliant invoicing (Standard and up), VAT tracking and a VAT3 returns report. https://www.zoho.com/ke/books/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [11] AI agents (Zia Agents): Build agents in Agents Studio, with 100+ pre-built agents in the Agent Store. https://www.zoho.com/zia/agents/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [12] Marketplace: 2900+ ready-to-use extensions across 40+ categories. https://www.zoho.com/all-products.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [13] Track record: More than 30 years in business, more than 19,000 employees and 150 million users. https://www.zoho.com/aboutus.html (read 1 November 2026)
Kazee facts come from this website (see pricing and the app pages) and from the Kazee apps themselves. Live, Preview and early access labels are as shown on each app page.