Zoho alternative, Kenya
Looking for a Zoho alternative in Kenya?
Zoho sells apps such as Zoho CRM, Desk, People and Books on their own, or together as Zoho One. If your business uses them and you want to see what else is out there, this page is a plain starting point.
It sets out the reasons people look, based on Zoho’s published plans, what Kazee covers today, what it does not cover yet, and how to move the parts that can move. For a full side-by-side table, see Kazee vs Zoho.
Why businesses look beyond Zoho
These reasons come from how Zoho publishes its own plans, not from complaints. Whether they matter depends on your business.
- Paying for every employee. Zoho One’s All Employee pricing means you license every employee. If most of your staff only need chat and HR self-service, a price that depends on what each person uses may fit better.[1]
- More apps than you need. Zoho One Standard has 50+ apps. Some teams use a handful and want a smaller set that is easier to roll out and look after.[2]
- Separate plans per app. Outside Zoho One, each app has its own plans, prices and free tier. A business using CRM, Desk and People has three sets of plans to compare and manage.[3][5][6]
- Wanting one bill for the whole team. On Kazee every person in the company is on one of two seats, $20 or $5, on one plan.
What Kazee covers today
Kazee Spaces, Chat, CRM, Desk and People are Live, and every new organisation gets them, with Books as a Preview.
- Sales. Kazee CRM for leads, deals, customers, subscriptions and renewals, with an import from Zoho CRM.
- Support. Kazee Desk for email, SMS and live-chat tickets in one queue, with SLAs, macros, a knowledge base and CSAT.
- People. Kazee People for attendance, shifts, leave, payroll and payslips, with PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and Housing Levy rates.
- Team chat and projects. Kazee Chat for messages and calls on web, mobile and desktop, and Kazee Spaces for projects, documents and files.
- Finance, in Preview. Kazee Books for invoices, bills, payments including M-Pesa, inventory and bank reconciliation on a double-entry ledger.
What Kazee does not do yet
It is better to know this before you move than after.
- No eTIMS. Kazee Books does not send invoices to eTIMS today. The Kenya edition of Zoho Books lists eTIMS compliant invoicing.[7]
- No marketing app. Kazee has no email campaign or marketing automation app.
- No marketplace. Kazee connects to a few tools, such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Books and your mailbox. Zoho lists 2900+ extensions.[9]
- Some apps are still early. Books is in Preview; Tickets, Recruit, Performance and Budgets are in early access; Agent Space is a private beta.
- Prices in US dollars. Kazee is priced in US dollars before VAT. Zoho shows Kenyan visitors prices in shillings.[3]
Where Zoho is stronger
If these matter most to you, staying on Zoho may be the right call.
How to move from Zoho
You do not have to move everything at once. Start with the app that solves the problem in front of you.
- 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
Is Kazee a full replacement for Zoho One?
No. Zoho One has 50+ apps; Kazee has five Live apps plus Books in Preview. Kazee can take over projects, chat, sales, support and HR, but not the whole Zoho One catalogue.[2]
Can I keep some Zoho apps and use Kazee for the rest?
Yes. Kazee CRM can keep refreshing records from Zoho CRM, and Kazee Budgets reads balances from Zoho Books, so the two can run side by side.
How long does it take to start?
You register your organisation, Kazee reviews the registration and emails your admin sign-in details, and you can start on the free plan with up to 3 people.
Is Kazee priced in shillings?
No. Kazee prices are in US dollars, per person per month, before VAT and local taxes.
Does Kazee handle Kenyan payroll?
Kazee People runs payroll with PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and Housing Levy rates that HR can update when the rules change.
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 apps: 50+ apps on Zoho One Standard; 15+ on Essentials. https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing/ (read 1 November 2026)
- [3] 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)
- [4] Zoho CRM free plan: Free forever for 3 users. https://www.zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [5] 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)
- [6] 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)
- [7] 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)
- [8] 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)
- [9] Marketplace: 2900+ ready-to-use extensions across 40+ categories. https://www.zoho.com/all-products.html (read 1 November 2026)
- [10] 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.