Honest comparison

Sparko vs Keka

Keka is a mature, multi-suite HR platform with deep statutory payroll in India and the US. Sparko People is an AI-powered HRIS with published pricing per active employee. AI is available across Sparko. Your plan determines features and usage. The question is how much statutory payroll depth you need.

Competitor details from public sources, accessed 25 October 2026.

Which is right for you?

Choose Sparko if…

You want to know the price before you talk to anyone. Sparko publishes $5/$10/$16 per active employee per month, with minimums of $25/$100/$160 a month billed annually. Keka lists plan tiers, each with a free trial, but shows no prices.
You want the core of your HRIS on your first plan. Sparko Core includes records, recruiting, onboarding, leave, performance, Learning and payroll. AI is available across Sparko. Your plan determines features and usage. On Keka, performance sits on the third HRMS tier and the ATS is a separately tiered product.
You want to be up and running the same day. Import your team from a spreadsheet, BambooHR, SAP SuccessFactors or Workday, and guided setup proposes leave policies, holidays and the work week for you to approve.
You want payroll runs that calculate statutory contributions and tax for supported countries and prepare filing data as CSV for you to submit. Business adds multi-entity, multi-currency runs and GIRO, ACH, SEPA and UAE WPS bank files.

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Choose Keka if…

You run payroll in India and want a mature statutory engine with PF ECR reports, ESI, state-wise Professional Tax, TDS, LWF and Form 130 (formerly Form 16). Sparko calculates contributions and tax from India payroll rules and prepares the filing data for you to submit; Keka goes deeper on statutory coverage.
You want US payroll tax filed for you: federal, state and local withholding, multi-state SUI, Forms 941/940/W-2/W-3 and state registrations, plus benefits administration (medical, dental, vision, 401(k)).
You need professional services automation with project billing and resource planning in the same platform. Sparko covers Learning, timesheets and client projects with a billable-hours export, and leaves client invoicing to other tools.
You want a vendor that displays SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR badges today; Keka hosts on cloud providers with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. Sparko runs SOC 2-aligned controls and holds no certification yet.

Side by side

Where Keka is stronger

No spin: if these matter most to you, Keka is the better choice, and we'll say so.

Deeper statutory payroll: India (PF, ESI, state PT, TDS, LWF, Form 130, formerly Form 16) and US tax filing with benefits administration, beyond Sparko's current coverage.
A full professional-services suite with project billing and resource planning, alongside Keka Learn and expenses.
SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR badges, hosting on certified cloud providers, published security practices, availability above 99.9% and third-party penetration testing several times a year.
Established scale: founded 2016, a $57M Series A led by WestBridge Capital, and more than 10,000 customers by its own figures across India, the US and the Middle East.

Where Sparko fits

Keka has earned its position: a decade of product, real statutory payroll in two hard markets, and a serious AI effort of its own, including an MCP server and a stated no-silent-writes rule that mirrors the approval model Sparko believes in. If your buying reason is broad Indian or US statutory payroll, benefits administration or project billing, Keka covers more of that ground, and you should look there first.

Sparko is built for companies of 5 to 1,000+ that want people operations in one system. Every price is published here, from $5 per active employee per month, billed annually (minimum $25 a month). AI is available across Sparko. Your plan determines features and usage. You can sign up and start the same day. Try the Business feature set free for 14 days. No credit card required.

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Frequently asked

How does Sparko compare with Keka for Indian payroll?

It depends on how much statutory depth you need. Keka computes and reports PF, ESI, state Professional Tax, TDS, Labour Welfare Fund and Form 130 (formerly Form 16) as part of its India payroll product. Sparko calculates statutory contributions and tax from India payroll rules and prepares EPF ECR, ESI and Form 16 data as CSV for you or your accountant to submit. If broad Indian statutory coverage is the reason you are buying, Keka is the stronger fit.

What does Keka cost?

Keka does not publish prices. As of October 2026, both its India and US pricing pages list plan tiers (Foundation, Strength, Growth) and their features, each with a free trial, but show no price and invite you to call. Third-party listings carry older figures we would not rely on. Sparko publishes $5/$10/$16 per active employee per month plus Custom, with minimums of $25/$100/$160 a month billed annually ($30/$120/$190 billed monthly).

Does Keka have AI, and how does it compare?

Yes, and it is a serious effort: embedded AI in workflows, a conversational Copilot, and a Keka MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants, with role-based access, audit logs, source citations and a stated "no silent writes" rule. Sparko's approval model is the same in spirit. The practical difference is packaging: Sparko publishes which AI features each plan includes and how much usage comes with it, while Keka does not publish per-plan AI availability and lists Payroll, Performance and Engagement AI as coming soon.

Which is better for a 40-person company?

It depends on where your complexity sits. If it is statutory payroll depth, benefits or client billing, Keka covers more: US tax filing, broader India statutory coverage, benefits administration and a full PSA suite. If your focus is people operations and you want published pricing, a plan that fits your stage and a self-serve start, Sparko is designed for that buyer.

Is Keka certified for security, and is Sparko?

Keka displays SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR badges. Its security page says its products are hosted with cloud providers that hold SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications, and describes TLS in transit, WAF and DDoS defences, third-party penetration testing several times a year, and availability above 99.9%. Sparko uses AES-256 encryption with SSO, MFA and RBAC on every plan and runs SOC 2-aligned controls, but holds no SOC 2 or ISO certification yet. If a vendor certificate is a procurement requirement, ask Keka for its current reports.

Sources

Sparko details reflect the current product. Keka details are drawn from the public pages below, accessed 25 October 2026; pricing and features may have changed since.

Keka and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. This comparison is provided for informational purposes and implies no affiliation or endorsement.