Every rupee you pay out comes from one attendance number.
Stop writing it by hand.
An AI face-recognition workforce engine built for how a plant actually runs: rotating shifts, contract labour from several vendors at once, and Wi-Fi that drops. Track 50 or 5,000 workers and run statutory payroll with PF, ESI, PT and TDS in one pass, on the biometric devices already on your wall. Attendance from ₹2,999 a month; payroll in Pro.
Bring Your Own Biometric Device. Or Let Us Ship One.
Ankastra works out of the box with the biometric brands actually installed across India: ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC, Hikvision and Suprema. Already own devices? Plug them in. Starting fresh? We ship devices with your onboarding kit.
ESSL Biometric Devices
India's most common factory attendance terminal. Full ADMS push protocol with real-time punch delivery.
X990 · X628 · iFace302 · U-Face 602 · MB20 · G3 PlusMatrix COSEC ARGO FACE
Premium Indian brand with deep learning face recognition (1:200,000 match), fake face detection, IP65 rating.
COSEC ARGO FACE · COSEC DOOR FA · COSEC DOOR FPFZKTeco Face Terminals
Wide model range. Modern firmware uses ADMS push protocol. Older models supported via ZKLib TCP pull.
SpeedFace V5L · iClock990 · ProFace X · ZK8500RHikvision Face Terminals
MinMoe face access terminals integrate via ISAPI push protocol. Common in corporate offices.
DS-K1T341 · DS-K1T671 · DS-K1T343Suprema BioStar Series
Premium South Korean brand for high-security environments. Integrates via BioStar2 REST API.
BioStation 2 · BioEntry W2 · BioLite N2CSV Manual Import
Any device can be handled via CSV export/import. Duplicate detection handles re-uploads safely.
BioMax · Identix · Realand · AnvizEvery hardware punch carries full workforce context
Unit · Department · Location · Category · Verify Mode. All stamped on the attendance record at the moment of punch.
Built for contractor chaos
Permanent staff and contract labour sit on one roster, with separate policies, shift rules and gate passes per vendor. Monthly billing reconciles against attendance that actually happened, not against a claim somebody submitted.
See the multi-site scenarioThe Wi-Fi drops. The punch does not.
The kiosk app captures punches with no connection and syncs when the line comes back. Your ESSL and ZKTeco units buffer internally as well, so a network outage costs you logs from neither side. Kiosk mode locks the tablet to the app, Samsung Knox ready.
Read the offline answerHow many hours a month does your attendance actually cost you?
Move the slider to your headcount. Nothing is gated and nothing is emailed unless you ask for it.
Estimated from the one scenario we publish with its full working: 220 on roll, 104 hours a month before, 16 after. See every line of that arithmetic. Your own number depends on how many devices, shifts and contractors you reconcile, which is what a demo measures.
BUILT FOR THESE INDUSTRIES
Why Ankastra
Three problems every shift-based business has, and what Ankastra does about each one.
Attendance you can trust
Proxy punching, buddy punching and end-of-day disputes stop. Biometric face recognition plus geofence capture works with the ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC and Hikvision devices you already own, and the verified data flows straight into payroll.
Attendance software in detailPayroll that closes itself
One-click payroll from verified attendance, with PF, ESI, Professional Tax, TDS, Gratuity and Bonus calculated automatically and payslips generated in the same run. Payroll closes in hours, not days, and nobody retypes a number.
Payroll software in detailBuilt for India, priced for SMEs
Global HRMS tools do not fit Indian labour law or shift-based workplaces. Ankastra is built around an Indian statutory engine, INR pricing, WhatsApp notifications and multi-location shift management, starting at ₹2,999 a month.
HR software in detail40 things your HR team stops doing by hand. Keep going.
Not a feature list written to look long. Every item below is a job somebody on your floor is doing manually this month, and the plan it comes with is marked on the card.
Dashboard and employee management
One roster for permanent staff, contractors, floaters and daily wage workers.
Face enrollment and verification
Enroll from a phone or a kiosk. Verification runs on the device, not in a queue.
Contractor management
Contractor-wise headcount, gate passes and billing reconciliation against actual attendance.
Work From Home mode
Geo-fence, selfie and IP check together, configurable per employee or per department.
Advanced analytics dashboard
Absenteeism trends, overtime cost and shift-wise productivity in one view.
ESSL biometric device integration
Full ADMS push protocol with real-time punch delivery from X990, iFace and MB series.
Smart payroll engine
Salary structures, arrears and mid-month joiners calculated from attendance already signed off.
Email support
Every plan, every customer, no per-ticket charge.
Department and shift management
Day, night, rotating and split shifts, including punches that cross midnight.
Face recognition dashboard
See match confidence, failed attempts and retries per gate, per shift.
Ticket system
Employee queries on attendance, leave and salary become tracked tickets instead of WhatsApp threads.
Field sales on-site log capture
GPS geo-stamped check-in at the customer location, not from the parking lot.
TV dashboard for the floor
Present, absent, late and overtime by department on a screen the whole shift can see.
ZKTeco device integration
SpeedFace, iClock and ProFace terminals over ADMS push, older models over TCP pull.
Full statutory payroll (EPF, ESI, PT, TDS)
ECR files, ESI returns, state-wise Professional Tax challans and Form 16 generated from one run.
Priority support
Faster response windows for anything touching a live payroll cycle.
Attendance and leave tracking
Live attendance status with leave balances that update the moment a request is approved.
Kiosk mode (Samsung Knox ready)
Lock a tablet to the attendance app so the floor cannot browse, install or exit.
Discipline and overtime alerts
Late marks, absenteeism patterns and overtime breaches flagged before they reach payroll.
Route history and visit timeline
A day-by-day map of where field staff went and how long each visit lasted.
Visitor management system
Pre-registration, photo capture, host notification and badge printing at the gate.
Matrix COSEC ARGO FACE integration
Deep-learning face match with fake-face detection on an IP65 rated terminal.
Gratuity and bonus calculation
Bonus under the Code on Wages, 2019 and gratuity under the Code on Social Security, 2020, computed on eligible service, not on a side spreadsheet.
Dedicated account manager
One named person who knows your shift rules and your compliance calendar.
Holiday and muster log
Statutory muster roll and holiday register maintained automatically as attendance is recorded.
Selfie audit trail
Every punch stores the captured frame, so a disputed entry is settled by looking at it.
Backdated leave approval with audit trail
Regularise a missed sick leave with a mandatory reason, and let the system recalculate the rest.
Mobile expense management
Claims raised from the phone, approved on policy, paid through payroll.
Canteen and amenities reporting
Meal counts tied to actual attendance, so canteen billing stops being an estimate.
Hikvision and Suprema integration
MinMoe terminals over ISAPI, BioStation over the BioStar2 REST API.
Loan and advance management
Advances tracked, instalments recovered on schedule and reflected on the payslip.
Custom integrations (Tally, SAP)
Our team builds and maintains the connector into your existing finance stack.
Units and branch management
Separate units, plants and branches under one login, with unit-wise reporting.
Comp off management
Auto-credit for work on weekly offs and holidays, with expiry windows and redemption reports.
Receipt OCR and policy approval workflow
Amounts read off the photographed bill, then routed through your approval chain.
Multi-location support
Roll up nine plants into one number, or drill into one line on one shift.
CSV manual import for any brand
Any device that can export a log can feed Ankastra, with duplicate detection on re-upload.
Full and final settlement
Exit settlement with notice recovery, leave encashment and pending claims in one statement.
Reports and audit log
Every edit carries a user, a timestamp and a reason, so audits stop becoming investigations.
API access
Push verified attendance into SAP, Tally or your own MES without a manual export.
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Basic Growth ProFaded letters mean the capability is not in that plan.
What a plant needs, and the plan that has it
What Ankastra does for each of these, and which plans include it. If you are comparing vendors, ask each one to show the same rows on your own shift pattern.
| What a plant needs | What Ankastra does | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose-built for Manufacturing, Service Industry, Trading, SME, MSME, Large Enterprises | Yes: units, shifts, floaters | All plans |
| AI Face Recognition (on-device) | ArcFace, Samsung Knox kiosk | All plans |
| ESSL / ZKTeco / Matrix integration | Native: push + pull + CSV | Growth and Pro |
| TV Dashboard (live plant view) | Live, auto-refresh | Growth and Pro |
| Visitor Management System | Included: pre-reg, photo, WhatsApp | Growth and Pro |
| Indian Payroll (PF/ESI/PT/TDS) | Full: all states | Pro |
| Offline attendance capture | Knox kiosk; device buffers from Growth | All plans |
| Canteen module | Included | Growth and Pro |
| Contractor & floater management | Native support | All plans |
| Work From Home mode | Geo + selfie + IP check | All plans |
| Field Sales on-site log capture | GPS geo-stamp; route history from Growth | All plans |
| Expense management for staff | Claims and approval; receipt OCR in Pro | Growth and Pro |
| Backdated leave approval | With audit trail & reason | All plans |
| Comp off management | Auto-credit, expiry, reports | All plans |
“All plans” means Basic, Growth and Pro. See what each plan costs for your headcount.
Not sure Ankastra will work for you? Here's why it will.
"Our current biometric devices work fine."
Then keep them. Ankastra plugs into ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC, Hikvision and Suprema devices out of the box. Change the software behind the wall, not the hardware on it. No middleware, no replacement cost.
"We tried an HRMS before and no one used it."
Ankastra is designed for factory floors and shop counters, not just HR managers. Employees mark attendance in one tap. Managers approve leaves on WhatsApp. Payroll runs itself from verified attendance data.
"We're too small / too big for this."
Basic is built for 10-person teams. Pro is built for 500-employee factories across several cities. Same product, right-sized pricing, starting at ₹2,999 a month with 50 employees included.
Where the hours go, and what it takes to get them back.
Three scenarios with the arithmetic printed on the page. Workload, scaling across sites, and surviving a labour inspection. Every input is printed, so you can redo the sums with your own numbers.
Start with a 14-day free trial
Annual billing saves 15%. A 3-year term saves 20% and locks your rate for 36 months. Book a demo to see how Ankastra fits your team.
Book a DemoSee how many hours Ankastra could save you.
Enter your headcount and see how many HR admin hours a month attendance and payroll take today, and how many come back.
Simple, transparent pricing. Only pay for active employees.
No per-module fees. No implementation charges. No hidden add-ons. Every plan includes attendance, leave, shifts and face recognition. Device integration starts in Growth; statutory payroll (PF, ESI, PT, TDS) is in Pro.
See live pricing for your team in 10 seconds
Share your business email and phone number so our solutions team can follow up with a tailored quote and a 14-day free-trial invite.
- Per-employee monthly price across Basic, Growth, Pro
- Annual (15%) and 3-year (20%) savings shown automatically
- Pro roadmap modules are included for your term
If your workforce works with their hands, Ankastra is for you.
Manufacturing Plants
Shift workers, production lines, gate attendance via ESSL or Matrix COSEC, unit-wise payroll.
Auto & Metal Foundries
Multi-shift operations, daily wage workers, OT tracking, canteen deductions.
Construction & Infrastructure
Site-wise attendance, contractor tracking, GPS geo-fenced mobile punches.
Hospitals & Healthcare
24x7 shift scheduling, department-wise attendance, visitor management.
Questions buyers ask before choosing
Ankastra is an AI-powered Attendance and Workforce Management System built for Indian manufacturing by Ajinkya Technologies. It combines face recognition attendance, biometric hardware integration (ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC), Indian payroll with PF, ESI, PT and TDS, work-from-home mode, field-sales GPS check-in, expense management, backdated leave approval, comp-off management, visitor management, and a live TV dashboard in one platform.
Yes. Ankastra integrates natively with ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC, Hikvision and Suprema, with no middleware in between. Supported models include ESSL X990 and iFace series, ZKTeco SpeedFace V5L and iClock series, Matrix COSEC ARGO FACE, Hikvision MinMoe, Suprema BioStation, and any brand via CSV import. Device integration is included from the Growth plan (₹5,999 a month plus 18% GST); Basic uses face recognition on a phone or tablet.
Ankastra offers three plans starting at ₹2,999/month: Basic at ₹2,999/month, Growth at ₹5,999/month, and Pro at ₹9,999/month, plus 18% GST. All plans include 50 employees; each employee above that adds ₹30, ₹49 or ₹79 a month on Basic, Growth and Pro. Annual billing saves 15% and a 3-year term saves 20%. Face recognition attendance, leave and shifts are in every plan, device integration starts in Growth, and statutory payroll is in Pro.
Ankastra is built for plants and shift-based teams: face recognition on a phone or a kiosk tablet in every plan, native ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC, Hikvision and Suprema device integration from the Growth plan, and statutory payroll with PF, ESI, PT and TDS in Pro. If you are comparing vendors, ask each one to show device integration and payroll running on your own shift pattern.
Ankastra is built around the plant floor: attendance from the ESSL, ZKTeco, Matrix COSEC, Hikvision and Suprema devices you already own (Growth and Pro), contract labour on the same roster as permanent staff, and statutory payroll with PF, ESI, PT and TDS in Pro. Plans start at ₹2,999 a month plus 18% GST, with 50 employees included. If you are comparing vendors, ask each one for a demo on your own shift pattern, devices and payroll rules.
Yes, Ankastra WFH mode lets remote employees punch in via mobile with geo-location, selfie, and IP-fence verification. Admins can set per-employee or per-department WFH policies, fixed/flexible hours, and break tracking.
Can field sales and on-site staff log attendance and visits?
Yes, the Field Force module captures GPS geo-stamped check-ins, route history, and customer-visit timelines for on-site staff. Managers see live maps and visit reports for sales reps, service engineers, and on-site contractors.
Does Ankastra include Expense Management?
Yes. Expense claims and approvals are in the Growth and Pro plans; receipt OCR is in Pro. Staff submit claims from the mobile app with a photo of the receipt, and each claim routes through a configurable approval workflow. On Pro, OCR reads the amount off the photographed bill.
Can managers approve backdated leave applications?
Yes, authorised approvers can approve leave for past dates with a mandatory reason and full audit trail. Attendance, payroll and leave balances are recalculated automatically, which is what makes missed sick leave, emergencies and post-facto regularisation workable.
How does Comp Off management work in Ankastra?
Comp-off credits are automatically generated when employees work on weekly offs, holidays, or beyond a configurable OT threshold. Each credit carries an expiry window (e.g. 60 days), and employees redeem from the same leave portal. Managers and HR get full reports on accrual, redemption, and expiry.
Does Ankastra work offline?
Yes, the Flutter kiosk app captures punches offline and syncs automatically when connectivity resumes. Physical ESSL and ZKTeco devices also buffer logs internally, so no punch is lost during network outages.
Can Ankastra handle contractors and daily wage workers?
Yes, Ankastra natively supports permanent employees, contractors, floaters and daily wage workers with separate policies for each. Each worker type can have different shift rules, payroll configurations and attendance policies.
How much HR workload does an attendance and payroll system remove?
In our modelled 220-employee scenario, HR admin drops from 104 hours a month to 16, a saving of 88 hours or roughly 42 percent of one full-time role. The saving comes from five activities: log reconciliation, approval chasing, payroll input preparation, post-payday dispute handling and statutory register preparation. The full arithmetic is published at ankastra.in/case-studies.
Can one HR team handle payroll across plants in several states?
Yes, provided group rules and state rules stay separate. Professional Tax, minimum wages and holiday lists are configured per state registration, while shift structures, approval chains and the payroll freeze date are set once at group level. In our modelled scenario nine sites across four states run on a single payroll calendar.
How does Ankastra help with Factories Act and CLRA compliance, now under the OSH Code?
The Factories Act, 1948 and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 are now consolidated into the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, which came into force with the other Labour Codes on 21 November 2025, and states are notifying their own rules on different dates. The statutory registers, muster roll, wage register, overtime register and leave register among them, are generated from the same verified attendance that payroll used, so they cannot disagree with each other. Any past month reproduces from a date range. Contract workers punch against a contractor and a gate pass, so principal employer status is visible daily rather than reconstructed during an inspection.
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Getting Started
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Dedicated support for Growth+.Get a personalised demo + ROI report in 24 hours.
Three fields. We come back within one business day with a walkthrough on your own shift pattern and headcount, not an average. Bring last month's attendance sheet and the salary sheet it produced and we will reconcile them live on the call.