What HR software has to do for a shift workforce
Most HR software is designed around an office: one shift, a laptop per person, leave applied from a desk. A plant has none of that. HR there runs on the attendance record, so an HRMS for shift work has to get attendance right first and build everything else on top of it.
- One roster for permanent staff, contractors, floaters and daily wage workers
- Shifts that rotate and cross midnight, resolved to the right working day
- Attendance from biometric devices and face recognition, not self-reported
- Comp off, overtime and late marks driven by rules instead of a supervisor's memory
- Several plants or branches under one login, with unit-wise reporting
What is in Ankastra
| Area | What it covers | Available from |
|---|---|---|
| Core HR and Attendance | The daily register, cleaned up. Every punch, leave and shift in one place. | Basic |
| AI Face Recognition | Attendance nobody can fake, verified in under a second at the gate. | Basic |
| Workforce Management | The messy parts of running shift labour, handled by rules instead of memory. | Basic |
| Mobile and Field Force | For the part of your team that never walks past a biometric device. | Basic, more in higher plans |
| Smart Modules | The layer that turns attendance data into something a plant head actually uses. | Growth |
| Hardware Integration | Keep the devices already bolted to your wall. Change the software behind them. | Growth |
| Payroll and Compliance | Verified attendance in, statutory payroll out, same working day. | Pro |
| Support and Services | Someone who knows your configuration, not a queue position. | Basic, more in higher plans |
Every plan includes 50 employees. Above 50, Basic adds ₹30, Growth ₹49 and Pro ₹79 per employee per month. GST is extra.
What Ankastra does not do
HR software is easier to choose when the vendor is clear about its edges. Ankastra is built around attendance, workforce operations and payroll. It does not include:
- Recruitment or an applicant tracking system
- Performance appraisals, OKRs or 360 degree feedback
- A learning management system
If those are your main needs, an HR suite built for office teams will serve you better. You can also run a separate recruitment tool alongside Ankastra and connect them through the API, available from Growth.
Eight questions to ask any HR software vendor
These separate software built for shift work from software adapted to it. Ask every vendor on your shortlist, including us, and ask to see the answer on a screen rather than a slide.
- Which biometric devices does it read from, and how? Ask for the brand, the model, and whether punches are pushed in real time or pulled on a schedule.
- What happens to a night shift that ends after midnight? Ask to see one in the attendance report.
- Can contractors sit on the same roster as permanent staff? And can their attendance be reconciled against the contractor's invoice?
- Who changed this record, and why? Every edit to attendance should carry a user, a timestamp and a reason.
- What still works when the internet drops at the gate?
- Which statutory outputs come out of one payroll run? ECR, ESI, Professional Tax by state, TDS and Form 16 should not need separate tools.
- How is the Labour Codes transition being handled? The four Labour Codes came into force on 21 November 2025, and state rules are arriving on different dates.
- What is the full price, before and after GST? Ask for the per employee rate above the included headcount, the term discount, and any setup or implementation fee.
Ankastra's answers are on this site: attendance and devices, payroll and statutory outputs, and pricing. There is no implementation charge and no per module fee.
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly billing | Billed annually (per month) | Each employee above 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹2,999 | ₹2,549 | ₹30 |
| Growth | ₹5,999 | ₹5,099 | ₹49 |
| Pro | ₹9,999 | ₹8,499 | ₹79 |
Prices are per month for 50 employees and exclude GST, which is charged at 18% on top. A 3-year term takes 20% off and locks the rate for 36 months. Enterprise pricing applies from 1,000 employees.
Questions people ask
Is HR software the same as an HRMS?
In practice, yes. HRMS (human resource management system) is the older term. Both describe software that holds the employee record and runs attendance, leave and usually payroll. What matters more is whether it fits how your people actually work.
Can we start with attendance and add payroll later?
Yes. Basic and Growth cover attendance, leave, shifts and workforce management. Moving to Pro adds statutory payroll on the same attendance data.
Does Ankastra work across several plants or branches?
Yes. Units and branches sit under one login with unit-wise reporting in every plan, and multi-location roll-ups are included from Growth.
Is there a mobile app for employees?
Yes. Employees use it for face attendance, work from home check-ins with geo-fence and selfie, field visit check-ins and, from Growth, expense claims.
How much does Ankastra cost?
₹2,999, ₹5,999 or ₹9,999 a month for the first 50 employees, depending on plan, then ₹30, ₹49 or ₹79 per employee per month, plus GST. Annual billing takes 15% off. When comparing vendors, compare the price at your actual headcount and term, including GST and any setup fee.