Comparison
Zeno vs Zoho Books
Zoho Books is a solid, well-established global product. Here's where Zeno is built differently for a Kenyan business running accounting, CRM, and payroll together.
| Zeno | Zoho Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time setup fee + one-time fee per module, then a flat monthly fee per staff seat in KES. | Tiered monthly subscription, roughly $20–$275/month depending on plan, billed in USD. |
| What you're buying | One product — Accounting, CRM, and Payroll together, pick the modules you need. | Separate products (Zoho Books, Zoho Payroll, Zoho CRM) that you connect yourself. |
| M-Pesa payments | STK push and bank statements matched to invoices and bills automatically. | M-Pesa payments need to be confirmed manually against each invoice. |
| Payroll | PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, and the Housing Levy calculated automatically in the same product you invoice from. | Payroll runs through a separate Zoho product. |
| Getting set up in Kenya | Sign up directly — no local partner required. | Kenya rollouts are commonly done through an authorized local Zoho partner. |
| Trial | 30 days, full access to every module. | 14-day trial, plus a free plan for very small businesses under a revenue threshold. |
Zoho Books details current as of publication, based on Zoho's own public pricing and Kenya-market documentation. Zoho Books has its own certified KRA eTIMS integration; Zeno's is on our roadmap and not live yet — if that specific integration is what you need today, Zoho Books already has it.