PayrollPanda vs Kakitangan: Which is Best for Your Business in Malaysia?
So you’re looking for the best HR + payroll software for your business in Malaysia, and you’ve narrowed your list to PayrollPanda and Kakitangan.
Let’s help you decide between the two, and explore how ByteHR, the best alternative for PayrollPanda and Kakitangan in Malaysia, can deliver even better results.
Let’s go!
Choose simplicity over complexity The best HR software in Malaysia isn’t the one with the most features; it’s the one that makes your life easier. ByteHR helps you manage employees, automates payroll, tracks attendance, manages leave, and keeps you compliant with Malaysian laws. One tool, zero stress. |
What do you look for when choosing HR and payroll software in Malaysia?
We published two guides on the best HR software and the best payroll software in Malaysia. From the two guides, here are the factors and features to consider or things to look for when choosing HR and payroll software in Malaysia:
User-friendly interfaces
Employee records
Leave tracking
Employee self-service portal/app
PDPA-compliant data management
Compliance with local labour laws and requirements
Ease of integration
Scalability
Automated payroll
Automated shifts and overtime management
Reporting and analytics
Local customer support
Now, let’s move on to discussing each HR and payroll software. Starting from PayrollPanda.
What is PayrollPanda?
PayrollPanda is a cloud-based payroll software that enables SMEs to automate pay runs in compliance with statutory requirements in Malaysia.
You can use PayrollPanda to do the following:
Automate salary, claims, and statutory deduction calculations
Generate forms like EA and CP39.
Automate salary and benefits payment via bank integrations (Maybank, CIMB, etc.)
Provide a self-service portal for employees
To Kakitangan.
What is Kakitangan?
Kakitangan is an online HR and payroll management software that enables you to manage employees and run payroll compliantly.
You can use Kakitangan for the following:
Automated payroll management.
Leave management
Claims management
Employee records
Statutory forms generation and submission
What are the features of PayrollPanda?
Of the core features you should look out for when searching for the best HR and payroll software in Malaysia, here are the features PayrollPanda provides:
Employee records
Leave management
Employee self-service portal/app
PDPA-compliant data management
Compliance with local labour laws and requirements
Ease of integrating third-party apps
Scalability
Automated payroll
Automated shifts and overtime management
Reporting and analytics
Local customer support
What features are missing?
User-friendly interfaces
What are the features of Kakitangan?
Of the core features you should look out for when searching for the best HR and payroll software in Malaysia, here are the features PayrollPanda provides:
Employee records
Leave tracking
Employee self-service portal/app
PDPA-compliant data management
Compliance with local labour laws and requirements
Ease of integration
Scalability
Automated payroll
Automated shifts and overtime management
Reporting and analytics
What’s missing?
User-friendly interfaces
Customer support
What is PayrollPanda pricing?
PayrollPanda provides free trials for the first five employees.
Beyond the first five employees, you pay RM 6.80 per seat/month or RM 32.30 per company/month (paid annually).
This makes PayrollPanda the best free payroll solution in Malaysia.
What is Kakitangan pricing?
Kakitangan charges are based on the number of employees you manage, plus any add-ons you integrate.
The payment structure is nuanced. You pay separately for features like E-leave, E-claim, etc.
For free, without add-ons, you can manage 3 employees.
The more employees you add, the more you pay.
This makes Kakitangan one of the most expensive HR and payroll solutions in Malaysia.
How’s PayrollPanda’s customer support?
PayrollPanda offers satisfactory customer support according to users' reviews on Google.
Here’s a user review pointing this out.
How’s Kakitangan's customer support?
Users say Kakitangan’s customer support is poor and unreliable.
Kakitangan’s customer support team can only be contacted through email and a chatbot on their website. To access via phone call, you must subscribe to their premium support package.
What do users like about PayrollPanda?
PayrollPanda offers reliable automation
Users love PayrollPanda’s bank and QuickBooks integration
PayrollPanda’s salary and deduction calculations are accurate and compliant
Provides an employee self-service portal
PayrollPanda is free for up to five employees
What do users like about Kakitangan?
Users love that Kakitangan provides a comprehensive set of modules
Kakitangan’s statutory calculations are current and real-time
Kakitangan integrates with banks and other accounting software
Kakitangan offers PDPA-compliant data storage, backups, and encryption
What users don’t like about PayrollPanda?
PayrollPanda may have a steep learning curve
PayrollPanda’s mobile app may not be the easiest to use
PayrollPanda doesn’t give the complete HR + payroll experience
PayrollPanda reporting may not meet the needs for advanced reporting
What users don’t like about Kakitangan?
Users find Kakitangan’s UI complex and requiring a steep learning curve
Kakitangan has too many functionalities that make it overwhelming for users
You can only contact Kakitangan via email and website chatbot. You need a premium support subscription to contact the team by phone
Kakitangan is one of the most pricey HRMS software in the market
Choose simplicity over complexity The best HR software in Malaysia isn’t the one with the most features; it’s the one that makes your life easier. ByteHR helps you manage employees, automates payroll, tracks attendance, manages leave, and keeps you compliant with Malaysian laws. One tool, zero stress. |
How do Kakitangan and PayrollPanda compare against each other?
PayrollPanda | Kakitangan | |
Which is cheaper? | ✅ | ❌ |
What are the hidden costs? | None | None |
Better value for SMEs? | ✅ | ❌ |
Complete payroll features | ✅ | ✅ |
Leave Management | ✅ | ✅ |
HR modules? | ✅ | ✅ |
Tax filing? | ✅ | ✅ |
Integrate with accounting? | ✅ | ✅ |
Integrate with time tracking? | ✅ | ✅ |
Easy for non-HR users? | ❌ | ❌ |
Has the better UI/UX | ✅ | ❌ |
Speed to onboard employees | Takes four steps | Requires some navigation |
Compliant with Malaysian laws and regulations (LHDN, EPF, SOCSO, EIS)? | ✅ | ✅ |
More reliable for accurate salary/tax calculations? | ✅ | ❌ |
Which has better customer support in Malaysia (local team, response times)? | ✅ | ❌ |
Have complaints about downtime or errors? | ❌ | ❌ |
Which one works better for SMEs vs larger businesses? | For SMEs | For enterprises with big budgets |
Can handle contract staff, multiple locations, or growing teams? | ✅ | ✅ |
Offer employee portals/mobile apps? | ✅ | ✅ |
Which is easier for staff to access: payslips, leave, or tax forms? | ✅ | ✅ |
Which is more popular among Malaysian SMEs? | ✅ | |
Google rating | 4.8 | 4.8 |
Major customer sentiments | PayrollPanda is easy to use, provides accurate payroll calculations, and has good customer support. | Kakitangan offers comprehensive HR and payroll features, but its interface is complex, and customer support is slower. |
Between PayrollPanda and Kakitangan, which HR software should you choose for SMEs in Malaysia?
From the analysis so far,
PayrollPanda may be better if you run a small team and are more inclined towards automating payroll, and not the overall HRMS management
Kakitangan may be better suited for you if you have the budget, a large team, the time to go through the software's usage, and want a comprehensive HR and payroll management suite.
If you run a startup or small business in Malaysia and you’re looking for a solution that:
Provides a complete HR + payroll management experience
Enables you to manage your team, run payroll, leave, claims, shifts, hiring, employee assessment, time and attendance, and statutory compliance
Empowers you to run HR management with the best support in Malaysia without breaking the bank
ByteHR is the best alternative to PayrollPanda and Kakitangan.
ByteHR combines the best features of PayrollPanda and Kakitangan, addressing their downsides.
Let’s see how ByteHR compares to both PayrollPanda and Kakitangan.
How does ByteHR compare to PayrollPanda and Kakitangan?
Let’s compare PayrollPanda, Kakitangan, and ByteHR
ByteHR | PayrollPanda | Kakitangan | |
Pricing | Custom pricing to fit your needs. | RM 6.80 per seat/month | Complex pricing structure |
What are the hidden costs? | None | None | None |
Better value for SMEs? | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Complete payroll features | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Leave Management | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
HR modules? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Tax filing? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Integrate with accounting? | Transfer to local and International banks | ✅ | ✅ |
Integrate with time tracking? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Easy for non-HR users? | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Has the better UI/UX | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Speed to onboard employees | Assistance from the team | Takes four steps | Requires some navigation |
Compliant with Malaysian laws and regulations (LHDN, EPF, SOCSO, EIS)? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
More reliable for accurate salary/tax calculations? | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Has better customer support in Malaysia (local team, response times)? | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Have complaints about downtime or errors? | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Which one works better for SMEs? | ✅ | ||
Can handle contract staff, multiple locations, or growing teams? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Offer employee portals/mobile apps? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Which is easier for staff to access: payslips, leave, or tax forms? | Easiest | Easier | Easy |
Google rating | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
Major customer sentiments | ByteHR is consistently praised for a modern and intuitive interface with responsive local support. Making the entire HR and payroll process feel both effortless and reliable. | PayrollPanda is easy to use, provides accurate payroll calculations, and has good customer support. | Kakitangan offers comprehensive HR and payroll features, but its interface is complex, and customer support is slower. |
Choose simplicity over complexity
The best HR software in Malaysia isn’t the one with the most features; it’s the one that makes your life easier.
ByteHR helps you manage employees, automates payroll, tracks attendance, manages leave, and keeps you compliant with Malaysian laws.
One tool, zero stress.
