SmartPRO vs Zoho Payroll in Oman (2026): WPS, SPF, Gratuity and Price Compared
Reviewed by Fahad Alamri, Founder
Published · Last updated
A row-by-row comparison of SmartPRO and Zoho Payroll for Oman employers: WPS files, the Social Protection Fund, Article 61 gratuity, leave, Arabic payslips, PRO services and the price for 30 employees. Zoho's side quotes its own pages, read on 22 October 2026; where those pages are silent, the cell says so.
Key takeaways
- Zoho Payroll describes “payroll compliance across 8 editions, now including Oman”; SmartPRO is Oman-only and also runs PRO services
- Zoho is cheaper for very small companies: its entry price covers five employees
- 30 employees: Zoho Standard USD 75 a month (USD, monthly billing) against SmartPRO Starter OMR 12 a month (OMR); we do not convert
- Zoho's pages mention WPS, SPF and gratuity without naming a bank, the fund's non-Omani phases or Article 61
- Every Zoho cell is quoted from its pages or marked as not mentioned
The short version
Zoho Payroll is a general payroll product. Its Oman page describes “payroll compliance across 8 editions, now including Oman”. SmartPRO is built in Oman for Omani law, and goes past payroll into government transactions: PRO services, Omanisation and, soon, a laws library.
Zoho is cheaper for very small companies. Its entry price covers five employees. The sections below give every difference we can source, in Zoho's own words where we quote it, and mark what its pages do not mention.
Side by side
Same rows for both products. “Not mentioned” means we found nothing on the pages we read; it does not mean Zoho lacks the feature. Zoho's pages were read on 22 October 2026 (sources at the end).
| SmartPRO | Zoho Payroll (Oman) | |
|---|---|---|
| WPS bank file | WPS salary files for Bank Muscat, Bank Dhofar and Alizz Islamic Bank, each in that bank's own layout. | “Stay fully compliant with Oman's Wages Protection System”; wage files are generated automatically. The page names no bank. The pricing page lists “Wage file generation”. |
| Social Protection Fund contributions | Contributions per branch and start date: Omani employees, plus the non-Omani phases (sick leave from 19 July 2026, employer-paid savings no later than 19 July 2027, work injury from 19 July 2028). Shown on every payslip. More on the Social Protection Fund. | “Automated SPF contributions” for “Omani and GCC nationals”. The page does not spell out SPF or mention PASI, and says nothing on the non-Omani phases. |
| Article 61 gratuity, including the pre-2023 older rate | Article 61: one basic month per year of service, on basic pay only; service before 31 July 2023 at the older rate. Omani employees accrue none, because the fund covers them. The gratuity guide. | “Accurate gratuity payments” for “long-serving expatriate employees” that “meet compliance standards”. The pricing page lists “End-of-Service Benefits and Pensions in Oman”. The page does not cite the Labour Law or Article 61, and says nothing on service before 31 July 2023. |
| Labour Law leave rules | Leave requests are checked against the Labour Law's rules (for example, hajj leave is given once, after a year of service), and a refusal cites the article. | “Aligned with company policies”. No Labour Law leave rules are mentioned. |
| Arabic payslips | Yes: Arabic and English on the same payslip. | Not mentioned. Arabic appears only as a site language option. |
| PRO and government transactions | Yes: 27 PRO services, 14 at OMR 10 per transaction and 13 quoted per case, or OMR 150 a month for 1 to 10 employees. PRO services. | None listed. |
| Omanisation and profession checks | Omanisation rate against the company's own target, or its sector's floor: yes. Profession checks: coming soon. | None listed. |
| Laws library and Sanad assistant | Coming soon. | None listed. |
| Local support | Muscat. | Not published on the pages we read. |
| Price example: 30 employees | Starter: OMR 12 a month (up to 50 employees). Business: OMR 49 a month. Prices are in OMR. | Standard: USD 12.5 + 25 × USD 2.5 = USD 75 a month, billed monthly. Prices are in USD. |
What Zoho charges
Zoho prices per organisation per month in US dollars, and each plan includes five employees. There is no free plan; there is a 14-day trial.
For 30 employees on Standard, billed monthly: USD 12.5 for the first five, plus 25 more at USD 2.5, which is USD 75 a month. We show both prices in their own currencies and do not convert them, because exchange rates move.
| Zoho plan | Monthly (includes 5 employees) | Annual (per month) | Each extra employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | USD 12.5 | USD 10 | USD 2.5 |
| Professional | USD 17.5 | USD 15 | USD 3.5 |
| Premium | USD 25 | USD 20 | USD 5 |
What SmartPRO charges
SmartPRO prices per company per month in Omani rials: Starter OMR 12 (up to 50 employees, payroll and WPS files included), Business OMR 49 and Enterprise OMR 149. See all plans. PRO services are priced separately, from OMR 10 per transaction.
Choose Zoho Payroll if…
- You have five employees or fewer and want the lowest entry price: Zoho's Standard plan is USD 10 a month billed annually, USD 12.5 monthly.
- You already use other Zoho products and want to stay with one vendor.
- You want a trial before paying: Zoho lists a 14-day trial.
- Your needs stop at payroll and you do not need Omani PRO transactions.
Choose SmartPRO if…
- You want the WPS file in the layout of Bank Muscat, Bank Dhofar or Alizz Islamic Bank, and the Social Protection Fund phases for non-Omani staff handled by date.
- You have expatriate staff and need Article 61 gratuity on basic pay, including the older rate for service before 31 July 2023.
- You want the government transactions, work permits, visas and renewals, in the same place as payroll: 27 PRO services.
- You want Arabic and English on the same payslip and support in Muscat.
What we could not confirm
We could not confirm anything about Zoho beyond what its Oman pages say. Where those pages are silent, the cell says so. If a cell is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it and the date. Payroll for Oman on SmartPRO.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Zoho Payroll support Oman?
- Its Oman page says “payroll compliance across 8 editions, now including Oman”, with a Zoho Oman pricing page in US dollars.
- Does Zoho Payroll generate WPS files?
- Its Oman page says users can “stay fully compliant with Oman's Wages Protection System”, with wage files generated automatically. The page names no bank.
- How much is Zoho Payroll for 30 employees?
- On the Standard plan billed monthly, USD 75 a month: USD 12.5 for the first five employees plus 25 at USD 2.5. Check Zoho's pricing page for the current price.
- Is Zoho Payroll cheaper than SmartPRO?
- For a company of five employees or fewer, Zoho's entry price is lower. We list both prices in their own currencies and do not convert them.
- Does Zoho Payroll cover Article 61 gratuity and the non-Omani Social Protection Fund phases?
- Its pages mention “accurate gratuity payments” and “automated SPF contributions”, and do not cite Article 61, the pre-31 July 2023 rule or the non-Omani phases. That is what its pages say, not a statement about what the product does.
What we checked about the other product, and when
- Zoho Payroll Oman: pricing · read on · read by our founder; we quote its wording
- Zoho Payroll Oman: product page · read on · read by our founder; we quote its wording
Official sources
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