Best BambooHR Alternatives 2025: Cheaper HR Software for Small Business
BambooHR is one of the most polished HR platforms for small and mid-size businesses — covering employee records, PTO tracking, onboarding, performance reviews and basic payroll. But at $6–$9/employee/month with a minimum headcount, costs for a 50-person company range from $300–$450/month, and pricing isn't publicly listed for larger companies (a sign of aggressive enterprise pricing).
This guide covers the best BambooHR alternatives for 2025, from budget HRIS platforms to free open source options.
Why Companies Look for BambooHR Alternatives
- Opaque pricing beyond the initial tiers
- Payroll is a paid addon — not included in the base price
- Limited customization for HR workflows
- No built-in LMS for employee training
- Small business focus means enterprise features require other tools
Top 7 BambooHR Alternatives
1. Rippling — Best All-in-One Alternative
Price: From $8/user/month (Core HR); custom pricing for full suite
Rippling is the most ambitious HR platform — combining HR, payroll, IT, finance and benefits in a single system. Its standout feature is automated device management: when you onboard a new employee, Rippling can automatically provision their laptop, create their email account and add them to every app they need.
Key features:
- Full HRIS with employee records and org chart
- Payroll (US and global) with tax filing
- Benefits administration with carrier connections
- IT management: device setup, app provisioning
- LMS for employee training
- Headcount planning and reporting
- 500+ app integrations via workflow automation
Best for: Growing tech companies that want HR, IT and payroll in one automated system.
2. Gusto — Best for Payroll-First Teams
Price: From $46/month + $6/person (Simple); $80/month + $12/person (Plus)
Gusto is primarily a payroll platform that has expanded into HR. If payroll processing is your core need and HR features are secondary, Gusto offers excellent value with full payroll automation, benefits administration and basic HR tools.
Key features:
- Automated payroll with tax filing and compliance
- Benefits administration (health, dental, vision, 401k)
- Employee self-service portal
- PTO tracking and time-off policies
- New hire onboarding checklists
- Contractor payments in 120+ countries
- HR advisory service (Plus and above)
Best for: Small businesses that prioritize payroll accuracy and compliance over advanced HR features.
3. Workable — Best for Recruiting-Heavy Teams
Price: From $189/month (Starter); per-job posting model also available
Workable focuses on the hiring side of HR — applicant tracking, job posting, interview scheduling and offer management. If your primary HR pain point is recruiting and onboarding rather than ongoing employee management, Workable excels.
Key features:
- AI-powered sourcing with 200+ job boards
- Collaborative hiring with scorecards and feedback
- Interview scheduling with calendar sync
- Offer letter templates with e-signatures
- Background check integrations
- Onboarding workflows for new hires
- Analytics on pipeline, time-to-hire and source quality
Best for: Companies in growth mode that are hiring frequently and need a dedicated ATS.
4. Zoho People — Best Budget HRIS
Price: Free (5 employees); paid from $1.25/user/month (Essential)
Zoho People offers a remarkably complete HR feature set at prices that are 3–5x lower than BambooHR. The free plan covers up to 5 employees, making it accessible for micro-businesses.
Key features:
- Employee database with document management
- Leave and attendance management
- Performance reviews with 360-degree feedback
- LMS with course creation (add-on)
- Time tracking and project hours
- Shift scheduling
- Tight Zoho ecosystem integration (CRM, Books, Recruit)
Best for: Budget-conscious small businesses, especially those already using Zoho products.
5. HiBob (Bob) — Best for Modern Culture-Focused Companies
Price: Custom pricing (typically $6–$12/employee/month)
HiBob positions itself as a "people platform" rather than traditional HRIS. Its club/community features, shoutouts, mood surveys and culture tools make it the HR platform for companies that prioritize employee experience and engagement alongside administrative HR.
Key features:
- Employee profiles with rich people data
- Compensation management and benchmarking
- Performance cycles with OKR integration
- Workforce planning and headcount modeling
- Benefits and equity management
- Culture features: shoutouts, clubs, org stories
- Strong analytics and people insights
Best for: Mid-size, modern companies with 50–500 employees that care deeply about culture and engagement metrics.
6. Factorial — Best European Alternative
Price: From $6/employee/month
Factorial is a Spanish HR platform with strong compliance features for European labor law, including Spanish, French, Italian and German employment regulations. It covers the full HR lifecycle from recruiting to offboarding.
Key features:
- Multi-country compliance (Spain, France, Italy, Germany)
- Time tracking with geolocation
- Document management with e-signatures
- Performance reviews and OKRs
- Expenses and company card management
- Payroll integration with local providers
- ATS for recruiting
Best for: European SMBs that need HR software built around local labor laws and compliance.
7. OrangeHRM — Best Free Open Source HRIS
Price: Free (open source, self-hosted); cloud from $5/employee/month
OrangeHRM is the most widely used open source HRIS platform, deployed by thousands of companies worldwide. The community edition covers the core HR needs: employee database, leave management, recruitment and performance tracking.
Key features:
- Employee information management
- Leave and attendance tracking
- Recruitment (ATS) module
- Performance review module
- Training management
- Directory and org chart
- REST API for integrations
- Docker-based deployment
Best for: Technical teams and budget-constrained organizations that want enterprise-grade HR without licensing fees.
BambooHR Alternatives Comparison
| Tool | Price/employee | Payroll | ATS | Open Source | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rippling | $8+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Gusto | $6–$12 | ✓✓✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Workable | $189+/mo | ✗ | ✓✓✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Zoho People | $1.25 | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ (5 emp) |
| HiBob | $6–$12 | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Factorial | $6 | Via addon | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| OrangeHRM | Free | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
FAQ
Which BambooHR alternative includes payroll? Rippling and Gusto both include payroll. Rippling covers global payroll; Gusto is US-focused but the best value for domestic payroll.
Is there a free HR software for small teams? Zoho People has a free plan for up to 5 employees. OrangeHRM is completely free when self-hosted.
How hard is it to migrate from BambooHR? BambooHR allows data exports. Employee records, PTO balances and org structure migrate well via CSV. Historical performance reviews and custom workflows need manual reconstruction.
Conclusion
Rippling is the most powerful BambooHR alternative for companies that want HR, IT and payroll unified. Gusto wins for payroll-first teams. Zoho People offers remarkable value at $1.25/employee/month. And OrangeHRM eliminates licensing costs entirely for organizations comfortable with self-hosted software.