Human resources (HR) software helps implement efficient workforce management workflows for standard operating procedures such as recruiting, talent management and development. Depending on the employee headcount and your administration’s needs, HR software pricing can vary from under $50 per month to several hundred dollars. In this guide, Forbes Advisor compares the HR software costs by tool type.
Types of HR Software
HR software covers a range of talent management processing such as recruiting, onboarding, performance management, training and payroll.
Common types of HR software:
- Recruitment software: $25 to $299 per month
- Onboarding software: $70 to $150 per month
- Attendance and time-tracking software: $3.50 to $7 per employee per month
- Employee scheduling software: $20 to $40 per month
- Performance management software: $4 to $11 per employee per month
Some HR platforms offer several of these functionalities, though ― if you can find one that provides everything you need, that’s probably the best option.
Featured Partners
1
Rippling
Yes
Yes
$35/month plus $8 PEPM
2
OnPay
Yes
Yes
$40 per month + $6 per user
3
Paychex Flex
Yes
Yes
$39-plus per month, depending on company size and needs (6 month free offer)
4
Gusto
Yes
Yes
$40 per month plus $6 per user
Factors That Impact HR Software Costs
HR software is distributed in two ways—as a one-time paid license, which provides access to one product edition and is installed on your company’s computers or as a software as a service (SaaS) subscription.
SaaS HR software is more cost-effective as it eliminates the repurchase cycle. Moreover, SaaS apps offer flexible pricing plans. You pay either a base monthly plan and/or a per-user per-month subscription.
The key factors that impact SaaS HR app costs include:
- Number of admin seats
- Number of employee seats
- Selected features and functionality
- Integrations with other business systems
- Complexity of implementation and setup
- Desired level of customer support
Subscription-based HR software gets more expensive as your team grows. Many vendors also charge extra for accessing advanced functionality (e.g., AI-driven workflows or advanced employee analytics) or extra software modules (e.g., an applicant tracking system, payroll processing tools or employee training portal).
In this guide, we provide complete HR software pricing information for the highest-ranking HRIS, payroll, recruiting, onboarding, performance management, time tracking and shift scheduling employee tools.
HRIS Pricing
Human resources information systems (HRIS) are a one-stop-shop digital solution for all HR processes—from human resources planning and recruiting to talent retention and succession planning. If you’re looking for one product to handle HR management, payroll, talent acquisition, training management and performance management, expect to pay $35-$99 in monthly fees on average, plus $5 to $8 per employee per month.
| Paycor | Monday.com HR | Rippling | BambooHR | Workday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Starting Base Monthly Price
|
$99
|
Free
|
$35
|
Quote-based
|
Quote-based
|
|
Price Per Employee
|
$5 per month
|
$9 per month
|
$8 per month
|
Quote-based
|
Quote-based
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
14 days
|
14 days
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
|
Recruiting Tools
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Employee Onboarding Tools
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Time and Attendance
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Benefits Administration
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Payroll Management
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Employee Experience Tools
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
8 am to 8 pm EST via phone
|
24/7 live chat, email, and phone support
|
24/7 live chat and support
|
6 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday via phone
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24/7 via in-app chat and email
|
|
Learn More
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–
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Read Reviews
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Learn more: Best HRIS Systems (May)
Payroll Software Pricing
Payroll software ensures that all your workforce gets paid on time and in compliance with local labor laws. Eliminate manual data entry with automated salary, tax, deductions and benefits calculations, done automatically. The best payroll software providers, like OnPay and Gusto, also offer extra talent management, recruiting and attendance tracking tools for as low as $40 per month (plus $6 per employee per month).
| OnPay | Gusto | ADP RUN | Paychex Flex | Justworks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
 |
|
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Starting Base Monthly Price
|
$40
|
$40
|
$79
|
$39
|
$0
|
|
Price Per Employee
|
$6 per month
|
$6 per month
|
$4 per month
|
$5 per month
|
$59
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
30 days
|
30 days
|
3 months
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
|
Unlimited Pay Runs
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Federal and state tax filings
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Contractor management
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
As an add-On
|
Yes
|
|
Payment methods
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Direct deposit, debit card, or check
|
Direct deposit, debit card, or check (subject to availability)
|
Direct deposit
|
Checks, direct deposit, tip disbursement for tipped employees, and pay cards.
|
Direct deposit
|
|
Multi-state payroll processing
|
Yes, with base plan
|
Yes, with Plus and Premium plans
|
Yes, with base plan
|
Yes, with base plan
|
Yes, with base plan
|
|
Customer Support
|
9 am-8 pm ET via phone
|
7 am – 6 pm MST via phone
|
Automated support by phone. Email support available.
|
24/7 support via phone
|
24/7 phone, email, or live chat
|
|
Learn More
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Read Reviews
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Learn more: Best Payroll Software (May 2024)
Recruitment Software Pricing
Recruitment software helps you create effective talent acquisition pipelines to source, screen, vet and hire the best-fit candidates. The best recruitment apps facilitate job posting (and distribution), offer candidate pre-screening tools and help rank candidates by data-backed criteria — all for an affordable price of $25 to $299 on average.
| ZipRecruiter | JazzHR | Breezy HR | Zoho Recruit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Starting Base Monthly Price
|
$299
|
$170
|
$75
|
$157
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Free; $25
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
4 days
|
30 days
|
21 days
|
14 days
|
15 days
|
|
Job posting
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Candidate screening
|
Basic
|
Basic
|
Advanced
|
Advanced
|
Advanced
|
|
Applicant tracking
|
Via integrations only
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Pre-employment testing
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Offer management
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
Live chat or phone-based
|
24/7 via online chat or email
|
8 am – 8 pm (ET) via phone
|
24/7 via online chat or email
|
24/7 via online chat or email
|
|
Learn More
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—
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–
|
–
|
–
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Read Reviews
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Learn more: Best Recruiting Software (May 2024)
Featured Partners
1
BambooHR
Yes
Yes
ATS
2
Pinpoint ATS
Yes
Yes
24/7 customer support, easy-to-use interface, fast and flexible workflows, hundreds of integrations
3
ClearCompany
Yes
Yes
Employee engagement
Onboarding Software Pricing
Onboarding software helps design standardized workflows for welcoming and orienting new employees. Create personalized checklists, welcome kits and training libraries to get new team members up to speed faster. Furthermore, onboarding software helps manage all document exchanges, including identity verification, background checks and work contract signing.
| Workday | ADP Workforce Now | Paycor | Namely HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
|
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Starting Base Monthly Price
|
Quote-based
|
Quote-based
|
$149
|
Quote-based
|
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Price Per Employee
|
Quote-based
|
Quote-based
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$7 per month
|
Quote-based
|
|
Free Trial Available
|
No
|
No
|
Yes, 14 days
|
No
|
|
Custom onboarding workflows
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Employee Portal
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Intelligent Process Automation
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Background checks
|
Yes, via integration
|
Yes
|
Yes, via integration
|
No
|
|
e-Signatures
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
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24/7 via in-app chat and email
|
Automated support by phone. Email support available.
|
8 am to 8 pm EST via phone
|
Email and self-service tools.
|
|
Learn More
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
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Read Reviews
|
Learn more: Best Onboarding Software (May 2024)
Performance Management Software Pricing
Regular feedback and employee appraisals improve employee engagement and reduce turnover. Performance management software helps managers stay on track with planned performance review sessions, 1:1s and mentorship sessions. Set, track, and analyze employees’ performance from data-based dashboards to provide regular, unbiased feedback.
The best performance management software costs as little as $4 per employee per month.
| Namely | Lattice | Paycor | Synergita | Bamboo HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Starting Base Monthly Price
|
Quote-based
|
None
|
$99
|
None
|
Quote-based
|
|
Price Per Employee
|
Quote-based
|
From $11 per month
|
From $5 per month
|
From $4 per month
|
Quote-based
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
14 days
|
7 days
|
Not available
|
|
OKR & Goal tracking
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Custom feedback cycles
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
360 feedback
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Employee sentiment analysis
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Employee appreciation tools
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
Email and self-service tools
|
Email and self-service tools
|
8 am to 8 pm EST via phone
|
Email and self-service tools
|
6 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday via phone
|
Learn more: Best Performance Management Software (May 2024)
Time and Attendance Software Pricing
Time and attendance tracking apps automatically generate detailed reports on employee time worked, absences and attendance patterns, enabling businesses to better plan shifts, manage labor cost, and ensure compliance with applicable employment laws. For an affordable price of under $4 per month, you can turn any corporate or employee-owned device into a convenient time tracker and receive auto-generated timesheets.
| Clockify | Buddy Punch | When I work | OnTheClock | Deputy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Starting Price
|
$3.99 per employee per month
|
$19 per month, plus $3.99 per employee per month
|
$4 per employee per month
|
$3.50 per employee per month
|
$4.50 per employee per month
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
7 days
|
14 days
|
7 days
|
30 days
|
31 days
|
|
Workstation Tracking
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Shift Scheduling
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Automated Timesheets
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Paid Time Off (PTO)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Overtime monitoring
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Geofencing
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
Phone, email, and live chat support
|
Email and live chat support. Phone support by appointment only.
|
Email and live chat support
|
8:30 am – 5 pm EST for phone and chat support
|
Email and self-help tools.
|
Learn more: Best Time and Attendance Software 2024
Employee Scheduling Software Pricing
Employee scheduling software streamlines schedule creation, management, and monitoring. With a modern platform, you can easily coordinate shifts, manage employee availability, track attendance, and otherwise ensure that your business operates at optimal capacity. The best employee scheduling tools cost as little as $2,50 per employee per month. The average price is between $10 to $30 per month (a base plan subscription, plus per-seat costs).
| Deputy | 7shifts | When I work | Connecteam | ZoomShift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forbes Advisor Rating
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Starting Price
|
$4.50 per employee per month
|
$29.99 per month (up to 30 employees)
|
$4 per employee per month
|
$29 per month (up to 30 users)
|
$2.50 per employee per month
|
|
Free Trial Length
|
31 days
|
14 days
|
7 days
|
14 days
|
14 days
|
|
Customizable shift templates
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Shift cover and swaps
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Breaks tracking and compliance
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Availability and time-off tracking
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Auto shift reminders
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
Email and self-help tools.
|
Live chat, phone, and email support
|
Email and live chat support
|
Email and self-help tools.
|
Email and self-help tools.
|
Learn more: Best Employee Scheduling Software (May 2024)
Bottom Line
HR software helps companies establish a lean, productive and engaged workforce. With digital tools, your People teams can save hours in manual labor and focus on the most strategic tasks. Comprehensive HRIS platform costs start at $100 per month. Although larger teams (50-plus people) will pay close to $400-$800 per month in per-seat fees. To avoid overpaying for features you don’t need, consider standalone HR tools for payroll, recruiting, shift scheduling or employee onboarding. You can find feature-rich apps for less than $100 in monthly fees.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much does HR software cost?
HR software providers charge a base monthly fee plus and/or per-seat fee. You can find a reliable HRIS platform for under $100 per month (and $8 per month per user). Payroll and benefits apps cost around $50 per month (plus $5 per month per employee). Attendance tracking and employee scheduling apps are the most affordable, with the best solutions starting at $3.50 per month per user.
How do I choose an HR system?
When choosing an HR platform, consider not only the essential features noted above but also cost, ease of use, integration and customization. The HR software solution should fit your budget, be easy to use, communicate with other software you use and be customizable to your needs without needing to reach out to the vendor to make adjustments. Regardless of which HRM system you choose, make sure it measures these 10 essential HR metrics.
Which HR software is the best?
While there’s no one-size-fits-all HR solution for businesses, some products offer better value for money, more competitive features, and faster customer support. Based on Forbes Advisory reviews, the best HR software providers are Paycor, Workday and ADP. All of them ranked high across several categories — HR management, HRIS, onboarding and payroll processing.
What is the least HRIS cost per employee per month?
The most affordable HRIS app is monday.com HR. There’s no base fee and the price per employee per month is only $9. That said, monday.com offers great customization capabilities but lacks premade functionality. If you’re looking for a more feature-rich app, Rippling is the second-best option with an $8 per month per employee cost and a $35 monthly plan.
