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Reviewed
The best human resources (HR) apps available today are going to primarily be all-inclusive apps that allow you to run a full HR function in an efficient and cost-effective way. However, there are a lot of HR apps that can help with certain aspects of running your people’s business, such as recruiting management or software that helps you process payroll. That’s why Forbes Advisor has put together a list of the best HR apps available today that can help your business.
The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content to guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
To find the best HR apps for small businesses, we considered over 25 of the leading providers in the space and narrowed it down to 18, which we then evaluated across five key categories and 34 different metrics. Our ratings consider factors such as transparent pricing, employee self-sufficiency, compatibility with third-party integrations, access to customer support and ratings. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
| Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Starting price | App integrations | Free mobile app | LEARN MORE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paycor |  |
4.9 |  |
$5 per employee plus $99 base fee | 210-plus | Yes | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| monday.com HR |  |
4.8 |  |
Free; $24 per month for three users (billed annually) | 1,000-plus | Yes | Learn More | On monday.com's Website | |
| BambooHR |  |
4.8 | |
Must contact for a quote | 1,300-plus | Yes | Learn More | On BambooHR's Website | |
| Workday |  |
4.7 | |
$99 per user, per month | 600-plus | Yes | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| Rippling |  |
4.7 | |
$8 per user, per month (each business is quoted) | 500-plus | Yes | Learn More | On Rippling's Website | |
| Zenefits |  |
4.6 | |
$8 per employee, per month | 55-plus | Yes | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| ClickUp |  |
4.5 | |
Free; $7 per employee, per month (billed annually) | 210-plus | Yes | Learn More | On ClickUp's Website |
We reviewed dozens of HR apps and rated each based on a one to five metric system in a number of different categories to land a final overall rating between one and five. Each category was weighted based on the importance of that aspect of the software to calculate the final score. These ratings were based on experience using the software and research that we have found available through either the company or through the use of the product.
Here is what we looked for when deciding on the best HR apps.
For pricing, we considered the cost per user per month for each paid plan, minimum user requirements, introductory pricing, the availability of free trials, free trial length and money-back guarantees. Pricing accounts for 10% of our total score.
We analyzed each HR app based on key features such as the quality of its mobile app, and the inclusion of key features such as applicant tracking, benefits administration, payroll, time and attendance tracking, e-signatures, learning management tools, reports and analytics, employee feedback and reviews, org charts, task assignments and peer reviews. These core features make up 30% of our score.
In addition to the key features, we also devoted 15% of our score to whether or not the services included unique features such as the availability of software Integrations, shift scheduling, employee engagement tools, tax tools, custom branding, PTO tracking and live support. This category makes up 20% of our score.
To gain deeper insight into how others find the HR software and corresponding apps, we looked at customer reviews to determine if user experience matches marketing promises. We considered each provider’s average rating and how many reviews each had and weighed them at 10%.
Lastly, we included our expert opinion based on a great deal of first-hand experience using the various HR apps across several different use cases. Additionally, we considered factors such as ease of use, value for price based on the quality of the available features and popularity. This accounts for 30% of the total score.
The right HR app for you is going to depend on what processes you need to manage and how important each HR function is to your business. There are a number of features that you should consider when deciding to move forward with any HR software, but many businesses will be looking for an app that can handle recruiting, employee onboarding, payroll and performance management all in a single place.
Once you know what features you’re looking for then it’s important to find the right attributes in your HR app. Here are the things that you should consider when looking for the right HR app for your business.
The first thing you should consider is the costs of any HR app options. The best HR apps aren’t going to be free but they should be affordable enough to make them a viable option. Next is efficiency. The more your software can automate for you, the more productive your team can be and the more efficient your entire operation can become.
A couple of things you’ll want to make sure your chosen app has is an employee self-service and a free mobile app. Most strong HR apps will have an employee self-service function that allows your employees to see the information relative to their employment at any time. Any HR app that you settle on needs to have a free app that you and your employees can access.
Finally, the ease of use of any HR app is going to be extremely important. It’s important to find a software solution that isn’t easy for your team to administer but is also easy for your employees to navigate. If an HR app isn’t easy to navigate and maneuver to find the right information then it’s going to cost you time and frustrate your team.
HR apps go a long way to streamline the entire process for any business. These apps can speed up the processes of teams trying to keep track of all employee-related information and matters in a single place while making sure that all employees are paid on time and get the benefits they need. It can be difficult to administer payroll or even hire employees in a world that has become digitally dependent without the use of an HR app.
Here are some of the most important benefits you’ll receive when using one:
There are free HR apps and software available in the market today but they may not offer the right features and efficiency that you’re seeking. The best option might be free payroll software, which can still get the job done for at least one major HR function.
An HR app typically will be an all-in-one employee data solution. You can manage your candidate flow and control the entire recruiting process. From there, you’ll be able to onboard employees, process payroll, administer benefits and handle performance management. Some HR apps focus on one of these aspects of HR.
HRIS stands for HR information system. It is a term typically associated with a business application that enables you to store employee information and manage all people-related functions in a single place. At the heart of its functionality is an employee database that is used to hire, onboard, process payroll and offboard employees.
HR software is important because it helps management perform key actions on time while empowering employees to take charge of their own accounts.
An HRMS is a more advanced and sophisticated HRIS that layers added capabilities on top of the database contained within the HRIS. An HRIS stores employee data, allowing employees and HR personnel to view and modify employee information and run basic reports based on that data. An HRMS augments the HRIS by storing more varied data sets. These data sets power additional capabilities such as an applicant tracking system and a performance management module.
