BambooHR is the best HR software for a small business that wants records and hiring at a flat $250 a month up to 25 employees, with reviews from $425 on Pro. Gusto is the pick when payroll comes first, from $49 a month plus $6 per person.
Connecteam suits hourly teams and is free for up to 10 users, while Justworks suits owners who want medical, dental and vision administration through a PEO, on PEO Plus at $124 per employee a month. I ranked 10 tools from each vendor’s pricing and product pages, read on October 27, 2026.
Two facts decide most purchases: whether payroll is built in, an add-on or a partner integration, and how the bill grows between 10 and 25 employees.
Quick verdict
For US companies of 5-50 people that have outgrown spreadsheets: HR-first tools leave payroll to an add-on or another product, and payroll-first tools list fewer HR features.
- HR records and reviews, keeping your payroll: BambooHR
- Payroll first: Gusto, or Paycor for printed bundles with recruiting
- Hourly and shift staff: Connecteam
- Benefits through a PEO: Justworks
- Free plans: Zoho People for up to 5 users, Connecteam for up to 10
BambooHR
Best for: HR records, hiring and reviews on a flat rate
Core costs a flat $250 a month up to 25 employees, with applicant tracking included.
Limit: payroll and benefits administration are add-ons priced on quote
Gusto
Best for: payroll-first small businesses
Every plan runs unlimited payrolls with federal, state and local tax filings.
Limit: the Simple plan runs payroll in one state only
Connecteam
Best for: hourly and deskless teams
The Small Business Plan gives all hubs and features free for up to 10 users.
Limit: it connects to payroll but does not run it
Justworks
Best for: PEO benefits and compliance support
PEO Plus adds medical, dental and vision administration to PEO Basic’s compliance help.
Limit: the PEO plans cost $79 or $124 per employee a month
| Software | Best for | Starting price | Payroll | Free plan or trial | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | HR records, hiring and reviews on a flat rate | $250 a month flat (Core, 25 or fewer employees); Pro $425 | Add-on, US employees only | No trial published | Payroll and benefits add-ons priced on quote |
| Gusto | Payroll-first small businesses | $49 a month + $6 per person (Simple) | Built into every plan | No trial published; no contract | Simple runs payroll in one state |
| Justworks | PEO benefits and compliance support | $8 per employee + $50 base a month (Payroll); PEO Basic $79 per employee | Built into every plan | No trial published; no implementation fee | PEO Basic at 10 employees: $79 x 10 = $790 a month, against $50 + $80 ($8 x 10) = $130 on Payroll |
| Connecteam | Hourly and deskless teams | Free up to 10 users; $29 a month billed yearly for 30 users (HR & Skills Basic) | Integration only | Free plan; 14-day trial | No payroll runs |
| Rippling | Adding HR modules as you grow | $8 per employee a month + base fee | Rippling Payroll, by quote | 6 free months for eligible VC-backed startups | Base fee not published |
| Paycor | Payroll and HR bundles under 50 employees | $99 a month + $5 per employee (Basic) | Built into every bundle | No trial published | Essential caps recruiting at 3 jobs |
| Zoho People | Low-cost core HR | Free up to 5 users; $1.25 per user a month billed annually; Premium $3 | Separate Zoho Payroll | Free edition; 30-day trial | Reviews need Premium |
| Factorial | A tailored bundle of HR, time and expense modules | $8 per user a month, by quote | Payslip distribution only | Free demo | Final price by quote |
| Deel | Contractors and employees abroad | $49 per contractor a month | Managed for EOR and PEO employees | Free demo | EOR costs $599 per employee a month |
| HiBob | Multi-country teams | No published price | US and UK payroll, payroll integrations | Free demo | Pricing page is a demo form |
Sources: BambooHR pricing, Gusto pricing, Justworks pricing, Connecteam pricing, Rippling pricing, Paycor under-50 pricing, Zoho People pricing, Factorial pricing, Deel pricing, HiBob homepage, checked October 2026.
In This Article (16 sections)
How I Chose and Checked These HR Tools
I considered 13 tools: the 10 picks below and the 3 under Also Considered. Each pick passed three must-haves: onboarding listed on its own pages, a US-dollar price or a stated quote basis on its own pricing page, and a product sold to new US small businesses.
I ranked the rest on the payroll path, the price at 10 and 25 employees, hiring depth, the plan that unlocks reviews, benefits or PEO access, and fit for hourly or overseas staff. Every price and limit comes from the vendors’ own pages, read on October 27, 2026. The fit judgments are my analysis, and no tool gets a score.
No pricing page shows how your staff take to the employee app or how payroll runs in your states. Put two employees through the free plan or trial of your top two (Zoho People gives 30 days, Connecteam 14), and get written quotes at your real headcount from the quote-only vendors before you sign.
1. BambooHR: Best for HR Records, Hiring and Reviews on a Flat Rate
- Best for: office teams of 10-25 that want one HR record system
- Payroll: add-on for US employees, priced on quote
- Integrations: over 150 integration partners
For an office team whose payroll already works, BambooHR puts records, applicant tracking, onboarding and time off in one system and leaves payroll optional. The trade-off is that the Payroll and Benefits Administration add-ons carry no published price, so an all-in-one setup needs a quote before you can budget it.
The flat rate is BambooHR’s sharpest edge: Core costs the same for 8 employees or 25.
Hiring is built in. Core’s applicant tracking holds 5 job openings, with offer letter templates, an onboarding checklist and e-signatures; a company opening more roles at once needs Pro’s 25.
Performance reviews are the upgrade trigger. Pro adds 360° review cycles, 1:1s and goal tracking, a $425 – $250 = $175 monthly step over Core. That step buys reviews inside the same record system, the main reason to pick BambooHR over Gusto.
BambooHR charges a flat monthly rate for 25 or fewer employees, month to month or on an extended term. Payroll and Benefits Administration are add-ons for US employees, 15% off when you bundle both.
| Plan | 25 or fewer employees | More than 25 employees | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $250 a month flat | $10.25 per employee per month | 5 job openings; no reviews |
| Pro | $425 a month flat | $17.50 per employee per month | 25 job openings |
| Elite | $650 a month flat | $25 per employee per month | 50 job openings |
Sources: BambooHR pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- One flat Core price covers up to 25 employees
- Applicant tracking and e-signatures on Core
- 360° reviews, 1:1s and goal tracking on Pro
Cons
- Payroll and benefits administration have no published price
- Performance reviews need Pro
- No free plan or trial published
- Skip it if:
- you have 10 people and mainly need payroll and PTO; Gusto Simple runs both for $49 + $60 ($6 x 10) = $109 a month for 10 employees.
My BambooHR review with plan details covers what each plan adds before you request a quote.
2. Gusto: Best for Payroll-First Small Businesses
- Best for: owners whose first HR job is paying people and filing payroll taxes
- Contract: no contracts, free account setup, cancel anytime
- Integrations: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Expensify, Homebase
Payroll is the one HR job that cannot go wrong, and every Gusto plan runs unlimited payrolls with federal, state and local tax filings. It fits a single-state team of 5-20 that wants payroll, PTO and benefits on one bill. The trade-off: performance reviews are not listed on Gusto’s pricing page.
Gusto files forms such as W-2, 1099, 940 and 941 for you and charges nothing extra for off-cycle payrolls, such as a bonus run.
The plan gate to watch is geography. Simple runs payroll in one state; Plus adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling. For 10 employees with one in another state, the bill moves from $49 + $60 ($6 x 10) = $109 to $80 + $120 ($12 x 10) = $200 a month.
Benefits carry no extra Gusto fee: with Gusto as broker you pay only the premiums, and keeping your own broker costs $6 a month per eligible employee. The homepage also lists offer letters, onboarding checklists and digital signatures for new hires.
Gusto prices Simple, Plus and Premium as a monthly base fee plus a per-person fee, month to month. Time & Attendance Plus adds time tracking to Simple for $6 a month per person.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49 a month + $6 a month per person | Payroll in one state, basic PTO policies and holiday pay |
| Plus | $80 a month + $12 a month per person | Multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling |
| Premium | $180 a month + $22 a month per person | HR guidance and tools, Gusto Business Compliance |
Sources: Gusto pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- Payroll and tax filings on every plan, with unlimited payroll runs
- No Gusto fee for health insurance through its brokers
- No contract and free account setup
Cons
- Multi-state payroll needs Plus
- Time tracking needs Plus or a $6 per person add-on
- Performance reviews not listed on the pricing page
- Skip it if:
- you already run payroll elsewhere and need reviews and an applicant tracker; BambooHR Pro holds both at a flat rate up to 25 employees.
The full Gusto review goes through each plan’s limits in depth.
3. Justworks: Best for PEO Benefits and Compliance Support
- Best for: small US teams that want benefits and compliance help through a PEO
- Setup: no implementation fee
- Benefits: medical, dental and vision administration on PEO Plus
Owners who want a PEO rather than software alone get both options from Justworks on one price list. The trade-off is cost: a PEO Basic seat is $79 a month against $8 on the software-only Payroll plan.
PEO Basic lists compliance help, HR consulting, 24/7 support, 401(k) and an applicant tracking system, and the plan comparison adds employment practices liability insurance (EPLI). That bundle is the reason to pay a PEO price: compliance tasks move to Justworks instead of your office manager.
PEO Plus adds medical, dental and vision administration, HSA and FSA accounts, and mental health benefits. Deel’s US PEO is the nearest rival at $125 per employee a month, so the choice rests on whether you also hire abroad.
The cost gap is the decision: for 10 employees, PEO Basic costs $79 x 10 = $790 a month, and Payroll costs $50 + $80 ($8 x 10) = $130.
Justworks charges per employee per month, with a $50 base fee on Payroll only, and no implementation fee. Time tracking is an $8 per employee add-on.
| Plan | Price | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll | $8 per employee a month + $50 base fee | Payroll for all employees, HR tools |
| PEO Basic | $79 per employee a month | Compliance, 24/7 support, 401(k), applicant tracking |
| PEO Plus | $124 per employee a month | Medical, dental and vision administration |
Sources: Justworks pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- A Payroll plan and two PEO plans on one published price list
- PEO Basic lists 24/7 support, 401(k) and applicant tracking
- No implementation fee
Cons
- PEO seats cost about ten times a Payroll seat
- Performance management comes through integrations
- Time tracking is an $8 per employee add-on
- Skip it if:
- you only need employee records and PTO tracking; Zoho People’s free edition covers up to 5 users, and BambooHR Core covers 25 on one flat rate.
4. Connecteam: Best for Hourly and Deskless Teams
- Best for: hourly, shift and field teams that work from phones
- Payroll: payroll integration, no payroll runs
- Trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card needed
Shift workers clock in on a phone, not at a desk, and Connecteam is designed around that. Up to 10 users get every hub free; past that, each paid hub charges one fixed price for the first 30 users, so the bill holds still from 11 to 30 people. The trade-off: Connecteam connects to payroll but does not run it.
The HR & Skills hub covers time off, documents, hiring, onboarding, an org chart, and courses with quizzes. Basic requires approval for time off and allows 6 time off policies with balance; Advanced raises that to 9 and Expert to unlimited.
The time clock lives in a separate Operations hub, with GPS clock-in, open shifts and the payroll integration.
Operations Basic also costs $29 a month billed yearly for the first 30 users, so a 25-person hourly team on both hubs pays $29 x 2 = $58 a month. For deeper shift planning, my list of employee scheduling software compared covers dedicated tools.
Courses and quizzes suit on-the-job policy training; a team that needs certificates and learning paths will find free LMS options for staff training a better fit. Single sign-on (SSO) and two-factor authentication sit only on the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
Connecteam’s HR & Skills hub costs $29 a month billed yearly or $35 billed monthly for the first 30 users, then $0.5 a month per extra user on yearly Basic.
| HR & Skills plan | Billed yearly, first 30 users | Billed monthly, first 30 users | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 a month | $35 a month | 6 time off policies with balance |
| Advanced | $49 a month | $59 a month | 9 policies; 2 e-sign documents |
| Expert | $99 a month | $119 a month | Unlimited policies; 10 e-sign documents |
Sources: Connecteam pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- $0 for teams of up to 10 users on every hub
- One fixed hub price for the first 30 users
- GPS time clock and shift scheduling in the Operations hub
Cons
- No payroll runs, only a payroll integration
- Time clock and HR sit in separate hubs with separate prices
- SSO and two-factor authentication only on Enterprise
- Skip it if:
- your staff are salaried office workers who need performance reviews and an applicant tracker; BambooHR Pro holds both.
5. Rippling: Best for Adding HR Modules as You Grow
- Best for: growing companies that expect to add payroll, benefits and IT over time
- Payroll: Rippling Payroll, priced by custom quote
- Integrations: hundreds of third-party apps, including accounting and single sign-on
Start with HR, add payroll, IT or finance later: that modular path is Rippling’s case. You choose the products you need and get one per-employee quote, which fits a 15-50 person company that expects its systems to grow. The trade-off is that the website prints only a starting rate, so the real cost appears in a quote.
Most Rippling products are priced per employee per month, and some carry a monthly base fee. The homepage lists HR with benefits, recruiting, performance and LMS, plus IT apps for identity and devices and finance apps for cards and expenses.
Switching payroll mid-year is the practical edge: Rippling imports year-to-date payroll data from your previous provider, which matters for a company that outgrows Gusto in July. Against Factorial, which also lists IT and spend tools, Rippling runs payroll as its own product.
Rippling’s plans start at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee, and the total depends on the products you choose. For 10 employees, the starting rate alone is $8 x 10 = $80 a month before the base fee.
- Starting rate: $8 per employee per month, plus a base fee Rippling does not publish
- Rippling Payroll: custom quote
- Startup program: 6 free months for eligible US VC-backed startups
Sources: Rippling pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- One quote across HR, payroll, IT and finance products
- Year-to-date payroll import when switching mid-year
- 6 free months for eligible US VC-backed startups
Cons
- Base fee and module prices not published, so a total needs a sales quote
- Most added products carry their own per-employee price, some with a monthly base fee
- 6 free months only for eligible US VC-backed startups
- Skip it if:
- you want a printed total before any sales call; Gusto and Paycor publish full plan prices.
6. Paycor: Best for Payroll and HR Bundles Under 50 Employees
- Best for: businesses under 50 employees that want payroll plus HR from one vendor
- Hiring: Recruit & Hire, 3 jobs on Essential, 5 on Core, unlimited on Complete
- Offer: 50% off for 6 months for new customers, for a limited time
Paycor suits an owner who wants payroll, onboarding and recruiting from one vendor with the price on the page. Its plans page for businesses under 50 employees prints three bundles, so you can price payroll plus HR without a sales call. The trade-off: Basic’s $99 base fee is double Gusto Simple’s $49, and Essential caps recruiting at 3 jobs.
Every bundle includes the Payroll and Tax Service, with federal and state tax filing, direct deposit and no limit on payrolls each month. Essential is the bundle an HR buyer needs: it adds onboarding with E-Verify, the HR Support Center and the Time Off Manager.
Core adds Paycor Analytics, a 360° 401(k) integration and an electronic general ledger, useful when an accountant posts payroll to the books.
Performance Reviews & Goal Tracking appear only in the signup form’s HCM bundle, at $199 a month plus $12 per employee per month. The plan card with the same tagline is titled Complete and prints no price, so confirm the name and rate on your order form.
Paycor prices its under-50 bundles as a monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee. For 10 employees, Basic costs $99 + $50 ($5 x 10) = $149 a month before the promotion. Essential’s plan card prints $7 per employee and its plan details $6, so confirm the rate on your order form; the cost table uses the card’s $7.
| Bundle | Price | Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $99 a month + $5 per employee per month | Payroll and tax service, mobile app |
| Essential | $149 a month + $7 per employee per month | Onboarding, Time Off Manager, 3 recruiting jobs |
| Core | $199 a month + $8 per employee per month | Analytics, 401(k) integration, 5 recruiting jobs |
Sources: Paycor plans and pricing for under 50 employees, checked October 2026.
Pros
- Printed bundle prices for businesses under 50 employees
- Payroll and Tax Service in every bundle, with no limit on payroll runs
- Time Off Manager and onboarding from Essential
Cons
- A higher base fee than Gusto Simple
- Recruit & Hire capped at 3 jobs on Essential
- Performance reviews only in the top HCM bundle
- Skip it if:
- you run payroll in one state for 10 people; Gusto Simple costs $49 + $60 ($6 x 10) = $109 a month for 10 employees, against Paycor Basic’s $99 + $50 ($5 x 10) = $149.
7. Zoho People: Best for Low-Cost Core HR in the Zoho Suite
- Best for: budget-led teams, especially those already using Zoho apps
- Payroll: integrates with Zoho Payroll, a separate product
- Trial: 30-day free trial on all plans
A team already on Zoho apps gets core HR from Zoho People for a few dollars per user, and up to 5 users pay nothing. The free edition covers employee records, time off and documents. The trade-off: performance reviews sit on Premium, and payroll and recruiting live in separate Zoho products.
The edition ladder is the decision. Essential HR covers onboarding, documents, time off and HR reports; Professional adds attendance, timesheets and rosters; Premium adds performance, compensation and engagement; Enterprise adds an HR help desk and a learning management system.
The gap with BambooHR is wide for a buyer who wants reviews: for 25 employees, Premium costs $3 x 25 = $75 a month billed annually, against $425 for BambooHR Pro. The difference buys BambooHR’s built-in applicant tracking; Zoho People hands hiring to a Zoho Recruit integration.
Zoho People charges per user per month: Essential HR is $1.25 billed annually or $1.50 billed monthly. For 10 users, Essential HR costs $1.25 x 10 = $12.50 a month on annual billing.
| Edition | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential HR | $1.25 per user per month | $1.50 per user per month | Onboarding, HR reports |
| Professional | $2 per user per month | $2.50 per user per month | Attendance, timesheets, rosters |
| Premium | $3 per user per month | $3.50 per user per month | Performance, compensation, engagement |
| Enterprise | $4.50 per user per month | $5 per user per month | HR help desk, learning management |
Sources: Zoho People pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- Free edition for up to 5 users
- Performance management on Premium at $3 per user a month, billed annually
- 30-day trial that falls back to the Free plan
Cons
- Payroll needs the separate Zoho Payroll
- Hiring runs through the Zoho Recruit integration
- Local taxes charged on top of listed prices
- Skip it if:
- you need payroll on the same bill; Gusto and Paycor build it into every plan.
8. Factorial: Best for a Tailored Bundle of HR, Time and Expense Modules
- Best for: owners who want HR plus time, shifts, expenses and IT devices from one vendor
- Payroll: payslip distribution; payroll runs not listed on the pricing page
- Included in every plan: employee directory, onboarding, payslip distribution, legal e-signature
An operations-minded owner who wants HR, time tracking, shifts, expenses and company devices in one system, built with a specialist, is Factorial’s buyer. Every plan includes Factorial Core, and the rest are modules added to a tailored quote. The trade-off: the pricing page lists payslip distribution, not payroll runs, so a US team still needs a payroll provider.
The Time Off module lists unlimited time-off policies and custom absence types, where Connecteam’s Advanced plan stops at 9 policies with balance. Time Tracking adds geolocation and QR tracking, and Shift Management adds rotating shifts.
Talent modules include 360 performance reviews and recruitment with AI CV parsing. Beyond HR, Factorial lists finance and IT modules: expenses with OCR, procurement approvals and IT inventory.
Factorial starts at $8 per month, per user, and a specialist builds a tailored quote from the modules you choose. For 10 users, the starting rate is $8 x 10 = $80 a month, and the modules decide the final figure.
- Starting rate: $8 per month, per user
- Final price: tailored quote based on the modules chosen
- Included in every plan: Factorial Core
Sources: Factorial pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- Factorial Core (directory, onboarding, payslips, e-signature) in every plan
- Unlimited time-off policies in the Time Off module
- Expenses, procurement and IT inventory modules beside HR
Cons
- A US team still needs a separate payroll provider
- Final price only by tailored quote
- No free plan or trial published, only a free demo
- Skip it if:
- you need payroll from the same vendor, which Gusto runs on every plan, or a price you can read today, which Zoho People prints.
9. Deel: Best for Hiring Contractors and Employees Abroad
- Best for: small companies paying contractors or employing people in other countries
- EOR: full legal employment in 130+ countries
- Contract: month-to-month, no long-term commitment
When your next hire lives outside your company’s legal home, Deel does the employing. It pays contractors in 120+ currencies and, through its employer of record (EOR) service, legally employs people in 130+ countries on your behalf. It fits a 10-person US company with two or three people abroad, not a 25-person local team.
The EOR fee covers onboarding and local compliance, payroll processing and tax filings, benefits administration, and ongoing HR and legal support, at $599 per EOR employee per month.
Deel’s US PEO covers co-employment in all 50 states with benefits included, at $125 per employee per month against Justworks PEO Plus at $124. Pick Deel if some of your team is abroad, Justworks if everyone is in the US.
Deel prices each service per worker per month, month to month, and you can cancel at any time.
| Service | Starting price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiting | $14 per worker per month | Job posting, AI screening, interview scheduling |
| Contractors | $49 per contractor per month | Payments in 120+ currencies, invoicing |
| US PEO | $125 per US PEO employee per month | Co-employment in all 50 states, benefits |
| EOR | $599 per EOR employee per month | Full legal employment in 130+ countries |
Sources: Deel pricing page, checked October 2026.
Pros
- Contractor payments in 120+ currencies
- Employer of record in 130+ countries
- Month-to-month, with no long-term contract
Cons
- EOR priced per employee at a level built for global hiring
- US PEO at $125 per employee, against $124 for Justworks PEO Plus
- Per-head pricing is costly for an all-local team
- Skip it if:
- everyone works for your own US company in one state; BambooHR Core or Gusto Simple covers that team for far less per head.
10. HiBob: Best for Multi-Country Teams on One Record System
- Best for: teams with staff in several countries that want one HR record system
- Payroll: US payroll and UK payroll, plus integrations with global payroll providers
- Talent: hiring and onboarding, performance review and calibration, learning programs
HiBob, whose platform is called Bob, fits a company whose people already sit in several countries and need one record system across them. It lists US and UK payroll and integrations with global payroll providers, so local payroll elsewhere can stay where it is. The trade-off: HiBob publishes no price, so the website cannot set your budget.
HiBob’s homepage lists automated leave tracking with local policy enforcement, the job a 30-person company with staff in three countries otherwise tracks in spreadsheets. Deel becomes the legal employer abroad; HiBob keeps the records for people your own entities employ.
Workforce planning sits beside HR, with headcount planning, compensation cycle workflows and pay bands. That matters to a founder planning hires, and it is more than a 10-person team in one state needs.
HiBob does not publish prices; its pricing page is a demo form and prints no price.
- Price: no published price; the pricing page is a demo form
- Payroll: US and UK payroll, global payroll integrations
Sources: HiBob homepage, checked October 2026.
Pros
- US and UK payroll plus global payroll integrations
- Performance review with calibration and learning programs
- Workforce and headcount planning beside HR records
Cons
- No published price, so a budget waits on a demo
- Payroll outside the US and UK runs through integrations
- Workforce and headcount planning add scope a one-state team of 10 does not use
- Skip it if:
- you want a price today; Zoho People and BambooHR print theirs.
What 10 and 25 Employees Pay on Each Plan
At 10 employees the monthly bill runs from $0 on Connecteam’s free plan to $125 x 10 = $1,250 on Deel’s US PEO. The table writes each plan as base fee plus price per person.
| Software and plan | Pricing model | 10 employees | 25 employees | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR Core | Flat up to 25 employees | $250 | $250 | Payroll and benefits add-ons |
| BambooHR Pro | Flat up to 25 employees | $425 | $425 | Payroll and benefits add-ons |
| Gusto Simple | Base + per person | $49 + $60 ($6 x 10) = $109 | $49 + $150 ($6 x 25) = $199 | Time tracking, multi-state payroll |
| Gusto Plus | Base + per person | $80 + $120 ($12 x 10) = $200 | $80 + $300 ($12 x 25) = $380 | Insurance premiums |
| Justworks Payroll | Base + per employee | $50 + $80 ($8 x 10) = $130 | $50 + $200 ($8 x 25) = $250 | Time tracking add-on |
| Justworks PEO Basic | Per employee | $79 x 10 = $790 | $79 x 25 = $1,975 | Medical administration (PEO Plus) |
| Justworks PEO Plus | Per employee | $124 x 10 = $1,240 | $124 x 25 = $3,100 | Time tracking add-on |
| Connecteam HR & Skills + Operations | Free, then flat for 30 users per hub | $0 (Small Business Plan) | $29 x 2 = $58, both Basic billed yearly | Payroll runs |
| Paycor Basic | Base + per employee | $99 + $50 ($5 x 10) = $149 | $99 + $125 ($5 x 25) = $224 | Time Off Manager (Essential) |
| Paycor Essential | Base + per employee | $149 + $70 ($7 x 10) = $219 | $149 + $175 ($7 x 25) = $324 | Performance reviews (HCM) |
| Zoho People Essential HR | Per user, billed annually | $1.25 x 10 = $12.50 | $1.25 x 25 = $31.25 | Payroll, reviews |
| Zoho People Premium | Per user, billed annually | $3 x 10 = $30 | $3 x 25 = $75 | Payroll |
| Rippling | Per employee + base fee | $8 x 10 = $80 + base fee | $8 x 25 = $200 + base fee | Base fee not published |
| Factorial | Per user, by quote | $8 x 10 = $80 + modules | $8 x 25 = $200 + modules | Module prices by quote |
| Deel US PEO | Per employee | $125 x 10 = $1,250 | $125 x 25 = $3,125 | EOR priced separately |
| HiBob | Demo form | No published price | No published price | Payroll outside the US and UK |
Sources: BambooHR pricing, Gusto pricing, Justworks pricing, Connecteam pricing, Paycor under-50 pricing, Zoho People pricing, Rippling pricing, Factorial pricing, Deel pricing, checked October 2026.
The ranking by price shifts between 10 and 25 people. At 10 employees, Gusto Plus and Paycor Essential both cost less than BambooHR Core’s flat $250 a month; at 25, both cost more, so the flat rate starts to look efficient for an HR-first buyer.
BambooHR’s edge case sits one hire past 25: at 26 employees Core leaves the flat rate and costs $10.25 x 26 = $266.50 a month before volume discounts.
Connecteam’s step comes at 11 users, when the free all-hubs Small Business Plan ends. An hourly team on both Basic hubs then pays $29 x 2 = $58 a month billed yearly, or falls back to the Limited plan, free for life up to 30 users with fewer features.
None of these figures include add-ons, insurance premiums, setup fees or taxes. Over a year the gap compounds: Zoho People Premium for 25 employees is $3 x 25 x 12 = $900, while BambooHR Pro is $425 x 12 = $5,100.
How to Choose the Best HR Software for Your Small Business
Start from your payroll situation. Payroll first points to Gusto or Paycor; HR first with your current payroll points to BambooHR or Zoho People; a PEO points to Justworks; staff abroad point to Deel. The matrix shows where each pick puts the jobs that decide the rest.
| Software | Payroll path | Time off | Hourly time clock | Hiring | Performance reviews | Benefits or PEO | Admin security and compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | Add-on | Core | Time & Attendance add-on | Core (5 job openings) | Pro | Add-on | VirgilHR compliance on every plan |
| Gusto | Every plan | Simple (basic PTO) | Plus, or $6 per person add-on | Onboarding tools | Not listed | Every plan (broker) | Gusto Business Compliance (Premium) |
| Justworks | Every plan | Yes | $8 per employee add-on | PEO Basic (ATS) | Integrations | PEO Plus | EPLI on PEO plans |
| Connecteam | Integration | Basic (approvals) | Operations hub, GPS clock-in | HR & Skills hub | Not listed | Not listed | SSO and 2FA on Enterprise |
| Rippling | Quoted product | Not listed | Not listed | Quoted product | Quoted product | Quoted product | SSO integrations |
| Paycor | Every bundle | Essential | Not in the printed bundles | Essential (3 jobs) | HCM bundle | 401(k) admin | In-product compliance |
| Zoho People | Zoho Payroll | Free edition | Professional (attendance, timesheets) | Zoho Recruit | Premium | Via Zoho Payroll | Not listed |
| Factorial | Payslips only | Time Off module | Time Tracking module | Recruitment module | Performance module | Not listed | IT modules: MDM, EDR |
| Deel | EOR and PEO | Not listed | Not listed | Recruiting | Not listed | US PEO | Compliance (EOR, worker classification) |
| HiBob | US and UK payroll | Yes | Time & Attendance product | Yes | Yes | Benefits management | Not listed |
Sources: BambooHR pricing, Gusto homepage, Justworks pricing, Connecteam pricing, Rippling homepage, Paycor under-50 pricing, Zoho People homepage, Factorial pricing, HiBob pricing, checked October 2026.
Integrations decide whether an HR-first tool works with your payroll: BambooHR lists over 150 integration partners, Gusto names QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks, and Zoho People connects to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
For a deeper payroll comparison, see the guide to comparing payroll software for small businesses.
Also Considered
Three tools did not make the ranking, each for a sourced reason:
- TriNet HR Platform (formerly Zenefits): GoCo’s site calls GoCo the preferred migration vendor for all Zenefits clients and runs a Transition Center for customers migrating from TriNet HRP, so I left the product out of a list for new buyers.
- GoCo: GoCo’s homepage says it is now part of Intuit, and its pricing address served a QuickBooks Online pricing page on October 27, 2026, so there was no GoCo price to rank.
- Personio: like HiBob, it prints no price and routes buyers to a demo. Its US pricing FAQ says it suits companies with 10-10,000 employees, which leaves out this list’s under-10 teams. The same FAQ adds a one-time setup fee that depends on company size and a 12-month minimum on yearly plans. HiBob keeps the multi-country slot because it lists its own US and UK payroll.
FAQ
Is there free HR software for a small business?
Yes. Zoho People has a free edition for up to 5 users that covers employee records, time off and documents, and Connecteam’s Small Business Plan is free for up to 10 users with all hubs. Both stop at a headcount, so check where your next hire lands before you build on either.
What is the most commonly used HR software?
No neutral usage count is published, so the figures are each vendor’s own claim. Gusto says 500,000+ businesses run on it, Zoho People says 50K+ businesses use it, Deel says it is trusted by 40,000+ companies, and BambooHR says 30,000+ companies trust it. None measures fit for a 10-person team.
Do I need a PEO or HR software?
Choose HR software if you need records, PTO and payroll and keep benefits with your own broker. Choose a PEO if you want its benefits access, EPLI and compliance support.
Justworks prices both: for 10 employees, PEO Plus, the plan with medical, dental and vision administration, costs $124 x 10 = $1,240 a month, and Payroll costs $50 + $80 ($8 x 10) = $130.
Final Verdict
No single tool wins every job on this list, so pick by the HR job that comes first and the number of people you pay:
- HR-first, under 25 employees: BambooHR Core, or Pro for reviews.
- Payroll-first: Gusto Simple for one state, Gusto Plus once you hire in a second state.
- Hourly and shift teams: Connecteam, free up to 10 users.
- Benefits through a PEO: Justworks.
- Free to start: Zoho People for up to 5 users, Connecteam for up to 10.
- Printed payroll-plus-HR bundles under 50 employees: Paycor.
- Modular quote: Rippling, or Factorial if expenses and IT devices matter too.
- Staff abroad: Deel.
- One record system across countries: HiBob.
If two picks still tie, run your headcount through the cost table, put two employees through Zoho People’s or Connecteam’s free plan, and get the rest’s price at your headcount in writing before you commit.
