Best Human Resource Software 2021

Human resource software is built to support various types of small businesses in managing their companies, as well and their individual employees. HR software systems can be highly targeted and focus on features like payroll or applicant tracking. More robust solutions offer a wider breadth of features.

These solutions typically offer features like job posting, onboarding automation, time tracking, performance management, team management, and custom reports. HR software provides value for a wide range of businesses. The best HR solution for your company will depend on whether you require a tool that assist with a very specific part of your business operations, or a solution that offers a more holistic set of features.

HR software is one of the foundational software systems that all small businesses should use along with document management software and accounting software.

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Highest Rated Human Resource Software

Human resource software is used by all types of businesses to manage their company. Human resource software is often used for job posting, payroll, performance management, and expense management.

Zenefits
Rating: 95
Starting Price: $10 per month per user

Zenefits is a human resource software solution used by over 11,000 businesses. It is used by businesses primarily to run payroll, onboard employees, and manage employee benefits. It is primarily built for businesses with 50-200 employees.

Pros:
  • Zenefits’ payroll can compensate contingent workers such as part-time employees and interns
  • Zenefits can run automated background checks for your new hires
  • Zenefits can create Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Slack accounts for new hires
Cons:
  • You cannot create and distribute job postings directly from Zenefits
  • Zenefits does not offer native expense management features
  • You cannot preview reports in Zenefits which hinders your workflow
Justworks
Rating: 93
Starting Price: $49 per month per user

Justworks is a human resource software solution used by over 130,000 employees. It is primarily built for businesses with 2-200 employees.

Pros:
  • Justworks’ interface is user-friendly for newer businesses
  • Payroll in Justworks can be used in all 50 states
  • Justworks comes with a number of free training courses to assist with compliance
  • Justworks allows you to set permissions for your employees
Cons:
  • Justworks cannot create and distribute job postings
  • Justworks does not offer native expense management features
  • You cannot preview reports in Justworks, which hinders your workflow
  • Justworks does not offer a high number of native integrations
Gusto
Rating: 92
Starting Price: $39 per month

Gusto is a human resource software solution used by more than 100,000 businesses. Gusto started as a payroll solution, but has since added a variety of HR features including benefits and compliance support. Gusto is generally used by small businesses with less than 500 employees.

Pros:
  • Payroll is very user-friendly and simple to set up in Gusto
  • Gusto offers features that help your business stay compliant with state and federal policies
  • Gusto allows you to create highly customizable and detailed reports
Cons:
  • You cannot post and manage job listings with Gusto
  • Gusto does not include a dedicated applicant tracking system
  • Employee benefits are not available for 11 states in Gusto
  • Gusto does not include expense management features
Zoho Recruit
Rating: 90
Starting Price: Starting at $0 per month

Zoho Recruit is a talent acquisition software solution that is best for businesses interested in affordable software that excels at recruiting and managing expenses.

Pros:
  • Easy to navigate and use
  • Budget-friendly, all-in-one ATS
  • Unlimited job postings to multiple sites
  • Options for staffing agencies and temp workforce recruitment and hiring
Cons:
  • UX/UI could be improved
  • Some limitations on customization
  • Limited mobile app functionality
BambooHR
Rating: 89
Starting Price: $99 per month

BambooHR is a human resource software solution best for businesses with 25 to 300 employees. It is primarily used by businesses to create job postings and time track employees. Its standout features are its recruiting capabilities, as well as its onboarding and offboarding features.

Pros:
  • Job postings are very user-friendly and simple to set up in BambooHR
  • BambooHR can automate and track onboarding and offboarding processes
  • Monitoring employee hours is easy to visualize with BambooHR’s calendar
Cons:
  • Payroll, time tracking, and performance management modules all cost additional money
  • BambooHR does not support expense management
  • You cannot run benefits directly in BambooHR
https://fave.co/3zhkAnh
Rating: 89
Starting Price: $5.50 per month per user

Sage HR is a human resource software used by small businesses with up to 125 employees. It is used by businesses to create job postings and track applicants and their interview process. Its standout features are its hiring and onboarding, as well as its analytics and reporting.

Pros:
  • Job postings are very user-friendly and simple to set up in Sage HR
  • Sage HR can automate repetitive tasks through workflow automation
  • Sage HR comes with helpful reports on your company and employees
Cons:
  • You cannot run payroll or manage employee benefits with Sage HR
  • Sage HR does not assist you with state and federal compliance
  • Sage HR does not offer an adequate amount of native integrations with other software tools
Jobsoid
Rating: 87
Starting Price: $49 per month

Jobsoid is a cloud-based applicant tracking system that helps businesses and recruitment agencies streamline their hiring processes. Founded in 2016, the software is used worldwide by more than 2000 companies to simplify their recruitment.

Pros:
  • Automates the recruitment process, from job posting to hiring
  • Unique functionality such as "Smart Filters" and video interview submissions help screen candidates more effectively
  • Has all of the functionality you'd expect from your ATS, and then some
Cons:
  • Lacks real-time video interview functionality, but this can be handled with other third-party video conferencing systems (Skype, Google Hangouts)
  • No onboarding capability, data cannot be easily transferred to your human resource management system (HRMS)
PeopleHR
Rating: 86
Starting Price: $3 per month per user

PeopleHR is an affordable web-based HRMS designed for small and medium-sized businesses. The system is capable of scaling as your organization’s needs grow, since you can easily add additional modules as your HR department's needs change.

Pros:
  • Affordable web-based HRMS
  • Lets you scale your HR solution to the changing needs of your company
  • Contains all of the functionality you'd expect from an HRMS
  • Query tool makes it easy to generate reports on any data in the system
Cons:
  • User interface can be overwhelming for new users
  • System experiences occasional outages, which means that the system would be inaccessible during that timeframe
  • Mobile app is less robust than desktop version
Breezy HR
Rating: 86
Starting Price: Free

Breezy HR is award-winning applicant tracking software (ATS) designed to streamline all aspects of recruitment, from sourcing candidates to hiring. Founded in 2014, Breezy has a growing customer base of 3,000+ companies across the globe and has established itself as a market leader via exceptional usability and a rich set of features.

Pros:
  • Customizable pipeline with drag-and-drop functionality to organize candidates visually
  • Automated emails, templates and advanced scheduling for candidate communication
  • Integrated two-way video meetings and one-way video questionnaires for remote hiring
Cons:
  • No customizable reports
  • Lack of a mid-tier pricing option, which makes it expensive if you need to advertise only a few positions
ADP RUN
Rating: 83
Starting Price: Custom

ADP RUN is a human resource software solution used by over 700,000 businesses. It is used by businesses primarily to run payroll. It is built for businesses with 1-49 employees.

Pros:
  • Payroll in ADP RUN can be used in all 50 states
  • ADP RUN assists with selecting business insurance
  • ADP RUN allows you to send physical checks for payroll
  • Creating reports in ADP RUN is flexible and easy to do
Cons:
  • ADP RUN’s pricing is not transparent
  • ADP RUN’s user interface and lack of guidance make onboarding and offboarding difficult for newer businesses
  • ADP RUN does not support both performance and expense management features
  • Creating and distributing job posts must be done through ADP Run’s ZipRecruiter integration
Workable
Rating: 72
Starting Price: $50 per month

Workable is a contemporary applicant tracking system (ATS) that helps over 6,000 companies around the world find, evaluate and hire candidates. With a rich set of features, Workable streamlines the hiring process from candidate sourcing through to employment and onboarding, reducing the overall cost and time associated with recruitment.

Pros:
  • Easy-to-use ATS with a powerful set of features
  • Simple workflow that allows you to track candidates through different stages of your hiring pipeline
  • Excellent customer service
Cons:
  • Reporting is limited unless you are a Pro Plan user
  • Pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses that recruit regularly
  • Unable to create multiple pipelines to cater to different positions
VIVAHR
Rating: 66
Starting Price: Free

Overall, VIVAHR isn't an all-in-one system and doesn't do as much as other ATS's for improving operational efficiency. The lack of an interview-scheduling tool and automation features can ultimately result in an increased workload. Though VIVAHR has a forever free plan, other competing products also offer free plans, which we find to be more attractive.

Pros:
  • Free plan includes unlimited job postings
  • Ability to create a customizable Culture Page for each job position to attract top talent
  • Gain instant candidate feedback using the scorecard feature
Cons:
  • Unable to schedule interviews through the platform
  • Unable to advertise positions on free job boards
  • No help section and customer support limited to email
Recruiteze
Rating: 61
Starting Price: Free

Originally founded in 2012, Recruiteze started off as a Resume Formatting Service and has since expanded to include an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). While not as intuitive or feature-rich as its competitors, Recruiteze is a functional and extremely affordable ATS that is marketed towards small businesses and growing recruitment agencies.

Pros:
  • Extremely affordable ATS, free for a single job posting
  • Provides the ability to coordinate multiple job postings and manage candidates from one system
  • Customizable workflows which allow you to move each candidate through different stages of the hiring process
Cons:
  • No pre-screening feature, interview scheduling function, or built-in feedback tools
  • Unable to post job advertisements directly to social media sites such as your Facebook Career Page
  • Layout and overall usability could use some tweaking, and the software is not very intuitive

Human Resource Software Prices

Human resource software prices range from $5 to $50 per month per user. Most small businesses will pay around $5 to $15 dollars per month per user for human resource software. Here are details that will help you compare prices for the most popular human resource software platforms.

Software VendorStarting Monthly PriceFree TrialPricing Details
Zenefits$10 per userYes
  • None
Justworks$49Yes
  • 15% off if your company has 25 to 99 employees
Gusto$39No
  • Additional $6 per month per user
Zoho PeopleFreeNo
  • None
BambooHR$99Yes
  • $99 for up to 12 users
  • Additional $8.25 per month per user for base plan
Sage HR$5.50 per userYes
  • None
Jobsoid$49Yes
  • None
PeopleHR$3 per userNo
  • Price ranges from $3 to $7 depending on business needs
Breezy HRFreeNo
  • None
ADP RUNCustomNo
  • None
Workable$50Yes
  • None
VIVAHRFreeNo
  • None
RecruitezeFreeNo
  • None

Human Resource Software FAQs

Human resource software allows small and medium sized businesses to create job postings, run payroll, and manage performance and expenses. Common features include recruiting, onboarding and offboarding automation, time tracking, and custom reports.

There are numerous benefits that human resource software offers. This includes:

  • Running payroll for your company
  • Posting jobs and tracking applicants
  • Tracking expenses for reimbursement
  • Creating custom reports for top-level analysis of your company

The cost of human resource software depends on how many team members you have. You can expect to spend about $50 to $500 per month per user depending on which software and plan you're purchasing.

The best human resource software for you depends on what your business needs. The best software for companies who simply want to run payroll for their small business is Gusto. Companies in need of more advanced solutions should consider BambooHR or Sage HR.

ADP is one of the most popular human resource software solutions on the market today. It serves over 860,000 customers.

The most common human resource software features are:

  • Recruiting
  • Onboarding and offboarding
  • Payroll
  • Time tracking
  • Compliance support
  • Benefits
  • Performance management
  • Expense management
  • Analytics and reporting

Human Resource Software Research & Advice

What is Human Resource Software?

By Yousef Fatehpour |

This ultimate guide to human resource software will help you learn the basics of human resource management, the benefits for your business...Read More >

Gusto Competitors & Alternatives

By Yousef Fatehpour |

Are you considering purchasing Gusto to manage your human resource management needs? Before making the purchase, it’s best to learn about...Read More >

Zenefits vs. ADP RUN

By Yousef Fatehpour |

Is Zenefits or ADP RUN the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you decide which human resource...Read More >

Justworks vs. ADP RUN

By Yousef Fatehpour |

Is Justworks or ADP RUN the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you decide which human resource...Read More >

Why You Should Trust Our Recommendations

The team at SoftwarePundit has been testing software since 2017. We’ve hand-tested over 250 software products in that time, including four in the human resource category. We applied the same rigorous process to each piece of human resource software that we analyzed. The specifics of our human resource category research process are outlined below.

Yousef led our analysis of human resource software. He has spent more than 250 hours evaluating leading human resource software solutions.

In addition, all research and content was overseen by Bruce Hogan, SoftwarePundit’s Co-founder & CEO. Bruce has more than a decade of experience researching, building, and reviewing the world’s best software products. His technology advice has been featured on a wide range of media sites such as AngelList, CMSWire, Dental Economics, iPhone Life, Reader’s Digest, Thrive Global, U.S. News, and the Zapier Blog.

How We Selected the Best Human Resource Software

We selected the best human resource software based upon a number of criteria. The most important criteria were each software tool’s features, usability, price, and customer support. The details of our analyses are captured in the in-depth reviews we publish about each software tool.

There are a handful of critical features that you should look for in human resource software. We prioritized the following features in our analysis:

  • Recruiting: Human resource tools allow you to recruit new employees by creating job postings and tracking applicants. Robust solutions allow you to edit your posting’s pipeline and scorecards.
  • Payroll: Payroll is one of the main reasons companies seek out human resource software. Solutions vary in how they handle payroll. For example, some solutions have specific limitations when it comes to contractors or part-time employees. Make sure to review each software’s payroll capabilities before making a purchase decision.
  • Performance Management: Many human resource tools offer a multitude of ways to track your company’s performance. Feature-rich solutions will assist you in conducting performance reviews with employees, as well as tracking performance over time through goals or analytics.
  • Expense Management: Expense management in human resource software includes adding and tracking any expenses your company has made. This can include tracking what purchase was made, when it was made, who it was made by, and with what payment method. This is an effective way to visualize and approve reimbursements for your employees.

How We Evaluated Human Resource Software

We used the same rigorous process to evaluate human resource software as all other software categories. For the human resource category, Yousef invested several weeks researching the market, testing out key human resource features, and publishing his insights about the tools.

Yousef signed up for free trials of each solution listed above to gain a deeper understanding of each human resource tool. This allowed him to authenticate the features offered by each solution. He used several numbers and spent hours testing each tools’ recruiting, payroll, onboarding, performance management, and expense management capabilities. He also downloaded the mobile app version of human resource solutions to understand the mobile experience for small businesses.

In addition to conducting conversations with the software companies and hand-testing every piece of software, Yousef also spent dozens of hours interviewing real customers of the software tools listed above. Human resource software customers that provided insights that were included in our analysis and reviews were:

  • Michael Cupps: Michael Cupps is vice president of marketing at ActiveOps. His company currently uses Justworks.
  • Karl Rinderknecht: Karl Rinderknecht is the COO of WhoCo. His company currently uses Gusto.
  • Jon Torres: Jon Torres is the founder of JonTorres.com. His company currently uses Gusto.