BambooHR Competitors & Alternatives
BambooHR is one of the most popular human resource solutions on the market today. That market, however, is competitive. Therefore, we recommend comparing BambooHR against its top competitors before purchasing.
There are many excellent competitors in the human resource space that are worth considering. Most of BambooHR’s top competitors offer similar or less robust features at more affordable prices.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | 89 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 9 |
| Zenefits | 95 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Justworks | 93 | 9.5 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Gusto | 92 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7.5 |
| Zoho People | 90 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Sage HR | 89 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| ADP RUN | 83 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main BambooHR competitors and alternatives, which are:
In this guide, we examine BambooHR’s features and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a better understanding of BambooHR as a solution, you can read our in-depth BambooHR review.
All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with small business owners, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader human resource software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.
Table of Contents
- BambooHR Features
- BambooHR Competitor Overview: Features
- BambooHR Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top BambooHR Competitors
- Bottom Line
BambooHR Features
Before we compare BambooHR against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features included in BambooHR. BambooHR offers features geared more towards applicant tracking than human resource management and payroll.
The five most important features that BambooHR offers are described in the table below. BambooHR’s strongest feature is recruiting.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Recruiting | BambooHR’s recruiting is its speciality feature. You can easily manage job postings, distribute them to popular job boards, and access candidate information from one centralized location. Note that you cannot edit applicant pipelines like in Sage HR. |
| Employee Onboarding | BambooHR’s employee onboarding is decent but not as robust as more affordable alternatives like Zenefits. You can automate sending onboarding documents and assigning tasks for new hires. |
| Time Tracking | Time tracking in BambooHR is helpful for salaried and hourly employees. Employees can use BambooHR’s mobile and desktop apps to clock in and out of work. You can also create unlimited paid-time-off (PTO) policies. |
| Benefits | Benefits management in BambooHR is its weakest point. You can only track benefits rather than selecting them like Gusto. This is especially limiting for newer businesses in need of guidance for benefits selection. |
| Analytics and Reporting | BambooHR’s analytics and custom report creation are limited. You cannot preview your custom reports before you export them. However, you’re provided a number of helpful pre-made reports to gain analysis from. |
BambooHR Competitor Overview: Features
Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how affordable each platform is and how wide their breadth of features is.
For example, BambooHR is geared more towards applicant tracking and recruiting than human resource management. This contrasts with its more affordable alternatives, which include more diverse features, such as Justworks and Zenefits.
BambooHR Competitor Overview: Pricing
BambooHR’ pricing starts at $99 for 12 employees. Each additional employee is $8.25 per month. Payroll costs an additional $75 for 10 employees with each additional employee being $4.25 per month.
Compared to its competitors’ pricing, BambooHR is one of the more expensive solutions. Here are the prices of BambooHR and its top competitors with additional pricing details:
| Software Vendor | Starting Monthly Price | Free Trial | Pricing Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | $99 | Yes |
|
| Zenefits | $10 per user | Yes |
|
| Justworks | $49 | Yes |
|
| Gusto | $39 | No |
|
| Zoho People | Free | No |
|
| Sage HR | $5.50 per user | Yes |
|
| ADP RUN | Custom | No |
|
Top BambooHR Competitors
Below are one-to-one comparisons between BambooHR and its top alternatives. BambooHR is best for customers interested primarily in software that can create job postings and automate employee onboarding tasks. We’ve ranked BambooHR’s top six competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.
#1: Zenefits
Zenefits is a more affordable and robust alternative to BambooHR. BambooHR could work as an alternative to Zenefits if recruiting features are important for your business. However, consider the more affordable Zoho People before making any further purchase decisions.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of BambooHR vs. Zenefits.
- You require a solution to create and distribute job posts
- You only need to track benefits for your company instead of selecting them
- You do not need performance management features such as surveys
- You need HR software for payroll, benefits, and onboarding assistance
- You want to automatically onboard new employees onto your software systems
- You want to perform background checks on new hires
#2: Justworks
Justworks is a closer alternative to Zenefits rather than BambooHR. Justworks does not support the recruiting features BambooHR offers. However, its accessibility and human resource management features make it a stronger tool for newer businesses.
BambooHR can be effective for your business if you absolutely need applicant tracking and recruiting features. However, consider Sage HR and Zoho People before making your purchase decision.
- You require a solution to create and distribute job posts
- You only need to track benefits for your company instead of selecting them
- You do not need compliance assistance features such as training videos
- You’re in need of powerful compliance assistance features
- You want to offer free training courses for your employees
- You are a newer business in need of a user-friendly HR product
#3: Gusto
Gusto is an alternative to BambooHR centered around payroll. It is closer to ADP RUN, Justworks, and Zenefits in regards to features. We recommend Gusto over BambooHR because it is more affordable and easier to use for newer businesses.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of BambooHR vs. Gusto.
- You need to create and distribute job posts for your company
- You only need to track benefits for your company instead of selecting them
- You do not need a robust custom report creator
- Gusto can offer benefits management in your state
- You are in need of affordable payroll software
- You want to easily create customizable reports
#4: Zoho People
Zoho People is a more affordable alternative to BambooHR. Unlike other competitors, Zoho People includes recruiting features such as job post creation and distribution, as well as interview pipelines.
We recommend Zoho People over BambooHR if you are primarily in need of recruiting features. Note that its payroll and benefits management are only available in India.
- You need to run payroll outside of India
- You are not in need of expense management features
- You need to automate offboarding processes in addition to onboarding
- You leverage HR software mainly for recruiting features
- You want a more affordable HR software solution
- You do not require robust performance management features
#5: Sage HR
Sage HR is a less affordable alternative to BambooHR. Its strong points are its workflow automations and its performance management. Sage HR also has slightly stronger recruiting features. However, we ultimately recommend selecting BambooHR over Sage HR due to affordability.
- You do not require performance management features in your HR software
- You need more accessible time tracking features
- You leverage HR software for custom report creation
- You need to edit applicant interview pipelines
- You want to automate repetitive tasks for your company
- You need expense management features such as tracking reimbursements
#6: ADP RUN
ADP RUN is a direct alternative to Gusto more so than BambooHR. ADP RUN is more effective for running payroll than BambooHR. However, consider more affordable and user-friendly alternatives like Gusto and Zenefits before making your purchase decision.
- You require a solution to create and distribute job posts
- You only need to track benefits for your company instead of selecting
- You do not need a robust custom report creator
- You want to create customizable reports for employee and company analysis
- You require onboarding assistance for new hires and payroll
- You want to purchase business coverage services such as general liability insurance
Bottom Line
BambooHR is effective for small businesses in need of user-friendly job posting features alongside basic time tracking and reporting. However, consider more affordable alternatives such as Gusto or Zenefits if recruiting is not a priority for you.
Before you make your purchase, we also suggest comparing BambooHR to other highly rated platforms:
- Zoho People is best for businesses in need of software similar to BambooHR that want stronger expense management features.
- Zenefits is best for businesses in need of more robust human resource management features.
- Gusto is best for businesses in need of more affordable payroll.