Alternative to
6 Alternatives to BambooHR in 2026
Teams look beyond BambooHR when the per-seat bill grows with headcount, when payroll has to run outside the United States, or when performance and pay tools should not depend on the top tier. They tend to land on Factorial, HiBob or Leapsome, and smaller companies often pick CharlieHR or Zoho People.
Why people look for an alternative to BambooHR
Useful modules sit in higher tiers
Reviews with 360 cycles and 1:1s start at Pro, and compensation bands with Mercer benchmarking start at Elite. A company that wants both pays the $25 Elite rate for every employee, not only for the managers who use them.
Payroll is a US-only add-on
The page says Payroll and Benefits Administration serve US employees only, with Global Employment handled through Remote. Employers with staff in several countries end up stitching a second payroll system onto the HR record.
Two sets of prices on one page
The plan cards show $10 and $17 per employee, while the FAQ on the same page shows $10.25 and $17.50. Buyers who budget from a published price have to ask which figure applies at signing.
The best BambooHR alternatives
- 1
Factorial
Factorial puts HR, time tracking, payroll, recruiting and IT management in one login, with a stated starting price of $8 per user. The final plan is tailored to the modules you pick, so the starting figure is a floor and not a quote.
Switch if you want time, payroll and hiring to share one employee record and can accept a quote after a request.
- 2
HiBob
HiBob is a people platform with core HR, hiring, performance, payroll in the US and UK, and compensation planning on one data model. It publishes no prices, but names AI features, a Slack assistant and an MCP connection.
Switch if you run a distributed mid-sized company and will sit through a demo to get pay and workforce planning inside the HR system.
- 3
Leapsome is a Berlin GmbH that prices each module in euros: core HR at 7 or 10 per employee, and talent modules such as compensation at 3 extra. Benchmarks are a separate paid add-on, and core HR does payroll preparation, not payroll.
Switch if you want to buy performance and pay modules one at a time and prefer a German contracting entity.
- 4
CharlieHR
CharlieHR is a UK product with a headcount-band price list that starts at 21 pounds a month for one to four people, plus VAT. A seven-day trial needs no card, and AskCharlie belongs to the Grow tier.
Switch if you are a small UK company outgrowing spreadsheets and want leave, onboarding and reviews at a price read off a table.
- 5
Zoho People
Zoho People comes in Essential HR, Professional, Premium and Enterprise editions, with a 30-day trial, no forced contracts and a five-user minimum. The price amounts did not render when the page was checked, and its AI features were not confirmed.
Switch if you Switch if your company already runs on Zoho apps and you want a trial before any commitment.
- 6
15Five covers the performance half only: Engage at $4, Perform at $11 and Total Platform at $16 per user, with AI drafting reviews and summarizing survey comments. It holds no payroll or time off, so it needs an HRIS beside it.
Switch if you keep BambooHR Core for records but want review and coaching tools without paying for Pro on everyone.
Before you switch away from BambooHR
Start with the data you will take with you. Export employee records through the custom report builder, plus time-off balances, onboarding checklists, offer letter templates and any signed documents. Note which workflows and approvals you built, because they rarely import and must be rebuilt by hand. If payroll runs through BambooHR, confirm that the pay history and year-to-date totals can be handed over, since the privacy notice says payroll service records are kept for at least ten years. Check where the new vendor hosts data, since BambooHR names the US, Canada or Ireland. Then time a parallel run over one pay cycle before cancelling.
The full ranking of this category is in Best AI HR Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does BambooHR cost, and why do I see two prices?
The plan cards list Core at $10, Pro at $17 and Elite at $25 per employee per month, with flat monthly rates for 25 employees or fewer. The FAQ on the same pricing page shows $10.25 for Core and $17.50 for Pro. Confirm the figure in writing before you compare other tools against it.
Which BambooHR alternative has payroll outside the US?
BambooHR's own payroll covers US employees only. Among the tools here, HiBob describes payroll for the US and UK, and Factorial lists payroll as a module without naming countries on the pricing page. Leapsome only prepares payroll data. Ask each vendor which countries it files taxes in.
Is there a BambooHR alternative for a company under 25 people?
BambooHR offers flat monthly rates at that size, starting at $250 for Core. CharlieHR prices by headcount band, from 21 pounds a month for one to four people, and Zoho People has a five-user minimum with a 30-day trial. Compare the total for your exact headcount, not the entry price.
Do these tools train AI on my employee data?
BambooHR's privacy notice limits personal information to providing the services and does not address model training either way. The pages checked for the alternatives mostly do not state a training policy, so ask each vendor in writing. Employee records are personal data, which makes that answer worth having before signing.