2026 EDITION · Updated 25 April 2026

The vendor-neutral guide to HR software for small business.

Real 2026 pricing for ten platforms. No affiliate-driven rankings, no fabricated quotes, no “best of” popularity contest. A buying framework that respects your time.

Run the cost calculator Decision framework

platforms tracked

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deep-dive guides

All 10 platforms compared

Sorted by ascending starting price. Per-employee per month (PEPM) reflects the lowest published 2026 plan tier. Click any platform name to read our full review.

Verified 25 April 2026

Platform	PEPM	Base fee	@25 emp	Payroll	Benefits admin	Onboarding	Performance	Compliance	Time tracking	Trial
Homebase Hourly-team scheduling and time clock with HR add-ons.	$0	–	$0	Add-on	Limited	✓	–	Limited	✓	14d
GoCo Customisable HR platform with broker-friendly benefits workflows.	$5	–	$125	Add-on	✓	✓	✓	✓	Add-on	–
Paychex Flex Established payroll-first platform with broad SMB feature set.	$5	$39	$164	✓	Add-on	✓	Add-on	✓	Add-on	–
ADP Run Trusted enterprise-grade payroll, scaled down for small business.	$4	$79	$179	✓	Add-on	Limited	–	✓	Add-on	–
OnPay Flat-rate full-service payroll with built-in HR essentials.	$6	$40	$190	✓	✓	✓	–	✓	Limited	30d
Gusto Modern payroll-first HR for very small US teams.	$6	$49	$199	✓	✓	✓	Limited	✓	Add-on	30d
BambooHR HR-first platform with the strongest people-management UX.	$8	–	$200	Add-on	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	7d
Rippling Modular HR, IT and finance platform for scaling teams.	$8	–	$200	Add-on	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	14d
Deel Global payroll, EOR and contractor management for distributed teams.	$49	–	$1,225	✓	✓	✓	Limited	✓	✓	–
Justworks PEO-lite that bundles payroll, benefits and compliance.	$59	–	$1,475	✓	✓	✓	Limited	✓	✓	–

PEPM = Per-Employee Per Month. Quote-based plans (BambooHR Core, ADP, Paychex, GoCo) shown at midpoint of typical published ranges. Add-on column markers indicate the feature is available but billed separately.

Live cost estimate

HR software cost calculator

Set team size, pick the features you actually need, and compare real monthly cost across all 10 platforms.

Team size15

Required features

Paychex Flex

Lowest cost

$114/mo

$8/emp/mo

Rippling

$120/mo

$8/emp/mo

OnPay

$130/mo

$9/emp/mo

Gusto

$139/mo

$9/emp/mo

GoCo

$150/mo

$10/emp/mo

BambooHR

$270/mo

$18/emp/mo

Deel

$735/mo

$49/emp/mo

Justworks

$885/mo

$59/emp/mo

Estimates use lowest published 2026 plan rates plus add-on payroll where required (BambooHR $10/emp, GoCo $5/emp, Homebase $6/emp + $39 base). Quote-based providers (ADP, Paychex, BambooHR Core) shown at typical published ranges. Implementation, multi-state filing, and module add-ons can shift the real bill 10 to 30 percent. Verify pricing with each vendor.

Platform-by-platform

One paragraph per platform with the genuine strengths and the honest limitations. Written without affiliate bias.

Gusto

Modern payroll-first HR for very small US teams.

PEPM

1 to 50 employees, payroll-firstPayroll included

+Cleanest payroll setup in the category, taxes auto-filed in all 50 states.

−Performance reviews and goal tracking are very thin in lower tiers.

Full Gusto pricing →

BambooHR

HR-first platform with the strongest people-management UX.

PEPM

20 to 200 employees, people-ops focusPayroll add-on

+Best-in-class onboarding workflows with offer letters and e-sign built in.

−Payroll is a paid add-on at roughly $10 per employee per month.

Rippling

Modular HR, IT and finance platform for scaling teams.

PEPM

25 to 1,000 employees, multi-state or remotePayroll add-on

+Unifies HR, IT provisioning, device management and corporate cards.

−Modular pricing means the $8 starting price rarely reflects real cost.

Full Rippling pricing →

ADP Run

Trusted enterprise-grade payroll, scaled down for small business.

PEPM

1 to 49 employees, brand trust priorityPayroll included

+Decades of payroll tax expertise, accurate filings across all jurisdictions.

−Quote-based pricing leaves room for hidden setup fees and price changes at renewal.

Full ADP Run pricing →

Paychex Flex

Established payroll-first platform with broad SMB feature set.

PEPM

1 to 100 employees, dedicated specialist preferredPayroll included

+Dedicated payroll specialist on every account, not a shared support pool.

−Pricing is opaque, expect long sales cycles and quote variation.

Full Paychex Flex pricing →

Justworks

PEO-lite that bundles payroll, benefits and compliance.

$59

PEPM

10 to 100 employees, no in-house HRPayroll includedPEO model

+Group buying power on health insurance often saves 10 to 20 percent.

−PEO costs roughly 5 to 10 times more than self-service HR software.

Deel

Global payroll, EOR and contractor management for distributed teams.

$49

PEPM

International teams, contractor-heavy workforcesPayroll includedGlobal EOR

+Hire full-time employees in 150+ countries via Employer of Record service.

−EOR pricing of around $599 per employee per month is enterprise-grade for tiny teams.

Homebase

Hourly-team scheduling and time clock with HR add-ons.

PEPM

Restaurants, retail, hourly workforcesPayroll add-on

+Genuinely free tier covers scheduling, time clock and basic onboarding.

−Salaried-only teams are over-served by Homebase's hourly-first feature set.

OnPay

Flat-rate full-service payroll with built-in HR essentials.

PEPM

1 to 100 employees, transparent flat-fee preferredPayroll included

+Single flat plan with everything included, no upsell tiers.

−No performance review or goal-tracking modules.

GoCo

Customisable HR platform with broker-friendly benefits workflows.

PEPM

10 to 100 employees, work with an existing benefits brokerPayroll add-on

+Bring-your-own-broker model preserves your existing health insurance relationship.

−Lower brand awareness, fewer integrations than BambooHR or Rippling.

Recommendations by team size

What fits a five-person startup is overkill at fifty and underpowered at one hundred. The right platform shifts as you scale.

1-10

Founder-run

Stay light. Payroll-first tools (Gusto, OnPay) cover almost every need. Skip dedicated HR software until 5+ employees.

Startup guide →

10-25

Settling in

Add structure: BambooHR or Gusto Plus. PTO policy, basic onboarding, performance reviews start here.

Gusto vs BambooHR →

25-50

Multi-state

Compliance scales fast. Rippling or BambooHR Pro deliver multi-state filing, automated workflows, deeper reporting.

BambooHR vs Rippling →

50-100

Hire HR or scale tools

Decision point: hire a People Ops lead or upgrade to Rippling/Justworks. Either way the $200/month tooling era ends here.

HR software vs PEO →

How we evaluate

Pricing verification

Every dollar figure on this site is verified against the vendor's public pricing page within 30 days of publication. Quote-based plans use the midpoint of public reseller and accountant-reported ranges.

Vendor neutrality

No vendor pays for placement. Affiliate links generate small commissions but rankings are determined before any monetisation is added. Several top picks (OnPay, GoCo) have weaker affiliate programs than competitors.

Feature claims

Feature support is sourced from each platform's own help docs and verified in trial accounts where available. “Add-on” markers indicate paid modules; “Limited” means basic capability without depth.

Frequently asked questions

How much does HR software cost for a small business in 2026?

Most HR software for small business costs between $4 and $15 per employee per month, plus an optional base fee of $0 to $79 per month. A 25-person team typically pays $145 to $479 per month for an all-in-one platform. PEO-style services like Justworks run $59 to $109 per employee per month, which is roughly six to eight times more than self-service HR software.

What is the best HR software for a 10-person team?

For a 10-person team that needs payroll, the cleanest option is Gusto at around $109 per month for the Simple plan. If your priority is people-ops over payroll, BambooHR Core (quote-based, around $80 per month at Core tier) gives stronger onboarding and performance review features. OnPay's flat plan is the cheapest fully-loaded payroll option at $100 per month for 10 employees.

Is Gusto or BambooHR better for small business?

Choose Gusto if payroll is your top priority and you want the simplest possible setup. Choose BambooHR if you need stronger people-management, performance reviews, and onboarding workflows, and you can pay extra for the payroll add-on. Gusto wins on price transparency and out-of-the-box payroll. BambooHR wins on HR depth and employee experience. Read the head-to-head comparison for a feature-by-feature breakdown.

Do small businesses need HR software?

Most businesses with five or more employees benefit from HR software. Below five employees, a payroll-only tool plus a shared spreadsheet often suffices. Between five and 20 employees the compliance, onboarding paperwork, and time-off tracking workload typically justifies a $50 to $200 per month all-in-one platform. Above 20 employees, ad-hoc tracking starts to introduce real compliance risk.

What is the difference between HR software and a PEO?

HR software is a tool you operate yourself. A PEO (Professional Employer Organisation) like Justworks or TriNet acts as a co-employer that handles payroll tax filings, benefits brokerage, and compliance on your behalf. PEOs typically cost $50 to $150 per employee per month, far more than self-service HR software, but they offload administrative burden and unlock group health insurance pricing.

What HR software has the best compliance features?

Rippling and Justworks lead on compliance for US small business. Rippling automates state tax registration, multi-state employment paperwork, and I-9 management. Justworks operates as a PEO co-employer, taking on legal responsibility for labour compliance. BambooHR and Gusto cover the basics (I-9, W-4, document storage) but require manual handling for state-specific requirements.

Which HR software has built-in payroll?

Gusto, OnPay, ADP Run, Paychex Flex, Justworks, and Deel include payroll as part of their core platform. BambooHR, Rippling, GoCo, and Homebase offer payroll as a paid add-on, which adds $5 to $10 per employee per month on top of the base price. The payroll page covers the full breakdown by platform.

Is there free HR software for small business?

Homebase has a genuinely free tier for hourly teams at one location, covering scheduling, time clock, and basic onboarding. WebHR is free for under five employees. TalentHR offers a freemium tier for very small teams. Gusto, BambooHR, and Rippling all offer free trials of seven to 30 days but no permanent free tier. The free options page details what each free plan actually includes.

Deeper pricing breakdowns

For platform-specific cost breakdowns we publish dedicated pricing sites. Each is independent and verified.

Gusto pricing →

Plan-by-plan breakdown of Gusto Simple, Plus, and Premium.

Rippling pricing →

Modular pricing decoded, real total cost by feature stack.

ADP pricing →

ADP Run vs Workforce Now, hidden setup fees, contract gotchas.

Paychex pricing →

Flex Essentials through Pro, plus the Pro-Level Insurance add-on.

Payroll service cost →

Standalone payroll comparison if you don't need an HRIS.

Best accounting software →

Pair your HR with QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks.