7 Best HR Software for Small Business in 2026

Companies with 25 or fewer employees pay a flat monthly rate of $250. For businesses with more than 25 employees, BambooHR uses per-employee monthly pricing. It offers three HR plans: 

• Core: $10 per employee monthly
• Pro: $17 per employee monthly
• Elite: $25 per employee monthly

Payroll, benefits administration, time & attendance, and global employment (powered by Remote) are separate add-ons with quote-based pricing. BambooHR also offers a 15% discount when U.S. customers bundle Payroll and Benefits Administration with an HR plan.

• New hire onboarding: Like the other small business HR software in this guide, you can create tasks allowing new hires to sign online forms and complete onboarding documents. What sets BambooHR apart is its customizable Get to Know questionnaire that asks new hires about their hobbies, interests, and basic personal details (such as where they grew up). You can use the data collected to send an email introducing the new hires to their teammates, helping your employees connect with them easily (and vice versa).
• Engagement tools: You can run employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) surveys to measure employee sentiment and engagement. BambooHR can use AI to group written responses into common themes, which can make it easier to spot recurring workforce concerns without manually sorting every comment.
• Performance management: BambooHR is one of our best performance management systems for small businesses. It was highly rated for its customizable review cycles and evaluation criteria. It also offers pre-built assessment templates, automated reminders, anonymous peer feedback, and a goal status report to help managers track team-wide progress.

The BambooHR reviews on third-party review sites like G2 and Capterra are mostly positive. Users like the intuitive platform, implementation support, and how easily they can handle everyday work such as onboarding, employee records, time-off requests, and approvals. However, they’re not fans of its mobile app because of its limited features. Others wished for more custom reporting tools.

Gusto has three plans: 

• Simple: $49 per month + $6 per employee monthly
• Plus: $80 per month + $12 per employee monthly
• Premium: $180 per month + $22 per employee monthly

It also offers a contractor-only plan, priced at $35 + $6 per contractor monthly, which is best for companies that only pay contractors.

Add-on products are available if you want to add health plans, commuter benefits, and fast payment options (next- or same-day) to your Gusto plan. The provider can help with state payroll tax registration, but pricing varies per state.

• Payroll on AutoPilot: Activating this feature allows Gusto to automatically run payroll for teams with predictable pay each cycle. You still get a 24-hour window to make changes or cancel the run. This is great for salaried teams with consistent payroll, but not for hourly workers whose timesheets typically require more time for review and approvals before payroll processes.
• Gusto-brokered employee benefits: Gusto’s licensed benefits advisors can help set up your employees’ health plans, making it easy to find an option that fits your budget and needs. If you already have a broker, Gusto can integrate your existing benefits plans into its system for a fee ($6 per eligible employee monthly). Its free Gusto Wallet app even lets you track, save, and manage money from your paychecks, tools that can help your employees build healthy spending habits.
• Personalized onboarding: Gusto’s onboarding tools are similar to the other small business human resources software in this guide. What sets it apart from the rest is its electronic cards that the new hire’s teammates can sign to welcome the employee.

Gusto is rated highly on user review sites like Capterra and G2. Both employers and employees praise its user-friendly interface and the ease of running payroll. Some reviewers also appreciate how it handles the filing of payroll taxes. However, a few users dislike its occasional software lags and mobile glitches. Customer support is also hit or miss.

Rippling works with you to create a custom package with the features you want. It offers a base Rippling Platform that automates all workforce operations and manages system permissions, reporting, and workflows.

You can enhance the Rippling Platform by adding the modules you want, such as: 

• Applicant tracking
• Learning management
• Employee survey
• Benefits administration
• PEO and EOR services
• Expense management
• IT tools for app and device management
• Compensation bands for creating and securely sharing salary bands and comparative ratio (compa-ratio) details with stakeholders

• Useful IT solution: Rippling’s IT tools can set up and manage company-assigned computers and business software. If a member of your field-based and distributed teams is resigning, Rippling remotely removes computer and app access on the employee’s last working day. It even automatically retrieves computers when employees leave. 
• Extensive software integrations: None of the other HR tools for small businesses I reviewed can connect with as many third-party systems as Rippling does, offering more than 600 out-of-the-box integrations. This is useful if you want your HR system to trigger actions in accounting, productivity, identity management, recruiting, and other business software.
• Learning management tools: Rippling has over 80,000 pre-built courses through Go1, from cybersecurity to HIPAA, but you can also build your own. You can create course enrollment rules, set up quizzes, and track training progress. Rippling records certifications for compliance as well.
• Flexible PEO: ADP and Paychex may have PEO services, but they lack Rippling’s easy on/off button. Let’s say you signed up for Rippling PEO. If you decide that you no longer need to outsource HR administrative tasks, you can easily turn its PEO option off and immediately start using Rippling’s HR platform. No customer support call needed, helping simplify the process of moving from a PEO service.

Users who left Rippling reviews on popular review sites like G2 and Capterra like its intuitive interface and easy integrations. Several others commented that its robust solutions, ease of use, automation tools, and ability to handle multiple HR tasks without jumping between systems are Rippling’s standout features. 

However, some reviewers said that it has a learning curve, mainly due to its many HR features. Others complained about occasional system login issues and slow-loading pages.

Paycor doesn’t publish monthly fees on its pricing page. You have to contact its sales team to request a quote.

• Customer sandbox: Paycor provides a separate environment where administrators can test configurations, permissions, and workflows without changing live HR or payroll data. This is great for training a new payroll administrator or testing a process change without risking employee records or an upcoming pay run.
• Compensation management: Paycor takes compensation management to the next level with customized and automated salary planning tools, including bonuses, merit increases, and other programmable rewards. This can help eliminate manual work, make compensation more predictable for your employees, and make everything easier to track and budget.
• Performance management: Similar to Gusto, Rippling, and BambooHR, Paycor helps with performance management, providing you with the tools you need to track and assess employee work performance. However, its features are slightly more advanced, with its nine-box grid to visualize staff performance and potential, employee skills evaluations, and a library of questions to guide performance conversations.

Users who left Paycor reviews on G2 and Capterra often praise its ease of use, payroll processing, employee self-service, and ability to keep HR information together. Customer support is the more consistent pain point, with reviewers reporting slow follow-up or difficulty resolving more complicated issues.

Paychex does not publish standard prices for its payroll packages. You need to request a quote based on your workforce and the services you select.

• Hands-free payroll processing: Paychex has a “Voice Assist” tool that provides a secure and hands-free way to process both employee and contractor payroll. It works on Google Assistant-compatible devices and comes with voice verification and artificial intelligence (AI) features, so you can run payroll without having to log into Paychex Flex. None of the human resource management software for small business owners we reviewed have this functionality.
• Paychex Pre-Check: Employees can review their paycheck details before payday and flag something that looks wrong directly from the review screen. HR or payroll can address the issue before processing, which may reduce the time spent correcting checks and answering pay questions afterward.
• Financial wellness program: Paychex’s financial management tools stand out among the rest given its cash flow assistance (via short-term loans) for employees. It also helps your employees plan and track financial goals through educational resources and financial management tools.

Users who left positive Paychex Flex reviews on G2 and Capterra said that it offers good reporting options, great onboarding functionalities, and an easy-to-learn interface. Reviewers also found its platform simple to use because it does not crowd its interface with extraneous features.

However, some users find it a bit more expensive than similar software because of the add-on fees for time tracking, training, and benefits administration tools. A few others commented that getting through its support team is a nightmare and it’s also confusing to keep track of who to call given the different points of contact for specific modules.

ADP does not publish prices for its HR and payroll products, so you need to request a quote.

• Employee benefits and discount perks: ADP offers access to benefits and insurance-related add-ons, including health insurance, retirement plans, and workers’ compensation.
• ADP Assist and RUN & DONE: ADP Assist flags potential payroll mistakes and can answer payroll questions, while RUN & DONE automates recurring payroll runs. Together, they can reduce the amount of checking and repetitive processing that falls on an owner or HR administrator each pay period.
• Secure paychecks: ADP RUN’s check signing services include paychecks that have 10 advanced fraud protection features. Similar to Paychex and Paycor, ADP will stuff and seal payroll checks into envelopes, as well as deliver these to your office so you can distribute them to employees

Many of the online ADP RUN reviews are positive. Users raved about the features and onboarding but said that the overall UX needed work. Some reviewers also complained about the long wait times to contact support and occasional system slowness.

Unlike the other small business HR software in this guide, Homebase charges per location monthly fees rather than by employee. It has four plans:

• Basic: Free for businesses with only one location (up to 10 employees)
• Essentials: $30 per location monthly
• Plus: $70 per location monthly
• All-in-One: $120 per location monthly

Payroll costs an additional $39 per month plus $6 per employee paid and can be added to any plan. Homebase also sells optional tools such as Task Manager for $13 per location monthly, background checks for $30 each, and its beta Hiring Assistant starting at $30 per job post.

• Shift feedback: With Homebase, you can gather feedback from workers after their work shifts. If this tool is turned on, employees who will clock out will be prompted to rate their shift using a five-star system and add notes about their shift experience. This allows you to keep track of what your team is feeling at work.
• Labor cost management: Aside from tracking employees with multiple pay rates, Homebase can help manage labor costs by sending alerts when employees are nearing overtime. It can also automatically clock out workers at the end of their shifts.

Reviewers who left Homebase reviews in G2 and Capterra appreciate its ease of use, affordability, and efficient time and scheduling tools. They like that it has a chat feature that lets them directly communicate with their team. Some, however, wished for more customization options and fewer app glitches.