Read this first
HRMZY is our product. We build small-business HR software, so we know the category — and our bias. Every price below links to its source and carries the date we checked it, the same standard as our comparison pages.
Short answer
This guide compares seven HR platforms for companies under about fifty people, with every price sourced and dated. We make one of them, so treat this as a founder's knowledge of the category rather than a product test — we have not run formal evaluations of these tools, and we say so plainly instead of implying otherwise.
Written by
Subhan Khan, Founder
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HR Software Guide
Reviewed 2026-08-18. Factorial and Keka were read on 2026-08-24.
What follows is the shortlist we would give a founder or office manager who has outgrown spreadsheets: what each platform is genuinely good at, what to watch for, and what it costs at a headcount you actually have. Where ours is the wrong answer, that is written down too.
The seven, and where each one genuinely wins
Prices are per month, quoted at twenty employees so they are comparable, and each links to the vendor page it was read from. Where a vendor publishes no rate, that is stated rather than estimated.
BambooHR — the best-known US small-business brand
Where it wins
The most polished experience in the category and the safest choice to defend internally. Its onboarding, e-signature and reporting are mature, and the integration list is long enough that whatever else you run, something connects to it.
Watch out for
Payroll, benefits administration and time tracking are paid add-ons, so the headline is rarely the bill. At twenty-five employees or fewer the vendor page states a flat rate starting at $250 a month, which is why it looks expensive on genuinely small teams. Above that, the page says automatic volume discounts apply but does not publish the discounted rate — so past twenty-five people the real price is a conversation, not a number.
$250/mo at 20 employees · www.bamboohr.com, checked 2026-08-18
Our full HRMZY vs BambooHR comparison
Gusto — the best answer if payroll is the problem
Where it wins
Payroll-first rather than HR-first, and it shows: US tax filing, contractor payments and benefits are the core product rather than a module. If what actually keeps you up at night is running payroll correctly, this is the strongest option here.
Watch out for
The core product is US-only, so it is off the list entirely outside the United States. HR Resources is a separate add-on and time tracking costs extra on the entry plan, so an HR-led buyer ends up paying for pieces that other platforms include.
$169/mo at 20 employees · gusto.com, checked 2026-08-18
Zoho People — the cheapest way in at low headcount
Where it wins
Genuinely inexpensive at small counts and mature software, with the rest of the Zoho suite alongside it if you already live there. On price alone, at the smallest sizes, nothing else here competes.
Watch out for
Payroll is a separate product rather than part of it, and there is no CRM, projects or invoicing — so it solves HR and leaves the rest of your stack where it is. Because it charges per seat, the cost climbs steadily as you hire; on our own comparison page the crossover against our flat fee lands at fifty-four people, and below that Zoho People is the cheaper line.
$30/mo at 20 employees · www.zoho.com, checked 2026-08-18
Our full HRMZY vs Zoho People comparison
Personio — European mid-market, if you are heading that way
Where it wins
Built around European HR practice — absence handling, contracts and recruiting for the DACH region and the wider EU — and it fits companies in the fifty-to-several-hundred range well.
Watch out for
Pricing is quote-only: the vendor page publishes tier names and asks you to book a demo for a rate. That is a fact about buyability, not a criticism — but it means you cannot compare it on price without entering a sales process, and it is aimed above the very small end of this guide.
Publishes no rate — quote only · www.personio.com, checked 2026-08-18
Our full HRMZY vs Personio comparison
Factorial — the European small-business option
Where it wins
Aimed squarely at European SMBs, with strong time and absence handling and a modern interface. A reasonable first HR system for a growing team in Europe.
Watch out for
It charges per user, so the cost rises with every hire rather than staying flat. Payroll coverage varies by country and several capabilities are sold as add-ons, so check what your country actually gets before comparing the headline rate to anything else here.
$160/mo at 20 employees · factorialhr.com, checked 2026-08-24
Keka — the India-focused choice
Where it wins
Well established in the Indian market, with payroll and statutory compliance built for it. If you are hiring in India, a platform that already understands local payroll is worth more than a longer feature list.
Watch out for
The pricing page lists what each plan contains but publishes no rate in any currency — its calls to action are "Book a demo", "Talk to us" and a free trial. Its region selector defaults to India, and its focus is India and the Gulf, so it is a narrower fit elsewhere.
Publishes no rate — quote only · www.keka.com, checked 2026-08-24
Our full HRMZY vs Keka comparison
HRMZY — ours: one flat fee, and more than HR
Where it wins
We charge a flat fee for the workspace rather than a rate per employee, so the bill does not climb every time you hire, and the platform covers projects, CRM and invoicing alongside HR — which for a small company is usually two or three other subscriptions. That is the whole argument, and it is a real one at the sizes this guide is about.
$25/mo up to 20 employees ·
our pricing page, read live from our own plans
Skip HRMZY if
The section that makes the rest of this worth reading. There are buyers we are not the right answer for, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone's time.
- You need US payroll tax filing handled for you. We are not a US payroll bureau and do not file your taxes — if that is the job, Gusto is built for it and we are not.
- You need deep enterprise HCM workflows — multi-entity approval chains, complex org modelling, formal succession planning. That is Personio's territory at the mid-market end and the enterprise suites' above it.
- You are under about fifty people and only want core HR records. On price alone Zoho People is cheaper up to fifty-three employees, by our own sourced comparison. Our flat fee only starts winning after that, or immediately if you would also be replacing a projects or CRM subscription.
How to choose, in three questions
Where do you pay people?
This narrows the list faster than anything else. United States and payroll is the priority: Gusto. Europe: Personio or Factorial. India: Keka. Somewhere else, or several places at once: a platform that does not tie its core product to one country's payroll.
How many people, and how many next year?
Under about fifty and staying there, per-seat pricing is usually cheaper and Zoho People is the value option. If you expect to grow through that band, model the flat-fee options at next year's headcount before you commit — switching HR systems later is expensive and disruptive.
Is payroll part of this purchase or not?
If it is, buy a platform where payroll is the core product rather than an add-on. If it is not — you already have a payroll bureau or an accountant — you can ignore the payroll column entirely and buy on HR fit and total cost.
The short version
If payroll in the United States is the problem, Gusto. If you are European and mid-market, Personio; European and small, Factorial. If you are hiring in India, Keka. If you want the best-known US brand and the add-ons are within budget, BambooHR. If you are small and want the cheapest competent HR records, Zoho People. And if you would rather pay one flat fee for HR, projects, CRM and invoicing together, that is us — with the caveats above kept in full view.