10+ Best Free HR Software for Startups & SMBs in 2025

I really love the time-clock app, which makes time recording more efficient and reduces time theft. I love that Homebase is highly expandable—we started with just the rota and expanded to include the time clock, timesheets, and payroll. I think it is well-priced, and you get a lot of value for your money.

We were using an Excel-based rota to manage staff hours, but as staff numbers increased, it became cumbersome. The rota had macros that were proving unreliable on different platforms. We wanted an online system to manage our rotas. The key benefits Homebase provided were a lot of automation, including staff shift-swapping. I have used Homebase on and off for about five years.

The geolocation on the time clock can be glitchy at times. It's only suitable for US employees, as you can only pay in dollars, and customer service is US-centric. The mobile app seems to be somewhat limited on iOS.

I think Homebase offers more expandability compared to its competitors. It is also reasonably priced in comparison. The pricing model suited us better than others because we have just a few locations with quite a few staff, and Homebase's pricing is driven by the number of locations rather than the number of employees.

Since it's primarily a scheduling tool, it needs to have a high-quality rota with plenty of automation and shift-swapping as a minimum. Rotas, timesheets, and payroll are closely linked workflows, so it's best to look for software that includes all three areas of functionality to maximize efficiency.

Homebase has gradually expanded its service offerings, allowing users to treat it as a one-stop shop for HR functionality. While this can be more expensive than using separate tools, the convenience of available add-ons is beneficial for those who want an all-in-one HR solution.

Homebase is ideal for US-based organizations with a tech-savvy workforce.

• I appreciated Deel for its user-friendly interface and straightforward usability.
• It was easy to navigate and intuitive, which made managing tasks efficient.
• The sales representative I interacted with was highly competent and responsive, which enhanced the overall experience of using the platform.

Replit bought Deel because of its global capacities, and I have used it for six months. It helped with the global side of payroll and compliance. It assisted in managing expenses when people onboarded, traveled, and took paid time off or leaves of absence. Other considerations included hiring contractors on their platform, which made it easier to hire people from different countries. This greatly diversified the workforce.

• I found Deel somewhat costly, and accessing the backend could be challenging if you weren't familiar with its setup.
• It takes time to get familiar with different systems.
• Keeping up with international laws was occasionally problematic and required multiple communications to align everyone. I appreciate that Deel is actively expanding its platform to address these issues.

Deel stands out due to its strong innovation and proactive market presence. Compared to Rippling, they were more responsive, which led me to believe that we should have onboarded everyone onto their platform. Deel's proactive approach to innovation kept them ahead in the market, offering solutions that were more responsive and tailored to our needs compared to Rippling. Their platform's capabilities and customer service exceeded expectations, making the transition smooth and efficient. Deel proved to be a valuable partner in streamlining operations and enhancing our business processes.

When considering Deel as an HR person, think about the specific needs of your organization, such as managing remote workers across different countries and ensuring compliance with international labor laws. Evaluate Deel's platform for its user-friendliness, scalability, and ability to handle payroll and contractor management efficiently. Consider the responsiveness and support provided by their customer service team, especially in resolving issues related to backend access and legal compliance. Assess Deel's pricing structure to ensure it aligns with your budget and provides value for the services offered.

Deel has continually adapted to meet users' evolving needs by enhancing its platform's functionality and user interface, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. They have expanded their global capabilities, allowing businesses to manage remote teams across diverse jurisdictions seamlessly. Deel's responsiveness to customer feedback has led to improvements in customer support and backend accessibility, ensuring smoother operations for HR professionals managing payroll and compliance tasks internationally. These advancements highlight Deel's commitment to evolving alongside the needs of modern businesses, facilitating efficient and compliant workforce management worldwide.

Deel is well-suited for small and medium-sized companies, offering capabilities that cater to their needs effectively. One standout feature is the ability to update people's compensation promptly, which proves beneficial for companies planning growth and scalability. This feature ensures that organizations can adapt quickly to changing circumstances and reward their workforce dynamically, fostering a supportive environment for ongoing expansion.

• One standout feature of Connecteam is its user-friendly design, offering various options to customize team collaboration.
• Users can easily upload their own documents and files from any device, making resource sharing simple.
• The intuitive interface allows you to manage your team from a single dashboard, where you can view the status of tasks at a glance, reducing miscommunication and boosting productivity.
• Tasks can be assigned directly from the dashboard, eliminating the need for additional communication methods.

I used Connecteam for three months while on contract with my previous employer. As of late 2024, I believe they are still using the platform. We chose Connecteam because it is a comprehensive employee app designed to streamline communication, optimize daily operations, and boost professional skills. It allowed us to schedule shifts, monitor employee work hours, and send automated reminders, all within a single platform.

• While Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure, some users find frequent upgrade prompts frustrating.
• For smaller teams with fewer than 30 members, the pricing can be relatively high, which might discourage some users.
• The costs can add up depending on the desired features and team size, so businesses should carefully assess their needs and budget before committing to the platform.

Connecteam stands out for its ease of use, featuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface. The layout is clean, with clearly labeled tabs for each function, making navigation straightforward.

For example, team members can easily create individual profiles with personal information, promoting better collaboration and engagement within the organization. The app’s simplicity ensures that even users with limited technical skills can navigate it effectively, fostering team integration and productivity.

Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure compared to other employee scheduling tools. The software includes three distinct hubs, each offering five unique plans: Free, Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Enterprise.

Pricing is fixed for the first 30 users, making it affordable for small teams, but as your team grows, additional charges apply. This tiered structure allows businesses to choose a plan that fits their needs while accommodating future growth.

Connecteam has evolved by empowering managers to automate business processes, allowing them to focus on growth strategies while helping employees enhance productivity, professionalism, and job satisfaction. By streamlining tasks and reducing administrative burdens, the platform creates a more engaged and efficient work environment, ultimately driving better results for the organization.

Connecteam is ideal for teams of 30-50 employees, especially those with non-desk workers who need streamlined communication and scheduling tools.

It is affordable and user-friendly. The customer support that is available in the software is good and always active in responding to customers. The application is easy to use for most users. Zoho People is a great option for storing employee information and tracking time.

5 years ago our company started to use Zoho People to deliver exceptional digital HR experiences to our employees while managing the entire employee life cycle on a single platform. I like its simplicity and integration with other Zoho tools like Zoho Payroll, Zoho Books, Zoho Expenses, etc. I love that the request permission, approval, and tracking features are so helpful. I like that the interactive form builder allows us to create different forms that meet our needs and help our HR team.

Sometimes I run into difficulties in terms of data integration between other integrated programs. Zoho People software does not integrate with other similar applications. They only provide a limited number of administrators for Standard and Premium pricing plans. The system is cloud-based only and not flexible to use.

Zoho People comes with an employee portal, organization chart, self-service, performance appraisal, employee leaves management, and salary tool features. All the HR processes can be managed from a central location which can help users to save time and reduce costs. The software offers a fully-mobile self-service that can help employees to get easy access to their HR data from anywhere, anytime. It can help employees have better control over their work.

The price of the solution is low and most people can afford it. Customer support includes online and email user support. Easy to learn and use.

They offer cloud-based hosting, which means IT resources are retrieved through web-based tools and applications and you don't need to buy servers and additional hardware equipment.

It is very good for small and medium size companies.

Monday is highly visual, which makes it easy to use. The dashboards are intuitive, which, again, shortens the time to ramp up and become productive. Monday is also incredibly flexible. I use it for talent acquisition and management, but it’s also very effective in sales development and project management.

As an HR Consultant, I’ve found Monday to be very helpful in addressing a variety of issues. For example, I’m able to collaborate with different teams on talent acquisition and talent management. Monday lends itself well to encouraging a collaborative work environment even for remote employees. By making it easy to collaborate, Monday helps to encourage employee engagement, which, in turn, strengthens corporate culture and improves retention. For these reasons, I encourage all my clients to use Monday.com.

I recommend Monday to my customers, and the complaint that they commonly have is that the pricing is confusing. Also, the trial day is only fourteen days when the industry standard is thirty - that alone turn some customers off. Finally, time tracking is only available on pro accounts.

Monday is very easy to use, and it’s easy to use effectively and quickly. In other words, onboarding and training are literally a breeze with Monday.

Monday is perfect for remote teams, especially those in different time zones. Because of the ability to track project progress, it’s a big help for remote management.

Monday has become very customizable and can meet a huge variety of business cases. As of now, there are over 200 templates for creating boards and building automations. It’s hard to imagine needing more than that.

Monday is a natural choice for medium-sized companies with remote teams, especially those who have teams overseas, or at least in different timezones.

• BambooHR automates many tedious HR tasks, saving time for higher-value work.
• The system supports seamless collaboration across departments, keeping everyone aligned.
• The onboarding experience for new hires is smooth and creates a welcoming impression.

At the time, the organization was experiencing challenges with recruitment and was using an outdated HRIS. They adopted BambooHR, which was extremely helpful due to its built-in ATS. This enabled faster and more streamlined recruitment processes.

Over time, the organization transitioned away from the previous HRIS entirely, as BambooHR proved to be an effective all-in-one solution. It handled several key HR functions efficiently, which added value across the organization.

• More customization options would be beneficial, as there are limitations on the number of workflows that can be created.
• The ATS is fairly basic and lacks features like resume screening, which is a drawback.
• Pricing became a concern as the organization grew—while manageable at first, costs increased significantly with scale.

BambooHR is a strong option for small to mid-sized businesses that don't require complex systems. The simplicity and ease of use make it accessible and easy to adopt.

Scalability and customization are two important factors to consider. For small businesses needing a basic, user-friendly system, BambooHR is a great option that’s cost-effective and easy to learn.

I am unsure, as I have not used BambooHR recently.

BambooHR is well suited for small organizations and users with limited HRIS experience.

• Better communication through instant messaging, group chats, and video calls. One is in the loop of whatever is going on and gets updates quickly.
• Document sharing option. Every member can share a document, and other members can work on the same document simultaneously.
• Better collaboration. This can mainly be attributed to enhanced communication.

My company was mainly trying to solve issues in relation to collaboration and communication. This has led to increased productivity and improved efficiency. We are able to share documents and properly manage our projects better than before. The tools being offered have streamlined our operations a great deal. I have been using Bitrix for 1.5 years now.

• It can be a bit expensive compared to other similar tools out there. Having regular discounts would go a long way.
• Someone who's not familiar with it will have a really hard time navigating through it. A short introductory video of how it works would really help.
• Technical support varies with the different plans available, and this may cause agitation since the responses they are getting aren't necessarily the ones they're hoping for. I feel like the support should be the same regardless of the package one is using.

It has an inclusive tool where one can do product management, CRM and communication. This means that my organization wouldn't have to use different software to achieve the same results.

Pricing. Because there are different plans, one needs to be sure they get a plan that's within their budget.

Ease of use. One needs to make sure that learning how to use it wouldn't be a problem for its members and they'll navigate easily.

I can confidently say that the enhanced features have improved communication and productivity for its members.

Small-sized business, project management, and customer relationship management.

I like that it has the ability to consolidate multiple features/apps into one software program. I enjoy the "Discuss" feature, which essentially creates a company intranet allowing employees to communicate with others privately or with groups/departments. I also like that it allows me to send documents requiring a signature without having to use another external app, such as DocuSign.

My organization chose Odoo because it is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that promises to consolidate and automate several processes. I work for a manufacturing facility that produces food and beverage items, and the processes from creation to delivery of our products include many steps and a lot of paperwork to remain compliant with industry regulations.

We wanted a tool that could be used by several departments, including production, accounting, fulfillment, distribution, and HR. We were hoping we could use Odoo to house our timekeeping, scheduling, and payroll as well. I have been using Odoo for about three months.

I think it is a complex system that requires months of training before it can be fully functional. We cannot use it for payroll because it doesn't track and record tax payments and would require manual journal entries each time. I don't like that the timekeeping feature doesn't allow us to use biometrics (fingerprints via hardware device) when employees clock in and out of their shifts. Although it can integrate with several apps, these drawbacks keep me from recommending it as an HR solution.

Odoo has several functions that it offers to automate processes company-wide. I find the interface to be mostly user-friendly. There are some navigational difficulties when visiting one "app" and then returning to the dashboard, and their training videos could use some work. I find it about average as far as an ERP goes.

Identify exactly which processes you intend to utilize this service for and have a realistic implementation plan. If you're only using it for two or three processes, then a shorter training and implementation plan may work. If you have four or more processes you're looking to integrate, allow yourself and your team several months to meet with their implementation team and demo the trial software so that you can familiarize yourself with it before rolling it out to employees. Training is vital to understanding the full capabilities of the system.

They seem to have a lot of options for different processes that they say continually expand, such as inventory, appointments and to-do lists, project boards, discussion boards, manufacturing, shop floor, quality assurance, etc.

A mid to large-sized manufacturing facility that wants all employees using the same software to meet as many business needs as possible will find Odoo very useful.

• We can manage time and attendance records.
• We can manage onboarding and offboarding.
• We can manage the overall performance management of each employee.

Payroll, time and attendance, performance management, learning & development, recruitment -  all of these were pain points that led us to buy this tool. Prior to WebHR, we were using excel sheets / doing manual work. I have been using this tool for the last 4 years.

• Limited report tracking and analysis.
• Limited customization.
• Occasionally, the system can be slow to respond.

‍

The appealing quality of WebHR is that it can support the overall performance of each employee, both in small and large organizations.

From time to time, they roll out enhancements to their existing features.

There is no specific type of organization required to buy the WebHR. Any organization can buy this tool to enhance their overall performance and reduce manual work.