Bamboo HR
A polished HR system of record for people data, hiring and performance, with payroll available as an add on.
Bamboo HR is one of the most liked HR platforms for small and mid sized companies, and it shows in adoption. It centralizes employee records, time off, hiring, onboarding and performance in a clean interface that non specialists can run without training. Reporting and employee self service are strong. The catch for this category is that payroll and benefits administration are paid add ons rather than native features, so a company that wants HR and payroll in one price will pay more than the headline Core figure, and like most of its US peers, Bamboo HR does not hire or pay staff abroad.
The link below is an affiliate link. We may earn a commission · it never affects the score. Disclosure.
An HR system your team will actually like, with payroll bolted on rather than built in.
In its favour
Held against it
People management leads, payroll is an add on.
Bamboo HR scores high on core HR, ease and culture tools, where it is one of the best in the category. The score is held back because payroll and benefits are extra cost add ons rather than native, and reach is US only.
Scored against the same five weighted criteria we use across HR and payroll. See the rubric →
a growing team that wants a polished HR system of record for people data, hiring and performance.
you want payroll and benefits built in at one price, or you hire internationally.
What it costs
Per employee per month, where listedPricing as of June 2026. Bamboo HR lists Core at $10, Pro at $17 and Elite at $25 per employee per month, with a flat rate from about $250 a month for 25 or fewer employees. Payroll and benefits administration are paid add ons, quoted separately. Check the vendor for current pricing.