Best HRIS Systems & Software

Human Resource Information System (HRIS) Reviews

We compiled a list of 64 prominent HRIS software companies and chose our eight favorites based on their features, reputation, customer support, and price transparency. All HRIS systems we chose are well-known and can support businesses in varying industries.

You can see more about how we made our choices in our methodology below.

BambooHR – Best HRIS for small businesses

BambooHR is a robust HRIS tool designed for ease of use. Providing two main plans plus several add-on options, BambooHR comes with features such as employee self-service, analytics, and an app. BambooHR is perfect for anyone looking for a straightforward, HR-focused platform – especially small and medium-sized companies. You can get started for free.

Start Free Trial Link: Visit BambooHR’s website for a free trial

BambooHR features

• Automation: BambooHR provides automatic tax filing and streamlined payroll and benefits processes.
• Employee self-service: employees can check and edit their information and benefits.
• Data analysis and reporting: the software can quickly compile data reports.
• Compliance and regulations support: BambooHR’s payroll service prevents double entries, and the platform’s connections to benefit providers minimize errors during data transfers.
• Data privacy and security: you can customize permission levels so employees and managers can only access necessary data.

What markets does BambooHR serve?

BambooHR is known to be one of the best HRIS systems for small companies, advertising that 89% of its clients are small and midsize businesses. However, they serve more than just this group. Also, while their basic software can be used globally, add-ons such as payroll and benefits are only available to US-based employees.

Read our full BambooHR Review.

Namely – Best HRIS for midsize companies

One of the best HRIS systems for midsize companies, Namely provides a primary HR platform with onboarding, analytics, talent management, and compliance services. Businesses can then purchase other Namely software such as payroll, recruiting, and time tracking to enhance their HRIS.

Namely features

• Automation: benefits sync with payroll to avoid duplicate data entries, and PTO calculations are automatic.
• Employee self-service: employees can sign in to Namely and revise their personal information, such as pay stubs and addresses, request PTO, and sign documents.
• Data analysis and reporting: Namely’s analytics dashboard is pre-built with reporting on things such as diversity and attrition, or you can easily create your own reports whenever you need them.
• Compliance and regulations support: Namely provides a compliance resource library, access to HR professionals, and compliance alerts.
• Data privacy and security: the platform allows you to assign roles and permissions to users.

What markets does Namely serve?

Namely promotes itself as an HR solution for midsize businesses ranging from 25 to 1,000 employees. It highlights industries such as technology, e-commerce, finance, nonprofits, and life sciences, but it is not limited to these fields.

Read our full Namely Review.

Rippling – Best for global companies

Rippling’s cloud-based technology is easily adaptable to your company’s needs. Available globally and for all kinds of businesses, Rippling provides a core HR platform and add-ons ranging from time tracking to corporate cards. The software also allows for hundreds of integrations and offers robust automation for managing compensation, permissions, analytics, and more.

Rippling features

• Automation: automated onboarding, offboarding, and compliance, as well as streamlined benefits and payroll processing.
• Employee self-service: employees can update their data and request time off without going through HR.
• Data analysis and reporting: quickly builds helpful reports on compensation, benefits, and more to help HR managers better understand their company.
• Compliance and regulations support: alerts HR about labor law compliance and provides compliance training.
• Data privacy and security: you can automate permissions and IT access however you desire.

What markets does Rippling serve?

Rippling serves businesses of all sizes, but its wide range of services is especially helpful for midsize and large companies and those with employees outside the US. Rippling is a good fit for companies in any industry, including tech, retail, nonprofits, and healthcare.

Read our full Rippling Review.

Gusto – Best HRIS for payroll services

Gusto is a popular payroll provider that offers key HRIS software. While it emphasizes payroll and compliance, Gusto also provides solutions for onboarding, time tracking, talent management, and more. Gusto also offers a plan with unlimited payments and direct deposit for businesses employing only contractors.

Get Started Visit Gusto’s website.

Gusto features

• Automation: automatic payroll preparation and tax filing.
• Employee self-service: employees can update and access their personal information, pay stubs, and tax information, as well as virtually sign documents and self-onboard.
• Data analysis and reporting: Gusto provides reporting on topics such as workforce costs and benefit distributions and allows you to customize your own reports.
• Compliance and regulations support: offers a compliance library and alerts for legal updates.
• Data privacy and security: you can put permissions in place to define who gets access to sensitive information.

What markets does Gusto serve?

Gusto provides strong payroll and HRIS services to small and growing businesses. They serve a broad field, even providing services for single-employee companies or those that solely employ contractors. Gusto’s website emphasizes industries such as restaurants, trucking, and construction. However, they can support far beyond just those fields. One caveat is that they do not offer services to government or public employers.

Read our full Gusto Review.

Zenefits – Best for compliance support

Zenefits is a comprehensive HR platform designed for small businesses. They offer a core-HR platform with analytics, scheduling, onboarding, and employee management. They also have add-ons for payroll, benefit services, and recruiting. One notable feature of Zenefits is its emphasis on compliance through automatic tax and COBRA calculations, a compliance monitoring dashboard, and more.

Zenefits features

• Automation: auto-generated employee documents and automated workflows for routine tasks such as promotions and terminations.
• Employee self-service: Zenefits allows employees to revise their personal information from any device, and the platform also offers employee self-onboarding.
• Data analysis and reporting: AI-based trend prediction technology and templated reports on topics such as turnover and headcount.
• Compliance and regulations support: compliance alerts, automatic document creation, automated tax/benefit calculations, and compliance status dashboards.
• Data privacy and security: admin permissions can be revised and revoked.

What markets does Zenefits serve?

Zenefits is designed for small and midsize businesses with at least five employees. The company highlights industries such as healthcare, nonprofits, and financial services. However, they can serve beyond those.

Workday – Best HRIS for analytics

Workday is an extensive human capital management (HCM) platform that utilizes AI to help businesses make more strategic decisions. The system provides payroll, scheduling, benefits, hiring services, and robust analytics and learning modules to help your business thrive.

Workday features

• Automation: use of AI and automation quickens and removes manual tasks.
• Employee self-service: employees can view and edit payroll information, such as withholding, and utilize the chat feature to navigate their tasks on the platform.
• Data analysis and reporting: robust augmented analytics software can provide thorough, coherent reports on hiring, diversity, and more.
• Compliance and regulations support: payroll compliance dashboard synthesizes regulations and compliance statistics that may affect your business.
• Data privacy and security: Workday has user permissions to allow or restrict access to data.

What markets does Workday serve?

Workday provides a robust HCM for businesses of all sizes, though it can especially help midsize and large companies that want to focus on improving their human capital. The company specializes in serving retail, technology, and healthcare companies but is not limited to those industries.

HiBob – Best HRIS system for people management

A newer entrant into the world of HR software, HiBob positions itself as a modernized HRIS platform. Its social-media-like interface, combined with its various features, including analytics, onboarding, and people analytics, makes HiBob a solid HRIS. One unique attribute is its Sandbox feature, where businesses can test how new features might function in their exact HRIS setup before rolling it out.

HiBob features

• Automation: HiBob includes automated workflows, and no manual data transfers from employee information to payroll are needed.
• Employee self-service: employees can update personal information, request time off, and track and edit their hours.
• Data analysis and reporting: HiBob helps you analyze various KPIs, such as growth and retention, allowing you to customize your reports as needed.
• Compliance and regulations support: has some processes to reduce mistakes; however, no specific regulation adherence software.
• Data privacy and security: HR can manage who can access data and what can be edited.

What markets does HiBob serve?

HiBob is an excellent option for businesses that want to emphasize people management and culture in the workplace. Its modern interface promotes ease of use, and its various tools that support reporting, feedback, and inclusion allow businesses to put their employees at the forefront.

GoCo – Best for businesses with existing HR software

GoCo is a versatile HR solution that allows you to pick the services that work for your business. GoCo comes with hiring, onboarding, self-service, and document signing technology, and you can add additional features such as time tracking and benefits. GoCo also has unique features, such as a way to send automated texts, and it offers vaccination tracking so you can stay up-to-date with local regulations.

GoCo features

• Automation: custom workflows and automation of tasks such as onboarding and hiring.
• Employee self-service: self-service for actions such as choosing benefits, requesting PTO, and accessing documents.
• Data analysis and reporting: robust analysis and reporting features allow you to organize and visualize your data in the best way for you.
• Compliance and regulations support: built-in compliance for essential processes and documents such as onboarding, taxes, Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance, and Form I-9.
• Data privacy and security: advanced permissions ensure users can only access necessary information.

What markets does GoCo serve?

GoCo is a great HR solution for small-to-medium-sized businesses that want a flexible HRIS system. They are a good fit for healthcare, nonprofits, and education but aren’t limited to these sectors.

Compare the best HRIS side-by-side

What is an HRIS?

HRIS stands for Human Resource Information System. It’s a type of software that is used by HR departments to manage and maintain employee data. There’s no hard-and-fast rule about when to implement an HRIS into your organization, but companies with 50 or more employees typically benefit from using an HRIS the most. An HRIS helps streamline and automate key HR tasks such as new hire onboarding, employee record keeping, payroll, benefits administration, leave management, performance reviews, and more. An HRIS can also support organizational decision-making through analysis and reporting features.

Important HRIS software features

An HRIS should help you simplify and organize your HR processes while allowing your employees to view and change personal information when needed. This should be done securely and maintain compliance with IRS business regulations. Some important HRIS software features include:

• Automation of key workflows related to common HR functional areas such as hiring and payroll
• Self-service capacities for employees
• Data analysis and reporting for better decision making
• Compliance and regulations support through alerts, resources for admins, and webinars
• Data privacy and security to protect sensitive information, with safeguards around user permissions

How much does HRIS software cost?

HRIS software varies in price depending on the size of your company and the HRIS software features you need. Most HRIS systems charge per user monthly and offer annual or month-to-month pricing. Basic packages for some companies can begin at $1.25 per user per month, but all the companies on our list are closer to $7 per user per month. Compare Rippling, GoCo, Zenefits, and Gusto’s per-user monthly fees below.

HRIS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How does HRIS improve efficiency?

An HRIS can reduce errors that come from manual processes. By streamlining tasks and workflows through automation, tasks that used to take hours offline can now be done in minutes.

What’s the difference between HRIS, HCM, and HRMS?

While they overlap, HRIS, HCM, and HRMS software each serve slightly different functions. An HRIS is a storage unit for employee data, such as one’s birthdate and social security number, and work-related information, such as payroll stubs and PTO tracking.

An HRMS (human resources management system) is a step up from an HRIS, as it takes and uses this data to make decisions. Recruiting and performance tracking software are examples of HRMS.

An HCM system, or a human capital management system, adds a layer of complexity. HCMs analyze employee data on a higher level to fuel a better work environment, tracking and analyzing things such as employee engagement.

How does HRIS help employees?

HRIS software empowers employees and expedites otherwise tedious processes. Many HRIS platforms have self-service options that allow employees to update personal information, sign documents electronically, request PTO, and even provide feedback. This allows employees to complete routine tasks without visiting HR for help.

Methodology: How we chose the best HRIS software

We began with an HRIS systems list of 64 vendors and selected 15 popular companies with a strong online presence to refine our focus. We then chose eight vendors that stood out for their features, reputation, and customer service.

We ranked companies on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) across the following criteria, each worth 25% of the total score:

• Variety of features: We looked for companies that offered employee self-service, workflow automation, data analysis and reporting features, compliance support, and data security. A vendor scores higher when they provide every feature, as this indicates a smoother, more efficient process for HR managers.
• Pricing transparency: We compared pricing for each vendor and the ease of accessing this information. Those with transparent pricing and free trials receive a higher score.
• Onboarding and support: We looked for vendors with robust and continual customer service and considered whether system onboarding was available.
• Brand reputation: We analyzed user reviews from trustworthy third-party sites to see the experiences of actual customers with each company.