Running a small business is fulfilling, but HR tasks? Not so much. Payroll, onboarding, and chasing timesheets can take up all your time.
Luckily, HR software does a remarkable job streamlining your HR processes and freeing up your valuable time. With features like automated payroll, employee management, and performance tracking, these tools take the weight off your shoulders, letting you focus on what truly matters—growing your small business.
This blog cuts through the clutter, revealing the top 10 contenders for the best HR software for small businesses in 2024.
- What Should You Look for in HR Software for Small Businesses?
- 10 Best HR Software for a Small Business to Use in 2024
- 1. ClickUp (Best for teams looking for a holistic HR solution)
- 2. BambooHR (Best for small businesses seeking simplicity in managing HR processes)
- 3. Greenhouse (Best for growing businesses with complex hiring needs)
- 4. Rippling (Best for mid-sized businesses needing a comprehensive HR suite)
- 5. Deel (Best cloud-based HR software for managing a global workforce)
- 6. Paycor (Best HR software for small businesses with integrated payroll needs)
- 7. HROne (Best for growing businesses needing streamlined HR management)
- 8. Gusto (Best HR software for small businesses that need an all-in-one solution)
- 9. GreytHR (Best for small businesses looking for an affordable HR software solution)
- 10. Keka (Best for small businesses and teams looking for user-friendly HR software)
- Find the Missing Piece for Your HR Team
What Should You Look for in HR Software for Small Businesses?
With so many HR software solutions on the market, choosing the right one for your small business can feel daunting.
But don’t worry, here are the key features to consider when making your decision:
- Ease of use: Look for HR software that’s intuitive and user-friendly for both you and your employees
- Scalability: As your small business grows, your HR needs will too. Choose software that can scale with you
- Affordability: HR software should fit your budget. Many offer tiered pricing plans based on company size
- Features: Identify your HR needs—like payroll, time tracking, and performance management. Make sure the software has relevant features to cover those bases
- Integration: Does the HR software integrate with your existing accounting or payroll software? This can save you a lot of time and headaches
10 Best HR Software for a Small Business to Use in 2024
Building a thriving business relies on a happy and productive team. Streamline your processes, prioritize employee well-being, and unlock the full potential of your workforce with HR tools.
Let’s discover tools to help you manage your HR operations effectively.
1. ClickUp (Best for teams looking for a holistic HR solution)
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the ever-growing demands of HR management?
ClickUp for Human Resources is one of the best HRIS systems available today. It helps simplify and optimize every aspect of your people and HR operations, from seamless onboarding and performance management to intuitive payroll processing and comprehensive reporting.
It enables you to nurture a thriving workforce and propel your small business forward.
ClickUp Docs
ClickUp Docs lets you create a central repository for company policies, procedures, and FAQs. This empowers employees with self-service access to information, reducing the burden on the HR department for answering repetitive questions.
Collaborate on documents simultaneously, ensuring everyone stays on the same page with the latest updates. Version history lets you track changes and revert if needed.
ClickUp Automations
ClickUp Automations help you set up automated workflows to trigger tasks like sending welcome emails, assigning training materials, and granting system access upon new hire signup. This ensures a smooth and consistent onboarding experience for new hires.
It can also streamline leave request processes, automatically notify managers, update calendars, and trigger approval workflows, which reduces manual tasks and potential errors.
ClickUp Brain
Need a concise summary of employee performance reviews or onboarding documents? ClickUp Brain can automatically generate summaries, saving small business owners and HR teams valuable time wading through lengthy texts.
This AI-powered feature can also assist by generating content based on your prompts, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks.
ClickUp’s Templates for Efficiency
ClickUp has a library of pre-built, free HR templates. These templates provide a strong foundation to get you started and save you time building processes from scratch.
ClickUp’s HR Knowledge Base Template
Say goodbye to scattered documents and frustrated employees!
The ClickUp HR Knowledge Base Template lets you create a centralized knowledge base for company policies, procedures, and frequently asked questions. Empower your employees with self-service access to the information they need, reducing the burden on HR staff.
ClickUp’s Employee Directory Template
ClickUp’s Employee Directory Template keeps your team connected and information readily available with a user-friendly employee directory.
This template lets you store employee contact details, photos, and departmental information on a single HR platform. The search functionality makes finding the colleague you need easy.
ClickUp best features
- Workflow creation: Develop clear and consistent workflows and templates for performance reviews, onboarding, and other HR processes. This ensures everyone is on the same page, reduces errors, and keeps tasks moving smoothly
- HR project management: Human resource planning and initiatives, big or small, can be effectively managed within ClickUp. Track the progress of a new training program, collaborate on policy revisions, and assign tasks to team members—all within a centralized platform
- Improved communication and collaboration: ClickUp enables seamless communication between your HR team and employees. Use comments, chat, and document-sharing features to keep everyone in the loop and ensure clear communication on HR-related matters
- Document management: Store employee handbooks, training materials, and company policies in a centralized location. This allows for easy access, reduces clutter, and empowers employees with self-service access to information
- Goal setting and tracking: Set clear HR goals for the team to track progress on initiatives and ensure everyone is aligned. Use ClickUp to measure success with HR metrics and identify areas for improvement
ClickUp limitations
- Some complex HR processes may require some customization and setup time for optimal functionality
ClickUp pricing
- Free forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 per member per month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,540+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,140+ reviews)
2. BambooHR (Best for small businesses seeking simplicity in managing HR processes)
BambooHR is a user-friendly HR software solutions platform that streamlines tasks like onboarding, compensation management, payroll, and employee data management, freeing you from the shackles of spreadsheets and endless filing.
Whether you’re looking to streamline the onboarding process for new hires or want the assurance that payroll is managed automatically and accurately, BambooHR effortlessly handles every HR task.
BambooHR best features
- Navigate easily with a clean and intuitive interface, even if you are a non-technical user
- Streamline repetitive HR tasks like expense reporting and PTO requests
- Gain valuable insights into your workforce with built-in reporting tools
- Access on-the-go with a mobile app for both employers and employees
BambooHR limitations
- Some reviewers note that BambooHR offers fewer customization options for workflows and reports compared to competitors
- Offers basic applicant tracking features, but scaling up for larger hiring volumes could become cumbersome as your company and needs grow
BambooHR pricing
- Custom pricing
BambooHR ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (2,190+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,830+ reviews)
3. Greenhouse (Best for growing businesses with complex hiring needs)
Greenhouse is a robust HR tool designed to help businesses of all sizes cultivate their dream team. Its robust ATS goes beyond simple resume collection.
It streamlines the hiring process for both the business and the candidate with features like confirmation emails upon application submission, interview-scheduling updates, and timely notifications about application status.
This platform helps with ongoing workforce planning and engagement initiatives to retain top talent. By attracting a wider pool and identifying high-potential candidates during current recruitment drives; Greenhouse builds a robust talent pipeline for you.
A positive candidate experience through streamlined communication increases the likelihood of top talent staying connected, creating a pool of engaged individuals ready to contribute to your organization’s long-term success.
Greenhouse best features
- Streamline your entire recruitment process, from attracting top talent to managing interviews and offers
- Create a positive candidate experience with customizable career pages and automated communication tools
- Integrate this HR software with popular productivity and communication tools
- Set goals, track performance, and provide feedback to employees with dedicated features
- Gain valuable insights into your small business’s recruitment process with analytics
Greenhouse limitations
- Due to its robust features, it has a steeper learning curve
- It is on the pricier side compared to some competitors
Greenhouse pricing
- Custom pricing
Greenhouse ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (2,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (670+ reviews)
4. Rippling (Best for mid-sized businesses needing a comprehensive HR suite)
Rippling offers a comprehensive suite that tackles payroll, benefits administration, performance management, and more, all under one roof. It brings efficiency by having a single platform to manage your entire workforce, eliminating the need for multiple logins and fragmented workforce data.
Rippling empowers your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives and employee engagement, navigate the complexities of managing a workforce, and ensure everyone is happy, compliant, and productive.
Rippling best features
- Simplify the onboarding process for new hires with automated workflows
- Stay on top of complex employment laws and regulations with built-in compliance features
- Prioritize data security with features like role-based access control and encryption
- Scale to accommodate the growing needs of your small business and customize workflows and reports
Rippling limitations
- It doesn’t integrate as seamlessly with specific third-party business tools compared to some competitors
- Some small business owners report a learning curve to master its full functionality
Rippling pricing
- Custom pricing
Rippling ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (2,380+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (3,000+ reviews)
💡Pro Tip: Use employee onboarding templates to ensure a smooth and informative experience for your new team members. These templates can help you cover everything from essential paperwork to company culture immersion while giving your new hires a clear understanding of their role and goals.
5. Deel (Best cloud-based HR software for managing a global workforce)
The world is your oyster for finding exceptional talent, but managing a global workforce can be a logistical nightmare.
International regulations, payroll complexities, and contractor classification issues can quickly turn your dream team into a bureaucratic headache. Deel simplifies your international HR processes and ensures compliance from the get-go.
This comprehensive HR platform handles payroll and tax administration for employees and contractors worldwide, eliminating the burden of navigating unfamiliar regulations. Deel lets you focus on attracting top talent, regardless of location, while they take care of the behind-the-scenes complexities of workforce management.
Deel best features
- Manage payroll and ensure compliance for international employees and contractors
- Provide your global workforce with flexible payment options, including international bank transfers and local currencies
- Ensure proper classification of independent contractors to minimize legal risks
- Automate tasks like contract generation and tax calculations for a smoother workflow
Deel limitations
- Lacks some features for broader employee management needs
- Some companies find fees to be slightly higher than some competitors
Deel pricing
- Hiring and Payroll
- Deel Contractor Management: $49/month
- Deel EOR: $599/month
- Deel Payroll: $29/employee/month
- Deel US Payroll: $19/employee/month
- Deel US PEO: $79/employee/month
- HR Operations
- Deel HR: Free
- Deel Engage: $20/employee/month
- Immigration
- Deel Immigration: Custom pricing
Deel ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (3,480+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (810+ reviews)
6. Paycor (Best HR software for small businesses with integrated payroll needs)
Paycor is a human resources software that seamlessly integrates payroll processing with its HR features.
It is a unified system for onboarding new hires, managing employee data, and processing payroll accurately and on time. Paycor eliminates the need for manual HR data entry and ensures seamless communication between departments.
Its built-in compliance management features help you stay on top of federal and state employment laws across multiple locations, giving you peace of mind and avoiding costly penalties.
Paycor best features
- Integrate payroll processing with HR functions to reduce the need for manual data entry
- Stay compliant with federal and state employment regulations across multiple locations using automated features
- Manage employee benefits administration, enrollment, and deductions conveniently within the HR platform
- Track employee hours accurately with time and attendance tracking features
- Receive valuable insights into your workforce with robust reporting and analytics tools
Paycor limitations
- Reporting and workflows are less customizable compared to some competitors
- Some users reported potentially higher implementation costs associated with Paycor’s software
Paycor pricing
- Custom pricing
Paycor ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.9/5 (720+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (2,800+ reviews)
7. HROne (Best for growing businesses needing streamlined HR management)
As your small business expands, so do your HR support needs. Juggling recruitment, onboarding, and performance management can quickly become overwhelming. HROne helps you streamline core HR processes and tasks.
This human resources software has everything you need, from an ATS to attract top talent to onboarding automation for a smooth transition for new hires. But that’s not all—HROne also helps you build a culture of engagement and development with its performance management tools.
Set clear goals for your team, track progress, and provide constructive feedback—all within a user-friendly HR platform.
HROne best features
- Use a user-friendly ATS to attract and manage qualified candidates, streamlining your recruitment process
- Automate workflows to reduce onboarding headaches and ensure a smooth transition for new hires
- Set employee goals, track progress, and provide feedback to employees with performance management features
- Boost employee engagement with tools such as internal communication features and recognition programs
- Access paystubs, timesheets, and company information on the go with a mobile app for employees
HROne limitations
- Requires integration with a separate payroll provider, potentially adding complexity to the HR system
- Some users report concerns regarding the tool’s ability to scale effectively
HROne pricing
- Basic: $1.02/user/month
- Professional: $1.38/user/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
HROne ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (1,430+ reviews)
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
8. Gusto (Best HR software for small businesses that need an all-in-one solution)
Between chasing candidates and tackling daily tasks, HR can easily be overlooked. Gusto offers an all-in-one solution that’s both user-friendly and powerful.
Gusto is a cloud-based solution designed to streamline HR for small businesses. Unlike some limited software, Gusto offers features like effortless payroll with automatic tax filing, a curated marketplace for vetted benefits providers, and employee self-service options for pay stubs and time-off tracking.
Gusto simplifies onboarding with automated tasks and electronic document collection and even offers tools for performance management. The best part? Gusto scales with you, adapting to your growing workforce while enabling your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives.
Gusto best features
- Navigate easily with a user-friendly interface for HR managers and employees
- Automate payroll processing, including federal and state tax calculations and deductions
- Administer a wide range of employee benefits options with its administration tools.
- Track employee hours accurately and simplify payroll with time-tracking features.
- Ensure compliance with employment regulations through automated tax filing and reporting features
Gusto limitations
- Growing businesses with complex pay structures or bonuses might require a more specialized solution
- Only offers basic recruiting features, which won’t be quite as helpful as your company grows
Gusto pricing
- Simple: $40/month
- Plus: $80/month
- Premium: Custom pricing
Gusto ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (3,880+ reviews)
9. GreytHR (Best for small businesses looking for an affordable HR software solution)
Growing your team is exciting, but HR costs can quickly strain your budget. GreytHR understands this struggle and offers a cost-effective solution for core HR management tasks, performance tracking, and reporting.
This software equips your growing team with the tools they need to streamline onboarding, track employee performance, and generate valuable reports on key metrics—all within a budget-friendly package.
GreytHR empowers you to make data-driven decisions and cultivate a collaborative work environment for your team. Don’t let financial constraints hinder your growth; GreytHR is the perfect partner for scaling your small business with strategic solutions.
GreytHR best features
- Manage employee onboarding, time tracking, payroll processing, and other core HR tasks efficiently
- Use performance management features to set goals, track employee progress, and provide feedback
- Generate data-driven workforce insights with reporting tools, tracking key HR metrics like employee engagement and turnover rates
- Access payslips, timesheets, and company announcements on the go with a mobile app for employees
GreytHR limitations
- Has fewer integrations with other software for small businesses
GreytHR pricing
- Starter: Free
- Essential: $41.81/month
- Growth: $65.74/month
- Enterprise: $89.66/month
GreytHR ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (840+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (250+ reviews)
10. Keka (Best for small businesses and teams looking for user-friendly HR software)
Launching a business or managing a small team can feel overwhelming. The last thing you need is complex small business HR software to add to the chaos. Keka offers a user-friendly HR platform specifically designed for small businesses and teams.
It offers essential HR features like onboarding, scheduling, time tracking, and an employee self-service portal—all at an affordable price. Manage new hire paperwork, easily track employee hours, and empower your team with self-service access to information.
Keka keeps things simple and efficient, allowing you to focus on building a solid foundation for your team and achieving your entrepreneurial goals.
Keka best features
- Simplify HR management for small HR teams with limited experience with a clean and easy-to-use interface
- Choose from competitive pricing plans, making it a budget-friendly option for small businesses
- Handle essential HR tasks, including employee onboarding, time tracking, and leave requests with ease
- Provide employees with a self-service portal for convenient access to payslips and timesheets
Keka limitations
- Limited customization options for workflows and HR operations reports
Keka pricing
- Basic: $9/user/month
- Advanced: $16/user/month
- Enterprise: $22/user/month
Keka ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (960+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (70+ reviews)
Find the Missing Piece for Your HR Team
No more feeling overwhelmed by their complex functionalities or limited features.
The HR software solutions explored in this blog can help you simplify tasks, ensure compliance, and empower your team.
ClickUp makes it easy to create a clear, visual workflow for onboarding new hires and tracking performance reviews, all within a single HR system. HR professionals can keep handbooks, training materials, and company policies in one place, making access and collaboration a breeze.
In a nutshell, ClickUp is a centralized hub for small businesses, enhancing organization, communication, and collaboration within the HR team.
Sign up for ClickUp today and experience the power of effortless organization.