Software directory
8 BambooHR alternatives for 2026
The tools buyers compare with BambooHR, side by side on price, pricing model and what each one is built for.
Why teams look beyond BambooHR
- Limited features and weak customization.
- Reporting and approval options feel thin.
- Companies that need a full-featured standalone ATS (openings capped 5, 25 or 50 by tier)
- Teams needing deep reporting or customization (common complaint)
From BambooHR's published plan limits and recurring themes in public reviews. See the BambooHR review for sources.
BambooHR vs. its alternatives
| Tool | Pricing model | Starting price | G2 rating | Pricing model and real cost | Target company size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| per employee | $250/mo flat (Core, 25 or fewer employees); $10 to $10.25 per employee per month above that | 4.4 (5,796 reviews) | Per employee per month by tier; flat monthly rate for 25 or fewer employees; add-on modules. | Small to mid-size; flat rates tuned to 25 or fewer employees. | |
| flat (by employee-count tier) | $299/mo (Standard, monthly billing) | 4.5 (686 reviews) | Flat price by company-size tier, plus AI credits and add-ons. | 1 to 1000+ employees, priced by tier. | |
| flat | $0 (Bootstrap); paid from $157/mo | 4.4 (686 reviews) | Flat monthly plans per account; add-ons for AI credits, SMS, onboarding. | Small teams. | |
| flat | $1,000/yr (Hero, billed annually) | 4.4 (858 reviews) | Flat annual plan by job volume; usage-billed extras. | Small business; standard pricing excludes companies over 250 employees. | |
| per user | Free (1 active job); paid plans from about $25 per user per month billed annually per third-party sources | 4.4 (1,847 reviews) | Per user per month, tiered by active job limit. | G2 reviewers are 81.8% small business. | |
| custom | Contact sales | 4.6 (524 reviews) | Quote-based; unlimited users and jobs. | ||
| base fee plus per person | $49/month plus $6 per person (Simple) | 4.6 (9,000 reviews) | Base fee plus per-person fee per plan. | Small businesses (about 84% of G2 reviews) | |
| custom | Contact sales | 4.5 (6,244 reviews) | Quote only; per payroll plus per employee fees. | Mid-market; about 39,200 clients per 10-K summary. | |
| custom | Contact sales | 4.4 (6,080 reviews) | Quote only; per employee per month plus modules. | Mid-size (about 44,400 clients FY2026) |
The alternatives in detail
Workable
Recruiting platform with published monthly prices by company-size tier and AI credit packs for sourcing and screening.
- Starting price
- $299/mo (Standard, monthly billing)
- Pricing model
- flat (by employee-count tier)
- G2 rating
- 4.5 (686 reviews)
- Resume parsing and screening
- AI screening credits: 1 credit per candidate screened; 3,000 free credits on paid accounts.
- Pricing model and real cost
- Flat price by company-size tier, plus AI credits and add-ons.
- Target company size
- 1 to 1000+ employees, priced by tier.
Choose it if
- Small and mid-size teams that want a published price and a 15-day trial.
- Teams that want video interviews, texting and assessments bundled in higher tiers.
Skip it if
- Teams that need SSO plan detail confirmed before buying.
- Heavy AI-sourcing users who dislike credit-based add-ons.
Worth knowing
- Price depends on employee-count tier, not seats; the same plan costs more as the company grows.
- Standard add-ons: Texting+ $89/mo, Video interviews+ $109/mo, Assessments+ $59/mo, Performance & Engagement+ $39/mo; these are included on Premier and Enterprise.
- AI credit bundles: 5,000 for $600, 10,000 for $1,000, 50,000 for $4,750; credits expire after 1 year and are non-refundable.
Breezy HR
Visual-pipeline ATS with a free single-job plan and published monthly prices for small teams.
- Starting price
- $0 (Bootstrap); paid from $157/mo
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (686 reviews)
- Job multiposting
- Active positions can be listed on job boards and Career Portal.
- Pipeline and hiring-team collaboration
- Customizable scorecards from Growth.
- Interview scheduling
- Self-scheduling from Startup.
- HRIS and background check integrations
- HRIS integrations from Business.
Choose it if
- Very small teams that can live with one active job on the free plan.
- Small teams wanting published prices and a 14-day trial.
Skip it if
- Teams needing SAML SSO below the Pro level.
- Buyers who need reporting flexibility (reviewer complaint)
Worth knowing
- Free Bootstrap plan has unlimited users but only one active position or pool.
- SAML SSO is limited to Pro plans (help center).
- Add-ons: Breezy Intelligence credits from $30/100,000, SMS from $41/mo, Onboard from $49/mo.
JazzHR
Low-cost annual-plan ATS for small businesses, with a stated eligibility cap of about 250 employees.
- Starting price
- $1,000/yr (Hero, billed annually)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (858 reviews)
- Job multiposting
- Premium listings and syndication to more job boards available; posting limits by plan.
- Pricing model and real cost
- Flat annual plan by job volume; usage-billed extras.
- Target company size
- Small business; standard pricing excludes companies over 250 employees.
Choose it if
- Small businesses that want a published annual price.
- Teams that want quick setup and ease of use.
Skip it if
- Staffing or recruiting agencies, franchises, multi-location businesses and companies over 250 employees (excluded from standard pricing at JazzHR's discretion)
- Buyers who want monthly billing or deep customization.
Worth knowing
- Eligibility rules exclude agencies, franchises, multi-location businesses and companies over 250 employees from standard pricing.
- Offers & eSignatures is an add-on on Plus; the pricing page is inconsistent about whether Pro includes it.
- SSO is a paid add-on at $29/month on Hero, Plus or Pro (JazzHR blog/info page).
Zoho Recruit
Low-cost, per-recruiter ATS from Zoho with a free tier and separate staffing-agency and corporate HR editions.
- Starting price
- Free (1 active job); paid plans from about $25 per user per month billed annually per third-party sources
- Pricing model
- per user
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (1,847 reviews)
- Job multiposting
- Free job boards on Free plan; premium job boards from Standard.
- Pipeline and hiring-team collaboration
- Candidate management, email management and talent pipeline; assignment rules from Professional.
- Resume parsing and screening
- Resume management from Standard; AI candidate matching, screening and assessments from Professional.
- Interview scheduling
- Interview scheduling included even on Free plan; video interviews are a paid add-on.
Choose it if
- Small teams and agencies that want a per-recruiter price with a free one-job plan.
- Companies already running Zoho CRM or Zoho One.
Skip it if
- Teams that need published SSO or SCIM details before buying.
- Enterprises that want a dedicated enterprise-grade ATS with deep compliance tooling.
Worth knowing
- Free plan allows only 1 active job posting.
- 15-day trial gives full Enterprise access then drops to Free without data loss.
- Premium Support (faster response, dedicated account manager), data migration, video interviews and the Customer Portal are paid add-ons.
Teamtailor
Stockholm-based ATS and employer-branding platform with unlimited users and jobs and quote-only pricing.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.6 (524 reviews)
- Pipeline and hiring-team collaboration
- Unlimited users on the vendor pricing page.
- Resume parsing and screening
- Teamtailor AI with unlimited usage listed as included.
- Careers page and candidate experience
- Employer branding is core positioning; Divisions and Multi-brand Management marked Premium.
- Pricing model and real cost
- Quote-based; unlimited users and jobs.
Choose it if
- Employer-branding focused hiring teams that want unlimited users.
- Companies wanting SSO and user provisioning on the plan.
Skip it if
- Teams that need published prices.
- Buyers wanting heavy customization (G2 complaint)
Worth knowing
- Unlimited job postings and unlimited users per vendor pricing page.
- SSO and user provisioning listed as included.
- Requisitions and approval flows, and Divisions and multi-brand management are marked Premium.
Gusto
Small-business payroll platform that bundles tax filing, benefits and basic HR tools, priced as a base fee plus a per-person fee.
- Starting price
- $49/month plus $6 per person (Simple)
- Pricing model
- base fee plus per person
- G2 rating
- 4.6 (9,000 reviews)
- Core HR and employee records
- Employee records and self-onboarding on all plans (basic)
- Payroll integration or built-in payroll
- Built-in payroll is the core product.
- Onboarding and offboarding workflows
- Employee self-onboarding on Simple; hiring and onboarding tools on Plus.
- Time off and attendance
- Basic PTO on Simple; time and PTO tracking on Plus.
Choose it if
- Small US businesses of 1 to a few dozen people wanting simple setup.
- Companies that pay a mix of W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.
Skip it if
- Large enterprises needing SCIM or deep identity controls.
- Companies that need global payroll.
Worth knowing
- Multi-state payroll only starts on Plus ($80 + $12)
- Simple's price excludes benefits costs and add-ons.
- SAML SSO is not self-service: reportedly enabled via Gusto support, and SCIM is reportedly unavailable (third-party Stitchflow)
Paycom
Single-database HCM and payroll platform for mid-size US employers, quote-based and billed per payroll run.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.5 (6,244 reviews)
- Core HR and employee records
- Single database for HR and payroll.
- Payroll integration or built-in payroll
- Built-in payroll, tax and time.
- Time off and attendance
- Time and attendance included in suite.
- Benefits administration
- Benefits module.
Choose it if
- Mid-size US employers that want one database for payroll, HR, time and talent.
- IT teams that need SAML 2.0 and strong security attestations.
Skip it if
- Small teams that want public prices.
- Buyers who dislike per-payroll-run fee structures.
Worth knowing
- Paycom bills per payroll run plus per employee, so PEPM quotes understate or hide the structure.
- Implementation fees are generally 10 to 30% of annualized value (10-K)
- Revenue retention 91% in 2025.
Paylocity
Cloud HCM suite covering payroll, HR, time, benefits and talent for mid-size US employers, sold by quote only.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (6,080 reviews)
- Core HR and employee records
- Core HR (G2 files Paylocity under Core HR)
- Payroll integration or built-in payroll
- Built-in payroll.
- Time off and attendance
- Time and labor module.
- Benefits administration
- Benefits administration module.
Choose it if
- Mid-size US employers that want payroll, HR, time and benefits in one platform.
- Teams that want a large pool of Okta/SSO-ready integrations.
Skip it if
- Small teams that need transparent per-employee pricing.
- Buyers who need responsive support, a top G2 complaint theme.
Worth knowing
- Fiscal 2026 (year to 2026-06-30): revenue $1.771B, about 44,400 clients, per the company's results release.
- Okta's Paylocity listing (updated 2026-07-02) shows SAML, OIDC and SCIM with group push and deactivation.
- Implementation fees reported at 10 to 20% of annual software fees (third party), so budget year one separately.
When to stay with BambooHR
- Small and mid-size US companies that want HRIS first and light recruiting in the same system.
- Teams of 25 or fewer that benefit from the flat monthly rate.