HR Software Pricing: What 6 Tools Cost for 10, 25 and 50 Employees
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HR software usually costs between about $1 and $25 per employee per month. Some tools charge a flat monthly fee instead. Where your bill lands depends on four things: how many people you have, which modules you need, how the vendor prices, and whether you pay yearly or monthly.
Below are the published prices of six HR tools, what each would cost a team of 10, 25 or 50, the pricing models you'll run into, and the costs that don't show up on a pricing page.
Payrun is our product. We include it alongside other tools and have no affiliate deals with any vendor here. All prices come from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on 4 November 2026, in US dollars. Prices change, so check the links before you buy.
How much does HR software cost?
For core HR (employee records, documents, time off and basic reports), published prices start at about $1.25 per user per month and go up to around $10 per employee. Tools that add payroll, performance reviews or IT management cost more, often $8 to $25 per employee, plus base fees or quotes.
Several tools are free for very small teams. Zoho People and Payrun are free for up to 5 users, and Connecteam's Small Business plan is free for up to 10. See our guide to free HR software for small businesses for what those free plans include.
HR software prices compared
Tool | Cheapest paid plan (billed annually) | Pricing model | Free plan | Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Payrun (our product) | $4.95/user/month (Starter, up to 20 users) | Per user, tiered by plan | Up to 5 users | Payroll calculation on Pro ($9.95) and Ultimate ($14.95); no US payroll tax filing |
$1.25/user/month (Essential HR) | Per user, tiered by plan | Up to 5 users | Not included | |
$29/month for the first 30 users, then $0.50/user (HR & Skills Basic) | Flat fee for 30 users + per extra user | Up to 10 users | Payroll integration only | |
$250/month flat up to 25 employees, then from $10.25/employee (Core) | Flat fee, then per employee | No | Quoted add-on, US only | |
From $8/employee/month plus a monthly base fee | Base fee + per employee, by module | No | Yes (quote) | |
From $8/user/month | Per user, by module | No | Payslip distribution; quote |
What a team of 10, 25 or 50 would pay
List prices for each vendor's cheapest paid HR plan, billed annually, before tax or discounts. This is arithmetic from published prices, not a quote.
Tool and plan | 10 people | 25 people | 50 people |
|---|---|---|---|
Payrun (Starter up to 20 users; Pro above 20) | $49.50 | $248.75 (Pro, includes payroll) | $497.50 (Pro, includes payroll) |
Zoho People Essential HR | $12.50 | $31.25 | $62.50 |
Connecteam HR & Skills Basic | $0 (free plan) | $29 | $39 |
BambooHR Core | $250 | $250 | from $512.50 |
Rippling | Quote ($80 + base fee minimum) | Quote ($200 + base fee minimum) | Quote ($400 + base fee minimum) |
Factorial | Quote (from $80) | Quote (from $200) | Quote (from $400) |
The cheapest plan is rarely the right one. Check what each plan leaves out. For example, Zoho People's Essential HR plan doesn't include attendance or timesheets (those start on Professional, $2/user). Payrun's Starter plan doesn't include payroll. If you need payroll too, our HR and payroll software comparison prices six tools with payroll included.
HR software pricing models
Per user or per employee
You pay a fixed amount for each person in the system each month. Payrun, Zoho People and Factorial work this way. It's easy to predict and scales with headcount. Check whether "user" means every employee or only admins and managers. Vendors define it differently.
Flat fee, then per employee
You pay one price up to a headcount, then a per-employee rate above it. BambooHR charges $250/month for up to 25 employees on Core. Connecteam charges $29/month for the first 30 users on Basic. This is good value near the top of the band and poor value for a team of 5.
Base fee plus per employee
A monthly platform fee plus a per-person rate. Rippling uses this model. The base fee makes small teams pay more per head, so ask for it in writing.
Modular pricing
You start with a core HR module and pay for each extra one: payroll, time tracking, performance, recruiting. Rippling and Factorial both price by module. It lets you start small, but the price climbs as you add the parts most teams end up needing.
Custom quote
Some vendors publish only a starting price, or none, and give a quote after a demo. Expect to share your headcount, locations and the modules you want.
What changes the price
- Headcount and plan limits. Plans often cap users. Payrun's Starter plan covers up to 20 users and Pro up to 50, so growing past a limit moves you up a tier.
- Modules. Attendance, payroll, performance and recruiting usually sit on higher plans or cost extra.
- Annual vs monthly billing. Paying yearly is usually cheaper. Payrun Starter is $4.95/user billed annually vs $8.25 monthly, and Connecteam says its yearly plans include two months free.
- Minimums. Some plans set a minimum number of users or a base fee, which matters most for very small teams.
- Add-ons and usage. Payroll, benefits, extra job listings or AI credits can be priced separately. BambooHR quotes payroll separately; Payrun charges $0.99 per 50 extra AI credits.
Costs that don't show on the pricing page
Ask every vendor about these before you sign:
- Setup or implementation fees: is there a one-time onboarding charge?
- Data migration: who moves your existing records, and is it included? (Payrun includes free migration.)
- Training and support: is live support included on your plan, or only on higher tiers?
- Contract length and renewal: is there a minimum term, and how much can the price rise at renewal?
- Integrations: do the connectors you need (accounting, payroll, Slack) cost extra?
- Payroll taxes: if you're in the US, does the tool file payroll taxes, or will you need a separate payroll provider?
How to pick a plan without overpaying
- List the modules you need now and in the next 12 months.
- Price each shortlisted tool at your current headcount and at your expected headcount in a year.
- Compare the yearly and monthly prices.
- Get every fee in writing: base fee, setup, migration, add-ons.
- Use the free plan or trial with real data before you commit.
Where Payrun fits
Payrun covers employee records, leave, attendance and timesheets, hiring and expenses on every paid plan, plus payroll calculation on Pro and Ultimate. It's free for up to 5 users, and paid plans run from $4.95 to $14.95 per user per month billed annually, with no minimum contract and free data migration. It doesn't file payroll taxes or pay employees, so US businesses that need tax filing will also need a payroll provider. See Payrun pricing.
Written by the Payrun Team. Prices were checked on each vendor's own website on 4 November 2026. Payrun is our product; we have no affiliate relationship with any other vendor listed. If you spot an error, contact us and we'll correct it.
