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BambooHR

HRIS / Core HR (HCM)

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★★★★☆ 4.4 / 5 on G2 · 4.6 on Capterra (6,125 G2 reviews)
4.4 / 5
G2 rating, 6.1k reviews [source]
2008
Founded [source]
Per employee
Pricing model [source]
SMB
Core HR focus [source]

Quick facts

CategoryCore HR / HRIS
Founded2008
HeadquartersLindon, Utah
Starts atPer employee, free trial
Best forSmall and mid sized businesses
DeploymentCloud, web and mobile
Free planFree trial
IntegrationsMarketplace of integrations
G2 rating4.4 / 5
Capterra rating4.6 / 5

What is BambooHR?

BambooHR is a clean, easy to use core HR platform designed for small and mid sized businesses. Founded in 2008, it provides a reliable system of record for employee data, with strong onboarding, time off management, employee self service, document storage and reporting, plus optional payroll and benefits. It focuses on doing core HR well and simply, so growing companies can move off spreadsheets and give HR teams, managers and employees an intuitive place to manage people. Its clean interface and ease of use have made it one of the most loved HR tools for smaller organisations.

BambooHR's distinction is simplicity and employee experience for small and mid sized businesses. Rather than overwhelming breadth, it offers a straightforward, intuitive core HR system that teams actually enjoy using, with excellent onboarding and time off, which drives high satisfaction. For companies that want solid core HR without enterprise complexity, BambooHR is a benchmark.

BambooHR at a glanceBambooHR is a clean, easy core HR platform for small and mid sized businesses [BambooHR]. It holds a 4.4 out of 5 rating across more than 6,100 reviews on G2 and 4.6 on Capterra, loved for simplicity and ease of use.

Who BambooHR is best for

BambooHR is best for small and mid sized businesses, often up to a few hundred employees, that want a clean, easy core HR system with great onboarding and time off. It suits companies prioritising simplicity and employee experience. It is a weaker fit for large enterprises needing deep HCM, talent and global capabilities, where Workday or SAP SuccessFactors fit, or companies wanting HR, IT and payroll deeply unified, where Rippling fits.

Key features

The core strengths are a reliable employee system of record, strong onboarding, time off management with approvals, and employee self service, all in a clean interface. BambooHR offers reporting, an employee directory, performance tools, and optional payroll and benefits, plus an integration marketplace. Its ease of use, onboarding and time off, and overall employee experience are its defining advantages for smaller organisations.

BambooHR pricing

BambooHR is priced per employee per month, with tiers such as Core and Pro offering more features, and payroll and benefits available as add ons, plus a free trial. Pricing is quote based by headcount, affordable for small and mid sized businesses. Because it is per employee, costs scale with headcount, and adding payroll or benefits increases the total. Get a quote for your size and needs via the BambooHR pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

BambooHR offers a marketplace of integrations with payroll providers, applicant tracking, benefits, performance and other HR and business tools, so it can serve as the core HR hub while connecting to specialist systems. Its integrations let smaller companies build a connected HR stack around a simple, reliable system of record.

BambooHR and employee experience

A core strength is the employee experience: a clean, intuitive interface, smooth onboarding, and easy self service make HR pleasant for employees and managers, not just HR, which drives adoption and satisfaction. For small and mid sized businesses where a friendly, usable system matters, this experience focus is a major reason to choose BambooHR.

Ease of use and support

Ease of use is BambooHR's hallmark, with a 9.2 ease score and praise for its clean UI, simple time off and easy onboarding, backed by good support. Its G2 reviews consistently highlight simplicity and experience, with more limited feature breadth than enterprise suites the main consideration.

Is BambooHR worth it?

For small and mid sized businesses that want a clean, easy core HR system with excellent onboarding and time off, BambooHR is one of the best choices and a category favourite. The main caution is that large enterprises needing deep HCM and global features should look at Workday or SAP SuccessFactors, and companies wanting HR, IT and payroll unified may prefer Rippling, but for straightforward core HR, BambooHR is hard to beat.

Pricing

Core

Per employee
quote
  • Employee record
  • Onboarding
  • Time off and self service

Pro

Per employee
quote
  • Performance
  • More features
  • Advanced reporting

Payroll + Benefits

Add on
per employee
  • Payroll
  • Benefits administration
  • Integrated

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Clean, easy to use interface
  • Strong onboarding and time off
  • Loved by small and mid sized businesses
  • Great employee experience
  • Optional payroll and benefits

Cons

  • More limited breadth than enterprise suites
  • Per employee cost scales with headcount
  • Payroll and benefits cost extra
  • Not for large global enterprises

BambooHR alternatives

These hris / core hr tools come up most often against BambooHR.

BambooHR FAQ

What is BambooHR used for?
BambooHR is used by small and mid sized businesses as a core HR system: storing employee records, running onboarding, managing time off, enabling self service, and reporting, with optional payroll and benefits, all in a clean, easy interface.
How much does BambooHR cost?
BambooHR is priced per employee per month, with Core and Pro tiers and optional payroll and benefits add ons, quote based by headcount, plus a free trial. See the BambooHR pricing page.
Is BambooHR good for small businesses?
Yes. BambooHR is a top choice for small and mid sized businesses, with a clean, easy interface, strong onboarding and time off, and a great employee experience, which is why it is one of the most loved HR tools in that segment.
Does BambooHR include payroll?
BambooHR offers payroll and benefits as add ons alongside its core HR, and also integrates with external payroll providers, so companies can either use its payroll or connect their existing one.
BambooHR vs Rippling, which is better?
BambooHR is a simple, easy core HR tool loved by smaller businesses, while Rippling is a broad unified HR, IT and payroll platform. BambooHR suits straightforward HR; Rippling suits companies wanting more breadth and automation.
Is BambooHR good for enterprises?
Not really. BambooHR focuses on small and mid sized businesses and lacks the deep HCM, talent and global capabilities large enterprises need, which are better served by Workday, SAP SuccessFactors or Oracle HCM.

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