Expert Guide

The Best BambooHR Alternatives in 2026

Gusto Plus prints the payroll bill BambooHR still quotes, so a US team can compare a number this week. Rippling and HiBob will not quote a price until a call, and Namely Now starts from a published per-employee floor.

Louis CorneloupFounder, Dupple · 900,000+ readers · Updated Sep 2026

Product links may be affiliate links. How we rate 8 tools compared

TL;DR

Gusto Plus, at $80/mo plus $12 per person, is the best BambooHR alternative in 2026 when a US team wants payroll priced in, not quoted. Rippling fits when IT must follow the employee record, and the price comes only after a sales conversation.

HiBob fits when performance should not sit on a higher tier, because BambooHR holds reviews off the entry plan. Namely Now opens at $9 per employee per month with payroll in the package, so the floor is visible before a demo.

BambooHR lists Core at $10 per employee per month, Pro at $17, and Elite at $25. A flat rate from $250 a month applies at 25 people or fewer, so a small company does not get a tiny per-head bill. Prices were verified on vendor pages on 24 September 2026.

Key facts

Updated: September 24, 2026
Top pick: Gusto (best for: US teams that need BambooHR's unpriced payroll add-on as a printed bill)
Top pick price as of September 24, 2026: Gusto: Plus $80/mo + $12/person; Simple $49/mo + $6/person, month to month.

8 tools compared: Gusto, Rippling, HiBob, Namely, Paylocity, ADP RUN, Deel, Factorial
Rippling (best for: Companies that need HR, payroll, and IT to follow one employee record): Publishes no list price; the Platform is required, and most products are per employee.
HiBob (best for: Teams that outgrew BambooHR performance tiers and will wait for a quote): Publishes no list price, quoted per employee, with Core HR included.
Namely (best for: US companies that want payroll inside the HRIS at a printed floor): From $9/employee/mo (Namely Now); Plus and Complete are quoted.

Gusto is the BambooHR alternative a US people team can price this week, because payroll is a printed base plus a per-person fee rather than an add-on with no number.

Leave when that missing price is the problem, when open jobs blow past the Core hiring cap, or when the project is performance, compensation, or hiring outside the US.

Rippling fits when a hire should also get a laptop and an app login, and you will buy from a quote.

HiBob fits when reviews are why Core feels thin, since they start on a higher tier. Namely fits when you want a printed US floor and payroll in the same product.

Toolradar data: the September 2026 HRIS ranking evaluated 32 tools.

The profiles next to a BambooHR migration are BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling, and HiBob.

If you are still deciding whether to stay, start with the BambooHR review, then the mid-market HRIS shortlist if you are already past a few hundred people.

A link to Deel below is an affiliate link, and the order on this page does not follow commission.

How we compared: eight alternatives, USD rates read on 24 September 2026 against BambooHR's own pricing page, for a US people team that can leave this quarter. No paid placement, and no hands-on lab for this edition.

Top Picks

Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.

Best BambooHR Alternatives in 2026: 8 tools compared, updated Sep 2026
Tool	Pricing	Best for
Gusto	Plus $80/mo + $12/person; Simple $49/mo + $6/person, month to month.	US teams that need BambooHR's unpriced payroll add-on as a printed bill
Rippling	Publishes no list price; the Platform is required, and most products are per employee.	Companies that need HR, payroll, and IT to follow one employee record
HiBob	Publishes no list price, quoted per employee, with Core HR included.	Teams that outgrew BambooHR performance tiers and will wait for a quote
Namely	From $9/employee/mo (Namely Now); Plus and Complete are quoted.	US companies that want payroll inside the HRIS at a printed floor
Paylocity	Publishes no list price, billed per employee per month rather than per payroll run.	US employers that want payroll billed per person, not per run
ADP RUN	Publishes no list price; RUN packages are quoted for 1 to 49 people.	Companies of 1 to 49 people that want payroll depth before a bigger HRIS
Deel	From $49/contractor/mo; EOR is $599/employee/mo; no free HRIS plan.	Teams leaving because BambooHR's global add-on has no printed price
Factorial	From $8/user/mo; modules past Core are a tailored quote.	Buyers who will assemble modules and can live without PTO in the base

Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Sep 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.

Lowest monthly figure each vendor publishes, checked Sep 2026. A tilde marks a figure the vendor states approximately. Per-seat and usage charges can sit on top of it. 4 of 8 do not publish a comparable monthly price and are left out rather than estimated.

Gusto

Top Pick

Best for: US teams that need BambooHR's unpriced payroll add-on as a printed bill

PricingPlus $80/mo + $12/person; Simple $49/mo + $6/person, month to month.

+Plus includes multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, time-off requests, and custom onboarding, so it is the plan that replaces a BambooHR payroll quote.

+Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, automatic tax filing, digital I-9s and W-4s, and basic PTO policies. You pay for active employees, and for US contractors only in months you pay them.

+There is no annual contract: upgrades start immediately, downgrades start on the first of the next month, and account setup is free.

−Time-off requests, scheduling, and the time clock are an add-on on Simple, so a Core team on the entry plan loses the approval calendar.

−Garnishment payments cover 49 states and skip South Carolina, and performance reviews sit on Premium or on a per-person add-on if you stay on Simple.

Visit Gusto →

Rippling

Best for: Companies that need HR, payroll, and IT to follow one employee record

PricingPublishes no list price; the Platform is required, and most products are per employee.

+HR, finance, and IT products can be bought separately, but the Platform is required, so the quote is a stack even for one product.

+Rippling says it will import year-to-date payroll and start mid-year, which is how you leave a US payroll add-on without waiting for January.

+Most products are billed per employee each month, and some also carry a monthly base fee, so ask which line is the base before you compare tiers.

−There is no public USD price and no self-serve trial on the pricing page, so this cannot win a same-day budget meeting.

−A quote that adds device management and finance is the wrong bill if the only hole in BambooHR was payroll.

Visit Rippling →

HiBob

Best for: Teams that outgrew BambooHR performance tiers and will wait for a quote

PricingPublishes no list price, quoted per employee, with Core HR included.

+Every quote includes Core HR: the employee database, documents, time off, lifecycle workflows, analytics, the mobile app, and Bob AI Companion, so that layer is in every quote, not a higher tier.

+Native payroll runs in the US and the UK on the same record as HR. Other countries go through Payroll Hub, so a third country is not a second native engine.

+The pricing page says more than 5,000 companies and 1,230,200 people are on Bob, which shows scale, not a price you can budget.

−There is no printed USD rate, and the quote moves with headcount, modules, and implementation, so Core is only the floor of a sales conversation.

−A third country is an integration, not a native payroll engine, so a hire beyond the US and the UK is a hub project on top of the quote.

Visit HiBob →

Namely

Best for: US companies that want payroll inside the HRIS at a printed floor

PricingFrom $9/employee/mo (Namely Now); Plus and Complete are quoted.

+Namely Now is the printed start, while Plus, Plus People, and Complete are quoted from complexity, modules, and services.

+Data migration assistance is included at no extra cost, and Namely says a Now implementation has gone live in as little as 3 weeks.

+Now delivers 5 custom fields, 5 time-off plan types, and standard payroll earnings, and terms run month to month or up to 3 years.

−Custom workflows are not in Now, and Plus allows up to 10 custom workflows and 20 custom fields at a step with no printed price.

−There is no free trial, only a guided tour, and open enrollment configuration is listed as an additional cost.

Visit Namely →

Paylocity

Best for: US employers that want payroll billed per person, not per run

PricingPublishes no list price, billed per employee per month rather than per payroll run.

+Paylocity says it charges per employee per month rather than per payroll run, so an extra off-cycle does not add a run fee.

+Express, for the small-business tiers, includes payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, on-demand pay, and employee self-service, which is a payroll desk rather than a full HR suite.

+The same page says support will help switch and migrate data from another vendor, which is the move off BambooHR, still without a public rate.

−No dollar amount is printed, and organizations with 1 to 50 employees are the ones eligible for the small-business Grow tiers.

−Talent, compliance, and expense sit above Express, and time off in the employee app is not a full HR suite, so the BambooHR calendar may not come along.

Visit Paylocity →

ADP RUN

Best for: Companies of 1 to 49 people that want payroll depth before a bigger HRIS

PricingPublishes no list price; RUN packages are quoted for 1 to 49 people.

+Essential includes payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, new-hire reporting, and W-2 and 1099 forms, and ADP says it pays the fines if it makes a filing error.

+You do not have to sign a contract, and service can be ended at any time. Enhanced adds ZipRecruiter, state unemployment management, and garnishment payment.

+Complete adds an HR help desk and salary benchmarks. HR Pro adds an applicant tracker powered by CareerPlug, so hiring software waits on the top package.

−None of the four packages shows a USD rate. Extra payroll runs increase fees, and the contractor bundle is a base plus a per-contractor fee with no amounts printed.

−Time and attendance is an add-on on every package, and the applicant tracker waits until HR Pro, so this is a weak swap if hiring caps are why you are leaving.

Visit ADP RUN →

Deel

Best for: Teams leaving because BambooHR's global add-on has no printed price

PricingFrom $49/contractor/mo; EOR is $599/employee/mo; no free HRIS plan.

+Contractor management is a printed monthly rate, and Contractor of Record is a higher printed rate when Deel holds classification risk.

+Employer of record covers full employment in 130+ countries, and US PEO is a separate per-employee rate with benefits across all 50 states.

+Pricing is month to month, and Deel says you can cancel, with local notice rules still applying to employer-of-record employees.

−These rates buy hiring, payroll, and compliance for people you do not employ through your own entity, so they are not a records-and-PTO seat.

−A free demo is the trial, and there is no free core HR plan on the pricing page.

Visit Deel →

Factorial

Best for: Buyers who will assemble modules and can live without PTO in the base

PricingFrom $8/user/mo; modules past Core are a tailored quote.

+The US pricing page says plans start at a per-user monthly rate, then a specialist builds the rest, so the printed figure is an opener, not the invoice.

+Core includes the employee directory, onboarding and offboarding, payslip distribution, bulk documents, and legal e-sign, which is the record, not the calendar.

+Time off, time tracking, performance, and shift management are separate modules, so you can refuse pieces BambooHR bundles into higher tiers.

−Time off is not in Core, so a team that lives in the BambooHR calendar does not get that calendar at the starting rate.

−There is no second printed tier, and after Core the bill is whatever the specialist quotes.

Visit Factorial →

What it is

A BambooHR alternative is an HR system a company can move the employee record to, with time off, hiring, or payroll attached, instead of keeping BambooHR and bolting the missing piece on later.

Above 25 people, BambooHR prices the Core tier, the Pro tier, and the Elite tier as a per-employee monthly rate, sold month-to-month or on a longer term.

Payroll and benefits are separate US-only add-ons with no printed dollar amount, so the payroll line stays a quote.

A bundle discount is mentioned for HR, benefits, and payroll together, but the percent is not printed, while registered nonprofits get an additional 15% off.

Time off requests, accruals, and the calendar sit on Core, so the entry tier already has the calendar.

Performance management, meaning 360 review cycles, 1:1s, and goals, starts on Pro, so reviews alone move you to the middle tier. Compensation planning, Mercer salary benchmarks, and custom dashboards start on Elite.

The applicant tracker allows 5 open jobs on Core, 25 on Pro, and 50 on Elite, so a hiring spike changes the tier.

Global employment is an add-on powered by Remote and is not priced, so an international hire has no number yet.

Why it matters

A 10-person company does not get a tiny Core bill.

At 25 employees or fewer, BambooHR charges a flat rate that starts at the figure in the summary, even if you have 10 people, so the invoice is a floor that does not shrink with headcount.

Our multiplication of Gusto Simple for those 10 people is $109/mo, base plus ten per-person fees.

That plan still does not include time-off requests, so the cheaper landing drops the calendar Core already has.

At 40 people, Core is $400/mo before any payroll add-on, and Pro is $680/mo before that add-on.

Our multiplication of Gusto Plus for the same 40 people is $560/mo, and that bill includes payroll, multi-state pay, and time-off requests, so Plus carries the line Pro still does not print.

Simple plus the Time and Attendance add-on for those 40 people multiplies to $529/mo, about $31 under Plus, without multi-state payroll or custom onboarding.

Six open jobs cannot stay on Core, so that jump is the Pro rate, and 26 open jobs is the Elite rate.

A team that only needed more requisitions is then paying for performance or compensation modules it may not run.

A quote-only suite can make a BambooHR renewal look cheaper, because it is the one line finance can see before a call.

The wider US payroll set is the payroll guide, and startup-shaped stacks are the startup HR guide.

Key features to look for

Whether payroll has a printed price

BambooHR payroll is a US-only add-on with no list price, so the renewal hides the largest line. Gusto prints a base plus a per-person fee, and Namely Now prints a per-employee start that includes payroll. Rippling, HiBob, Paylocity, and ADP RUN leave that number for a call.

What the cheap plan cuts from time off

BambooHR Core already includes requests, accruals, and a calendar, so a cheaper plan can delete the workflow people use. Gusto Simple keeps basic PTO policies, and the request workflow is an add-on until Plus. Factorial's starting plan does not include time off at all.

Where performance and hiring caps sit

BambooHR puts 360 reviews on Pro and compensation on Elite, and it caps open jobs at 5, 25, and 50, so either reviews or a hiring spike forces a higher tier. ADP holds the applicant tracker for HR Pro, and HiBob sells talent as modules on a quoted Core.

Who can hire outside the United States

BambooHR's global add-on is powered by Remote and is not priced, so an international hire has no number. HiBob runs native payroll in the US and the UK, then a hub everywhere else. Deel prints contractor, US PEO, and employer-of-record rates for employment abroad, not for a US records seat.

Pricing

BambooHR has three printed per-employee rates and a flat floor for small teams, while payroll, benefits, and time tracking stay unpriced add-ons, so the HR line understates what you will pay.

Gusto prints the US payroll bill as a base plus a per-person fee, month to month.

Namely Now is the other printed per-employee start, with payroll inside the HRIS.

Factorial's per-user start does not include time off, so it is not a calendar replacement.

Rippling, HiBob, Paylocity, and ADP RUN publish no list price, so finance can see only the BambooHR number before a call.

Deel's printed rates are contractor, PEO, and employer-of-record fees, which pay for hiring abroad rather than an HRIS seat.

The 10-person and 40-person totals in this piece are our multiplications of published rates, not quotes the vendors issued.

Plan	Price	Best for
BambooHR Core	$10/employee/mo	Above 25 people. 5 open jobs. Time off included. Payroll extra
BambooHR Pro	$17/employee/mo	Adds 360 reviews, 1:1s, goals. 25 open jobs
BambooHR Elite	$25/employee/mo	Compensation, Mercer benchmarks, custom dashboards. 50 open jobs
BambooHR, 25 or fewer	From $250/mo	Flat rate, not a per-employee bill
BambooHR Payroll and Benefits	No list price	US employees only. Bundle discount mentioned, percent not printed
BambooHR nonprofit	15% off	Registered nonprofits, on top of volume discounts
Gusto Simple	$49/mo + $6/person	Single-state payroll. Time-off requests are an add-on
Gusto Plus	$80/mo + $12/person	Multi-state, next-day deposit, time-off requests, custom onboarding
Gusto Premium	$180/mo + $22/person	Dedicated advisor, HR experts, performance tools
Gusto Time and Attendance Plus	$6/person/mo	Add-on on Simple after a trial. Included from Plus up
Gusto Performance add-on	$3/person/mo	On Simple. Premium includes performance tools
Namely Now	$9/employee/mo	Printed start. Other packages quoted
Namely Plus, Plus People, Complete	Quote	Priced from complexity, modules, and services
Rippling	No list price	Platform required. Products mostly per employee
HiBob	No list price	Per employee. Core HR included in the quote
Paylocity	No list price	Per employee per month, not per payroll run
ADP RUN	No list price	Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro. For 1 to 49 people
Deel contractors	$49/contractor/mo	Contractor of Record is $325/contractor/mo
Deel US PEO	$125/employee/mo	Co-employment in all 50 states, benefits included
Deel EOR	$599/employee/mo	Full employment in 130+ countries
Factorial	$8/user/mo	Starting rate. Time off and other modules are quoted

Mistakes to avoid

×Comparing BambooHR Core with Gusto Simple and ignoring that time-off requests are an add-on on Simple, which drops the calendar Core already includes.

×Treating the flat small-team BambooHR bill as a per-employee rate, when at 25 people or fewer it is a floor that does not shrink with a smaller headcount.

×Assuming six open jobs can stay on Core, when the cap is 5 and the next requisition is already a higher tier.

×Quoting Rippling, HiBob, Paylocity, or ADP as if a blog had their price, when they publish no list price.

×Replacing a US HRIS with Deel because the employer-of-record rate is printed, when that rate is not a records seat for people you already employ.

×Counting Factorial's starting rate as a PTO system, when time off is a module and the calendar is not in the base.

Expert tips

→Price 40 people on BambooHR Pro and on Gusto Plus before the demo, using the published rates, and ask payroll to be a line on both.

→Count open jobs before you renew Core, because if you are over 5 the renewal is already a higher tier.

→Ask Rippling which products sit in the quote besides the Platform, and ask HiBob whether payroll is native or Payroll Hub.

→If the next price change should land in your inbox, the <a href="/">HRpresso daily brief</a> is the short version of watching these rates move.

The bottom line

Gusto Plus is the BambooHR replacement when a US team needs payroll in a number they can defend this week, and Simple is the wrong landing plan if people use the time-off request.

The Gusto review goes further on benefits and contractors.

Choose Rippling when IT and apps have to move with the person, and budget a quote rather than a web price.

Choose HiBob when performance and a multi-country record are why Core feels small, and remember native payroll is the US and the UK.

Choose Namely when you want the printed per-employee floor and a US payroll implementation together, and do not assume custom workflows are in Now.

Choose Paylocity when a per-run fee is the annoyance and you can buy without a public rate.

Choose ADP RUN under 50 people when tax filing depth matters more than an applicant tracker.

Choose Deel when the Remote add-on is why you are shopping, and choose Factorial when you will pay a specialist to add time off on top of Core.

Hiring depth that BambooHR caps is the applicant tracking guide. A performance tool beside an HRIS is the Lattice review.

Cite this: HRpresso, "Best BambooHR Alternatives in 2026", September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best BambooHR alternative in 2026?

Gusto Plus is the best BambooHR alternative in 2026 for a US team that wants payroll, multi-state pay, and time-off requests in a printed price, the bill BambooHR still leaves unpriced. The Plus rate was on Gusto's pricing page on 24 September 2026. Move to Rippling when devices and app access have to follow the employee record, and expect a quote, or to HiBob when performance is why Core feels thin, also on a quote. Move to Namely Now when you want a printed per-employee start with payroll included.

How much does BambooHR cost compared with Gusto?

On 24 September 2026 BambooHR listed a Core rate of $10 per employee per month, a Pro rate of $17, and an Elite rate of $25, each above 25 people, plus a flat monthly floor from $250 a month at 25 or fewer. A small company pays that floor rather than a tiny headcount bill. Payroll and benefits are US-only add-ons with no printed price. For 40 people our multiplication is $400/mo on Core before payroll, $680/mo on Pro before payroll, and $560/mo on Gusto Plus with payroll included. Simple is a lower base for one state, and Premium adds a dedicated advisor.

Is there a free BambooHR alternative?

None of the eight alternatives here is a free HRIS. Factorial publishes the lowest start, and time off is still a paid module, so the low opener is not the calendar. Gusto includes free account setup and no free plan, and BambooHR's pricing page does not offer a free plan either. Rippling, HiBob, Paylocity, and ADP RUN publish no list price and no self-serve free tier on the pages checked 24 September 2026.

Rippling vs BambooHR: which should a company buy?

Stay on BambooHR when you want printed tiers and time off on the entry tier, and you can live with US-only payroll as a quote. Buy Rippling when the employee record should also drive payroll and device access, and you will wait for a custom quote. Rippling says it can import year-to-date payroll and switch mid-year, so you can leave a payroll add-on without waiting for January. BambooHR caps open jobs at 5 on Core, 25 on Pro, and 50 on Elite, and Rippling publishes neither a job-opening cap nor a USD price.

Does Gusto replace BambooHR time off?

Plus and Premium include time-off requests, approvals, scheduling, and a time clock, so those plans replace the BambooHR calendar. Simple includes basic PTO policies that sync to payroll, and the request workflow is the Time and Attendance add-on, so a team leaving Core for Simple gives up approvals unless it buys that add-on or steps up to Plus. BambooHR Core already includes requests, accruals, and the calendar.

What is the cheapest BambooHR alternative with a printed price?

Factorial's US pricing page starts lower than any other printed rate on this list, and that start does not include time off, so the lowest rate fails as a calendar. Namely Now is the cheapest printed per-employee package that states a payroll start. Gusto Simple is cheaper than Plus and still withholds time-off requests. For 10 people, BambooHR's flat floor is higher than our multiplication of Gusto Simple, at $109/mo, and that total is not a full time-off system.

Should a global team leave BambooHR for Deel?

Leave for Deel when the missing piece is employing or contracting people outside your own entity, not when you need a US employee database and a PTO calendar. The pricing page lists $49 per contractor per month, $325 for Contractor of Record, $125 per US PEO employee per month, and $599 per employer-of-record employee per month, covering 130+ countries on employer of record. BambooHR's global add-on is powered by Remote and has no price on the HR pricing page.

Sources

Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.

Gusto pricing, checked Sep 2026
Rippling pricing, checked Sep 2026
HiBob pricing, checked Sep 2026
Namely pricing, checked Sep 2026
Deel pricing, checked Sep 2026

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