HR Software Pricing Comparison 2025: What HRIS Really Costs Per Employee

HR software pricing pages are… not exactly famous for transparency.

Many vendors require you to contact sales before sharing prices, combine base fees with per-employee charges, and add extra costs for things like setup, support, or advanced analytics.

In this HR software pricing comparison for 2025, we use vendor websites and independent reviews to show you typical price ranges for leading HR systems. While it’s not a substitute for a personalized quote, it will help you:

• understand per-employee price ranges (PEPM) for top HR systems
• see the differences between pricing models (flat versus modular, SaaS versus on-premises)
• compare a few shortlisted vendors based on total cost, not just the advertised price.

The prices below are approximate, based on public sources and third-party reviews from late 2025. Actual quotes will depend on your country, the modules you choose, and your contract size.

HR Software Pricing Comparison Matrix (2025)

Here’s a quick summary of HR software pricing per employee per month (PEPM), excluding one-time setup fees:

*PEPM stands for per employee, per month. These are typical ranges, not official list prices.

If you also want a feature-level ranking of vendors, check our comparison: Best HR Software in 2025: Top 10 HR Systems Ranked (Pricing, Reviews, Comparison Matrix) .

HR Software Pricing in 2025

In 2025, most mid-market HRIS platforms fall somewhere between $8 and $30 per employee per month (PEPM). Entry-level tools and point solutions can start as low as $2–$8 PEPM, while full-scale enterprise HCM suites can easily go from $30 to $100+ PEPM once you add advanced analytics, payroll, and global workforce features.

The main drivers behind your final monthly bill are:

• how many employees you have (and whether you pay for all employees or only active users)
• which modules you turn on (core HR only vs. ATS, performance, time tracking, payroll, IT, etc.)
• whether there is a fixed base fee in addition to the per-employee price
• one-off costs such as implementation or data migration

HRIS vs HCM Pricing – What’s The Difference?

HRIS (Human Resources Information System) usually covers core employee data, time off, onboarding workflows, basic reporting, and sometimes light performance or recruiting tools.

HCM (Human Capital Management) suites bundle HRIS with deeper analytics, budgeting and planning, payroll, benefits, compensation, and global workforce management.

Because HCM tends to include more modules and complexity, it usually sits at the higher end of the pricing spectrum:

• modern HRIS tools for SMBs and mid-market teams: roughly $8–$25 PEPM
• full HCM platforms for larger organizations: often $30–$80+ PEPM, especially when payroll and talent modules are included

The key takeaway: you pay a premium for breadth (how many problems the platform solves) and depth (analytics, integrations, compliance).

How Much Does HR Software Cost per Employee, per User, per Month?

Vendors typically use one of three models:

1. Per employee, per month (PEPM)

You pay for each employee in the system. This is the most common model for HRIS and HCM.

Typical ranges:

• basic HR tools usually cost $2–8 PEPM
• mid-market HR suites range from $8 to $30 PEPM
• enterprise HCM can be $30 to $100+ PEPM

2. Per active user, per month

Only employees who log in or have a license are billed. This can be more cost-effective if you have a lot of seasonal or inactive staff.

3. Base fee + PEPM

Some products, like Gusto and ADP, combine a fixed monthly base fee with per-employee charges.

This means small teams feel the impact of the base fee, while larger teams pay more on the PEPM side.

4. Modular add-ons

Many vendors advertise a low starting price, but features like ATS, performance management, time tracking, expenses, scheduling, IT management, and advanced analytics are often sold as separate modules with extra PEPM or flat fees.

As a result, the “from $X” price rarely matches your actual cost once you add everything you need.

For most growing companies, planning on $8–$30 PEPM for a modern HRIS is realistic, with the understanding that add-ons (ATS, performance, IT, payroll, etc.) can push the blended cost higher.

HR Software Implementation and Setup Fees

Subscription pricing is only half of the picture. Many vendors also charge one-time implementation or setup fees, which can include:

• initial configuration and data migration
• integrations (payroll, SSO, IT tools)
• admin and end-user training

Typical ranges in 2025:

• SMB HR tools / lighter HRIS: $0–$5,000 (some vendors include implementation for free)
• mid-market HRIS / HCM: $5,000–$50,000 depending on scope, locations, and integrations
• enterprise HCM: from tens of thousands up to several hundred thousand dollars for complex global rollouts

When comparing quotes, always look at total first-year cost (subscription + implementation + paid training), not just the headline PEPM number.

Affordable vs high-end HR software pricing

You can roughly think of HR software pricing tiers like this:

Budget / entry level (≤$8 PEPM)

Good for small teams that mainly need employee records and basic time-off management. Limited automation and analytics.

Mid-market HRIS ($8–$30 PEPM)

Robust workflows for onboarding, performance, ATS, integrations, and reporting. Best fit for scaling companies that need automation and compliance without enterprise complexity.

Premium HCM ($30–$100+ PEPM)

Designed for large, multi-country organizations with complex structures, deep analytics, and tight integration with finance and planning systems.

“Affordable” doesn’t simply mean “cheapest PEPM.” The best value is usually the platform that covers most of your processes with minimal add-ons and hidden fees, and scales with your team size without forcing a full re-implementation later.

HarmonyHR Pricing (2025)

HarmonyHR uses a flat per active employee model with no implementation fees.

Public sources and HarmonyHR’s own pricing show:

• $7 per active employee per month (PEPM)
• $0 implementation fee
• $0 support fee — 24/7 support included
• $0 data-migration fee for standard onboarding

Deployment options:

• on-premise (self-hosted, for security-sensitive teams)
• managed cloud (SaaS) if you prefer not to manage infrastructure

→ For a 100-employee company, that’s roughly $700/month for a full HRIS without hidden implementation/support costs.

BambooHR Pricing (2025)

Model: modular, quote-based.

Their plans start at $10 per employee per month, according to their website. Independent reviews and partner calculators add more detail:

• for very small teams (up to ~25 employees) there is often a flat monthly fee (no PEPM)
• for 26 or more employees, BambooHR typically uses a PEPM model, with reported ranges of about $12–22 PEPM, depending on plan and modules

Add-ons like ATS, performance, time tracking, and payroll increase the total cost.

→ For 100 employees using Core HR, ATS, and performance, expect $1,500 to $2,000 per month, plus any setup or support fees.

For a deeper look at this vendor, read our dedicated guide BambooHR Alternatives & Competitors (2025): Pricing, Reviews & Best HR Software.

HiBob Pricing (2025)

Model: modular mid-market HRIS, quote-based.

HiBob doesn’t publish prices, but several reviews and comparisons show:

• typical deals for 50–200 employees land around $16–22 PEPM
• for 200–1,000 employees, many customers report $20–25 PEPM, especially with performance and advanced features enabled

→ For 100 employees, this is about $1,600 to $2,200 per month for HR (not including payroll).

If you’re choosing between Bob and HarmonyHR, see our head-to-head comparison: HarmonyHR vs HiBob: ultimate HR software comparison (2025 update).

Personio Pricing (2025)

Model: modular HRIS & ATS focused on Europe, quote-based.

Official Personio materials talk about “flexible plans” rather than hard numbers, but third-party sources add context:

• some partner content mentions entry-level pricing from about $2.96 PEPM
• broader HRIS market overviews suggest more realistic ranges of roughly $5–15 PEPM, with many European SMBs landing around $10–14 PEPM depending on modules and headcount

→ For 100 employees, expect $500 to $1,500 per month, plus onboarding, success packages, and extra apps or modules like payroll, time, or recruiting.

Sage HR Pricing (2025)

Model: modular; Core HR plus paid add-ons.

From vendor materials and independent reviews:

• Core HR starts at roughly $5.5–7 PEPM
• additional modules charge extra per employee, e.g. performance, timesheets, shift scheduling, expenses

One example breakdown from public sources:

• Core HR: ~$5.5–6 PEPM
• Performance: +$3 PEPM
• Timesheets: +$3 PEPM
• Shift scheduling: +$3 PEPM
• Expenses: +$1.5 PEPM

→ Using Core HR, performance, and timesheets, you could pay $11 to $13 or more PEPM, or $1,100 to $1,300 per month for 100 employees.

For a full pros/cons view, read: Sage HR vs HarmonyHR (2025): pricing, reviews, demo & best alternatives.

Rippling HRIS Pricing (2025)

Model: platform: core + HR, IT, payroll modules.

Reviews converge on:

• starting around $8 PEPM for the core platform
• each module (HR, payroll, IT, benefits) adds its own PEPM rate

In practice, for HR + payroll + a basic IT package, many teams end up paying $20–30 PEPM or more.

→ For 100 employees, this is about $2,000 to $3,000 per month, depending on discounts and scope.

For an honest comparison with HarmonyHR, see: Rippling vs HarmonyHR (2025): honest HR software comparison & cheaper alternative.

Gusto Pricing (2025)

Model: base fee + PEPM (US SMB-focus).

Gusto uses a hybrid model:

• Simple plan: around $49/month + $6 per employee
• Plus plan: around $80/month + $6 per employee
• Premium: custom pricing (often higher PEPM)

→ For 100 employees, the Simple plan is about $649 per month, and the Plus plan is about $680 per month. These plans focus on payroll, and adding HR features can change the total cost.

ADP Workforce Now Pricing (2025)

Model: base + PEPM, especially for payroll + HR.

According to implementation partners and cost benchmarks:

• typical range for software-only access is around $23–30 PEPM
• when you also outsource payroll/benefits, it often climbs to $35–55 PEPM

You also need to consider one-time implementation, reporting, and integration costs.

Workday HCM Pricing (2025)

Model: enterprise HCM, large variance depending on scope.

Multiple sources suggest that:

• typical mid-market HCM deals cluster around $34–42 PEPM
• large enterprise projects (full HCM + finance + specialized modules) can reach $80–150 PEPM, plus significant implementation budgets

→ Workday is a strong choice for large enterprises, but for companies with 100 to 300 employees, it is often more than you need in both features and price.

Example: 100-Employee Company (Very Rough Comparison)

Let’s simplify things: picture a company with 100 active employees using a basic HR suite that covers core HR, time off, onboarding, and maybe ATS or performance, but not payroll.

The price estimates here are rough, just to give you a sense of scale.

▪️HarmonyHR
100 × $7 = $700/month

▪️Sage HR (Core + a few modules)
~ $11–13 PEPM → $1,100–1,300/month

▪️Personio (HR + ATS)
~ $8–12 PEPM → $800–1,200/month

▪️BambooHR (Core + ATS + performance)
~ $15–20 PEPM → $1,500–2,000/month

▪️HiBob
~ $18–23 PEPM → $1,800–2,300/month

▪️Rippling (HR + several modules)
~ $20–25 PEPM → $2,000–2,500/month

▪️ADP Workforce Now (software-only)
~ $23–30 PEPM → $2,300–3,000/month

▪️Workday HCM (mid-market)
~ $34–42 PEPM → $3,400–4,200/month

The difference between the advertised “from $X per employee” and your actual bill usually comes from add-on modules, setup fees, support levels, and minimum contract sizes.

How to Compare HR Software Pricing Fairly

To avoid being misled by attractive “starting at” numbers, compare vendors on:

1. The modules you need for the next 2–3 years
   Core HR, time off, onboarding, performance, ATS, T&A, assets, analytics, payroll, etc.
2. An “all-in” monthly number
   Ask each vendor for a monthly quote that includes all the modules you need for your headcount, plus any required base fees.
3. 3-year total cost of ownership (TCO)
   • PEPM × employees × 36
   • implementation
   • support/success packages
   • expected headcount growth
4. Predictability as you scale
   Some vendors keep pricing steady as you add features, while others get much more expensive with each new module.

Where HarmonyHR Fits in This Picture

Summarizing the ranges above:

• HarmonyHR charges a flat $7 PEPM, including setup, support, and core automation.
• Most mid-market HRIS or HRMS options, based on public and review data, end up around $10 to $25 PEPM or more once you include the modules you’ll actually use.

For companies with 100–1,000+ employees that can be the difference between:

• a manageable budget with clear ROI
• and an increasingly heavy “HR subscription” bill as you grow.

If you want to combine the pricing view with a ranking of platforms, jump back to: Best HR Software in 2025: Top 10 HR Systems Ranked.

Want Numbers for Your Company?

If you want a detailed comparison for your situation, we can help estimate:

• your current cost of manual HR or your existing HRIS
• projected three-year TCO with HarmonyHR
• how that compares to typical ranges for BambooHR, HiBob, Personio, Sage or Rippling

Get a free HRIS pricing & ROI estimate for your team

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