Personio is a well-known all-in-one HRIS for small and medium-sized businesses. Its helpful customer service and solid setup process have earned it high marks. But it does come with some drawbacks. Many users point out that pricing, which was once easy to check out, has become less and less transparent. Actually, as of 2025, you can’t check the prices for their Core and CorePro plans.
This guide introduces five top-rated Personio alternatives that are easy to use, automation where it counts, and modular capabilities that scale with your team. Maybe you're managing hiring, onboarding, time off, or performance reviews. The idea behind these platforms is to make all of those daily HR tasks easier, without adding extra work or being too rigid.
If you’re looking for a cloud-based software solution that grows with your business and your team—not just your admin load—this list is a solid place to start.
5 Best Personio Alternatives for SMBs
Here are your top HR software solution options to optimize HR processes:
TalentHR
A very convenient and affordable alternative to Personio is TalentHR. This all-in-one cloud-based HR software is made for small to medium-sized teams that want to keep their work organized without making things more difficult. From one central dashboard, it's easy to manage core HR tasks like employee records, time off, onboarding, and document handling thanks to its user-friendly interface and quick setup.
The most convenient thing about TalentHR is that it helps teams get started quickly. It does this by automating HR tasks that are done over and over again and by having built-in e-signature tools for contracts, policies, and other HR documents.
Key features:
- Talent management
- Time off tracking
- Onboarding & offboarding workflows
- Employee performance tracking
- Applicant tracking system
- Asset management
- Time tracking
- Advanced analytics capabilities
- Files and e-signatures
- Surveys
- Customizations—whitelabel HR solution
- Safe voice (anonymous feedback)
- AI-powered HR assistant
- Mobile app access
- Integrations with third-party tools
- Dedicated account management
Pros
- Easy to navigate and fast to deploy
- Built-in advanced document management with e-signatures
- Onboarding features that help new hires hit the ground running
- Affordable pricing with a free-forever plan for small teams
- GDPR-compliant and regularly updated
- Thousands of plug-and-play integrations
- Employee self-service portal that contributes with employee satisfaction
Cons
- Some advanced features are still being rolled out—Check its product roadmap to see what’s coming
Pricing
TalentHR’s pricing is one of its greatest advantages; it’s a strongly budget-friendly HRIS:
- Free plan: $0 (up to 10 users)
- Essential: $2/user/month
- Premium: $4/user/month (includes time tracking, performance management, surveys, e-signatures, and more).
The platform also offers a 14-day free trial of Premium included with all new sign-ups.
Best for: Startups and SMBs looking for a budget-friendly, all-in-one HR solution to automate processes that’s easy to set up and scale.
Introducing TalentHR 2.7: Built to Work Smarter and Look Sharper →
Deel
Deel is a cloud-based HR comprehensive tool built for businesses with remote or globally distributed teams. It brings together features for international payroll, contractor management, hiring, and onboarding, all while handling compliance across borders. With its Employer of Record (EOR) service, Deel lets businesses legally hire people in more than 100 countries without having to set up local branches.
Key Features
- Global payroll solution for employees and contractors and tax management
- Global hiring
- EOR services in 100+ countries
- Contractor classification and compliance tools
- Automated onboarding workflows
- Integrations with finance and HR tools like Xero, QuickBooks, BambooHR
Pros
- Excellent support for global compliance tracking and localized contracts
- Fully integrated contractor and payroll management across 150+ countries
- Highly rated by users for ease of use and customer support
Cons
- High costs for startups if using EOR or advanced payroll and HR basic features
- HR modules can feel fragmented (each major tool—performance, payroll, etc.—is a separate add-on)
- Users report excessive system notifications and occasional payout delays
Pricing
Deel's pricing is modular and depends on what features you need:
- Contractor Management Tools: $49/contractor/month
- Employer of Record (EOR): $499/employee/month
- Contractor of Record: $325/employee/month
- Global Payroll: $29/employee/month
- PEO (US only): $95/employee/month
- Deel Engage (HR suite: performance, employee engagement surveys, learning, etc.): $20/worker/month
- Compensation Management: From $15/employee/month
- Workforce Planning: From $18/employee/month
- Benefits Admin and Talent Acquisition: Contact sales for pricing
Some features, like Benefits Admin or Talent Acquisition, require direct consultation for pricing.
Best for: Distributed or remote-first teams managing employees and contractors across multiple countries.
HiBob
HiBob—often referred to simply as “Bob”—is a cloud-based HR system designed for medium-sized businesses and scaling startups.
Its layered structure lets organizations add features as needed, though some users have pointed out that certain tools feel disjointed or may come with extra licensing requirements. Also, it’s not clear, from the get-go, which features are part of the main bundle and which ones are part of an add-on you’ll need to pay for.
Key Features
- Centralized employee database to manage employee data
- Customizable onboarding workflows and time-off policies
- Performance tracking and review cycles
- Compensation planning
- Surveys and feedback tools
- People analytics and workforce planning
- Payroll hub with UK-specific module
- Integrations with third-party tools
Pros
- Helps with many HR tasks throughout the whole lifecycle of an employee
- Lots of good feedback from users on implementation help
- Adapted to support remote and international teams
Cons
- Pricing is not transparent and requires direct contact with sales
- Some features are made just for the UK market and might not succeed everywhere else.
- Not enough features for HR needs that aren't very common but other tools still address.
Pricing
HiBob doesn’t provide public pricing. Companies that want to work with “Bob” must ask for a custom quote based on the size of their team, the features they need, and where they are located. That makes it hard to compare costs, especially for small businesses that are shopping around for more than one platform.
Best for: Mid-sized companies or startups with growing teams that need a configurable HR platform and are operating across multiple locations.
Zoho People
Zoho People is a full-featured HR solution built for small to mid-sized businesses. As a part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, it works well with other Zoho tools like Zoho CRM, Projects, and Sign.
Users can access the platform from both the web and their phones, and it supports biometric and facial recognition attendance. This makes it a practical option for teams that need flexible or contactless time-tracking methods.
Key Features
- Core HR: employee database, document storage, organization charts
- Leave management with customizable policies
- Shift scheduling and workforce planning
- Onboarding and task automation
- Performance management with goals, reviews, and feedback tools
- Zoho Connect integration for communication and collaboration
- Optional modules for recruitment, expense management, and e-signatures
Pros
- Part of the Zoho suite
- Useful for teams managing hybrid or flexible attendance models
Cons
- Documentation and support quality is inconsistent according to user reviews
- Some features require a learning curve or extra configuration
- It's not always clear how prices are set and how modules are broken down.
- Limited depth in some advanced HR areas compared to more enterprise-oriented tools
Pricing
Pricing depends on the modules and the number of users, and it might take a while to figure out what each level includes. For example, their Premium model runs for “US$2.50/user/month billed annually” (that’s exactly how they phrase it). And it’s hard to compare what it comes with and what it leaves out. You can try it for free.
Best for: Those already using other Zoho apps.
BambooHR
BambooHR is a cloud-based HR platform built to handle routine HR management tasks for small and mid-sized companies. It’s well-regarded in the HR software space for its relatively simple layout and general ease of use.
The platform is built in modules, which means that businesses can add extra features like tracking applicants, compliance tools, and pay planning as needed.
Key Features
- ATS with a Careers page
- Onboarding workflows and document handling
- Time and attendance tracking
- Payroll and benefits administration, but that’s an extra
- Integrations with external tools
Pros
- Reporting tools help with making decisions and keeping an eye on HR trends.
- Widely used, so job seekers and hiring teams are already familiar with it.
Cons
- Pricing is quote-based and not easily accessible
- Users say that as the platform has grown, customer service has gotten worse.
Pricing
BambooHR does not list pricing online. Plans are drawn up for each company based on the number of employees, features chosen, and extras like payroll processing.
Best for: U.S.-based companies not needing complex international payroll or highly specialized HR workflows.
The 6 Stages of the Employee Life Cycle →
Choosing the Right HR Platform: A Mini Framework
This short framework will help you narrow down your choices and decide that will last.
Choose a platform that scales
Start by getting clear on what matters most right now. Is your top concern simplifying onboarding? Automating time-off tracking? Supporting remote compliance or multi-country payroll?
List the core processes you want to improve, then evaluate how each HRIS supports—or complicates—them. If everything feels like a “priority,” focus on pain points that are actively slowing your team down or increasing risk.
Make sure that your solution can accommodate to these needs and to the future needs. And that you’re not overpaying for any feature.
Consider team size, region, and internal tech stack
An HR platform that works brilliantly for a 15-person startup might fall short at 100 employees. Likewise, software built for the U.S. market may not scale well in Europe or vice versa.
Make sure to factor in:
- Headcount and expected growth
- Geography. Are you hiring internationally? Managing distributed teams?
- Tools you already use. Does the tool integrate with Google Calendar?
Build HR for the Business You Want to Become
HR tools are more or less specialized.
Some tools make it easier to track vacation days. Others are excellent at processing payroll when working with employees from faraway countries.
The best ones are those that come with features that a company using Personio needs, and that don’t charge for every feature that you don’t need right now. TalentHR, which can be handled by HR representatives or business owners alike, is designed to scale as your business scales. So if you switch from Personio to TalentHR, you’ll be replacing the features with a flexible, transparent, easy-to-understand pricing. TalentHR is a SaaS solution, which means the supplier takes care of the software solution on their dependencies, so you can start using it from the get-go.
(Which means that replacing Personio with TalentHR takes a few clicks, and anyone can do it. That's by design.)
You can register now for free and start using TalentHR as a Personio alternative.