Best HRIS for startups: how seven options handle growth, payroll and first hires abroad (2026)

Each option, and who it fits

1. Rippling HR

   Best for a US venture-backed startup that qualifies for its program and wants HR, payroll and IT on one system

   Rippling's pricing page describes a startup program: eligible US venture-backed startups get free access to Rippling for six months. Eligibility is Rippling's to set, so read the terms before you plan around it. Outside the program pricing is quote-only, with plans starting at $8 per employee per month before a monthly base fee that the page leaves unstated.

   The platform is modular. Rippling sells HR, payroll, time and attendance, performance, recruiting and IT as separate products on one platform, so a startup can begin with HR and add payroll when it is ready. For a first hire abroad, it has its own employer of record in 115 countries.

   Look elsewhere if: you are not eligible for the program and need a price you can plan around before a sales call.

2. Deel HR

   Best for a lean team that expects to hire in other countries soon

   Deel's HR page tells smaller teams to start at Core and move up when the work demands it. Core is $5 per employee per month, Advanced is $19 and Elite is $29. Advanced is where performance reviews, goals and engagement surveys begin, and hiring tools are an add-on priced from $10 per employee per month.

   Deel says one worker profile carries HR, payroll, contractors and employer-of-record workers, so a hire in a new country is a setting. Its own employer of record spans 130+ countries from $599 per employee per month, and payroll is a separate product at $29 per employee per month. You start from a demo, because there is no self-serve trial.

   Look elsewhere if: your team will stay in one country, or you need to start without a demo call.

3. Toku HR

   Best for a startup that wants HR only at a low price per person and keeps its own payroll

   Toku HR is Toku's own product. Starter costs $5 per employee a month with a 25-employee minimum, so the bill is $125 a month until you pass 25 employees and then grows by $5 with each hire. Growth and Scale cost $225 and $325 a month at the minimum. Contractors are free, which helps a team that works with freelancers, and paying yearly costs ten months' price. Toku HR is included at no charge for companies that use Employer of Record (EOR), PEO or Agent of Record (AOR), and costs $49 a month flat, however many people you have, for companies that use contractor management or stablecoin payroll.

   It covers employee records, documents with e-signature, time off and reports. Growth adds time tracking, goals and feedback. Scale adds SSO with Okta and SAML, and API access. Toku HR does not run payroll, so you keep your own provider, and when you hire abroad Toku provides employer of record in 100+ countries as a separate service.

   Applicant tracking, review cycles, surveys and a mobile app are not included. BambooHR, HiBob, Gusto and Factorial each list applicant tracking, performance tools and surveys.

   Look elsewhere if: you need payroll, applicant tracking or review cycles in the same product. Toku HR does not include them.

4. BambooHR

   Best for a startup that wants applicant tracking built in and a flat price while it stays under 25 people

   BambooHR's Core plan is a flat $250 a month for 25 employees or fewer, then $10.25 per employee per month. Core comes with applicant tracking for 5 open jobs, which matters to a team that is hiring fast. Pro raises the limit to 25 open jobs and Elite to 50.

   Goal tracking, 1:1s, 360 feedback and custom review cycles arrive with Pro. BambooHR's payroll is an add-on for US employees only, and its employer of record in 90+ countries is run by its partner Remote as an add-on. Its platform page names generally 50 to 500 employees as the range it is built for.

   Look elsewhere if: you want every cost visible. Payroll, time and attendance and global employment are add-ons with no published price.

5. Gusto

   Best for a US startup that wants payroll first, with HR in the same plan

   Gusto sells no HR-only plan, so using it means taking its payroll, and the first decision is whether Gusto becomes your payroll provider. For US payroll its pricing page lists Simple at $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus at $80 plus $12, and Premium at $180 plus $22.

   HR tools sit on top: onboarding checklists, document storage with e-signatures, an applicant tracking system, and review templates with goal tracking. Its Global page lists international contractor payments and employer of record through Remote. The payroll plans themselves are US plans.

   Look elsewhere if: you want HR separate from payroll, or most of your team is outside the US.

6. Factorial

   Best for a startup that wants to pick modules and is willing to negotiate

   Factorial has a page for startups that promises founder-friendly pricing for eligible startups. It does not state the discount, so ask for the amount and the final price in writing. The US pricing page opens at $8 per user per month, by quote, with a free demo in place of a trial.

   A core toolkit is in every plan. Modules for time off, time tracking, performance, recruitment and engagement can be added as you grow. Payroll is not calculated by Factorial itself by default: it prepares payslip data, connects to local payroll software and offers calculation through a partner.

   Look elsewhere if: you want payroll in the same product, or plan prices visible before a conversation.

7. HiBob

   Best for a startup that expects to reach mid-size and wants payroll and hiring on one platform later

   HiBob publishes a page for small businesses, but its pricing is quote-only. Its pricing page is a form that ends in a custom proposal, and a demo is the only free option. You start with Core and add suites such as Talent, Payroll, HR Planning and Finance.

   HiBob runs payroll natively in the US and the UK, and other countries connect through Payroll Hub to providers such as ADP WFN, Paylocity, TriNet and Xero. Talent is the suite for 360 reviews, goals, 1-on-1s, engagement surveys and applicant tracking, which posts to 2,300+ job boards.

   Look elsewhere if: you want to see a price before a sales call, or you need only records and time off today.