What is an HRIS system?
A human resources information system (HRIS) is a centralized database that houses employee information, automates core HR functions, runs basic reports, and serves as a self-service portal for employees and HR staff. It’s best for businesses with one-person or small HR teams that only need essential HR functions like payroll, benefits administration, and time tracking.
Businesses moving away from traditional spreadsheet programs and paper processes usually start with an HRIS as their first HR software solution and add-on features as they grow. Although all HRIS systems include a centralized and systematic way to manage employee data, some also come with other essential features, like leave management, payroll, and time tracking.
My top picks for the best human resources information system are:
- Rippling is the best HRIS software overall.
- GoCo is the best HRIS software for employee record-keeping.
- BambooHR Core is the best HRIS software for employee experience.
- ADP RUN Essential is the best HRIS system for payroll.
- TriNet HR Platform Essentials is the best HRIS system for benefits administration.
- Honorable mentions:
- Gusto Simple is the best HRIS software for new businesses.
- Deel HR is the best HRIS system for global HR management.
- Bob is the best HRIS system for employee recognition and support.
Featured partners
What are the best HRIS systems?
Product
Expert score
Use case
Free trial
Starting price
Based on annual billing
Learn more
BambooHR Core
3.76
Best for employee experience
$250/mo. for 1–25 employees*
TriNet HR Platform Essentials
3.69
Best for benefits administration
$8/employee/mo.
Rippling: Best HRIS software overall
Overall score
4.06/5.00
User reviews
4.70/5.00
Pricing
2.88/5.00
Platform & interface
4.34/5.00
Core HR
4.35/5.00
Workforce management
4.31/5.00
Pros
- Detailed reporting and analytics are included in every plan.
- Compensation banding to create salary consistency across roles and levels.
- Localized profiles in over 185 countries.
- In-app compliance tracker to avoid potential domestic and international time and labor violations.
Cons
- Expensive solution if you only need an electronic employee record.
- Must purchase additional modules for payroll, time tracking, and benefits administration.
- Learning curve for custom reports and automations.
- Lacks a native employee communication feature outside of its Employee Home Google Chrome extension.
Why I picked Rippling
With a 4.06 out of 5 score, Rippling is the most versatile HRIS software in my lineup. It can easily adapt to your business needs without relying on a patchwork of third-party HR applications or additional Rippling products to meet your requirements. However, Rippling’s HR, Finance, and IT cloud modules build upon and amplify the Rippling Platform so it becomes more advanced as you grow.
That said, Rippling lacks employee communication features that are critical to small businesses that don’t have budgets for apps like Slack. It doesn’t even include an in-app calendar for tracking employee days off; instead, it forces you to integrate with calendar apps like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud Calendar to view this data.
As a result, Rippling is best if you already have a collaboration tool of choice since it can integrate and even automate notifications within those platforms. This frees up time for lean administrative teams to juggle multiple priorities.
Rippling Platform is the HRIS that serves as the backbone of the entire Rippling suite, so you have to purchase it before accessing other modules in its HR, Finance, and IT cloud product lines.
Surprisingly, looking solely at its HRIS capabilities, Rippling did not rank the highest; that designation goes to GoCo and Bob. Instead, Rippling’s strength comes in its scalability, HR automation, and data analytics that overshadow its competition. This is likely a result of Rippling’s heavy IT focus as it looks for ways to integrate and access the workplace tools you use daily directly from its homepage.
Other clever features include:
- App provisioning and de-provisioning during onboarding and offboarding workflows.
- Compensation banding.
- Employee profiles that transform to capture the necessary data depending on their location.
These features help create a consistent employee experience during hiring and exiting processes. The program can even shorten ramp-up times for employees by helping HR and IT teams distribute and manage devices and apps directly within the program, often with little direct involvement from either department.
Despite this, Rippling is not the best choice if this is your first HR software or if you simply want a place to store your employment data electronically. For example, you must manually establish approval workflows for things like paid time off (PTO) requests. Although Rippling offers “Recipes” or pre-built automation templates, the extra step of choosing and modifying the right recipe can be tedious for new HR software users. In this case, you would do better with BambooHR.
Plus, Rippling’s standard customer service options are relatively disappointing. As a first-timer, you might want to call and speak to customer service representatives to troubleshoot issues. Unless you purchase Rippling’s HR Help Desk module, professional employer organization (PEO), or employers of record (EOR) services, you’re limited to emailing or submitting a support ticket.
If you’re growing and want to layer on capabilities quickly without switching platforms, though, start with the base Rippling Platform first. You can scale Rippling’s price tiers and add on modules, like headcount planning and performance management, as your people’s needs become more complex.
Want to learn more about Rippling’s capabilities? Check out our video overview:
Workflow automation
Rippling comes standard with Workflow Studio, a customizable automation builder. With it, you can automate processes for nearly every data field in the system.
Although GoCo offers something similar called Workflow Builder, it functions much more as a way to monitor task completion for a process among various collaborators. For example, it helps notify appropriate stakeholders when to perform tasks like reviewing promotions or completing reference checks.
In contrast, Rippling’s automation capabilities support “set it and forget it” workflows. For example, you can automatically assign training courses based on data like employee start date or role. Or you can automatically send reports to relevant stakeholders each month. This can make your HR staff much more efficient so they can focus on more strategic work, like improving employee retention.
Workforce insights
Rippling allows you to customize reports and rich data visualizations, which is impressive compared to most basic HRIS platforms. Plus, as you upgrade to higher Rippling plans or add on optional modules, its workforce analytics capabilities become more comprehensive and complex.
For example, Rippling lets you combine and manipulate data from three or more sources. This allows you to connect and draw insights about the data points that matter the most, like salary change trends relative to learning and development course completion. If you’re a spreadsheet whiz, you can use Excel-like formulas to construct your reports for even more granular conclusions.
Though Rippling’s analytics rival many human capital management (HCM) systems, they may be too complicated for some businesses. Rippling offers pre-configured report templates, but you must create the data visualizations you want yourself, which can take time to learn how to construct. On the other hand, GoCo forces you to start with a report template even if it would be easier to start from scratch.
PEO and EOR services
Rippling offers PEO and EOR services to support your business operations as they grow. While ADP and Deel HR also offer PEO and EOR services, Rippling differentiates itself by making these services more of a strategic choice for your immediate business needs rather than a long-term commitment.
For example, as a small business, you may only have one person looking after HR, accounting, and other administrative responsibilities. In that case, you can leverage Rippling’s PEO services to cover the tedious but necessary processes of HR, like payroll, without compromising labor law compliance.
As you grow and add more knowledgeable HR staff, however, you may no longer need Rippling’s PEO services. Rippling understands this and includes an easy on/off switch directly within the platform so you can sever PEO ties without any long-term contracts. This differs from other PEOs that rely on creating long-term partnerships with small businesses that have limited growth expectations.
The same flexibility extends to Rippling’s EOR services. For example, Rippling will help you transition to hiring, managing, and paying your international workforce once it makes sense for you financially to move these processes in-house. Rippling’s business model lets you transition between these different states, so you’re supported even when growth plans change.
Rippling starts at $8 per employee per month (PEPM), but depending on your size and business needs, you may also have to pay an additional monthly base fee. Most third-party outlets indicate the base fee to be around $35 per month.
Rippling offers several plans, with the main difference being access to advanced reporting, workflows, and its open API. The plans include Core, Pro, Unlimited, and Enterprise.
Rippling earned 2.88 out of 5 for pricing. It does well for scalability, including modules and services that you can easily add or remove to fit your needs. However, beyond noting a starting price for Rippling Platform, it lost points for not disclosing prices for any of its modules or services. Rippling also doesn’t offer a free trial, which is a drawback compared to other platforms.
Moreover, the starting price for its basic HRIS is quite high, despite lacking native payroll or time-tracking abilities. For example, Sage HR starts at $5.50 PEPM, while GoCo starts at only $5 PEPM. True, Rippling’s workflow, reporting, and compliance features certainly set it apart from traditional HRIS. However, it might be a little too much if you’re only looking to create an electronic system of record.
The chart below outlines Rippling’s plans, add-on modules, and services.
Rippling packages
Core
Pro
Unlimited
Enterprise
- Global organizational chart.
- Global workforce analytics.
- Permissions and access control.
- Approval management.
- Document and policy management.
- Compliance management.
- Salary banding.
- PTO and leave management.
- Localization for 150+ countries.
- Customized workflows (for onboarding only).
Everything in Core, plus:
- Customized workflows (for any event).
- Up to 10 workflows.
- Up to 10 formula fields in reports.
- Up to 10 reports that join data from three or more sources.
- Integrate with Slack for approvals and sending messages.
- Integrate with Microsoft Teams for sending messages.
- Create and send calendar invites.
- Scheduled reports.
Everything in Pro, plus:
- Unlimited customized workflows.
- Unlimited formula fields.
- Unlimited advanced reports.
- Webhooks.
Everything in Unlimited, plus:
- Access to Rippling’s API.
Additional modules
HR Cloud
IT Cloud
Finance Cloud
- U.S. and global payroll.
- Benefits administration.
- Time and attendance.
- Flex benefits (FSA, HSA, and commuter).
- Recruiting.
- Learning management.
- Pulse (employee engagement).
- Headcount planning.
- Performance management.
- App management.
- Device management.
- Inventory management.
- Corporate cards.
- Expense management.
Additional services
- ACA and COBRA administration.
- HR Help Desk (HR Support).
- PEO services.
- Global employer of record services.
*Note: Rippling currently offers a one-month free subscription if you sign up within six weeks. This is subject to end anytime, so please check its website for the latest.
Learn more about Rippling
Rippling is also one of my favorite human resources management systems (HRMS) because it offers robust, native solutions and services to cover most HR needs without relying on third-party solutions and acquisitions.
You can explore some of the resources below to learn more about Rippling’s full range of capabilities.
GoCo: Best HRIS for employee record-keeping
Overall score
3.82/5.00
User reviews
3.49/5.00
Pricing
2.94/5.00
Platform & interface
4.01/5.00
Core HR
4.38/5.00
Workforce management
3.58/5.00
Pros
- Ability to select authorized representatives to verify new hire’s I-9 identifications, including non-business personnel.
- AI knowledge base to quickly search for information from uploaded documentation.
- Ability to test drive GoCo through its product tour to determine product fit.
Cons
- GoCo requires you to sync payroll with your current provider or to embed payroll through its partnership with Gusto.
- Modules like performance management, time-tracking, and HR support are add-ons.
Why I picked GoCo
If your main goal is to move toward 100% electronic recordkeeping, GoCo is the best choice for digitizing paper files and creating a single source of truth for company processes. GoCo’s ability to automate employee data collection and self-service makes it second on my shortlist, scoring 3.82 out of 5.
While GoCo lost points for its lack of native payroll and lackluster reporting, they may not be issues if you have few employees or do your own payroll. You may also outsource your payroll and benefits administration already; if that’s the case, GoCo can be a great way to streamline those processes when sharing information with third-party providers.
Focusing solely on HRIS features, GoCo was the clear winner among the platforms I tested. I was particularly impressed with the software’s auditable document tracking and collaboration features, which earned a perfect 5 out of 5 score.
In addition to pre-built employee preboarding procedures like collecting I-9 and W-4 paperwork, you can also create custom fields that are uniquely relevant to your business in GoCo. For example, you can gather uniform sizes for frontline workers or fun facts to use during orientation training.
If you lack other collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams, GoCo’s homepage lets you send company-wide notifications for things like emergency closures and company events. And, if you add GoCo’s messages module, HR and office administrators can send emails and texts directly to employees within the app.
GoCo also anticipates and accommodates employees’ needs by allowing them to clock in and out of shifts, view upcoming holidays, and see PTO accruals directly from the homepage. Even its knowledge base AI assistant ensures employees don’t have to look through your company documentation to find your bereavement leave policy. No other platform I tested offers conversational AI capabilities.
Despite this, GoCo is very U.S.-centric, so you must invest in other platforms if you need to hire and pay international staff or contractors. Likewise, you will need to integrate with other platforms if you need payroll and recruitment functions, which could lead to difficult data silos long term.
Even so, GoCo is a strong choice for your first HRIS since it’s flexible enough to support teams in and out of the office.
Customizable documents
GoCo’s document management capabilities allow you to move away from paper processes by uploading paper documents and transforming them into fillable forms that collect legal eSignatures. You can even insert variable fields, like employee name and title, that populate dynamically for each person, reducing the time it takes to complete the form.
One of the most appealing features of GoCo’s Documents module is that you can drag and drop forms into its editor from multiple sources, including Google Drive. Even more unique, you can take a picture of your form and upload it directly within the platform — a helpful feature if you need to digitize old hard copies and don’t have access to a scanner.
Employee profiles
One of my favorite features in GoCo is employee profiles— specifically, its timeline feature. System administrators and managers can add shared or private notes, praise, or feedback within employee profiles to provide a historical record of their successes and stumbles.
You can even share notes with your manager in your profile, including personal achievements, challenges, and one-on-one meeting notes.
GoCo is not a full-fledged performance management or employee engagement platform. However, these elements make it easier to track employee development, complete performance reviews, and keep employees invested in their own success.
Customizable workspaces
If you’re a small business trying to create consistency in a work process, GoCo’s customizable “spaces” module provides a simple way to centralize a business operation in one place. For example, you might have a space dedicated to expense management procedures. Within the space, you can access the form to request expense reimbursement or start a workflow for managers to collect and review receipts for approval.
In my case, I created a space to help streamline workplace injury procedures. I added widgets to start a workers’ compensation claim, access injury forms, and view workflow process analytics. If managers constantly ask HR staff what to do in certain situations or if you have process documents stored in multiple locations, this is an efficient way to centralize the information.
GoCo’s pricing starts at $5 PEPM and has four tiers to choose from, depending on whether you need payroll and benefits administration support. Its lowest tier, Premium HR, comes with onboarding, employee self-service, document management, and simple PTO tracking. You can then add modules like performance management and time tracking.
GoCo scores 2.94 out of 5 for pricing. Although it is one of the more competitive on my shortlist for starting price, it falls short on scalability. As you add more people to GoCo, its features become unwieldy, and maintaining automated workflows becomes time-consuming. Its data analytics will also start to feel too basic as your processes become more complex.
However, GoCo is the most affordable to start with. If you have few employees and budgetary constraints, it’s the best choice. You can also test out the full capabilities of the platform in its product tour.
GoCo packages
Premium HR
Premium HR + Benefits Admin
Premium HR + Payroll
Premium HR + Benefits Admin + Payroll
Starts at $5 PEPM
- Employee database.
- Onboarding and offboarding.
- HR document management and e-Signature.
- Organizational chart and directory.
- Company announcements.
- AI knowledge base.
- PTO tracking.
- eNPS surveys.
- Reporting.
- Mobile application.
Everything in Premium HR, plus:
- Enrollment self-service.
- Event management and documentation.
- Open enrollment administration.
- Automatically calculated payroll deductions.
- EDI feeds and carrier integrations.
- ACA reporting.
- 1094/1095 reporting and filing.
Everything in Premium HR, plus:
- Payroll processing.
- Federal and state tax filing.
- Configurable payroll grid.
- Unlimited payrolls.
- Employee paystubs.
- Direct deposit or paper checks.
- Automatic reconciliation and configurable general ledger.
- W2, W4, 1099, and new hire filing.
Includes all Premium HR, benefits administration, and payroll features.
Additional services
- Performance management.
- Engagement surveys.
- Recruiting (powered by JazzHR).
- Advanced workflows.
- Time management.
- PTO history, balances, & accrual calculations.
- HR compliance.
- Messages.
BambooHR Core: Best HRIS software for employee experience
Overall score
3.76/5.00
User reviews
4.38/5.00
Pricing
2.81/5.00
Platform & interface
4.01/5.00
Core HR
4.03/5.00
Workforce management
3.75/5.00
Pros
- Self-service features allow employees to find information and accomplish HR tasks independently.
- Built-in calendar to see employee availability and vacation time for easier PTO management.
- Out-of-the-box reporting and HR analytics for small businesses.
- Access to more than 125 integration partners.
Cons
- Payroll, time tracking, benefits administration, and performance management are add-on features for an additional fee.
- No built-in scheduling tools.
- Must purchase the Advantage plan for onboarding and offboarding modules.
- Customer support in Essential Plan is limited to email.
Why I picked BambooHR
If you have both office and field employees with varying levels of digital literacy, BambooHR’s simple interface and quick access features make it stand out for the employee experience. Coming in with an overall score of 3.76 out of 5, BambooHR Core is an excellent HRIS for first-timers needing a single system of record for their people data.
BambooHR also consistently scored 3.5 or above in every category except pricing, illustrating its jack-of-all-trades HR feature set. While this makes BambooHR a highly accessible platform, it also means its various modules lack some of the features to support more complicated business scenarios, like global payroll.
But, if your goal is to implement and track your HR data processes, BambooHR is the easiest to start with.
BambooHR Core is BambooHR’s starter plan, with features like document retention, time-off management, onboarding, and access to standard pre-built reports and analytics. Its add-on features and intuitive interface make it one of the easiest HRIS for first-timers to learn.
One way BambooHR does this is by giving managers and individual contributors access to almost all of its capabilities on its mobile app. This is great for HR teams that travel between multiple locations and need a way to complete HR processes on the go. I particularly like how employees can request time off directly from the app’s homepage, which immediately notifies their manager.
You might also like BambooHR Core’s pre-configured approval workflows, reports, and permission sets. Besides speeding up the implementation process, it means less hassle if you’re a small business without clearly defined processes. Core also helps you learn best practices while standardizing your time-off approvals and other company policies.
One of BambooHR Core’s benefits results from changes to its subscription plans in early 2024. Now, all customers have access to its applicant tracking system (ATS), which supports basic candidate sourcing, hiring funnel progression, and job offer management. It’s more manual than a standalone ATS, but it is enough if you only want one platform to manage both your incoming and existing employees.
Intuitive user interface
BambooHR is one of the easiest platforms to navigate as it uses a simple system of horizontal tabs to organize and access various people functions. It only takes one or two clicks to access the information you need. It also feels significantly less cluttered than alternatives like TriNet HR Platform and GoCo, which list every module and feature on the left rail without any meaningful categorization.
One of the best features of BambooHR is the ability to rearrange and edit your homepage with widgets meaningful to you. For example, if you want your company’s turnover report front and center, you can drag and drop it to where you want on your homepage.
Similar customization options are available in your employee profile, allowing you to move your various tabs — like Personal, Time Off, and Documents — in the order you want. If you have permission access, you can edit and add different fields within each tab, like your address, job, and salary fields in the Personal tab, to quickly access the information that applies to you.
See what BambooHR’s homepage looks like in our video overview:
Employee self-service
BambooHR Core emphasizes employee self-service to free HR staff from completing mundane data entry tasks, like updating an employee’s address. Core places the responsibility on employees to make these changes either on a desktop or within its mobile app.
If you purchase BambooHR’s Pro plan or other add-on modules like time tracking, the number of self-service options employees can access increases. Moreover, employees can access many self-service features directly from BambooHR’s homepage, such as requesting time off or clocking in and out of shifts.
While this may seem small, it makes it much easier for employees to complete everyday tasks with less effort. In contrast, clocking in for a shift on the desktop version of Rippling requires at least three clicks with its time and attendance module add-on. This adds unnecessary complexity to a common task, especially for tech-averse employees.
BambooHR overhauled its subscription plans in early 2024, changing its Essentials and Advantage tiers to Core and Pro. Core and Pro now come with more modules; in particular, Core customers now have access to onboarding and hiring, which BambooHR previously reserved for its Advantage subscribers.
The changes align Core with the other HRIS in my roundup, but it retains its 2.81 pricing score. This is because starting with Core is still quite expensive and doesn’t include fundamental HR functions like payroll and time-tracking, continuing to reserve those features as paid add-ons. Though BambooHR does offer discounts to users that purchase the HR, payroll, and benefits modules.
BambooHR only becomes competitive once you can take advantage of its volume discounts, but even then, other HRIS like GoCo and Gusto may be more affordable. BambooHR remains the better choice if you want a cohesive interface built upon native modules, but you should expect to pay more as a result.
BambooHR packages
Core*
Pro*
- For up to 25 employees: $250 per month flat rate.
- For more than 25 employees: $10 per employee per month (PEPM).
- Volume discount applies after 25 or more employees.
- Includes:
- HRIS and reporting.
- Hiring and onboarding.
- Time off and benefits tracking.
- Access to integrations marketplace.
- For up to 25 employees: $425 per month flat rate.
- For more than 25 employees: $17 PEPM.
- Volume discount applies after 25 or more employees.
- Includes everything in Core, plus:
- Performance management.
- Employee experience and rewards.
- Employee community.
Additional modules
- Payroll.**
- Benefits administration.
- Time tracking.
* There is a one-time implementation fee for the Core and Pro plans and the Payroll add-on. If you have fewer than 25 employees, you can opt for the QuickStart implementation for a lower fee.
** Please note that additional factors, like the number of FEINs or states where you need payroll, can affect this price. Please contact BambooHR for specific pricing quotes.
Special offer
Currently, BambooHR offers a 15% discount if you combine its payroll and benefits administration add-ons with its Core or Pro plans. Visit BambooHR below to learn more.
Explore more BambooHR reviews
You can learn more about BambooHR by visiting my full product review or our top product lists below.
ADP RUN Essential: Best HRIS system for payroll
Overall score
3.76/5.00
User reviews
3.43/5.00
Pricing
3.12/5.00
Platform & interface
4.38/5.00
Core HR
3.63/5.00
Workforce management
3.85/5.00
Pros
- Variety of packages to serve startups and small businesses.
- Extensibility via ADP add-ons and integrations.
- Access to 24/7 customer support, even on its lowest price tier.
- Various ways to pay employees, including on-demand pay through ADP’s Wisely paycard and check processing.
Cons
- Essential and Enhanced packages lack proactive compliance alerts to help with potential labor law violations.
- Time tracking, scheduling, and benefits administration are add-on modules.
- Managers must download two mobile applications (ADP RUN and ADP Mobile Solutions) to complete mobile payroll and access employee self-service features.
- Essential plan is only for companies with 1–10 employees.
Why I picked ADP RUN
ADP RUN Essential is best if you have complicated payroll functions, like multiple payroll schedules, workers in numerous states, or various employee classifications. Its 24/7 customer service, add-on modules, huge integration library, and payroll services make it one of the most adaptable options for a new business.
Coming in at 3.73 out of 5, RUN Essential lost points for keeping most of its employee management features in its higher price tiers and for its lackluster analytics that are limited to payroll reports. However, its compliance-conscious features and ability to move between ADP products make it the best option if you expect your payroll needs to evolve significantly.
If you need only an HRIS with payroll, then RUN powered by ADP is a great way to start paying and handling your people operations electronically. It includes a basic employee records database, self-onboarding, and payroll processing.
RUN’s Essential tier also offers employment verification and background checks, services you typically need to outsource or integrate with third-party providers. As you scale RUN’s price tiers, you can access more small-business-friendly features, like salary benchmarking, job costing, handbook creation, state-mandated sexual harassment training, and a simple ATS.
However, RUN’s heavy focus on payroll comes at the cost of core recordkeeping and communication features. For example, its homepage features several widgets to start payroll or view past payroll totals. But it doesn’t have quick access buttons for employee self-service functions, like requesting time off, viewing your paystub, or clocking in and out.
Beyond a simple task list, the platform doesn’t include internal communication features like company announcements or a newsfeed. Document creation and storage are also reserved for its Complete plan and up. As a result, RUN scored the lowest in our roundup for its HRIS alone, at 3.5 out of 5.
Despite this, RUN integrates with over 150 applications, including popular time-tracking, scheduling, and collaboration apps, which can fill these functionality gaps. ADP also offers PEO, EOR, and outsourcing services to handle your payroll process for your small or non-existent HR or accounting teams. This frees up time for you to focus on the money-making aspects of your business.
User-friendly, multi-state payroll
ADP RUN lets you complete payroll in two steps. In step one, you enter all payroll data, including regular and overtime hours, PTO, expenses, bonuses, or other deductions. RUN will then flag any issues you need to resolve, like missing time information or direct deposits, before step two: preview and finalization.
You can also speed up the payroll process by importing your time data from a third party or adding RUN’s time-tracking module. If you have workers that you pay the same number of hours for each payroll, like salary-exempt employees and contractors, you can enable “RUN & Done” to have RUN automatically process payroll for you.
What’s great about RUN Essential is its variety of payroll features within its lowest price tier compared to others.
For example, unlike Gusto Simple, Essential lets you pay multiple work types in more than one state. Essential deducts and files all federal, state, and local taxes for you, unlike Patriot’s Basic Payroll. And Essential can print and deliver paychecks, so you don’t have to force your workers to have direct deposits or sign up for paycards, especially if they have personal, cultural, or religious objections to electronic banking.
Source: ADP
General ledger connection
Because RUN Essential has access to ADP’s General Ledger Interface (GLI), you don’t have to manually enter your data into your general ledger (GL) or download a CSV file. Instead, RUN creates GL journal entries and exports them into QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or Creative Solutions for you.
The one rather tedious thing is that you have to remember to do this process after every payroll, as it does not automatically do so. It can also take a moment for ADP to export the information from its database, depending on the complexity of your payroll. But compared to other HRIS that lack integrated GL exports, this can help keep your small business bookkeeping in order.
Like all of ADP’s products and services, RUN does not disclose its pricing. However, you can choose from four different price plans: Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro.
ADP RUN’s pricing is based on the number of employees, your payroll frequency, and the add-on modules you need. ADP RUN will invoice you after each payroll run, with a price of somewhere between $4 and $6 per employee per payroll cycle. For 25 people with a weekly payroll, I was quoted $135 per payroll for Enhanced and $150 per payroll for HR Pro.
The price will be much less for the Essential plan since it is for companies with 1–10 employees. Most third-party sources indicate RUN averages at about $79 per month plus $4 PEPM.
With the above in mind, ADP RUN is more expensive than an HRIS with just employee record-keeping features. Despite that, ADP earned a 3.13 out of 5 for pricing because it offers a first three months free promotion and you can easily scale within the ADP product family.*
Moreover, ADP offers more payroll features to start than Gusto or Patriot Payroll while being cheaper than Paycor Basic. So, if you want an employee roster and payroll in one, going with RUN is your best bet.
ADP RUN packages
Essential
Enhanced
Complete
HR Pro
- Multi-state payroll.
- Automatic tax calculations and filing.
- Employee self-onboarding.
- ADP Wisely Direct Debit card access.
- New hire reporting.
- Background checks.
Everything in Essential, plus:
- Garnishments.
- State unemployment insurance management.
- Job costing.
- Job posting via ZipRecruiter.
Everything in Enhanced, plus:
- Live HR support.
- Employee Handbook Wizard.
- Proactive compliance alerts.
- Job Description Wizard.
- Document creation and storage.
- Salary benchmarks.
Everything in Complete, plus:
- Proactive HR support team.
- Learning management system (LMS).
- ATS.
- Employee assistance program (EAP).
- Business, marketing, and legal tools and services.
Additional modules
- Time and attendance.
- ADP-brokered retirement services.
- ADP-brokered health insurance.
- ADP-brokered workers’ compensation.
- Small business marketing toolkit by Upnetic.
*Note: ADP applies a credit to your invoice if you are in good standing with them after processing payroll for three months.
TriNet HR Platform Essentials: Best HRIS for benefits administration
Overall score
3.69/5.00
User reviews
3.86/5.00
Pricing
2.88/5.00
Platform & interface
3.06/5.00
Core HR
4.15/5.00
Workforce management
4.35/5.00
Pros
- Native time-tracking and scheduling in all plans.
- Mobile app supports everyday tasks like enrolling in benefits and submitting PTO requests.
- Pre-built reports with AI-powered predictive analytics help with strategic decision-making.
Cons
- Payroll, bring-your-own broker, and HR and payroll advisory services incur additional fees.
- In-app Compliance Assistant only includes deadlines for federal HR, benefits, and payroll requirements, not state or local.
- EDI carrier feeds are available only to companies with more than 50 employees.
Why I picked TriNet HR Platform Essentials
At 3.69 out of 5, TriNet HR Platform Essentials is a great choice if you need basic coverage for core HR processes like recordkeeping, payroll, time tracking, and benefits at a competitive price. In particular, its ability to compare various benefits online at your convenience without going through a broker can save you time searching for competitive benefits elsewhere.
Compared to other HRIS, TriNet HR Platform includes its brokered benefits administration in all its product tiers. If you want to provide your employees with benefits coverage at an affordable price and remain compliant with all relevant laws, HR Platform is one of the best options.
TriNet HR Platform Essentials is for companies that prioritize effective benefits administration. It provides the flexibility to use TriNet-brokered benefits at no additional cost or bring your own broker for an extra $5 PEPM. This is unlike other vendors in my top five, where benefits management is included in a higher price tier or as an optional add-on.
Besides benefits administration, HR Platform Essentials offers a fair amount of features in its base plan that others do not, like time tracking and scheduling. As you upgrade your subscription, you gain access to features such as compensation, performance, and employee engagement. This aligns with the HR features most companies need as they grow.
However, HR Platform ranks last in my shortlist for user experience; in particular, the interface is unintuitive, the setup is complicated, and the controls are surprisingly basic.
For example, HR Platform does not organize its HR modules by theme for easy navigation on the left rail. Instead, you must read all the apps on the left rail, which often results in excessive scrolling to find what you need, adding unnecessary time to switch between HR processes.
While HR Platform’s people analytics are more holistic than ADP RUN’s, they are clunky to use. First, you can’t preview any pre-built or custom reports directly in HR Platform; you must download and open them in a separate program that reads .xlsx files, making for a rather cumbersome experience. Plus, its predictive analytics to help forecast HR metrics like turnover aren’t available until its Growth plan and after you’ve accumulated at least two years’ worth of data.
Still, if you need an employee database with benefits, payroll, scheduling, and time tracking for a non-exempt hourly workforce, HR Platform Essentials with the payroll add-on is an affordable option.
Benefits administration
HR Platform Essentials includes its brokered medical, dental, vision, commuter, 401(k), health savings accounts (HSAs), and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) at no extra cost. You can also shop for plans with popular carriers like UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield through TriNet’s Health Insurance Marketplace. There, you can even compare plans side-by-side and filter results that are compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
For additional fees, TriNet can also manage COBRA and send benefit enrollment changes to carriers through electronic data interchange (EDI) feeds. These, plus ACA employee eligibility monitoring, can help your HR teams completely automate benefits administration and ensure you remain compliant.
Another convenient tool is the ability for employees to connect apps, like Uber and Lyft, to their TriNet HR Platform mobile app to submit claims for their commuter benefits easily. Meanwhile, managers can monitor commuter and FSA invoices directly within HR Platform to understand the value of these programs.
Time tracking and scheduling
HR Platform offers time tracking and time-off management tools that sync with payroll, benefits, and scheduling. Besides making employee time management more efficient, it provides managers visibility over who’s at work and when. HR Platform also includes features like geolocation and picture-taking on its mobile app to prevent buddy punching and time fraud.
HR Platform Essentials’ scheduling tool is also unique for an HRIS. You can assign shifts, copy over schedules from previous weeks, and set up recurring shifts. This is great for small teams with basic shift schedules, but it is rudimentary if you manage multiple locations or require scheduling flexibility.
For instance, it cannot predict staffing needs based on historical data and cannot automatically schedule employees according to their availability, roles, or competency levels. It also doesn’t monitor breaks or shift lengths for minors, so you have to pay extra attention to ensure compliance with federal and state youth labor laws.
That said, if you want to consolidate your scheduling and time clock tasks in one system, HR Platform Essentials will standardize your processes to make them more reliable and efficient.
TriNet HR Platform Essentials scored 2.88 out of 5 for pricing, dropping slightly from its previous score for its lack of a free trial following its branding change at the end of 2023. While it can be affordable for payroll and time tracking, this is if you have fewer than 41 employees. Otherwise, you’ll pay less by purchasing Gusto Plus, which includes payroll, time tracking, recruiting, and performance management modules.
HR Platform also has a five-employee minimum requirement, meaning you pay at least $40 monthly even if you only have one or two employees. This is costly if you’re only looking for a more efficient way to manage your employee database. In this scenario, it’s better to go with GoCo.
The HR Platform’s limited customization options and support for employees in multiple time zones make it less scalable than Rippling or ADP. Although this hurt its pricing score, if you don’t expect to expand internationally, this might be a non-issue.
TriNet HR Platform packages
Essentials
Growth
Zen
Price (billed monthly): $10 PEPM
Price (billed annually): $8 PEPM
Includes:
- Onboarding.
- Employee management.
- Time off management.
- Scheduling and time tracking.
- Basic reporting and analytics.
Price (billed monthly): $20 PEPM
Price (billed annually): $16 PEPM
Includes everything in Essentials, plus:
- Customizable reports and analytics.
- Prediction trends.
- Compensation management.
- Performance management.
Price (billed monthly): $33 PEPM
Price (billed annually): $27 PEPM
Includes everything in Growth, plus:
- Employee engagement surveys.
- Company announcements and newsfeed.
- Task manager.
- Payroll.
Additional modules
- Payroll: $6 PEPM
- Advisory services: $8 PEPM
- Benefits admin using own broker: $5 PEPM
- Recruiting by JazzHR: Starting at $35/mo.
Note: New customers who subscribe to an annual contract and pay upfront will save 20% on their HR Platform plan for a limited time.
Honorable mentions
Many platforms I reviewed have great features that might better appeal to your particular needs. If the above platforms don’t quite fit, one of these might.
Gusto Simple: Best HRIS software for new businesses
Alternative for: ADP RUN Essential and TriNet HR Platform Essentials
Overall score: 3.65/5
When to choose Gusto Simple
If you’re new to HR software or running payroll for the first time, Gusto Simple is a great entry point into people management software. The interface is lean and easy to navigate. Besides being one of the most affordable payroll vendors, Gusto can also help you register your business in the states where you employ workers.
Why it didn’t make the list
Gusto’s core employee database is weak compared to others. For example, you can only store and send documents in Gusto Simple. Employees also can’t access an employee roster and organization chart unless you purchase Gusto’s Plus tier or higher.
Deel HR: Best HRIS software for global HR management
Alternative for: Rippling
Overall score: 3.49/5
When to choose Deel HR
If you’re on a budget, have fewer than 201 employees, and are expanding internationally, consider Deel HR since it’s free to start. Like Rippling, Deel HR localizes employee profiles for over 150 countries. You can even automate task lists and notification workflows similar to GoCo.
Why it didn’t make the list
Deel HR’s platform is much less feature-rich than competitors like Rippling. In particular, Deel HR lacks native time-tracking solutions, forcing you to integrate with third-party solutions. It also does not support project tracking for your contingent workforce.
Bob: Best HRIS system for employee recognition and support
Alternative for: BambooHR
Overall score: 3.29/5
When to choose Bob
Choose Bob if you already have a payroll provider but want a user-friendly system that fosters employee engagement across distributed teams. I love Bob’s configurable homepages with an employee recognition newsfeed, a place to learn fun tidbits about coworkers, and an area to submit anonymous concerns to HR.
Why it didn’t make the list
Bob is elusive about its pricing and lacks native payroll and benefits administration functions. Although it has a stellar HRIS, you may pay more for your HR tech stack overall since you need to integrate with third parties to cover core HR and compliance functions.
Human resources information system FAQs
Types of HRIS systems
As a repository for employee data, the HRIS system houses various employee data to support the full scope of HR. There are five main types of HRIS: tactical, operational, strategic, comprehensive, and specialized.
What are the benefits of HRIS systems?
HRIS systems offer several key benefits for businesses. Though the exact features and benefits will vary based on the HRIS technology vendor that you choose. Here are the biggest benefits that you can expect when investing in an HRIS platform for your organization.
Unsure of what an HRIS can do for you? Learn about The Key Benefits of HRIS Software or check out our video below:
Better employee onboarding experience
HRIS platforms can support paperless onboarding for a more efficient and organized onboarding process. This makes it easier to onboard remote employees who will not be coming into the office in-person to fill out their paperwork. It also cuts down on filing time and ensures that no paperwork goes missing as the electronic onboarding documents can be instantly stored in the employee’s digital file.
HR analytics and reporting
Workforce analytics help your HR department make more informed, data-driven decisions. For example, HR analytics can help you monitor turnover rates to identify trends or potential contributing factors and implement an effective employee retention strategy. While the reporting capabilities of an HRIS may not be as robust as an HCM platform or full-service HR suite, HRIS systems can still be used to analyze employee data and generate basic reports.
Compliance support
HRIS systems offer a compliant solution for storing sensitive data. Electronic file management helps employers meet document storage requirements and provides a paper trail in the event of an audit. Some HRIS systems even offer federal, state, and local compliance tools or add-ons to help employers comply with meal break regulations, time off, and leave of absences like FMLA.
Scalability
The HRIS functionality is the backbone of most HR software systems and HCMs, so investing in an HRIS is a smart investment for growth-stage businesses. For example, many HR software vendors offer a bare-bones HRIS that you can supplement with add-on modules and integrations as your employee headcount grows and your business needs begin to change. Then, once you’ve reached a critical mass, you’ll have the option to upgrade your HR software to the next tier of functionality without needing to switch vendors.
Fewer manual HR tasks
HRIS systems increase efficiency by streamlining common administrative HR workflows. The electronic paperwork management features of HRIS systems also cut down on filing and makes it quicker to access and organize employee paperwork and information.
Looking for more advanced automations? Check out our roundup of the best HRMS software to find solutions with great workflow customization and automation tools.
What does an HRIS cost?
The cost of an HRIS will vary based on several factors, including your employee headcount, feature requirements, and deployment expectations. HRIS features are often wrapped into full-service HR software suites, which will typically cost more than a standalone HRIS system.
Most HRIS software vendors use a per employee per month (PEPM) pricing model, which is usually the most affordable structure if you have a low headcount. However, keep in mind that cost comparisons between vendors will likely change as your organization grows, so it’s worth factoring in your future hiring plans as well.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly HRIS solution, you can find options in the $5-$10 PEPM range. GoCo, the cheapest vendor to make our list of top picks, starts at $5 PEPM. TriNet and Rippling also offer plans starting at $8 PEPM.
For more information on the cost of HRIS systems and other HR software options, explore the resources below:
How to choose the best HRIS systems
There are tons of HRIS platform options on the market today, making it tough to decide which one is the right fit. However, consider the below to help you find the right HRIS solution for your organization’s needs:
- Choose Rippling if you need a balance of core HR features and service options to support you as you grow.
- Select GoCo if you’re looking to move all your people data to a digital platform.
- Go with BambooHR Core if you prioritize a jack-of-all-trades HR platform that’s easy for your staff to learn.
- Pick ADP RUN Essential if you have complex payroll and compliance needs.
- Choose TriNet HR Platform Essentials if you want more robust and customizable benefits for your staff.
Not ready to buy yet? Check out our comprehensive HR Software Guide to compare more solutions and find the best HR software for your needs.
