In order for your HR teams to be able to properly carry out their vital responsibility of recruiting, managing, and preserving a highly skilled, talented, and satisfied workforce, the right HRIS is a total game-changer by streamlining and automating HR processes and boosting productivity.
As an HR manager, you hold the huge responsibility of shaping, managing, and maintaining your workforce aka your company’s backbone.
No pressure – it’s just on you to find and hire the most skilled and talented people out there, keep your existing staff on top of their game and motivate them to put their best foot forward day after day, process payroll on time, and free of mistakes, handle an endless flow of paperwork and keep employee information up to date, ensure compliance with regulations, manage time-off requests – and the list goes on and on.
If you are not using the right software to help you with these tasks, just reading all this is enough to give you a burnout.
Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) can be just the tool you need to streamline and simplify your processes and take the administrative work off of your hands.
We’ve lined up our top picks of the best HRIS systems to give you a clear picture of what’s out there and help you find one that best suits your company’s needs and budget.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one HRIS for streamlining core HR processes for businesses of all sizes.
Learn more -
Best for mitigating risk for mid-sized businesses.
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Best for compensation management for growing small and mid-sized businesses.
What to Look For in a HRIS System
When looking for a good HRIS, keep an eye out for the following key aspects and features:
- Ease of use: It’s easy to set up and offers an intuitive user experience.
- Customizability: It’s customizable to suit your team structures.
- Employee database: It serves as a centralized database of your entire workforce and allows you to update and manage employee information and documentation.
- Self-service option: Your managers and employees can access their own personal information and keep their records up to date.
- Time and attendance management: You can track and manage attendance and your employees can log work hours, submit time-off requests, and review their timesheets.
- Performance management: It gives you valuable insights into your employees’ performance and helps you maintain a high-performance company culture.
- Applicant tracking system (ATS): It streamlines the recruitment process and centralizes information about job candidates, job postings, and interviews.
- Onboarding and training: You can easily create and manage employee training and onboarding processes for new hires.
- Payroll and benefits administration: It calculates payroll and records your employees’ gross and net pay, deductions, benefits, and tax liabilities.
- Data analytics: You can filter and get a clear view of any data in the system.
- Price: It is cost-friendly and suits your budget.
- Support: It comes with good customer support to help you with any issues.
The 11 Best HRIS Systems of 2023
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Connecteam — Best for: Streamlining core HR processes for businesses of all sizes.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Connecteam is an all-in-one Human Resource Information System that gives you all the tools you need to manage all HR matters and streamline your company’s daily operations and communication, no matter where your employees are working from and even while on the go.
This easy-to-use HRIS with an employee and manager self-service portal allows you to:
- Easily store, manage and track the status of all employee documents. Employees can simply upload documents straight from their mobile phones.
- Create and track employee training and onboarding processes, and test your staff’s knowledge with custom quizzes.
- Track work hours, export timesheets for payroll, and process time-off requests. Your employees can clock in and out from shifts, review their timesheets, and submit time straight from their cell phones.
- Boost morale and maintain a culture of excellence by granting your employees recognition and rewards for their hard work.
- Document and oversee your employees’ previous and upcoming milestones and progress in a digital timeline.
And that only scratches the surface.
Connecteam’s admin dashboard lets you track and collect data on all activity in real-time. It has extensive filtering and viewing options, and all reports are fully exportable.
It also allows you to send push notifications or directly message your employees to for instance remind them to send in a form or complete a training item.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Try Connecteam here!
Key Features
Performance management
Pros
Intuitive and easy to use
All-in-one solution
Great customer support
Budget-friendly
Cons
Integrations in development
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Namely — Best for: Mitigating risk for mid-sized businesses.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Namely HRIS aims to help mid-sized businesses manage all of their HR data in one place with personalized service.
Overall, it allows you to manage the categories of general HR matters, talent, benefits administration, payroll and time, and compliance. As part of these categories, you can store all employee data and have your employees and managers can make changes on their own, track onboarding, set goals and manage performance, process payroll, and more.
It includes analytical tools to review and export data in the system.
Namely lacks pricing transparency and requires you to request a call or demo to receive a quote.
Learn more about NamelyKey Features
- System of record
- Time and attendance tracking
- Applicant tracking
- Point-in-time reporting
Pros
- Intuitive user experience
- Good reporting options
Cons
- Poor customer support
- Limited data import options
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Bamboo HR — Best for: Compensation management for growing small and mid-sized businesses.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
BambooHR is a human resources information system that aims to help growing small and medium businesses manage essential employee information.
With this Human Resource Information System, you can manage and track employee records, performance goals, on- and offboarding, time and attendance, payroll, job applications, and employee satisfaction. Self-service options include allowing your employees to calculate time off, review their benefits, see training reminders, and give peer reviews.
BambooHR requires you to fill out a contact form and to receive a custom price quote.
Learn more about Bamboo HRKey Features
- Employee records
- Applicant tracking system (ATS)
- Onboarding
- Time tracking
Pros
- Easy to set up
- User-friendly
Cons
- Lack of customizability
- Limited reporting options
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Workday — Best for: Managing a workforce scoreboard.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Workday aims to provide HR, financial, and planning management tools for the world’s largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies.
This HRIS system includes workforce analytics tools that give insight into your diversity and inclusion metrics, operational performance, and talent trends. You can also set up skills-based talent and succession pools, create job posts, and collaborate with stakeholders to help you in the hiring process. Workday also helps you give your employees personalized recommendations, suggested learning, and career assistance. It also allows you to manage time and attendance, as well as payroll.
Workday does not provide any pricing or pricing request information on their website.
Learn more about WorkdayKey Features
- Global workforce management
- Benefits administration
- Payroll
- Time & attendance management
Pros
- Good analytics overview
- Engaging user interface
Cons
- Implementation takes a long time
- Hard to navigate
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Exelsys — Best for: Enterprises with offices located in multiple countries.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Exelsys HRIS aims to help enterprises manage their employees’ hire-to-retire process and arrange your company, workforce, and HR procedures in real-time to support the organization’s goals and objectives.
It allows you to automate and streamline HR processes and administrative tasks, including in the categories of employee information, recruitment, performance, and payroll management. Managers can for instance handle documents, track applicant data, set and monitor goals, and sync different payroll systems.
You can also set up email notifications based on data within the human resources information system.
Exelsys supports multiple currencies and languages to fit multi-country structures.
Pricing is based on the number of active users and the selected modules.
Learn more about ExelsysKey Features
- Applicant data tracking
- Absence management
- Goal management
- Appraisal reviews
Pros
- Easy to use
- Intuitive user experience
Cons
- Reporting feature needs improvements
- Unengaging user interface
Pricing
Pricing is not publicly available Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Oyster — Best for: Companies that wish to hire remote employees located abroad.
Available on
- Web
Oyster is a human resources information system that aims to make it possible and easy for companies to compliantly hire remote employees, both as full-time employees and contractors no matter where either party is located in the world.
It offers capabilities to manage hiring international employees, generating locally-compliant contracts, processing fully-compliant global payroll, and administering localized employee benefits and rewards, such as health insurance and time off. It also allows includes tools to calculate the total cost of employment and time zone crossover.
Oyster relies on multiple partnerships to help it in its international operations.
Learn more about OysterKey Features
- Global employment
- Localized benefits & rewards
- Multi-country payroll
- Global contactors
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Intuitive user experience
Cons
- Extremely expensive
- Poor customer service
Pricing
Starts at $399/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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IntelliHR — Best for: Companies using multiple systems to manage HR processes
Available on
- Web
IntelliHR is a human resources information system that aims to allow companies to manage employee performance, create a business strategy-aligned culture, and enhance strategic decision-making with data-driven analytics in real-time.
It allows you to centralize HR data and automate processes, manage your teams and review their performance, give feedback, deliver onboarding and automated workflows for new hires, manage compliance requirements, and view analytics.
IntelliHR relies on integrations for many features, including payroll, recruitment, and training, which likely require you to acquire multiple subscriptions.
Learn more about IntelliHRKey Features
- Onboarding
- Performance reviews
- Engagement analytics
- Survival analysis
Pros
- Engaging user interface
- User-friendly
Cons
- Not budget-friendly
- Lacks data import options
Pricing
Starts at $4/user/month Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Eddy — Best for: Local businesses with frontline workers.
Available on
- Web
- Windows
- Mac
Eddy’s HRIS aims to streamline HR processes for local businesses and improve frontline workers’ employee experience.
It allows you to automate and manage your HR tasks in one place and specifically has features for recruitment and onboarding new hires, managing teams, and conducting payroll for your workforce.
As part of these four categories, you can post jobs and track candidates, create onboarding processes, manage important documents and employee profiles, create custom PTO policies and process requests, track employee work hours, and manage payroll.
Learn more about EddyKey Features
- Onboarding
- Document Storage
- Training Tracking
- Employee Profiles
Pros
- Good customer support
- Clean user interface
Cons
- Hard to set up
- Unintuitive user experience
Pricing
Starts at $49/month + $8/user/month Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Sapling — Best for: Mid-sized companies dispersed across multiple international offices.
Available on
- Web
Sapling is an HRIS system that aims to help teams manage the complexity of dispersed organizations, by making processes visible and automated. With it, you can automate workflows related to your employees’ entire life cycle by connecting employees, data, and tools across your existing systems.
This includes creating an organizational chart, storing employee data, and tracking, reporting, and approving any data changes. You can also customize and align the HRIS with your company’s organizational structure, create and manage Workspaces for multiple team members to collaborate on shared workloads, create onboarding processes, manage time off, and conduct surveys.
Sapling also has multiple integration options with other HR software, including Lever and Workday.
Learn more about SaplingKey Features
- Onboarding
- Document storage
- Profile templates
- Pending hires
Pros
- Engaging user interface
- Good customer service
Cons
- Unintuitive user experience
- Prone to bugs
Pricing
Starts at $282/month Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Bob — Best for: Modern, mid-sized, and fast-growing companies.
Available on
- Web
Bob is an HRIS that aims to help HR teams and managers connect, engage, advance, and preserve top talent in accordance with the global, remote, and collaborative way in which people work nowadays.
Its capabilities focus on managing core HR processes, time and attendance, company culture, and employee performance, and allow you to automate workflows. As part of this, you can automate approval cycles, manage customized onboarding processes, create a company director, manage payroll and benefits, automate paperwork, and view real-time data and reports.
Bob does not provide all functions within its platform and therefore offers a large number of integrations, including directory and applicant tracking.
Custom pricing is provided upon contacting their sales team.
Learn more about BobKey Features
- Document management
- Onboarding
- People directory
- Payroll integrations
Pros
- Engaging user interface
- Receptive of customer feedback
Cons
- Unintuitive user experience
- Features need further development
Pricing
Pricing is not publicly available Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Homebase — Best for: Hourly teams.
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Homebase’s HRIS system aims to make work easier for small businesses by providing them with the necessary tools for managing hourly teams. These include recruitment, onboarding, time tracking, compliance, and payroll.
As part of these tools, it allows you to post jobs on online job boards and track applications, automate your onboarding program, manage employee information and documents, process time-off requests, and process payroll
It includes multiple integration options, including for payroll and POS.
Learn more about HomebaseKey Features
- Employee information management
- Job posting
- Applicant tracking
- Time off management
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Template options
Cons
- Unintuitive user experience
- Prone to bugs
Pricing
Starts at $20/location/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For a single location
Compare the Best HRIS Systems
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Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Pricing is not publicly available
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Starts at $399/user/month
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Starts at $4/user/month
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Starts at $49/month + $8/user/month
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Starts at $282/month
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Pricing is not publicly available
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Starts at $20/location/month
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14-day
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What Is a Human Resources Information System (HRIS)?
A Human Resource Information System is software that allows HR teams from businesses of all sizes to automate and handle various HR-related tasks more effectively. With it, HR leaders can also centralize, manage, track, and assess staff-related data.
Based on data collected in HRIS systems, HR teams can make strategic, efficient, and well-informed decisions, which in turn boosts the productivity of employees and managers.
How Does an HRIS Work?
A Human Resource Information System integrates different HR processes into a centralized system and allows HR staff to streamline organizational tasks and handle employee information. This for instance includes managing time and attendance, payroll, onboarding, documentation, and recruitment.
It often has a self-service portal where employees can perform different actions, such as updating their personal records, logging work hours, and reviewing their timesheets.
All data is logged within the system and can be exported into reports. The HRIS uses that data for HR processes, reducing the need for manual data entry along with the chances for human error. This data also gives HR teams useful insights into HR processes and allows them to communicate metrics critical to business needs.
HRIS also boosts company compliance with regional and federal policies and regulations on employee documentation, benefits, paid time off, payroll, and the safe storage of staff contact information.
Why Should I Use an HRIS?
The main benefits of using Human Resource Information System software are that it helps:
- Increase productivity: It does so by enabling HR teams to partially automate, enhance, and speed up their tasks and processes. It for instance eliminates the need to handle forms manually and employees can update their personal information and time-off requests on their own.
- Improve operational efficiency: It enhances and simplifies your ability to monitor, update, and report on employee data. Also, the ability to store and search all relevant information in a centralized place improves accuracy and saves time.
- Reduce human errors and maintain compliance: It does so by automating processes, reducing the need for manual data entry, and providing insights. This is particularly helpful as many HR tasks are highly regulated.
- Collect and analyze data: You can efficiently and easily collect and analyze data. This helps you track data required to make informed decisions, identify patterns, perform quick calculations, and advance your HR and company strategy.
- Boost employee satisfaction: As it allows employees to easily perform actions on their own, such as updating their personal details and submitting and receiving approval for time off requests, HRIS decreases visits to the HR office, strengthens employees’ sense of empowerment, and reduces wait times. It can also help make your onboarding process stress-free for new hires.
How Much Does an HRIS Cost?
The cost of Human Resource Information Systems largely differs per provider and is often dependent on the number of users and the type of feature package. HRIS providers usually charge on a monthly basis with pricing typically ranging from $1 to $15 per employee. Companies that charge per user can get rather expensive if you’re working with a large team.
Note that high pricing does not necessarily equal a better user experience. Our number one pick, Connecteam, offers premium plans at a fixed monthly price of $29 for the first 30 employees.
FAQs
What are 3 different types of HRIS?
Different acronyms are used to describe HR software solutions. The three most common terms used are:
- HRIS, meaning Human Resource Information System
- HCM, meaning Human Capital Management
- HRMS, meaning Human Resource Management System
What is HRMS vs HRIS?
When comparing HRMS (Human Resource Management System) and HRIS (Human Resource Information System) software, the main difference lies in the complexity of the tools they offer. While HRIS tools are largely more basic and focused on the most essential details, HRMS usually expands on HRIS features and is more data-management focused.
Which companies are using a Human Resource Information System?
Nowadays, more and more companies strive to improve their HR management processes by simplifying, streamlining, and automating recurring tasks for their employees – a task a Human Resource Information System is designed to do.
HRIS can be used by any company in any industry. While some argue that HRIS is most suitable for companies with over 50 employees, organizations of different sizes – from small-sized companies to enterprises – can benefit from a Human Resource Information System.
The Bottom Line On HRIS Tools
All in all, the right HRIS will allow you to finally ditch those tedious and time-consuming manual administrational tasks and carry out all of your HR processes on one single platform with complete ease and efficiency.
And the best part is that you can get all the features you need without breaking the bank. Our first choice, Connecteam, for instance, offers an easy-to-use all-in-one Human Resource Information system that will keep you connected with your workforce anywhere and anytime for a fair price.