BambooHR review
by BambooHR LLCHR and payroll software
An HR system for records, hiring, onboarding, time off and performance, with US payroll, benefits and time tracking as add-ons priced by quote.
- Free trial
- No card needed
- Sales call required
- Tiered
- Prices hidden
What you're paying for
- Easy to adopt (main value)
- Compliance included
A complete HR record, from hiring and onboarding to time off and reviews, with payroll that reads from the same data.
BambooHR keeps employee records, hiring, onboarding with e-signatures and time off in one HR system, and its payroll add-on syncs those records, time off and benefits deductions into each pay run, with federal, state and local tax filing for US employees. Small companies pay a flat monthly price for the HR plan, and a free trial needs no card. The trust center lists SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2 reports, and data can be hosted in the US, Canada or Ireland.
- Onboarding and time off on CoreThe plan comparison puts new hire packets, onboarding checklists, e-signatures, offer letter templates and time-off management with unlimited custom policies on Core.Evidence: Pricing page plan comparison (2026-10-16)
- Payroll from the HR recordThe payroll page says employee records, time off, location changes and benefits data flow into payroll, and BambooHR files federal, state and local taxes for US employees.Evidence: Payroll page (2026-10-16)
- SOC 2 Type 2 and a choice of hosting regionThe trust center lists SOC 1, SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS; the security page says data is hosted in the US, Canada or Ireland, with native multi-factor authentication.Evidence: Trust center and security page (2026-10-16)
- Best for
- Companies that want a full HR system first and payroll that reads from it, and are fine with a quote for payroll.
- Good to know
- Payroll, benefits administration and time tracking are add-ons with no published price.
How BambooHR compares
Against 3 other products we reviewed in HR and payroll software: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | BambooHR | Deel | Gusto | Justworks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Easy to adoptA complete HR record, from hiring and onboarding to time off and reviews, with payroll that reads from the same data. | Built-in reachPay US employees, contractors abroad and employees hired through an employer of record from one platform, each with a published price. | Worth the priceFull-service US payroll with tax filings, onboarding and benefits administration at a published monthly price, with no long-term contract. | Worth the priceLow-cost multi-state payroll for small US teams, with a PEO path to group health benefits when you need it. |
| Overall score | 3.6 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
| Free option | Free trial | Paid only | Free trial | Paid only |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Sales call required | Sales call required | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $250/mo | $22/employee/mo | $49/mo + $6/person | $50/mo + $8/employee |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Per seat | Seat + usage | Seat + usage |
| Pricing page | Prices hidden | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Flat monthly price up to 25 employees, then per employee; add-ons by quote | Per employee or contractor per month; activation through a quote | Monthly base fee plus a price per active person; US contractors billed only in months they are paid | Payroll: monthly base fee plus a price per employee; PEO: per employee, no base fee |
| Free option | Free trial, no card; length not stated | No free plan or trial; free demo | Free account to set up and onboard; billing starts with the first payroll | No free plan or trial stated |
| Reference scenario (10 employees, one state) | Not priced: payroll add-on by quote ($250/mo Core plus payroll) | $220/mo on HR + US Payroll Core ($22 × 10), computed | $109/mo on Simple ($49 + $6 × 10), computed | $130/mo on Payroll ($50 + $8 × 10), computed (prices as of May 21, 2026) |
| Multi-state payroll | Not stated on the payroll page | All 50 states, self-serve or managed | Plus ($80 + $12 per person) | Included on every plan |
| International hiring | EOR and contractors through Remote, by quote | Contractors $49/mo each; EOR $599 per employee | Contractors in 120+ countries, per-payment fee; no employer-of-record service listed | Contractors $39 each; EOR $599 per employee on PEO plans |
| PEO option | None listed | PEO Starter $110, PEO Pro $120 per employee ($125 on another card) | None listed | PEO Basic $79, PEO Plus $109 per employee |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001 not listed | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports (type not stated); ISO 27001 not stated | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Contract terms | Month to month or an extended term | Month to month per the pricing FAQ | Month to month, cancel anytime | Not stated; first year of PEO fees can be prepaid |
| Data export | Custom reports; API generates reports in several formats | Reports as CSV, PDF or Excel; REST API | Reports as CSV, PDF or Excel; a payroll data export workbook per year | Each payroll downloads as CSV |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, BambooHR is a well-rounded HR system with payroll as a quoted add-on. Its score is held back by the unpublished payroll price and add-ons, not by the HR plans themselves. | From its public pages, Deel is the broadest published price list here for paying people in the US and abroad, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. US payroll costs more than Gusto or Justworks for 10 people, activation goes through sales, and a few cards disagree on PEO prices. | From its public pages, Gusto is the clearest buy here: full-service payroll with HR basics from $109 a month for 10 employees, month to month. Multi-state payroll needs Plus, and there is no employer-of-record or PEO option on the pricing page. | From its public pages, Justworks pairs low-cost multi-state payroll with a priced PEO path. Its score is held back by a security file and API that its pages do not state, and its pricing page could only be read in a May 2026 archive copy. |
Evidence: BambooHR: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Deel: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Gusto: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Justworks: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Score
- Pricing clarity
- 2.0 / 10, Fair
- scenario plan not priced; bought through sales or a quote; month to month; Core is $10 per employee on the plan card and $10.25 in the FAQ; Pro is $17 per employee on the plan card and $17.50 in the FAQ; time and attendance, benefits administration and global employment add-ons have no published price
- Free plan and trial
- 2.0 / 10, Fair
- no free plan; trial, length not stated; no card needed
- Price for 10 employees
- 0.0 / 10, Fair
- no published price, priced by sales: the payroll add-on is quoted; Core alone is $250 a month for 25 employees or fewer
- Who you can pay
- 3.2 / 10, Fair
- multi-state payroll not stated; US contractors in the scenario plan; contractors abroad priced by sales or quote; employer of record priced by sales or quote; PEO not stated
- HR tools
- 6.4 / 10, Good
- time tracking priced by sales or quote; time off in the scenario plan; onboarding in the scenario plan; benefits administration priced by sales or quote; performance reviews on a higher or separate priced plan
- Security, API and data export
- 8.0 / 10, Excellent
- SOC 2 Type II, two-factor sign-in, REST API, payroll export
Review
Review from public pages
Written from BambooHR's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 16, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
What the public pages show
We read BambooHR's pricing page with its plan comparison and FAQ, the payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration and global employment pages, the free trial page, the security page, the trust center, the payroll services agreement and the API documentation on Oct 16, 2026; we did not start the trial or request a quote for this review.
The HR plans are priced, but in two ways: a flat $250, $425 or $650 a month for 25 employees or fewer, and per employee above that. The plan cards and the FAQ give slightly different per-employee prices for Core ($10 or $10.25) and Pro ($17 or $17.50). Payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance and global employment are add-ons, each with a demo request and no price, so our 10-employee scenario cannot be priced.
The payroll page describes federal, state and local tax filing for US employees but does not say whether one company can run payroll in several states. The trial page says no card is needed and the trial ends automatically; it does not give the length.
Strengths
- HR basics on the entry plan
Core includes employee records, custom reports, applicant tracking for 5 openings, onboarding with e-signatures and time-off management.
vs Rippling: Rippling sells HRIS, time and benefits as separate quoted products.
- Flat price for small teams
Companies with 25 employees or fewer pay $250 a month for Core, $425 for Pro or $650 for Elite, whatever the headcount.
- Free trial without a card
The trial page says no card is required and the trial ends automatically.
vs Justworks: Deel, Rippling and Justworks describe a demo, not a trial.
- SOC 2 Type 2 and regional hosting
The trust center lists SOC 1, SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS, and data can be hosted in the US, Canada or Ireland.
Things to know
- Payroll is priced by quote
The payroll add-on has no published price, nor do benefits administration, time and attendance or global employment.
Workaround: The pricing page offers a 15% discount when payroll and benefits administration are bought together.
- Multi-state payroll not stated
The payroll page and FAQ describe federal, state and local filing for US employees but do not say whether payroll covers employees in several states.
Workaround: Ask during the demo if you employ people in more than one state.
- Per-employee prices differ by a few cents
Core is $10 per employee on the plan card and $10.25 in the FAQ; Pro is $17 and $17.50.
Pricing reality
BambooHR prices its HR plans two ways: a flat $250 (Core), $425 (Pro) or $650 (Elite) a month for 25 employees or fewer, and per employee above that, with automatic volume discounts and 15% off for nonprofits. For our scenario of 10 employees, the HR plan alone would be the flat $250 a month on Core, but payroll is a quoted add-on, so the scenario cannot be priced. Benefits administration and time and attendance are quoted too; payroll plus benefits gets a 15% bundle discount. Monthly payers use a card or ACH, and annual upfront payment is offered.
Exit path
Admins can build custom reports, and the API can generate reports in several formats with an API key created in the account. The FAQ offers month-to-month terms or an extended term; we did not find a published cancellation fee.
Compared with
- Pick BambooHR when
- You want a deeper HR system, with reviews on Pro, and a free trial without a card.
- Pick Gusto when
- You want payroll at a published price, from $109 a month for 10 employees (computed).
- Pick BambooHR when
- You want published HR plan prices and a trial before a demo.
- Pick Rippling when
- You want a PEO, an employer of record and IT tools on one platform.
- Pick BambooHR when
- You want built-in performance reviews and data hosting outside the US.
- Pick Justworks when
- You want payroll priced on the page and multi-state payroll stated on the entry plan.
Choose it if
- You want an HR system with onboarding, time off and reviews, and payroll that reads from it.
- You have 25 employees or fewer and like a flat monthly price for HR.
- You want to try the HR side first with a free trial and no card.
Look elsewhere if
- You want to know the payroll price before a demo.
- You need multi-state payroll confirmed on the public pages.
Bottom line
From its public pages, BambooHR is a well-rounded HR system with payroll as a quoted add-on. Its score is held back by the unpublished payroll price and add-ons, not by the HR plans themselves.
Plan limits at a glance
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Billing unit | Flat monthly price up to 25 employees, then per employee; add-ons by quote |
| Free option | Free trial, no card; length not stated |
| Reference scenario (10 employees, one state) | Not priced: payroll add-on by quote ($250/mo Core plus payroll) |
| Multi-state payroll | Not stated on the payroll page |
| International hiring | EOR and contractors through Remote, by quote |
| PEO option | None listed |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001 not listed |
| Contract terms | Month to month or an extended term |
| Data export | Custom reports; API generates reports in several formats |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 16, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for BambooHR yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 16, 2026.
We have not published API calls for BambooHR yet; access was not open to our agent.
BambooHR lists 4 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Core (25 employees or fewer); payroll by quote, costs $250/mo.
- BambooHRLowest priceCore$250/moFlat for 25 employees or fewer; above that $10 per employee (plan card) or $10.25 (FAQ)
- Employee records, reports and dashboards
- Applicant tracking (5 openings), onboarding, e-signatures
- Time-off management and benefits tracking
- On-demand pay
- BambooHRPro$425/moFlat for 25 employees or fewer; above that $17 (plan card) or $17.50 (FAQ) per employee
- Performance management: review cycles, 360° feedback, 1:1s, goals
- Employee community, recognition and rewards
- 15 compliance training courses
- BambooHRElite$650/moFlat for 25 employees or fewer; above that $25 per employee
- Compensation planning, benchmarking, levels and bands
- Custom dashboards and HR benchmarks
- Premium services and dedicated support
- BambooHRPayrollContact salesAdd-on, US employees only; 15% bundle discount with Benefits Administration
- Federal, state and local tax filing
- Direct deposit, W-2s, unlimited and multi-rate payroll
- Managed Payroll service available
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-16.
Source: bamboohr.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.