If you are looking for free Human Resources software then you may just be dipping your toe in the water for the first time. Perhaps your organization is starting to grow? The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has a fun little tool to test your knowledge on the necessity of HR software.
In most cases, free software is designed to be the “gateway drug” to a paid subscription. That isn’t a bad thing. If you outgrow their starter free Human Resources software platform it means something is going right in your business and you are growing. In our research, we also found this article from Fossmint helpful.
Here is our list of free human resource software vendors that may fit your need. Our advice is to focus more on the capabilities of the overall product rather than the free version. You will find, once you get your data embedded in one of these platforms, the real cost will be in the manpower to get back out to move to a different system.
If you need assistance in choosing a vendor feel free to contact us.
8 Free Human Resources Software Solutions That May Work for You
1. Zoho People
Summary: Well known vendors like Zoho are in the free HR software market as well. Zoho People offers a free version where users can manage employee information, documents, track absences, and run reports. Of course, they have paid versions as well.
Zoho People lets you manage all your HR and benefits programs from a central location making it easier than ever to attract, retain and reward top talent. All while reducing costs, saving time, and integrating and aligning your HR efforts with the rest of your organization.
Zoho People also features mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. They also have an add on recruiting module and a full suite of other business applications that integrate. We also found this review helpful.
Zoho People is free for up to five users and offers 250 megabytes of storage. The free version of Zoho People is a starter plan and you will eventually need to upgrade as your business grows (but what a great problem to have right?).
Included in the Free Plan:
- 1 administrator and 5 users
- Employee database
- Document management
- Module-based reports
- Leave tracking
- Webhooks
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
2. Bitrix24
Summary: Bitrix24 is a cloud-based collaboration suite with tons of tools for small businesses in the areas of HR, project management, communications and customer relationship management (CRM).
The HR offering is adequate for a free platform. You get an employee directory and company org chart, document management, and collaboration tools collaboration. There are nice to haves like appreciation badges and pulse surveys for employee engagement.
The free version of Bitrix24 supports 12 users and 5 gigabytes of online storage. You may quickly find you need to upgrade to a paid version.
Features, like managing absences or branding the system with your company logo aren’t included in the free plan. In addition, it doesn’t include customer support.
Included in the Free Plan:
- Employee directory
- Visual builder
- Permission settings
- Company-wide announcements
- Time management
- Leave/time-off management
- Calendars
- eLearning/training system
- Activity stream/social intranet
- Document management
- HR forms and records management
- Recruiting
- API
3. HR.my
Summary: HR.my is a human resources platform for businesses of all sizes across various industry sectors. It supports a number of basic HR needs, including time and attendance, personnel tracking, payroll processing, and employee knowledge management, among many others.
HR.my also includes a browser-based time clock as well as a company-wide notice board where executives and other leaders can post important announcements. Communications and connections with the solution are encrypted by industry-standard SSL encryption protocol.
HR.my can handle an unlimited number of employees and is regularly adding updates. They also take user feedback into account when making improvements.
Chrysanth Software is based in Malaysia and HR.my’s user interface is a little outdated compared to other competitor systems. It is a basic system and payroll functionality is limited as well (which may be due to being based outside of the US).
Included in the Free Plan:
- Multi-User Online HR Software
- Leave Management
- Attendance Management System and Time Clock
- Payroll Processing
- Approval Workflow
- Share Documents and Forms
- Employee Self-Service e-Claim and e-Leave
- Team Collaboration and Knowledge Management
- Announcement and Notice Board
- Employee Web Portal
- Expense Claim Management
- Track Employee Credentials
- Complete Historical Records
A detailed HR.my review from Capterra can be found here.
4. IceHrm
Summary: IceHrm is a hybrid human resources solution that caters to HR departments in small and midsize organizations. It can either be deployed on-premise or hosted in the cloud. This software is perfect for anyone who wants to streamline their HR management with quality and fairly priced HR product with the ability to self-host
It offers a free subscription through IceHrm Lite. With this, users can manage employee profiles, monitor attendance, run payroll reports, and track the time of employees. In addition, IceHrm Lite has a travel management module for managing employee travel budgets.
Included in the Free Plan:
- Unlimited Employees
- 45 Day Free Trial with all the features from IceHrm Cloud
- Upgrade to IceHrm Cloud Anytime
- Employee Management
- Time Sheets
- Staff Directory
- Reports
- Document Management
- Company Chat
- Attendance Tracking
- Travel Management
- Weekly Backups
- Email Support
A detailed IceHrm review from Capterra can be found here.
5. OrangeHRM
Summary: OrangeHRM provides an expansive open-source HR management software for start-ups, small and medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises. Most of its most basic services are free and web-based.
With more than 3.5 million users worldwide, OrangeHRM is one of the most widely-used free solutions utilized by thousands of companies including household names such as Duke University, RedHat, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
OrangeHRM’s Open Source suite gives the basics for handling HR administrative tasks. Users can manage an employee database, track time and attendance, post job openings to their company’s careers page, administer performance reviews, and more.
Included in the Free Plan:
- Request Desk
- Graphical Reporting
- Online Training
- Personnel Information Management (PIM)
- Leave/Time off Management
- Time and Attendance Management
- Performance
- Recruitment
- System Administration and User Roles
- Travel and Expense Tracker
- Disciplinary Tracking
- Employment Compliance
- Insurance Benefits
- Document Manager
- OrangeHRM Mobile App
- Training Module
- Succession and Development
A detailed OrangeHRM review from Capterra can be found here.
6. Rise Lite
Summary: Rise Lite is Canada’s leading free cloud-based payroll software. It allows organizations to process employee payroll, pay via direct deposit, and deliver electronic pay stubs directly through email free of charge. Rise Lite also manages all of your source deduction remittances for your pay runs.
With Rise Lite, you can run payroll as many times as you wish including off-cycle payments. Users can create formulas to calculate things like bonuses and deductions, commissions, and the software offers the flexibility to create customized payroll reports.
There are absolutely no hidden fees for Rise Lite users. The solution is free for organizations with 20 employees or less. If you do grow to over 20 active employees in the future, the Rise team will give you advance notice before fees are ever applied to your account.
Included in the Free Plan:
- Recruiting and ATS Software
- Employee Onboarding
- Employee Scheduling
- Time & Attendance Management
- Employee Database & Records
- HRMS Overview
- HR Reporting
- Payroll Reporting
- Time Off & Vacation Tracking
- Group Benefits
- Benefits Essentials
- Mobile App
A detailed Rise review from Capterra can be found here.
7. Sentrifugo
Summary: Sentrifugo is the next generation power packed HR management tool for small and medium-sized enterprises. It allows organizations to automate many aspects of human resource management. With the dual benefits of reducing the workload of the HR department and increasing the efficiency of the department by standardizing HR processes, Sentrifugo is sure to be gaining popularity among businesses.
It is also a free open-source solution that offers a ton of functionality, such as recruiting, personnel tracking, time and attendance, asset and expense management, performance appraisals, background checks, and employee offboarding.
A unique feature that Sentrifugo offers is the functionality to manage disciplinary incidents with employees. Users can record statements, track outcome, and track corrective actions.
Included in the Free Plan:
- Human Resource
- Performance Appraisal
- Employee Serf-Service
- Analytics
- Background Checks
- Leave Management
- Service Request
- Talent Acquisition
- Interview Schedule
- Feed Forward
- Time Management
- Expenses
- Asset Management
- Dashboard
- Disciplinary
- Employee Exit/Separation
A detailed Sentrifugo review from Capterra can be found here.
8. WebHR
Summary: WebHR is a cloud-based HR suite that is revolutionizing the way HR works. It is universal all-in-one cloud-based HR software catering to small and medium enterprises. It handles all of your core HR needs, from hire to retire.
Not only does WebHR saves money to the companies, it also boosts productivity, saves space and makes inter and intra-office communications fast, reliable and more efficient.
WebHR offers a built-in messenger both for individuals and groups, discussion forums, and functionality for employees to post status updates. It also offers committed mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.
What’s included in the Free Plan?
- Free for 5 employees
- Employee management
- Time and attendance reports
A detailed WebHR review from Capterra can be found here.
Conclusion : Free Human Resources Software
We have a distinct advantage, as HR software consultants to large organizations, of seeing best of breed (and expensive) HR software and its functionality. We are finding that some of these free offerings are getting closer and closer to the big boys like Oracle, Workday and SAP. HR Morning also has a nice primer on why HR systems are important.
