Calamari alternatives · HR
Free alternatives to Calamari
Calamari has no free plan. 9 of the 101 other HR software in this directory are free or have a free plan.
Calamari is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly. 1 of them has no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
9 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
How each one differs from Calamari
- Free plan · from $1.35/mo
LeaveBoard
Leave tracking and employee records for small companies
What is free: Free plan for a maximum of 9 employees, with the HR dashboard, time off tracking, employee directory, HR reports, absence calendar and leave policies.
- LeaveBoard starts at $1.35 per employee / month, rate basis not stated. Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- LeaveBoard has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- LeaveBoard also covers reports and dashboards.
- Free plan · from $3/mo
Zoho People
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho
What is free: Free for up to 3 users: employee database, time off and vacation planning, and document management.
- Zoho People starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly). Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- Zoho People has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Zoho People also covers reports and time clock.
- Calamari also covers time tracking and goals.
- Free plan
OrangeHRM
Open-source HR software with a paid Advanced edition
What is free: Starter is free and open source: HR administration, employee management, leave, reporting, performance, recruitment and time tracking.
- OrangeHRM has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- OrangeHRM is open source, according to its own site.
- OrangeHRM also covers reports and applicant tracking.
- Free plan · from $2/mo
TalentHR
HR records, time off, hiring and reviews for small teams
What is free: Free plan for up to 10 users with the employee database, time off tracking, file storage, reports, onboarding and applicant tracking.
- TalentHR starts at $2 per user / month, billed annually ($2.40 billed monthly). Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- TalentHR has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- TalentHR also covers surveys and applicant tracking.
- Calamari also covers goals and shift scheduling.
- Free plan
Buk
Latin American HR and payroll suite with a free tier for 20 people
What is free: Buk Starter: employee records, attendance, bonuses and deductions, payslips, Previred file, payment list, self-service portal, documents, and vacation and permissions, for up to 20 employees.
- Buk starts at Free for up to 20 employees (Buk Starter); full platform quoted on request. Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- Buk has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Buk also covers surveys, expense tracking, payroll and applicant tracking.
- Calamari also covers time tracking, goals and shift scheduling.
- Free plan · from $25/mo
RemoFirst
Employer of record and contractor payments for global hiring
What is free: Contractor management is free: onboarding, identity checks, contract generation and storage, and expense reimbursement.
- RemoFirst starts at $25 per contractor / month for payment processing. Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- RemoFirst has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- RemoFirst also covers expense tracking and payroll.
- Free plan
Pave
Compensation benchmarks, pay planning and total rewards software
What is free: Market Data Lite: free salary and equity benchmarks for 290+ job families, limited to the U.S. overall plus one other market.
- Pave has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- Pave also covers AI agents and reports.
- Calamari also covers time tracking, goals, shift scheduling and time off.
- Free plan · from $2/mo
Synergita
OKR, performance review and engagement software priced per user
What is free: OKR Starter: up to 3 users, 1 company objective, 3 team objectives and 5 individual objectives.
- Synergita starts at $2 per user / month, billed annually. Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- Synergita has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- Synergita also covers reports and dashboards.
- Free
Flare HR
Employee benefits platform for Australian employers, free to them
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- Flare HR is free. Calamari starts at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
- Flare HR has a free plan. Calamari does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calamari lists iOS and Android apps.
- Flare HR also covers calculator and payroll.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Calamari?
Yes. LeaveBoard, Zoho People, OrangeHRM, TalentHR, Buk, RemoFirst, Pave, Synergita and 1 more are free or have a free plan.
Does Calamari have a free plan?
Calamari has no free plan. Calamari is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $2 per employee / month per module, billed yearly.
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Calamari: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.