BambooHR vs Ciphr (2026): which should you pick?

Pick BambooHR if

• Fits if you're moving staff details out of spreadsheets
• Works for US companies that want hiring, onboarding and time off in one system

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you're well under 25 people, as you pay the full $250 a month anyway
• Tight if you hire a lot on Core, which allows 5 job openings
• Skip it if you need payroll outside the US, as the add-on is US only
• Watch out: payroll and benefits are add-ons with no price published
• Watch out: the plan cards say $10 and $17 per employee for Core and Pro, the FAQ $10.25 and $17.50

Pick Ciphr if

• Fits if you are a UK organisation of 200 or more that wants HR and payroll together
• Works for HR teams that also want learning and benefits in the same suite

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you have a small team, as it is built for 200 or more
• Tight if you can't commit: the £5 figure assumes a three-year minimum term
• Skip it if you are outside the UK, as it is built for UK compliance
• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed

BambooHR

• Teams of 25 or fewer pay the flat monthly fee whatever their size; per-employee pricing, with volume discounts, starts above 25 employees.
• Payroll and benefits administration are add-ons for US employees only, and their prices are not published.
• The plan cards show $10 and $17 per employee for Core and Pro, while the FAQ on the same page says $10.25 and $17.50.
• Job openings are capped by plan: 5 on Core, 25 on Pro and 50 on Elite.

Ciphr

• No plan prices are published; the vendor quotes by modules, headcount and support level.
• The 'from £5' figure assumes 125 employees on a three-year minimum term.
• It is built for UK compliance and for organisations of 200 or more staff, so small teams are outside its stated range.
• Implementation is scoped inside the quote, so setup is not a separate published price.

BambooHR

Employee records and reports

One database for people data, with a custom report builder, dashboards and built-in workflows for approving changes and time-off requests.

Hiring and onboarding

Post jobs to job boards, track candidates, send offer letters from templates, and give new hires a packet with e-signatures and an onboarding checklist.

Time off

Unlimited custom time-off policies with accruals, approvals and a shared calendar of who is out.

Performance and recognition

On Pro and Elite, run 360-degree review cycles, schedule 1:1s, track goals and give recognition points staff can redeem for gift cards.

Ask BambooHR

An AI assistant answers employees' questions about time off and holidays from company data, and on higher plans about policies and benchmarks.

Payroll, benefits and time add-ons

Add US payroll with tax filing, benefits enrollment with carrier connections, and time tracking with shift scheduling and an iPad kiosk.

Ciphr

Central HR

Cloud HR with absence, performance, documents, employee self-service and reporting, plus an AI assistant.

UK payroll

Payroll built around HMRC rules, including RTI and auto-enrolment, with UK-based expert support.

Recruitment

Hiring from vacancy to offer, connected to Ciphr HR so a new hire flows into onboarding without re-keying.

Learning management

An LMS and eLearning courses, off the shelf or bespoke, that update the learner's record on completion.

Benefits platform

An employee benefits platform that shows take-home pay impact and connects to payroll.

HR analytics

Dashboards and reports across HR, payroll, learning and recruitment data.

BambooHR

• Core$250

  per month for up to 25 employees

  Records, reports, time off, hiring with 5 job openings, onboarding and the AI assistant. Above 25 employees, $10 per employee a month ($10.25 in the FAQ).

• Pro$425

  per month for up to 25 employees

  Core plus performance reviews, 1:1s, recognition and rewards, and 25 job openings. Above 25 employees, $17 per employee a month ($17.50 in the FAQ).

• Elite$650

  per month for up to 25 employees

  Pro plus compensation planning with Mercer benchmarks, custom dashboards, HR benchmarks and 50 job openings. Above 25 employees, $25 per employee a month.

Ciphr

• Quote-based suite£5

  per employee / month and up, three-year term

  Standard HR software for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. Final price depends on modules, headcount and support.

BambooHR

• Nonprofit

  15% off for registered nonprofits

  BambooHR takes an additional 15% off for registered nonprofit organizations.

• Other savings

  15% off when bundling payroll and benefits

  Combining the Payroll and Benefits Administration add-ons with any plan gives a 15% discount, for employees based in the US.

Ciphr

No public discounts listed.