BambooHR vs Ease (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 Ease if

• Fits if you're an insurance broker enrolling small employers in benefits
• Works for employers whose broker already uses it

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you're an employer without a broker, since it's sold to brokers
• Not for you if you want a price on the page
• Pricey if you want HR add-ons, at $1 to $2 per employee a month on top
• Watch out: Pro covers up to 2,000 employees and 3 agency users, with SSO only on Enterprise

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.

Ease

• No subscription prices are published: three levels (Pro, Agency, Enterprise) are bought by brokers through a demo request.
• Pro covers up to 2,000 employees and 3 agency users, Agency has 6 agency users and Enterprise 10; single sign-on and custom reports are Enterprise only.
• HR add-ons are priced separately: $1 per employee per month for brokers to enable and $2 for employers, and ACA compliance is $6 per employee per form per year.
• Payroll integrations typically cost $0 to $1.50 per employee per month with partner-specific fees, and the site says Ease is now owned by Employee Navigator.

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.

Ease

Online enrollment

Replaces paper forms with online benefits enrollment, with onboarding that leads new hires straight into their elections.

Quoting and census

Rate quoting, Excel census download and renewal assist for brokers.

Carrier connections

EaseConnect and EaseConnect+ send enrollment data to carriers; the Agency level adds EaseConnect 834 and third-party EDI apps.

HR tools

Time-off requests with manager approval, a PTO calendar, a company directory, an org chart, onboarding and offboarding.

ACA compliance

Tracks variable-hour employees and affordability, sends notifications and generates IRS 1094 and 1095 B and C forms.

Payroll connections

Syncs deductions and demographic data with payroll providers such as ADP Workforce Now, Heartland, Paycor and Paylocity.

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.

Ease

Pricing could not be confirmed. See ease.com.

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.

Ease

No public discounts listed.