BambooHR vs HiBob
We give BambooHR a 2.4 GPA and HiBob a 2.0, out of 4.0. BambooHR grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. HiBob grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BambooHR
HR records, hiring, time off and reviews, with US payroll as an add-on
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABambooHRFair | 2.0GPAHiBobFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DCore is a flat $250 a month for up to 25 employees, so a ten-person company pays $250, or $25 a head. It buys records, time off, hiring and onboarding. That's the dearest tenth of this category, where most charge $3.75 to $9 a person. | CNo price is published: the pricing page is a demo form, and each company is quoted for the suites it picks on top of the required Core. So we can't say what a ten-person company pays, and with no figure to compare, it's a C. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a free trial with no card that ends on its own rather than turning into a bill. | FNo free plan and no trial. The pricing page is a demo request form. |
| Features | BRecords and reports, time off with accruals, hiring with 5 openings, onboarding with e-signatures and an AI assistant, then reviews and 1:1s on Pro. The whole job, with US payroll and benefits as add-ons. | BRecords, org charts and self-service, time off and clock-ins, reviews, learning, hiring, analytics, and US and UK payroll. That's the whole HR job and more, though outside the US and UK it hands pay data to another provider. |
| Ease of use | B4.66 from 12,758 App Store ratings, which is a lot of happy people for HR software. Just under the 4.7 that would make it an A. | CNo App Store rating on record, and choosing suites on top of Core and setting up workflows comes with a sales process. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Greenhouse, Checkr, Culture Amp, Remote, Indeed and TalentLMS. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Google Workspace, ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity, TriNet and Xero. No desktop app. |
| Best for | small US companies leaving HR spreadsheets | mid-sized teams with staff in several countries |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BambooHR and HiBob. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| BambooHR | HiBob | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $250 per month for up to 25 employees, then $10 per employee / month | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial, no credit card required; it ends on its own | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | BambooHR | HiBob |
| Price read from | bamboohr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
BambooHR
- Small and mid-sized US companies replacing spreadsheets for HR
- Teams that want hiring, onboarding and time off in one system
- US employers that may add payroll and benefits later
HiBob
- Mid-sized companies with staff in several countries
- HR teams that want one record behind hiring, reviews and payroll
- US or UK employers wanting HR and payroll in one system
Worth knowing
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.
HiBob
- No prices are published: the pricing page is a demo request form, and each company is quoted for the suites it picks.
- Core is required, and Talent, Payroll, Planning and Finance are bought as separate suites on top of it.
- Runs its own payroll only in the US and the UK; in other countries it passes data to an outside payroll provider.
Key features
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.
HiBob
- Core HRIS and self-service
- Every customer starts with Core: people data, org charts, requests and approvals, and employee self-service, with localized workflows for global teams.
- Time off and attendance
- Policies for PTO and sick leave, timesheets and clock-in and clock-out, with hours and leave flowing straight into payroll.
- US and UK payroll
- US payroll files taxes in all 50 states on Gusto's embedded engine; UK payroll handles HMRC tax codes, P11Ds, P60s and IR35 contractors.
- Payroll Hub for other providers
- Syncs pay changes to outside payroll systems such as ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity, TriNet and Xero, with a no-code setup for others.
- Hiring, reviews and learning
- An applicant tracking system with access to over 2,300 job boards and a branded careers page, plus 360-degree reviews, goals and courses.
- Bob AI and analytics
- Ask Bob to find pages or answer questions, draft feedback and goals, and summarize reviews; analytics offer over 150 metrics and 35 dashboards.
Plans
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.
HiBob
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hibob.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
HiBob
No public discounts listed.
