BambooHR vs HR Partner (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 HR Partner if

• Fits if you run a firm of 25 or so and want records and leave in one place
• Works for small teams that want recruitment and reviews on a Premium plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you have under 25 people and expect a lower price, as that is the smallest size shown
• Tight if you want recruitment, reviews or timesheets, which need Premium at $108
• Watch out: Core has up to 5 admin users, and extra admins cost a fee
• Watch out: yearly billing is 11 times the monthly price, a saving of about one month

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.

HR Partner

• Price is set by employee count; the figures here are for 25 employees, the smallest size in the page's price table, and rise with headcount.
• Yearly billing works out to 11 times the monthly price, so the saving is about one month.
• Applicant tracking, performance reviews and timesheets need Premium; Core has up to 5 admin users and extra admin users cost a fee.
• Prices can be shown in USD, GBP, AUD or EUR on the pricing page.

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.

HR Partner

Employee records

Contact details, position and salary history, training records, skills matrix, assets, dependents, file attachments and an org chart.

Leave and PTO

Requests, approvals, configurable policies, custom working-day schedules, balances and a leave calendar.

Onboarding checklists

Unlimited checklists with reminders, admin tasks, verification and optional e-signatures.

Recruitment

On Premium and above: an applicant tracking system with a job portal, application forms, stage pipeline and selection panels.

Performance reviews and goals

Custom review forms, reminders, individual goals and team goal templates, on Premium and above.

Expense claims and e-signatures

Online expense claims with approvals and reports, plus electronic signatures, appear in the plan comparison.

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.

HR Partner

• Core$86

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($946 billed yearly)

  Employee records, self-service portal, leave and accruals, onboarding checklists, up to 5 admin users. Price rises with headcount: $360 a month at 100 employees.

• Premium$108

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($1,188 billed yearly)

  Core plus applicant tracking, performance reviews and goals, timesheets and clock-in, e-signatures, 10 admin users. $450 a month at 100 employees.

• VIP$155

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($1,705 billed yearly)

  Premium plus priority support, a dedicated account manager, a custom domain, unlimited admin users and 5 implementation sessions. $648 a month at 100 employees.

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.

HR Partner

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing at 11 times the monthly price

  The pricing page toggle shows a yearly price equal to 11 months of the monthly price, for example $946 against $86 a month for Core at 25 employees.