BambooHR vs TalentHR (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 TalentHR if

• Fits if you are a team of 10 or fewer and need HR records and time off without paying
• Works for a team of 15 or more that wants cheap HR with mobile apps

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you are 11 to 14 people, because the free plan stops at 10 and paid plans start at 15 users
• Pricey if you want performance reviews, goals or time tracking, which are Premium at $4
• Watch out: the AI HR assistant is marked beta on the pricing page
• Watch out: Essential adds only assets, Safe voice and custom fields over the free plan

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.

TalentHR

• Paid plans need at least 15 users and change in steps of 5, so a team of 11 to 14 has no paid option.
• Performance management, goals, time tracking, surveys and document signing are Premium features.
• The free plan stops at 10 users, and the AI HR assistant is marked as a beta feature 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.

TalentHR

Employee records and files

A central employee database with file storage that tracks document expiry dates, plus custom fields on paid plans.

Time off tracking

Employees request leave and managers approve it, with accruals and calendar sync to Google and Outlook.

Hiring and onboarding

Applicant tracking with a careers page and AI job description writing, plus onboarding and offboarding task lists.

Performance and engagement

Goal setting, 360-degree reviews and employee surveys, which the pricing page places on Premium.

People analytics

Reports on headcount, gender ratios, departments and salary distribution, with custom report exports.

AI HR assistant

An assistant for TalentHR and company questions, plus CV summaries and candidate suitability scoring.

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.

TalentHR

• Free$0

  Up to 10 users, with core HR records, time off, reports, onboarding lists and applicant tracking.

• Essential$2

  per user / month, billed annually ($2.40 billed monthly)

  Adds asset management, Safe voice and custom fields. Minimum of 15 users, in steps of 5.

• Premium$4

  per user / month, billed annually ($4.80 billed monthly)

  Adds performance management, goals, time tracking, surveys and document signing. Minimum of 15 users.

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.

TalentHR

• Annual discount

  20% off with annual billing

  The pricing page toggle shows annual billing saving 20% against monthly: Essential $2.00 vs $2.40 and Premium $4.00 vs $4.80 per user a month.