Factorial vs HR WORKS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HR WORKS grades higher than Factorial: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Factorial grades higher on features. HR WORKS grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Factorial
HR, time, shifts, expenses and IT for small firms, quoted by module
From $8/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Factorial if
- Fits if your staff work shifts and clock in by QR code or location
- Works for firms that want HR, expenses and company devices in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a full price on the page, as only $8 and up is published
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as no trial is on record
- Pricey if you add lots of modules, since each one is quoted on top
- Watch out: monthly plans bill for everyone on staff at the start of each month
- Watch out: the site gives both 12 and 120 customer countries and doesn't list where payroll works
Pick HR WORKS if
- Fits if you're a German firm whose tax adviser uses DATEV or ADDISON
- Works for companies of 20 or more that want expenses and time in one system
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have fewer than 20 staff, since 20 users are billed
- Not for you if you want a full payroll run in the system
- Watch out: the site and /en address are mainly in German
- Watch out: no price is published, only a request form
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFactorialFair | 2.2GPAHR WORKSFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFactorial starts at $8 a user a month, so a ten-person company pays $80 and up, right on this category's middle. That's for Core, with records, onboarding, payslips and e-signatures; any modules you add are quoted on top. | CNo price is published, and a 20-user minimum is billed on the month-end count. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan, and the trial links on its pages led to a missing page, so no trial is on record. | CA free trial can be requested through a form, but its length isn't stated and there's no free plan. |
| Features | BRecords, documents and e-signatures, time off, clock-ins by location or QR code, shift planning, hiring, reviews, training, expenses and device management. The whole job, with a fair bit more besides. | CTime tracking, expenses, personnel records, recruiting and development. Payroll is preparatory, handed to DATEV or ADDISON. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and picking modules with sales, then setting up shifts and policies, takes a while. | CNo store rating on record. A request and rollout come first, and the interface is mainly German. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Google Workspace, Zapier, DATEV, Sage 200, Okta and Power BI. No desktop app. | BWeb only, with DATEV and ADDISON links. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | shift-based teams wanting HR and rotas together | HR and expenses for German firms |
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: Factorial and HR WORKS. How we grade
Where they differ
- Factorial also covers shift scheduling.
- HR WORKS also covers payroll.
In commonWebTime trackingExpense trackingApplicant trackingEmployee recordsTime off
At a glance
| Factorial | HR WORKS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8 per user / month and up, by quote | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | A free trial can be requested through a Kostenlos testen form; its length is not stated |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Factorial | HRworks GmbH |
| Price read from | factorial.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Factorial
- Only the $8 starting figure is published; the real price comes in a quote that depends on the modules and the headcount.
- Monthly plans bill for the employees present at the start of each month; annual plans bill extra only in months above the agreed count.
- Offices are in Spain, Germany and Mexico; the about page says both 12 and 120 countries for its customers and does not list where payroll works.
- The free-trial links on its pages lead to a missing page, so a trial could not be confirmed.
HR WORKS
- No prices are published: the pricing page asks you to request an offer.
- Billing is per user per month, with at least 20 users charged and the count taken on the last day of each month, according to its FAQ.
- Payroll is preparatory, not a full payroll run: the tax adviser completes it through DATEV or ADDISON.
- The site is mainly in German; the /en address redirects to a German page, and a customer quote on the pricing page mentions a German and English interface.
Key features
Factorial
- Core HR and documents
- Every plan has the employee directory, onboarding and offboarding, payslip distribution, bulk document sending, fillable PDFs and legal e-signatures.
- Time off and time tracking
- Unlimited time-off policies and custom absence types, plus clock-ins by geolocation or QR code with overtime compensation.
- Shift planning
- Build shifts in bulk, set rotating patterns or generate them automatically, and share the schedule with staff.
- Recruiting, reviews and training
- Post jobs to several boards with AI CV parsing, run 360-degree performance reviews, track goals and manage training with certificates.
- Expenses, projects and IT
- Read receipts with OCR, route expenses through multi-step approvals, log hours to projects, and manage devices and SaaS licenses.
- One, the AI assistant
- An AI agent that searches and analyzes company data, builds reports and prepares policies, contracts and payroll documents for review.
HR WORKS
- Time tracking
- Employees record working time, project time and absences, with a team overview showing who is in the office or working from home.
- Travel and expense claims
- Automates travel expense reports and other expense types, including flat-rate allowance calculations.
- Personnel administration
- Digital personnel file with task reminders, employee self-service for master data, a job portal, applicant management and onboarding.
- Payroll preparation
- You do the preparatory payroll work and your tax adviser processes the rest through interfaces to DATEV and ADDISON.
- Personnel development
- A module for tracking skills and keeping employees, listed alongside the other functions.
- AI assistance
- AI-assisted entry in time tracking and expense claims, such as requesting leave by typing a sentence.
Plans
Factorial
Tailored plan$8
per user / month and up
Factorial Core (directory, onboarding, payslip delivery, bulk documents, e-signature) plus the modules chosen. Quoted and sold through sales.
HR WORKS
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hrworks.de.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Factorial or HR WORKS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Factorial starts at $8 per user / month and up, by quote, and HR WORKS has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Factorial or HR WORKS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Factorial nor HR WORKS has a free plan. HR WORKS has a free trial.
Which platforms do Factorial and HR WORKS run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Factorial lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.