HiBob vs Zelt (2026): which should you pick?

Pick HiBob if

• Fits if your staff are spread across several countries
• Works for US or UK employers that want HR and payroll in one system

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price before a demo, as the pricing page is a demo form
• Skip it if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan and no trial
• Pricey if you need more than Core, as Talent, Payroll, Planning and Finance are each bought separately
• Not for you if you want it to run payroll outside the US and UK, where it passes data to another provider
• Watch out: there's no desktop app, only the web and phone apps

Pick Zelt if

• Fits if you are a UK company with 20 or more staff wanting HR and payroll together
• Works for teams that also want laptops and app access managed

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you have fewer than 20 people, as every module has a 20-seat minimum
• Watch out: audit trails, API access and data residency are Pro, which is sold through sales
• Tight if you stay on Core, which caps items like active jobs at 1 to 3
• Skip it if you are not in the UK, as payroll is UK-focused
• Skip it if you want an Android app, as only iOS is listed

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.

Zelt

• The pricing page publishes no price table; only its page title says plans start from £5 per month.
• Every module has a 20-seat minimum on both Core and Pro.
• Core caps items such as absence policies, onboarding workflows and active jobs at 1 to 3; Pro is unlimited.
• Audit trails, API access and data residency control are Pro features, and Pro is sold through sales.

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.

Zelt

Employee records and time off

The People module holds the employee and document databases, onboarding and offboarding, contract signing, a team calendar and custom approval rules.

Payroll, expenses and benefits

The Money module covers payroll, expenses, contractors, benefits and payments, with payroll tied to the same people data as the HR records.

Attendance and shift planning

Clock in and out, geo-fencing, overtime rules, pay multipliers and shift planning sit in the Attendance module.

Hiring

The Talent module lists automatic job board posting, custom application forms, candidate scoring, an anonymous hiring mode and custom hiring stages.

Reviews, surveys and goals

The Growth module includes performance reviews with 360 feedback, engagement surveys with heatmaps, and goal tracking.

Devices and app access

The Tech module keeps an asset register, handles device lock and wipe, and manages access to company apps when people join or leave.

HiBob

Pricing could not be confirmed. See hibob.com.

Zelt

Pricing could not be confirmed. See zelt.app.