PeopleForce vs Personio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PeopleForce grades higher than Personio: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PeopleForce grades higher on the free plan. Personio grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PeopleForce
Modular HR software for small and mid-size companies
Free trial · from $2.5/mo
Which one is for you
Pick PeopleForce if
- Fits if you have 50 or more people and want to add HR modules one at a time
- Works for teams that want hiring, performance and time under one login
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have under 50 people: billing starts at 50 employees, $125 a month
- Tight if you need hiring, performance or time tracking, as all are extra modules with no prices shown
- Watch out: eSignature, API access and single sign-on need the $3 Professional tier
- Skip it if you want to start alone: the trial begins after a demo session
Pick Personio if
- Fits if you're a European company that wants HR, payroll and hiring together
- Works for teams that already use a separate shift planner
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price before talking to sales
- Not for you if you want to plan shifts inside your HR tool, as that needs a partner app
- Tight if managers mostly work from their phones, as setup and most workflows need the web
- Watch out: the pages we read don't list the countries where its payroll works
- Watch out: the listing shows no performance reviews or onboarding, so ask before you buy
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPeopleForceFair | 1.8GPAPersonioWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$125 a month is the floor, because billing starts at 50 employees; one person pays that, and a team of five pays $25 each against a $5 category middle. | CWe couldn't read a price: Personio's pages turned our reader away, so plans and prices aren't on record and we can't say what a ten-person company pays. With no figure to compare, it's a C. |
| Free plan and trial | C14-day trial with no card, but it starts after a demo call, not by signing up yourself. No free plan. | FNo free plan or trial on record. Its pages turned our reader away, so a trial may exist that we couldn't confirm. |
| Features | CDirectory, leave, onboarding and reports in Core HR. Recruiting, performance, time and surveys are separate modules with no published price. | CRecords and documents, time off, working hours, an approvals inbox, recruiting and payroll, with an API and webhooks. The basics are there, but the listing shows no reviews or onboarding, and shifts need a partner app. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Modules each need switching on and setting up, so it is a C. | CNo App Store rating on record. The app covers absences, hours, approvals and documents, and everything else, setup included, happens on the web. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Google Calendar and eRecruiter listed. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with a public API, webhooks and more than 200 integrations. No desktop app. |
| Best for | HR modules for companies of 50 or more | European firms wanting HR and payroll together |
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: PeopleForce and Personio. How we grade
Where they differ
- PeopleForce also covers surveys and time clock.
- Personio also covers time tracking.
In commonWebiOSAndroidApplicant trackingEmployee recordsTime off
At a glance
| PeopleForce | Personio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $2.5 per employee / month (Core HR Standard, billing starts at 50 employees) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial after a demo call, no card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PeopleForce | Personio SE & Co. KG |
| Price read from | peopleforce.io | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PeopleForce
- Only Core HR has a published price; Recruit, Perform, Pulse, Time and Desk are quoted through sales.
- Billing starts at 50 employees, so smaller teams pay for 50.
- The pricing page shows monthly prices, and an Annually -20% toggle is offered; the annual figures are not shown.
- The free trial starts after a demo session, not by self-signup.
Personio
- Prices could not be confirmed: personio.com and its help center answered with a bot check, so plans, prices and any trial are not recorded.
- It presents itself as built for Europe; the pages read do not list the countries where its payroll works.
- The mobile app covers absences, time, approvals and documents; other workflows and set-up need the web app.
- Shift planning comes through partner apps that sync with Personio, where shifts are created and changed.
Key features
PeopleForce
- Employee records and leave
- A directory, org chart and employee profiles with self-service, plus leave policies, requests and approvals on a timeline.
- Onboarding and offboarding
- Pre-boarding, onboarding and offboarding task flows, with document templates and asset tracking in Core HR.
- Recruit module
- An applicant tracking system with a Kanban hiring process, career site, scorecards, interview scheduling and offer letters, sold as an add-on.
- Perform module
- One-on-ones, 180 and 360 degree reviews, OKRs and KPIs in a separate performance product.
- Time and Pulse modules
- Time covers timesheets, clock-in and out and attendance policies; Pulse runs engagement and eNPS surveys.
- Desk module
- A case queue for employee requests and complaints, including an anonymous reporting channel.
Personio
- Employee records and documents
- One place for employee data and HR documents, which staff can open, download or share from the mobile app.
- Absences and time off
- Employees request time off and see their balance, and can check upcoming absences and team availability where the company allows it.
- Working-time tracking
- Staff record and review their hours on the web or phone, and approved times from partner apps can be sent back into Personio.
- Inbox for approvals
- Managers see open requests and tasks in one inbox and approve or decline them, including from the mobile app.
- Recruiting
- Applicants can be passed into Personio's recruiting module through its Recruiting API, alongside core HR and payroll.
- API, webhooks and marketplace
- Custom integrations read employees, attendance, absences and documents through the API, and webhooks push changes in real time.
Plans
PeopleForce
Core HR Standard$2.5
per employee / month, billing starts at 50 employees
Directory, org chart, leave, onboarding, basic automation, documents and reports. The page shows $125 a month for 1 to 50 employees.
Core HR Professional$3
per employee / month, billing starts at 50 employees
Everything in Standard plus advanced automation, request forms, eSignature, API access, webhooks and SAML single sign-on.
Personio
Pricing could not be confirmed. See personio.com.
Ways to pay less
PeopleForce
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page offers an Annually -20% option beside monthly billing.
Personio
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PeopleForce or Personio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PeopleForce starts at $2.5 per employee / month (Core HR Standard, billing starts at 50 employees), and Personio has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, PeopleForce or Personio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither PeopleForce nor Personio has a free plan. PeopleForce has a free trial.
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.