Personio vs Sesame HR
We give Personio a 1.8 GPA and Sesame HR a 2.4, out of 4.0. Sesame HR grades higher on the free plan and features. 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.
Sesame HR
Modular HR from Spain built around clock-ins, time off and shifts
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAPersonioWeak | 2.4GPASesame HRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CEssential is $3.75 an employee a month on yearly billing, but with a 15-employee minimum, a ten-person company pays at least $56.25 a month, for time tracking, time off and shifts. That's under this category's middle, and smaller firms are sent to sales. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on record. Its pages turned our reader away, so a trial may exist that we couldn't confirm. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with no commitment. |
| Features | 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. | BClock-ins with overtime and remote work, time off, shifts, documents, onboarding, contracts and e-signatures on every plan, then recruiting, surveys and reviews higher up. The whole job, with a lean towards time tracking. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. The app covers absences, hours, approvals and documents, and everything else, setup included, happens on the web. | CNo App Store rating on record, and setting up shifts, clock-in rules and overtime takes time. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with a public API, webhooks and more than 200 integrations. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with an API on Scale or a custom plan. No integrations are on record, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | European firms wanting HR and payroll together | teams that must record working hours |
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: Personio and Sesame HR. How we grade
Where they differ
- Personio also covers time tracking.
- Sesame HR also covers shift scheduling and time clock.
At a glance
| Personio | Sesame HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $3.75 per employee / month, billed annually ($5.25 billed monthly), 15-employee minimum |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial, no commitment |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Personio SE & Co. KG | Sesame Labs, S.L. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | sesamehr.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Personio
- Companies in Europe wanting core HR, payroll and recruiting together
- HR teams that want records, absences and hours in one system
- Companies connecting a separate shift planner or payroll tool
Sesame HR
- Companies with 15 or more staff that must record working hours
- Teams that plan shifts and need clock-in records
- Employers in Spain, Latin America or elsewhere in Europe
Worth knowing
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.
Sesame HR
- Billing is per active employee with a 15-employee minimum; smaller companies are asked to contact sales.
- It has country sites for the US, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Spain, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
- The API and single sign-on come only with Scale or a custom plan; prices exclude taxes.
- On monthly billing Essential costs more per employee ($5.25) than Connect ($5.00), as the page shows.
Key features
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.
Sesame HR
- Time tracking and clock-ins
- Employees clock in and out from the web or app, with overtime management and remote-work tracking, kept for legal compliance.
- Time off and shifts
- Holiday and leave requests with approvals, and shift planning for teams on rotas, included from the cheapest plan.
- Core HR
- Every plan has a 3 GB document manager, org chart and directory, onboarding and offboarding, contract management, team chat and desk booking.
- Digital signature
- Core includes one signature per employee a month for contracts and documents.
- Recruitment, surveys and performance
- Higher plans add a recruiting pipeline, internal communication, employee surveys and performance reviews.
- Payroll data and Sesame AI
- Gathers absences, advances and incentives for payroll and sends payslips to the app; Enterprise tiers add AI, automations and advanced permissions.
Plans
Personio
Pricing could not be confirmed. See personio.com.
Sesame HR
Essential$3.75
per employee / month, billed annually ($5.25 billed monthly)
Core plus time tracking, time off and holidays, and shifts. Minimum 15 employees ($56.25 a month).
Connect$4.25
per employee / month, billed annually ($5.00 billed monthly)
Essential plus tasks, recruitment and internal communication. Minimum $63.75 a month.
Growth$6.25
per employee / month, billed annually ($6.75 billed monthly)
Enterprise tiers of Core, time tracking and time off, plus culture and performance modules. Minimum $93.75 a month.
Scale$7.00
per employee / month, billed annually ($8.00 billed monthly)
Growth with Enterprise internal communication and performance, single sign-on and the API. Minimum $105 a month.
Custom planCustom
Pick the modules and add-ons you need with an adviser, and pay only for those.
Ways to pay less
Personio
No public discounts listed.
Sesame HR
- Annual discount
Lower per-employee price with annual billing
The page labels annual billing as saving 20%; the gap varies by plan, from $3.75 against $5.25 on Essential to $6.25 against $6.75 on Growth.
