6 of the Best Free HR Software Tools for Small Businesses
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We all need software to run our small businesses, but it can get expensive very quickly — especially if you can’t get everything in one place. We’re not at all surprised that so many people are looking for free HR software for small businesses as a way to save money.
If you’re on the lookout for great software to power your HR operations, you’re in luck. We’ve researched free HR software apps through the lens of a small business, to bring you this guide to the best options for your needs.
How we landed on this shortlist
Having worked both in our customer success team and our product team, I’ve done a lot of research on what other solutions offer on the market – and I took a particular interest in what free HR solutions can offer. As I studied their pros and cons, and used that knowledge to improve our own platform, I ended up with quite an interesting list of free HR software.
Through a mix of deep research, talking to team members and HR experts, and conversations with customers about their HR needs, I’ve been able to compile this list of the best free HR software tools for small businesses.
6 of the best free HR software tools for small businesses
I know your time is valuable, so let’s jump straight into the list. If you’re looking for a free HR software tool for your small business, these are the best options to consider. Whether you’re looking for an all-in-one solution or an app for a specific job, there’s something on this list for every need.
Deel is known for combining HR, payroll software, and operations management into one easy-to-use platform. While most aspects of the software are only available with a paid plan, you can access “Deel HR” for free.
This subscription allows teams to manage basic aspects of HR including time off, expenses, onboarding, and offboarding. It could be a useful introduction to the world of HR software tools for small businesses that aim to grow in the future.
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You’re a global business hiring employees and contractors from all over the world
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You have no plans to grow your business outside of the UK
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You need to be able to pay people internationally
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You're a small business with a tight budget, as the paid plans can be expensive once you scale and grow
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You want support with visas and compliance
Verified user, Capterra review
“Does the job and gets our international employees paid.”
What you get with this free HR software
The Deel HR plan is simple, but it does include:
- Time off and expense management
- People directories and organisation charts
- Document signing and storage
- Automated onboarding, offboarding, and tool access management
- Dashboards and reporting
- Support for compliance and localisation
If you want to grow further, performance reviews and employee engagement can be added for $20 per employee per month.
Sling is a free HR software app focused on employee scheduling. The platform does only this, and it does it well — with clear, streamlined views, time clocks, and task management.
For teams that are often on the move or work remotely, Sling has a mobile app. If you’re looking for software to track employee time and shift patterns, and use this to support your payroll efforts, this could be a useful match.
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You want a simple and streamlined way to manage employee scheduling
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You need core HR features, as it only handles employee scheduling
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You need accurate time clocks
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You appreciate being able to use a mobile app for updates
Sarah, Capterra review
“This software was easy to use and implement, intuitive, colourful, well labelled, directive, fluid, and flexible. There are a lot of options available and it offers a lot of customisation during both set up and operation.”
What you get with this free HR software
Sling is all about employee scheduling, with its main features including:
- Time clock
- Built-in messaging and newsfeed
- Labour cost calculator
- Task management
- Multi-location scheduling
- Integrations with other HR tools
Sling is free for up to 50 users. Beyond that, you’ll need to opt in to their Premium plan which starts at $1.70 per user per month.
WebHR is an all-in-one HR software tool that offers small businesses a place to take care of every HR task in one place. The software includes recruitment, onboarding, leave management, performance management, and payroll — but some of these are available on paid plans only.
On the free plan, you have access to core HR features that should give small businesses enough to get started with. Extra modules can be toggled on or off depending on your needs as the company grows.
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You need an all-in-one HR platform
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You want a simplified approach to billing
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You’re juggling multiple roles and don’t want to manage individual tools or apps
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You intend to pay for additional features — you can often get these features (and more) in a paid HR software tool for a similar price
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You want the option to add features as you grow
Verified reviewer, Capterra
“The interface is easy to use, the system is limited but good for our size.”
What you get with this free HR software
WebHR’s free plan gives you access to:
- Time and attendance management
- Employee information database
- Leave management
- Social HR
- Communication tools
- Document storage
- Dashboards and reports
The features above are available for free. To add payroll, performance management, forms, benefits, or an applicant tracking system (ATS) you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan — starting at $0.50 per user per month depending on which you choose.
Connecteam is designed to help companies stay together, whether they’re working together in the same office building or part of a worldwide remote team. The software covers a range of HR operations and people management functions including scheduling, task management, and employee recognition.
If you’re looking for an app that’s focused on working together, Connecteam is a great option — especially if you want to manage team communication and HR operations from one platform.
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You want a free HR tool that includes employee reward and recognition
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You’re looking for a more traditional all-in-one HR software tool
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You want to improve employee communication
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You want your free HR software to include recruitment and employee onboarding
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You want to combine HR operations and employee engagement
Renee, Capterra reviewer
“Connecteam's time tracking is amazing! To be able to select from multiple jobs and sub-jobs, add notes, and even attachments such as mileage, meals, hotels etc, it keeps our time tracking streamlined and simple.”
What you get with this free HR software
Connecteam’s free plan gives you access to all their features, including:
- Time clock
- Employee scheduling
- Time off management
- Checklists and forms
- Task management
- Organisation chart and employee directory
- Team updates, announcements, and communications
- Knowledge base and document storage
- Employee rewards and recognition
- Courses and quizzes
Connecteam is free to use if you choose their Small Business Plan, which is available for companies with up to 10 employees. Beyond that, you’ll need to invest in a paid plan — their Basic plan starts at $29 per month for up to 30 users.
Homebase is a free HR software tool that combines scheduling and time tracking to give you a suite of features that you can use to get started with your new or small but mighty team.
This software is a great option if you want one central place for time tracking, time clocks, employee scheduling, and messaging. You can also add payroll integration for a monthly fee.
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You want a streamlined approach to time clocks and employee scheduling
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You need a mix of traditional core HR features
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You want built-in team messaging
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You need a free tool that handles onboarding and offboarding
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You’re happy to pay extra to integrate payroll features
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You don’t want to pay extra to add extra functionality to the software
James, Capterra reviewer
“It's easy for my employees to use and it takes the hassle out of keeping up with hours manually.”
What you get with this free HR software
The features are limited on Homebase’s free plan, but it does include:
- Basic scheduling and time tracking
- Employee management
- Basic support
- Option to add payroll for a monthly fee
- Integrations with other apps and tools
Homebase’s Basic plan is free for up to 1 location and 20 employees. After this, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid plan which starts at $20 per location per month (with unlimited employees). You’ll also need a paid plan to access extra features like hiring, team communication, time off management, onboarding, and HR compliance.
Monday.com is an online work platform that combines CRM, task management, project management, goals, resource management, and business operations into one place.
While it’s designed as an all-in-one work platform, you could use Monday.com to power just your HR operations — or encourage the rest of the company to adopt it as a project management tool.
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You’re comfortable DIY-ing your way to a HR operations platform
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You want a more traditional HR software tool experience
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You already use the tool for project or task management
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You want an app dedicated to core HR features
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You don’t need a tool to automate common HR processes
Michael, Capterra reviewer
“The most impressive aspect of monday.com is its user-friendly interface that significantly enhances our team's ability to collaborate effortlessly on various projects.”
What you get with this free HR software
Monday’s free plan gives you access to key features like:
- Up to 3 boards
- Unlimited documents
- Unlimited messages and updates
- Access to 200+ templates
- 8 column types
- On-the-go access with iOs and Android apps
Monday.com’s free version is available for small teams with up to 2 users. Beyond that, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid plan — the Basic plan starts at £11 per seat per month. To add time tracking, you’ll need the Pro plan which starts at £21 per seat per month.
An affordable alternative to free HR software for small businesses
It’s tempting to choose a free HR software tool to save money, but sometimes it can end up costing more than you’d expect when you want to grow or add new features. Many plans are only free for a certain number of users, and adjusting to the price jump can feel rough — especially when you’re still a very small business.
Sometimes a free software tool is the only option. And if you’re on a strict budget, one of the tools above should give you the foundation you need to get started. But if you have a small budget to play with, we’d recommend considering our affordable HR software tool too.
Our goal with Charlie is to make HR feel effortless for UK based small businesses, and it’s baked into every aspect of our software. From easy-to-use dashboards to automation-powered seamless workflows, Charlie makes HR operation management smoother and more intuitive — whether you’re a seasoned pro or wearing multiple hats.
What you get with Charlie:
Charlie can support you across a range of HR functions with features like:
- Onboarding
- Time off management
- Performance management
- Employee engagement surveys
- Perks and benefits
- Document management
- User-friendly employee self-service
- Integrations with other apps and tools
Charlie isn’t free, but it’s excellent value for money at just £5 per month for teams with up to 4 members. If you have £5 per month spare, you’re no longer limited to only free HR software — you can invest in Charlie for your brand new startup, small business, or growing team.
Take free 7 day trial to explore Charlie and discover why it’s worth investing in your HR software.
Make the most out of your HR budget
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Compare the best free HR software tools for small businesses
- You’re planning to hire internationally in the future
- Free for businesses with under 200 team members
- You’re looking to focus on employee scheduling
- Sling is free for up to 50 users. Beyond that, you’ll need to opt in to their Premium plan which starts at $1.70 per user per month.
- You want to manage your HR via an app and have people operating from different countries
- Free if under 5 users, after that it’s $2USD per user, per month
- You’re interested in shift scheduling and time tracking
- ‘Starter’ is free as it’s open-source, all other pricing is on request
- You want one central place for time tracking
- Basic plan is free for up to 1 location and 20 employees. After this, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid plan which starts at $20 per location per month
- You want a fully fledged project management tool
- Monday.com’s free version is available for small teams with up to 2 users. Beyond that, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid plan — the Basic plan starts at £11 per seat per month.
- You want all the basics for your HR with a software that’s super easy to use
- Free for 7 days, and
FAQs
You’ve got questions about free HR software, and we’ve got answers. Here’s our expert advice on the most frequently asked questions about free HR software for small businesses.
Free HR software is a term that covers any app, tool, or platform for HR management that happens to be free or offer a free plan. The HR software could be an all-in-one system, a core HR system, or focused on one area — like recruitment, scheduling, employee recognition, and more.
While many HR software tools offer free trials, there are only a limited number of options if you want a truly free plan. And these are often extremely limited in team size, so they’re designed for only the smallest of businesses.
HR software tends to fall into one of three categories. These are:
- Human resource information system (HRIS) — a central platform that stores employee data that HR teams can use to power HR operations, administration, and day-to-day tasks like payroll, onboarding, and performance management
- Human resource management system (HRMS) — a suite of apps and features designed to enable HR operations including recruitment, benefits administration, time and attendance, and workforce planning
- Human capital management system (HCM) — a system focused on talent acquisition and retention, including onboarding, training, and offboarding
It’s not uncommon for one platform to encompass more than one of these areas, but it can be helpful to know what you’re looking for so you can find the best HRIS system or the best HRMS software — depending on your needs.
We may be slightly biased, but that aside we do think that every company should invest in HR software when they can. HR management software, both free and paid, allows you to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks — giving you back valuable time to spend in a more useful way.
Good HR software enables HR professionals to make more of an impact across the business. It also allows you to create a more engaging experience for employees right the way through the employee journey.
It would be great to be able to champion one free HR software tool as the best for SMEs and small business owners, but the honest answer is that what’s best is different for everyone. It depends on what your needs are, the number of employees, the size of your HR department, and what you’re willing to compromise on.
Our list gives you some options to consider, and there may be one winner that stands out to you. You might even have a few apps on your shortlist to test out yourself. The best way to find the right free HR software tool for you is to take advantage of a free demo or trial.
Finding the best HR software for you is all about understanding your business needs and requirements. Consider what your end goal is — why do you want the software? Think about what features the free HR software should include. Consider your budget, especially if you’re likely to need to upgrade to a paid plan soon.
Once you know what you’re looking for, test a few different options. Ask other members of your team to trial them too, if they’ll be involved in managing the systems. Use this to figure out which cloud-based HR software suits your small business the best.
Charlie: for HR that’s effortless and affordable
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