The Best Free HR Software of 2023

Deel HR: Best overall free HR software

Deel is one of the top international payroll providers for U.S.-based businesses that hire contractors and employees in 100+ countries. Along with its global payroll and EOR services, Deel offers one of the most comprehensive, fully featured free HR solutions on the crowded HR services market.

Using Deel HR, domestic and international businesses can track time off, create employee directories and company org charts, and onboard and offboard employees. The software ensures your HR processes are legally compliant in every country in which you’ve hired employees, customizing onboarding, offboarding and leave tracking to each employee’s on-the-ground location.

Why we chose it

Deel’s free HR solution includes more human resource tools and features than nearly any other HR system — including HR tools that cost a monthly fee. It also supports more users than any other product on our list: While most companies limit their free HR plans to just 10 or 20 users, Deel HR is free for companies with as many as 200 global workers.

Naturally, Deel HR integrates with Deel’s global payroll solution. By combining both tools, businesses can hire and pay employees and contractors in over 100 countries, then onboard and manage them on the same platform.

Pricing

Deel’s HRIS solution is free for global businesses with up to 200 employees. While Deel doesn’t offer any paid HR-only plans, its payroll services for international contractors start at $49 per month, and its EOR solution starts at $599 per employee per month.

Features

• Self-service employee onboarding.
• Time off management.
• Employee directory and company org charts.
• Compliant, country-specific offboarding.
• Employee expense tracking and approval.
• Custom user permissions.
• Real-time reports on employee headcount and payroll.
• Global cost calculation and reports.

Pros and cons

7shifts: Best for food service industry scheduling

7shifts is designed with the food service industry in mind, as it provides tools that allow them to easily schedule restaurant shifts. The cloud-based platform includes drag-and-drop scheduling, time clock features and various team management tools, so business owners can get their staff set for success.

7shifts offers HR capabilities through its labor management features, which enable businesses to perform basic onboarding tasks. However, most of these capabilities are available only through one of 7shifts’ paid plans. While 7shifts’ free plan can be a useful stepping stone for growing restaurants, it works better as an employee scheduling solution rather than a fully fledged HR software.

Why we chose it

Accommodating individual employees’ schedules can make shift management a challenge for single-location restaurant owners. 7shifts’ free HR management sofetare aims to take the frustration out of shift scheduling by letting employers view employees’ work hours, attendance and availability. Its employee engagement tool also offers insights into how employees feel about their hours worked and overall job satisfaction.

The solution even streamlines communication across the workforce, so employers can quickly relay announcements and chat with their team. It is also a mobile-friendly platform, which simplifies on-the-go scheduling and last-minute shift changes.

Pricing

7shifts’ free plan is available for small restaurants with one location only. It supports up to 20 employees working up to 150 monthly shifts.

Paid plans start at $29.99 per location per month with support for up to 30 employees. (7shifts’ paid plans do not limit the number of shifts you can schedule per month).

Features

• Time off request management.
• Employee availability management.
• Time clock.
• Minimum wage compliance.
• Employee health check tool.
• Employee engagement dashboard.
• Basic attendance reports.

Pros and cons

Homebase: Best for employee satisfaction

Homebase is a service geared toward small businesses. Employers can sign up for the basic version for free to access features and capabilities for time tracking and schedule management. Homebase also includes onboarding tools, so employers can track candidates, schedule interviews and build a strong workforce team.

SEE: 10 Best Employee Monitoring Software for 2023 (TechRepublic)

Why we chose it

What’s great about Homebase is that it takes a human-centric approach to management by placing focus on employee happiness. After all, a workforce team is only as good as its members, and the platform lets leaders ensure their workers are feeling good about their jobs.

Features and capabilities like collecting employee feedback after shifts, providing recognition through team shout-outs and offering pay advances make Homebase an excellent resource for building team trust and increasing employee satisfaction.

Pricing

Homebase’s free plan supports businesses with up to 20 employees at one location. The plan includes timesheets, time tracking, scheduling and some messaging and hiring tools. Paid plans start at $20 per location per month with no limit on the number of employees you can add.

Features

• Time tracking via timesheets and time clocks.
• Scheduling and availability.
• Messaging and mobile app.
• Hiring features like job posts and applicant tracking.
• Employee happiness tracking.
• Employee roster.
• Email support.
• POS and payroll integrations.

Pros and cons

Connecteam: Best for small businesses

Connecteam is an employee management solution that provides a free Small Business Plan for businesses with up to 10 employees. While some software suppliers provide a tuned-down list of features for their cost-free plans, Connecteam’s free plan includes access to all of the hubs and capabilities that come with its paid versions.

Why we chose it

With Connecteam, small businesses can easily manage their entire 10-person team with one user-friendly app. The Small Business Plan makes all of Connecteam’s features available for free, including features like end-to-end time management, task management, real-time reporting and collaboration, to name just a few.

Pricing

Connecteam’s free plan includes every HR feature, from time tracking to onboarding, for companies with up to 10 employees. Its paid plans start at $29 a month for 12 months with access for up to 30 users. If you have more than 30 employees, each plan costs an extra $0.50 per month per employee.

Features

• GPS time tracking.
• Employee scheduling.
• Task management.
• Forms and checklists.
• Work chat.
• Knowledge base.
• Engaging updates.
• Recognition and rewards.
• Training and onboarding.
• Employee documents.
• Mobile app.

Pros and cons

Bitrix24: Best for sales teams

Bitrix24 is a CRM solution that provides many features to support HR processes. Unlike some other software options, Bitrix24’s Free plan supports unlimited users at no cost and includes more than 35 free HR tools.

Why we chose it

Bitrix24 really shines in its collaboration features, allowing users to create a virtual office ideal for connecting both on-site and remote work teams.

Bitrix24’s free version provides customer relationship management features as well as capabilities for task management, project management, collaboration and more. Businesses can also use the website builder tools to design websites for their sales teams, marketing teams or for HR and recruitment purposes.

Pricing

Bitrix24’s free plan lets you add unlimited employees. However, it limits you to 5 GB of storage space.

Paid plans start at $49 a month for five users with 24 GB of storage.

Features

• Tasks and projects.
• Chats, online meetings and HD video calls.
• Time tracking.
• Mobile app.
• Online workspace for the whole team.
• Company structure.
• Drive storage.
• Calendar tools.
• Knowledge base.
• CRM digital sales suite.
• Contact Center.
• No-code website builder.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Useful communication and collaboration tools. Integrated CRM. Support for online meetings. No user limit with free plan.	No talent sourcing, hiring or employee onboarding tools. Limited task statuses can impede workflow.

IceHrm Cloud: Best for performance management

IceHrm Cloud is an open-source software solution that provides free HR capabilities for organizations with up to five employees. The IceHrm Cloud free plan contains features and tools for employee management, leave management, performance reviews and expense management.

SEE: Best Free Payroll Software for Small Business in 2023 (TechRepublic)

Why we chose it

IceHrm’s free cloud software includes a variety of handy capabilities for managing workers’ schedules and keeping track of important variables, such as time tracking, automated calculation and leave management features. As an open-source software solution, it’s easy for businesses to customize as needed. Plus, the software supports organizations in many countries, so businesses all around the globe can access this free program to manage their workforce teams.

Pricing

IceHrm Cloud’s free plan lets businesses manage up to five employees. Its paid plans start at $11 per month and include support for up to 70 users.

Features

• Store employee information securely.
• Leave management.
• Time tracking.
• Payroll processing.
• Expense management.
• Recruitment and applicant tracking.
• Custom forms.
• Staff training.
• Performance review module.
• 360° feedback.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Simplified, easy-to-track staff trainings. Multi-level approvals. Custom surveys with anonymous feedback collection.	No hiring or recruitment tools with free plan. Open-source software may have a steep learning curve for new, non-developer users.

Freshteam: Best for hiring

Freshteam is a human resources information system software that offers a free Basic plan for organizations with up to 50 employees. Its features are designed for HR processes like employee data, hiring, onboarding and time off.

SEE: The Best Onboarding Software of 2023 (TechRepublic)

Why we chose it

Freshteam’s free plan is fairly limited. While it offers a useful time off dashboard to help managers set schedules, it doesn’t include a built-in time tracker. Plus, the free plan doesn’t integrate with any third-party apps, which makes it hard for businesses to use Freshteam in conjunction with other business software.

However, Freshteam excels when it comes to hiring. The free plan’s job posting and candidate management tools can help businesses easily communicate with potential hires and select only the best applicants to join their workforce teams.

Pricing

Freshteam is free forever for businesses that have up to 50 employees. Its paid plans cost a monthly base fee plus a monthly per-employee fee. The cheapest paid plan, Growth, starts at $59 per month plus $1 per employee per month.

Features

• Applicant tracking.
• Three active job postings.
• Customizable hiring workflow.
• Candidate pipeline visualization.
• Basic career site.
• Employee referrals.
• Recruitment team inbox.
• Team collaboration.
• Basic employee profiles.
• Employee directory.
• Org charts.
• Basic time off management.
• Time off dashboard.
• Mobile app for iOS and Android.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Customizable hiring processes. Faster onboarding. HRIS features. Time off management.	Customer complaints about accessing customer service team. Free plan limits users to three job postings only.

How to choose the right free HR software solution

There are a lot of HR solutions for businesses out there, but finding a free one that meets your company’s needs can take a bit of hunting. While each of these solutions offer features and capabilities that align with HR processes, they may not be suitable for your specific organization.

To make the right choice, start by identifying your organization’s specific HR needs to determine which software features are necessary. In doing this, consider factors such as recruitment and onboarding, performance management, employee data management, payroll and compliance with employment laws.

Next, research and compare different HR software options and evaluate their features, ease of use, customer support and compatibility with other systems used by your organization. Many software providers offer free versions of their HR solutions for organizations with a limited number of individuals. Keep an eye out for any stipulations on business size to ensure the product would be appropriate for your company.

Finally, consider the software provider’s reviews to ensure the chosen software will meet your organization’s needs and provide a positive user experience. By taking these factors into account, an organization can select the right free HR software to streamline its HR processes and improve overall efficiency.

Read next: The 6 Best HR Software for Small Businesses in 2023 (TechRepublic)

Our methodology

To determine the best free HR software for small businesses, we looked solely at HR software that offered at least one free-for-life software plan. We then evaluated each product based on its HR features, integration with other software, ease of use, reputation, deployment viability and scalability for growing businesses.

Whenever possible, we test the software we review firsthand. We also base our reviews on verified customer ratings from sites like Gartner Peer Insights to bring our readers a well-rounded perspective on their software options.