Calamari HR Software Reviews

“easy and perfect

Pros

I love how easy it is to track my time off right from the moment I submit the request to the second it gets approved. everything is clear, logged and automatic. It's such a relief to finally be done with those messy error-prone manual spreadsheets for good. This makes managing my time my team's truly effortless.

Cons

The initial setup can be a little confusing but the support team at Calamari is really there to help with whatever you need.

“Best for small companies

Pros

It's great that as a small but growing company (!!) this tool gives us fantastic value. it scales with us without breaking the budget. The fact that it's super easy to use means no one gets slowed down by a complicated system. and at the end of the day it just makes tracking PTO simple and reliable which is one less thing to worry about so we can focus on that growth.

Cons

I'd love to see a feature that calculates how much time off you'll accrue by the end of the year. Right now you have to add up what you've used to plan things out which is a bit of a problem.

“Good but missing a feature

Pros

The ease of use really is the best part.. we got started and were up and running super quick with hardly any setup drama. And the fact that we've used it reliably for everything from leave requests to daily clock-ins for five years now speaks volumes. It's not flashy or overcomplicated.. it's just perfect for what we need, day in and day out. That kind of consistent no-fuss value is exactly what you hope for in a tool.

Cons

I wasn't too impressed when they moved the emergency contact info behind the Core HR paywall. Surely we could have kept that one basic field available?

“Love the team management feature

Pros

I use the Team Management feature a lot. It is awesome for managing time-off requests, approvals and tracking. The automatic reminders and calendar syncs cut down on so much manual work.

Cons

The pricing is fair for small to mid-sized teams but I think larger organizations might find the cost a bit high for the features you get.

“Set up fast with great support

Pros

Setting it up was surprisingly fast and we were fully running in just a couple of days. The Slack integration is a game-changer for my remote team, people can request time off right where they're already working. The interface is so clean and interactive that we didn't need any training. Plus their support team is very quick and helpful whenever we have a question.

Cons

Honestly we haven't run into any major problems. At first I wished there were more ways to customize reports but their team actually added some of those options based on user feedback!

“easy to use & connects well

Pros

Calamari is really convenient and easy to use. I like how it connects easily with tools we already use like Slack and Google Workspace. The way it handles time-off and attendance is super clear and flexible.

Cons

Sometimes the app loads slowly or syncing takes a while when too many of us use it at once. Also a few of the more advanced features could use better tutorials for new users.

“easy and feature rich

Pros

It's easy to use for me personally and it has a ton of useful features....... it feels like a complete system. Overall it's definitely a program I'd recommend to others.

Cons

It can be complicated to make changes by myself. I wish it was a bit more user-friendly so I could handle everything on my own without help.

“pretty smooth to work with

Pros

It is easy to work with even with all the different settings. The mobile app is also very smooth to start using and our employees were actually excited when we switched to Calamari.

Cons

We had some trouble importing data from our old application but the people at Calamari were very helpful and got us sorted out.

“overall good software but could improve more !

Pros

It has a really clean interface and is easy to use in almost every section. It also handles a big chunk of our HR needs like time tracking.

Cons

Their billing process is confusing to figure out and the same goes for setting up and viewing the holiday calendar.

“Makes my work smoother

Pros

This is an excellent and efficient app that makes my work smoother. Thanks to it I have a much better handle on my team's work.

Cons

I am generally very satisfied.. there's really nothing I don't like. If I had to add a feature I honestly can't think of what it would be!

“Simple but powerful tool

Pros

It is simple but powerful. Great interface and design, good connections with other apps, a handy mobile app and a really helpful support team. I love ittttt!

Cons

There's nothing I don't like. It has all the functions I need to get my work done properly. I really do recommend it.

“Flexible for our needs

Pros

I love the flexibility of the tool and how we can adapt it to our company's needs. We can choose the modules we want, the platform is so simple to use and we can set up different roles and permissions for people.

Cons

The projects module isn't developed enough for us. We miss the option to add detailed tasks which we sometimes need for specific projects.

“Works for our global team

Pros

With our team split between China and South Africa we needed a leave system that worked for everyone considering different holidays and workdays. Now staff can apply for and manage their own leave directly instead of asking someone on another continent to do it for them.

Cons

Some features we had during the trial disappeared because different parts of Leave Management are paid separately. It would be nice if the subscription included all the sections at a lower rate with the option to add them individually.

“integration options and speed could be better

Pros

I really rely on the time tracking and reports. The platform is easy to use and gives us accurate data for attendance and managing everyone's time.

Cons

The integration options feel limited and sometimes the interface can be slow when loading reports or syncing data.

“booking holidays simple, setting up holidays hard

Pros

Booking a holiday only takes a few clicks and the whole company can see in real-time who's out and when.

Cons

I find the setup for holiday limits a bit tricky. It's not very easy and gets complicated with more complex rules like different contracts or carrying over days. It takes a lot of testing to make sure everything is set up right.

“everything at one place

Pros

It's great value for the money, makes vacation management easy, the customer service is good, it helps with document archiving and there are lots of ways to build reports.

Cons

Calamari is great I have no complaints. But if I had to pick one thing I wish there were more ways to customize individual screens.

“friendly and helpful support

Pros

What I like most about it is how clear and transparent everything is plus the clean friendly interface. I also really appreciate how quick and helpful the support is whenever any little issue pops up.

Cons

It's hard to say because compared to other systems I've used it is the best by far. If I had to point out something maybe there are quite a lot of rules and settings which I don't always manage on my own but luckily the support team is always quick to help.

“Useful when it works

Pros

The application is very good and useful. I can accept holiday or sick leave requests from anywhere and I can always see who's out sick.

Cons

Sometimes the application buffers so much that you can't use it. You have to restart it or even delete and reinstall it.

“budget friendly but not very automated

Pros

The tool is wonderfully simple and priced so any company no matter the size can afford it. The integrations with other tools we use are a huge plus.

Cons

When I need to adjust days off like for a day off that falls on a Saturday I have to do it manually or in excel instead of it happening automatically.

“Great tool !!

Pros

Calamari felt a little overwhelming at first (especially with no HR background) but once you get the hang of it it's a great tool. We use it for everything now. I've had to ask the helpdesk a few questions over time and they've always helped me really well.. big shoutout to their support team!

Cons

Nothing bad to say about the system. We like everything it does for us. Only good words from our side