The silent financial threat to every growing business is the challenge of managing payroll for its employees. Managing complex employment records on outdated spreadsheets is simply a financial liability.
And here’s the thing: small businesses can get hit with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) penalties if they miss payroll tax deadlines. These fines range from 2% to 15%, depending on how late the deposit is. And fixing just one mistake can cost an average of $291.
The good news is that this vulnerability is entirely avoidable. With the proper platform, you can secure your operations and allocate your resources to business scalability. Fortunately, our guide can simplify your path forward. We focus only on all-in-one Human Resource Information System (HRIS) that are specifically designed to give small teams enterprise-level data accuracy and security.
Keep reading to explore the top HRIS options that simplify payroll, taxes, and employee management.
HRIS | Rating | Key Features | Starting Price |
Deel | 4.8/5 | Global EOR and contractor management, 150+ country compliance | $5/employee/month |
Rippling | 4.9/5 | HR, IT, and Finance unification, 90-second onboarding, compliance 360 | Custom pricing |
HiBob | 5/5 | AI-powered modern HRIS, performance and compensation management, people analytics | Starts from $16/employee/month |
BambooHR | 4.3/5 | All-in-one for small business, built-in ATS and time tracking | Starts at $10/employee/month |
Paylocity | 4.3/5 | Payroll, benefits, HR hub, strong employee self-service and dashboards | Custom pricing |
Workable HR | 4.4/5 | Smart talent sourcing (200+ job boards), centralized onboarding | Starts at $420/month |
Gusto | 4.4/5 | Flawless payroll, benefits, and 401(k), all-in-one data hub | Starting at $35/month |
1. Deel - Best For Growing Small Businesses
Deel is engineered as an all-in-one Global People Platform. It doesn’t just manage your local employees but obliterates geographical barriers that hold small businesses back. As a result, it turns team expansion from a complex legal maze into a convenient click-to-hire process.
Deel’s core value is simplifying compliance. For a budding company that can’t afford an in-house legal team, having an HRIS that automates local labor laws, contract generation, and tax filing in over 150 countries can be incredibly convenient. By centralizing global workforce data, it also reduces the risk of worker status errors, like accidentally treating an employee as a contractor, so you can spend more time growing your business.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Instant setup with fast identity verification checks Quick onboarding with secure digital contracts Instant earnings access through Deel card | Limited bank account connection options available Time tracker often fails to log hours |
Pricing
Deel HR offers several modules, with Deel HRIS for small business workforce management starting at $5/employee/month. The other available modules and their prices are:
- Deel Engage: $20/worker/month
- Deel Compensation: Up to $15/employee/month
- Deel Workforce Planning: Up to $18/employee/month
Deel HR also offers custom-priced plans, including:
- Deel Benefits Admin
- Deel Talent
- Deel Immigration
- Deel Background Checks
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
2. Rippling - Best For All-in-One Management
Rippling HR offers small businesses a unique benefit with its single-source platform that ties HR, IT and Finance data all together. From setting up payroll to enrolling benefits and granting access to necessary work apps, Rippling handles it all. This complete data unification is what truly cuts back the extra work hours.
Rippling also offers ‘Workflow Studio’ to handle your company’s HR processes. For instance, if an employee relocates, the tool instantly updates their local tax forms, payroll, and compliance training, all without your effort. This hands-off approach keeps your small business compliant and secure 24/7.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
User-friendly time tracking across multiple locations Contractor and international payroll fully integrated Efficient set up for easy onboarding of new employees | Time-off requests default to wrong hours Limited security and task customizability |
Pricing
Rippling pricing is based on a per-employee, per-month model. Some products may also include a monthly base fee. The platform is divided into four core modules with custom pricing:
- Rippling HCM
- Rippling IT
- Rippling Spend
The fourth plan is Rippling Platform which includes the following sub-plans:
- Core
- Pro
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
3. HiBob - Best For Modern HR Tools
If you're looking for an HRIS system that actually feels modern and user-friendly, meet HiBob, often just called 'Bob.' This platform is an award-winning HRIS specifically designed for today's growing businesses. It’s an AI-powered hub that glues it all together; HR, Payroll, and Finance.
It centralizes all your employee data, along with complex tasks, from approvals, benefits, and onboarding. This creates a single, reliable source for all your HR information. This means no more version control issues with spreadsheets. It also stops critical data from getting buried in email threads. The result? Businesses can focus on building culture and strategy.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Detailed country-specific holiday and employee information Built-in engagement surveys support company culture Supports secure login through Microsoft Authenticator | Complex menus can make navigation confusing Lacks advanced integration with applicant tracking system (ATS) |
Pricing
HiBob offers pricing that starts at $16 per employee per month (PEPM). Ultimately, the actual costs vary based on several factors. These may include chosen features, support level, and the size of your workforce.
Disclaimer: The pricing has been sourced from third-party websites and is subject to change.
4. BambooHR – Best For Scaling HR Operations
BambooHR is HRIS built for small businesses that feel like they're drowning in chaotic data. It consolidates essential functions, from hiring and onboarding to time tracking and benefits, into one intuitive platform. This saves you the trouble of switching between numerous applications.
For businesses that are trying to grow, saving time is crucial. And BambooHR truly provides that. It combines employee profiles, time-tracking, and benefits management to create a single source of truth. This, in turn, ensures that information flows easily. For instance, a change made in one place – such as a promotion – instantly syncs to payroll, benefits, and time-off.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Approval process made clear and interactive Mobile app provides HR access on-the-go Performance review tools speed up evaluation process | Supervisor filter missing in onboarding tasks Limited customization of standard tables |
Pricing
BambooHR keeps pricing simple for growing teams. Plans start at $10/employee/month. This makes it affordable for small businesses. As your team expands, the cost adjusts automatically, so you only pay for what you use.
BambooHR offers three custom priced plans, including:
- Core
- Pro
- Elite
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
5. Paylocity - Best For Payroll And HR Management
Paylocity HR & Payroll is a cloud system built to power the way people work right now. For growing companies, it’s a smart choice. It binds everything together – be it payroll, benefits, and core HR - on one platform.
The system runs payroll automatically, using approved time sheets and employee data. Here's the best part: because everything is connected, a single update - like a salary change - instantly syncs to payroll and benefits. As a consequence, you can eliminate the manual chore of cross-checking numbers across different spreadsheets.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Track employee timecards and PTO efficiently Access HR tools anytime via mobile application Recognize peers and acknowledge their achievements | Clock-in edits occasionally freeze or fail Vacation balance tracking can be inaccurate |
Pricing
The vendor provides six plans with custom pricing. It is personalized to business size, needs, and features that go well with your business. The available modules include:
- Payroll Software
- Human Resources Software
- Workforce Management Software
- Talent Management Software
- Benefits Management Software
- Employee Experience Platform
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
6. Workable HR - Best For Small Business Hiring
Workable ATS is an HR platform built to help small businesses succeed at finding and managing great employees. It’s a ‘future-ready' solution that pulls together tasks related to finding people. Plus, it helps you take care of all that employee data, and so much more.
The platform is engineered to solve a common small business headache: slow, messy hiring. From posting to 200+ job boards to getting access to 400+ profiles, Workable is an incredibly smart talent sourcing tool. With Workable, you can keep your hiring process consistent and simple. It also helps you find and hire the right people faster.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Post jobs on plethora of boards simultaneously Customizable workflows reflect complex company structure Video interviews make remote hiring more efficient | E-offers can’t be sent without editing and uploading manually Archived job dates are poorly tracked |
Pricing
Workable offers two pricing tiers with a 15-day free trial, including:
- Standard - $420/month
- Premier - $679/month
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
7. Gusto - Best For Basic Payroll Needs
Gusto HR software is designed to make your payroll simple and accurate. It is a connected tool which caters to benefits, 401(k), pay and more. You can exercise control over everything, be it salaries, benefits, and basic HR information. This is all managed directly from one clean dashboard. This is how small businesses stabilize their entire backend.
Small companies especially benefit because Gusto includes many HR essentials from the start. New hires, time tracking, document storage, tax filing, and support are baked in. Plus, Gusto offers compliance guidance. It walks you through the right HR practices step by step. That way, as your business grows, you’re never caught off guard.
Key Features
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
Employee self-service portal updates data on time Email alerts updates users right away Integrated benefits administration improves employee experience | Limited after-hours support for payroll emergencies Clunky interface with repetitive record adjustments |
Pricing
Gusto offers the following pricing plans for businesses:
- Contractor Only: $35/month + $6/month/person
- Simple: $49/month + $6/month/person
- Plus: $80/month + $12/month/person
- Premium: $180/month + $22/month/person
Gusto also offers a Solo plan that costs around $49/month + $6/month/person, which specifically caters to solopreneurs.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
The everyday lifecycle of a small business is all about HR, payroll, and compliance. That back-end work demands a solid system. Deploying the right HRIS platform stabilizes your entire operation. Plus, you instantly gain better operational speed and utmost business stability.
Each platform we reviewed addresses specific pain points. Identify your biggest challenge first. Maybe it’s simplifying payroll effortlessly or centralizing your employee data. Whatever your focus, there's a platform built specifically to solve it.
Ready to find an HRIS for your small business? Find a reliable fit from our picks to make your workday genuinely easier.