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 Managing complex employment records on outdated spreadsheets is simply a financial liability.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.

Top 7 HRIS For Small Business: At A Glance

HRIS	Trial Info	Trial Info	Best For	Key Features	Starting Price
Deel	4.8/5 Read Reviews	No free trial available View Demo	Payroll, HR, IT	Global EOR and contractor management 150+ country compliance	$5/employee/month
Rippling	4.9/5 Read Reviews	14-day free trial View Demo	Multi-location restaurants and hotel chains	HR, IT, and Finance unification 90-second onboarding, compliance 360	Custom pricing
HiBob	5/5 Read Reviews	No free trial available View Demo	HR, finance, Operations	AI-powered modern HRIS Performance and compensation management, people analytics	Starts from $16/employee/month
BambooHR	4.3/5 Read Reviews	Free trial available View Demo	Small to mid-sized hotels and restaurant groups	All-in-one for small business, Built-in ATS and time tracking	Starts at $10/employee/month
Paylocity	4.3/5 Read Reviews	No free trial available View Demo	Small to large hospitality businesses	Payroll, benefits, HR hub Strong employee self-service and dashboards	Custom pricing
Workable HR	4.4/5 Read Reviews	15-day free trial View Demo	Small to mid-sized HR teams	Smart talent sourcing (200+ job boards) Centralized onboarding	Starts at $420/month
Gusto	4.4/5 Read Reviews	Free trial available View Demo	Small to mid-sized restaurants and hotels	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

People Analytics And Reporting: Access important dashboards showing global costs, headcount changes, and DEI data.
Built-in Compliance Hub And Templates: Gain access to a library of pre-populated, legally compliant policy templates for over 150 countries.
App Provisioning: Control user access to your essential business applications. You can quickly manage permissions for integrated tools like Slack and Jira.

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

Granular Permissions And Reporting: Role-based access lets you share reports securely, meaning that users see only the data they’re allowed.
Employee Onboarding In 90 Seconds: Built-in flows allow admins to activate or deactivate employees, and assign applications automatically.
Compliance 360 With Automatic Alerts: Rippling flags infractions at local, regional, and national levels, then suggests action plans to resolve compliance risks.

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

Time And Attendance Tracking: Built-in tools let employees clock in/out, request leave, log absences; managers gain visibility into attendance metrics and payroll-ready hours.
Performance And Compensation Management: Bob supports 360-degree feedback, performance reviews, goal setting, and fair compensation management to help small businesses retain talent and motivate teams.
People Analytics: Consolidates employee profiles, HR documents, and reports in one hub; dashboards allow tracking of key HR metrics like headcount, absence, and retention.

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/employee/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

Performance And Goal Setting Tools: Allows running review cycles, setting goals, gathering 360-degree feedback, and tracking performance across teams.
Time And Attendance: Enables employees to log work hours, request time off, and managers to approve requests, with automatic sync for payroll.
Applicant Tracking: Built-in ATS and onboarding checklists help you hire and bring in new employees, with e-signatures and task assignment.

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

Employee Self-Service: Lets employees check paystubs, download tax forms, and update profiles anytime. This reduces HR requests and keeps updates quick and accurate.
Workforce Dashboards: Shows real-time data on headcount, turnover, and attendance. This way, you see patterns and respond fast.
Stay On Top Of Compliance: Makes sure that you’re completely aware of the labor law changes. Plus, helps you meet all the reporting deadlines along with legal rules.

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

Covenant Platform For Onboarding: Give new hires one place for welcome notes, videos, e-signed forms, and profile setup. This makes their first days stress-free.
Role-Specific Templates And Tasks: Set up onboarding for each team, then assign custom tasks for new hires, managers, and HR admins to complete.
Staff Records And Directory: Create flexible profiles, maintain an up-to-date org chart, and let employees update personal details.

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

Onboarding And Hiring Tools: Lets you post jobs, send offer letters, collect signed documents, and set up new employees fast with checklists.
All-In-One Employee Data Hub: One place to view payroll, benefits, and HR data together. Simplifies tracking employee info, tax forms, and history.
Insights In One Place: Get reports on payroll, headcount, and benefits use. Over time, these insights show where things are changing. This way, you can catch trends early.

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.

Conclusion

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.

Best HRIS For Small Business

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