TL;DR
The right alternative depends on what you're missing in BambooHR. For UK payroll in the same system, look at HiBob or Rippling; for payroll in many countries, Deel or Rippling. For OKRs, surveys beyond eNPS and wellbeing, and learning beyond compliance training, look at Leapsome. Personio suits teams in the UK and Europe that want recruiting and performance in one system. If you want AI agents to handle HR work on their own, for one published price with every module, Worklayer is built for that. Worklayer is our product.
The alternatives at a glance
In alphabetical order. Prices as each vendor publishes them, with every module where that's possible.
| Platform | Suits | Price with every module | Payroll | AI | Getting started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | Payroll and hiring in many countries | On request, Elite with US payroll $49 before add-ons | 130+ countries, US PEO | Assistant included, agents priced by usage | Demo |
| HiBob | UK or US payroll, compensation planning | On request | UK and US payroll as an add-on | Approval for every action, monthly limits possible | Demo and quote |
| Leapsome | Performance, OKRs, surveys and learning | $40 | Preliminary payroll | Pre-built agents, sign-off on key steps | Call, then a trial sandbox |
| Personio | Recruiting and performance in one system | On request, plus a one-time setup fee | Preliminary payroll, Xero and Sage 50 exports | Assistant, credits for some features | Demo and quote |
| Rippling | Payroll, IT and finance from one vendor | On request | US, UK and global payroll, US PEO | Actions confirmed except IT Helpdesk, access on request | Demo and quote |
| Worklayer | AI agents that handle HR work on their own | $12 (£9 in the UK), all included | Preliminary payroll with an export for your payroll provider | Your own agents, with permissions you grant, unlimited | 14-day self-serve trial |
| BambooHR (for reference) | US payroll, benefits and hiring in one system | On request with every module, flat fee up to 25 employees | US payroll as an add-on, UK through Xero | Assistant by plan, beta agents with review | 7-day free trial or demo |
All prices per employee per month.
Why companies look for an alternative
BambooHR publishes its plan prices, but companies with 25 employees or fewer pay a flat monthly fee, so a team of 10 pays at least $250 a month. Payroll and benefits administration (for US employees only), time and attendance and global employment are add-ons without a published price. Payroll and benefits cover US employees only; for the UK, BambooHR connects to Xero Payroll. How much the AI assistant can answer depends on your plan. Bamboo AI is in open beta, and payroll runs, schedule changes and employee outreach go through a person before they're applied or sent.
BambooHR is still the right choice if your team is in the US and you want payroll, tax filing and benefits in the same system as HR, with an applicant tracking system in every plan. It has more than 150 integrations and is used by more than 30,000 companies.
The alternatives in detail
Deel
A global payroll and HR platform, founded in 2019 and used by more than 40,000 companies. Deel HR comes in three plans, and payroll, employer of record, recruiting, IT and AI agents are priced separately.
- Suits
- Companies with people in several countries, or US companies that want HR, payroll and a PEO from one vendor.
- Price
- On request with every module, because Deel's AI Workforce agents are a paid add-on priced by usage and scope, with no published price. For US teams, HR and self-service payroll together cost $49 per employee per month on the Elite plan; outside the US and Canada, the Elite HR plan and payroll cost $29 each. Recruiting adds from $10 and expenses from $8.
- AI and agents
- Deel AI, an assistant in the app and in Slack, is included with every product. AI Workforce agents are a paid add-on priced by usage and scope, and Deel says your team deploys them when it wants answers or help.
- Strengths
- Payroll in more than 130 countries, an employer of record, a US PEO and contractor payments, alongside HR plans that reach compensation and headcount planning.
- Limits
- Products are sold separately or in HR bundles with payroll or a PEO, and the AI agents have no published price. Getting started begins with a demo, and Deel says core HR usually goes live in weeks.
HiBob
An HR platform founded in 2015 and used by more than 5,500 companies, with offices in New York, London and other cities. Bob Core covers the HR basics, and payroll, hiring, performance, compensation and time and attendance are add-ons.
- Suits
- Companies in the UK or US that want payroll, performance and compensation planning on one platform.
- Price
- On request. HiBob prices per employee, from your headcount and the modules you add, and shares a tailored quote after a call.
- AI and agents
- Bob AI works through specialised agents, from payroll to hiring, and always needs a person to approve actions that affect company data. HiBob's fair use policy allows monthly limits on AI requests and extra fees for heavy use.
- Strengths
- UK and US payroll inside the same platform, plus hiring, performance, learning and compensation planning, all as add-on modules.
- Limits
- No published prices. Time and attendance costs extra, and there's no expenses module.
Leapsome
A people platform founded in Berlin in 2016, with an office in New York and more than 2,000 customers. It started with performance management, and has since added core HR and pre-built AI agents.
- Suits
- Companies that want performance reviews, OKRs, engagement surveys and learning alongside core HR.
- Price
- $40 per employee per month with every module, at list prices: the Pro plan at $10 plus all seven modules. Compensation benchmarks and a learning content library cost from $4 more. A launch offer lowers the platform price until 31 December 2026.
- AI and agents
- Pre-built agents, from an HR helpdesk to a partner that runs onboarding and offboarding. They act inside the access you set, with a person signing off on consequential steps. AI is limited on the Foundation plan, and advanced agents come with Pro.
- Strengths
- Performance reviews, OKRs, surveys and learning on the same platform as core HR, with prices published in dollars, pounds and euros.
- Limits
- Payroll is preparation only, time tracking is a paid module and there are no expenses. Getting started begins with a call, and implementation usually takes 1 to 4 weeks.
Personio
An HR platform from Munich, founded in 2015 and used by more than 16,000 companies, with offices in London, Dublin and New York. Core HR, time tracking and preliminary payroll are in every plan, and recruiting, performance and surveys are paid apps.
- Suits
- Companies of 10 people or more in the UK and Europe that want recruiting, performance and core HR in one system.
- Price
- On request. You get a quote after a demo, based on your headcount and the apps you add, plus a one-time setup fee that depends on company size. Yearly plans run for at least 12 months.
- AI and agents
- Personio Assistant answers HR questions and analyses your people data. Some features, such as the Talent Screening Agent in Recruiting, run on AI credits that you buy in packs or pay for per credit. An agentic AI system is on Personio's roadmap.
- Strengths
- Recruiting, performance and surveys as apps on one platform, more than 200 integrations, and a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
- Limits
- Only starting prices are published, with a quote after a demo, a one-time setup fee and a 12-month minimum on yearly plans. Personio runs payroll itself only in Germany; elsewhere it prepares payroll for Xero, Sage 50 or your accountant.
Rippling
An HR, IT and finance platform used by more than 30,000 businesses by its own count, with more than 600 integrations. Each product is bought separately on top of the core platform.
- Suits
- Companies that want US or UK payroll, a US PEO, device management and finance tools from one vendor, including across several countries.
- Price
- On request. Each product is billed separately on top of the required core platform, mostly per employee per month. Fees are paid at the start of each term, terms renew automatically unless you give 30 days' notice, and the committed user count can't be lowered during the term.
- AI and agents
- Rippling AI, launched in March 2026, answers questions and prepares actions, and a person confirms every action. Existing customers have to request access, and AI automations that run on schedules or events have a waitlist. Only the IT Helpdesk agent resolves requests such as password resets on its own.
- Strengths
- Its own US and UK payroll, global payroll, a US PEO, employer of record, device management and finance tools.
- Limits
- No published prices. Getting started means a demo and a custom quote, and each term is paid up front.
Worklayer
An HR platform run by AI agents. Agents handle onboarding, time off, expenses and payroll preparation on a schedule or when something happens, within the permissions you set.
- Suits
- Companies of 3 people or more that want AI agents to take on HR work, with clear permissions, a published price and no sales call.
- Price
- $12 per employee per month in the US, or £9 in the UK, billed annually, with every module, every integration and unlimited AI. No setup fee.
- AI and agents
- You build your own agents, which run on a schedule or on events such as a new hire or a time-off request. Each agent starts with no permissions. Admins grant them per area, and a run that needs more stops and asks. Every run is logged step by step. Every employee also gets an AI assistant, on the web and in Slack. No credits and no caps, subject to fair use.
- Strengths
- Agents that do the work themselves. One price covering time off, attendance, expenses, documents, analytics and preliminary payroll. A 14-day self-serve trial, and you can import your team from a spreadsheet while AI maps the columns and be up and running the same day.
How to choose
Start with what you're missing today.
| If you need | Look at |
|---|---|
| US payroll and benefits in the same system | Stay with BambooHR, or Deel, Rippling |
| UK payroll in the same system | HiBob, Rippling |
| Payroll in many countries | Deel, Rippling |
| AI agents that do the work themselves | Worklayer |
| OKRs, broader surveys and learning | Leapsome, Deel, HiBob |
| IT and device management in the same system | Rippling, Deel |
| Getting started without a sales call | Worklayer |
| One published price with every module | Worklayer |
Moving from BambooHR
- 1.
Check your contract end date
BambooHR's monthly plans end with the month you cancel in. Longer terms renew for 12 months unless you give at least 60 days' notice, so plan the switch for the end of yours.
- 2.
Export your data
Export your employee list from BambooHR as a spreadsheet. Most platforms can import it.
- 3.
Run a trial alongside BambooHR
Try the alternative with real data before your BambooHR term ends. With Worklayer that's free for 14 days.
How we compared
Worklayer is our product. We included it on this list and put it where it falls alphabetically. Everything about the other vendors comes from their own websites, pricing pages, help centres and terms, read on 13 October 2026. Prices are shown as each vendor publishes them, in US dollars where they do, with every module where that's possible. No vendor paid for a place, and there are no affiliate links. When a price or feature changes, we update the page.
Questions
It depends on what you're missing. For UK payroll in the same system, HiBob or Rippling. For payroll in many countries, Deel or Rippling. For OKRs, surveys beyond eNPS and wellbeing, and learning beyond compliance training, Leapsome. For AI agents that do the work themselves, Worklayer.
HiBob and Rippling run UK payroll themselves. BambooHR connects to Xero Payroll for the UK. Personio runs payroll itself only in Germany, and elsewhere prepares it for Xero, Sage 50 or your accountant. Leapsome and Worklayer prepare payroll and export it for your payroll provider or accountant.
Worklayer is $12 per employee per month in the US, or £9 in the UK, with every module and unlimited AI. Leapsome comes to $40 with every module, at list prices. Deel publishes prices for its HR, payroll, hiring and IT plans, but not for its AI agents, managed US payroll or immigration services. HiBob and Rippling quote on request. Personio publishes starting prices only and quotes the full price after a demo.
In Worklayer you build your own agents that act on their own, within the permissions an admin grants. Leapsome has pre-built agents, with a person signing off on consequential steps. At HiBob and Rippling a person confirms actions, except for Rippling's IT Helpdesk agent, which can resolve routine requests such as password resets on its own. Deel's AI agents are a paid add-on your team deploys when it needs them. Personio's Talent Screening Agent checks job applications against your criteria, and a person makes every decision. More agents are on Personio's roadmap.
With Worklayer, yes: you sign up yourself and nothing is charged for 14 days. Leapsome gives sandbox access after a call. Deel, HiBob and Rippling start with a demo, and Personio with a demo and a quote.
Worklayer's minimum is three employees. BambooHR charges companies with 25 employees or fewer a flat monthly fee, from $250 on Core. Personio says it suits companies of 10 to 10,000 employees.
With Worklayer you import your team from a spreadsheet while AI maps the columns, and you can be up and running the same day. Leapsome quotes 1 to 4 weeks for implementation, and Deel says core HR usually goes live in weeks. Plan the switch for the end of your BambooHR term.
No. Worklayer is our product. That's why the list is alphabetical, every other vendor gets strengths and limits, and every claim comes from the vendor's own public pages.